Our Germany Adventure, Day 1: Arrival

"Previously on.....Survivor."

That sounds so much cooler than "Picking up where I left off on my previous blog....."

But that's what I'm doing. I ended the previous installment with us clearing passport control in AMS and trekking through Schiphol's terminals to our next segment, AMS to FRA. We had plenty of time for a cup of coffee and a little browsing in the various shops in each terminal to see if we could find something we just can't live without. No point in getting to the gate too early and earning the nickname "gate lice." Cindy and I have flown enough to just sit back, relax, and wait for our boarding zone to be called before approaching the gate. 

As a reminder, any links in blue will open in a new window. You won't lose your place here. Clicking on a photo will display a larger version of it.

Our segment from AMS to FRA would be with KLM Cityhopper. We first flew with Cityhopper in 2024 during our Italy trip from AMS to VCE, so they were a known quantity to us. Having our bags checked through to FRA was a big help, too, as it eliminated a tedious step of baggage claim, rechecking, and clearing security. 

Our ride from AMS to FRA

AMS - FRA

KL1817

PH-EXT (Embraer E175 STD)

dep AMS rwy 09, arv FRA rwy 25L

"OBS"

After our "obligatory boarding selfie," we got settled for the short 40-minute flight to FRA. I glanced out our window and spotted Air France's regional airline Hop! This is an Embraer ERJ-190, similar to what we'll fly from FRA to CDG on our return trip, but that's still 9 days away. 

Hello, Hop!

I had to keep reminding myself that getting to FRA was still only part of our journey. We had trains and a taxi ride yet. Once we got to the hotel, then we could fully relax. Not that we had any anxiety, but more of not letting jet lag hit us square in the face. Remember, it was still morning and we had several hours of travel left.

Departing AMS

With this being such a short flight, we only had time for a bottle of water and a stroopwafel as a snack. Ideally, I'd have a cup of black coffee to place my stroopwafel on, but it was still a nice treat. If you've never had one, it's soooo much better when placed on top of a hot coffee cup. The heat softens both the "cookie" part and the filling.

This flight took us to Frankfurt's newly opened Terminal 3. We claimed our bags and boarded the SkyLine train to Terminal 1 to catch the long-distance ICE train to Koblenz. From Koblenz, we'd take a regional train to Wittlich, the closest train station to our hotel. That left another 2 1/2 hours of traveling. Hey, it's daylight, we're excited about our vacation and nothing was going to keep us down. Sleepy? Sure. That's OK, though. It'll make our transition to Central European Time that much easier after a good night's sleep.

For several months before this trip, Cindy studied the German rail system in great depth. We knew that most of our transportation would be by train, given both the distances we'd be traveling and the time. A rental car just wasn't feasible for us on this trip. We considered buying a Eurail pass (now called Interrail), but ultimately decided on the Deutschland Ticket and an accompanying DB Card 25, which gave us a 25% discount on many routes. The Deutschland Ticket is app-based and offers travel on all regional trains. Think of it as a "Hop On, Hop Off" kind of thing like many city buses offer. With this type of ticket, you'd select a destination and off you'd go. The app had a QR code that the DB Ticket Inspectors would scan to validate your journey. It was very efficient for us to use this, and allowed for a ton of flexibility.

The ICE train is different, though, so we had to purchase that part of our trip from Frankfurt to Koblenz. We had a little confusion initially, as some seats were reserved. We found two empty seats, and after a couple of stops, one of the other passengers pointed out to us that our seats were reserved by someone else and pointed to a small display above the seats. By that time, we found two other empty seats and avoided any awkward moments. 

Our transfer in Koblenz went smoothly, and soon we were on a regional train to Wittlich. It was very obvious that we were entering wine country as vineyards started appearing along the slopes of the hills. According to our GPS, that river we were following was.....the Mosel River! 

Mosel River

Not the best photo, but with it being sunny, the glare on the window prevented a better photo. No worries, right? There will be plenty of time for better photos.  As the Ticket Inspectors came by, I had difficulty finding the QR code they needed. I'm sure we weren't the first people who had this issue, as they were quite friendly and helpful. They pointed out where to find the QR code, scanned it, and were on their way. Next stop, Wittlich!

Once in Wittlich, we found a taxi and learned it would be close to €50 for a ride to Schloss Lieser. Fifty Euros? Dayum! This is gonna get expensive really quick. Well, we didn't have much of a choice, so we got in and took a 15-minute ride to our hotel. We'd figure out the best way around this later. We had wine to drink.

I practiced my German with Babbel for several months before our trip. I feel it's important to at least try speaking the local language. It made a big difference in Italy, and I was sure it would make a difference here, too. As we entered the reception area, I took a moment to gather myself and mentally rehearse what I was going to say: 

"Guten Tag. Mein Name ist Newman und wir haben eine Reservierung."

Rapid-fire response in German

Me, with a "deer in the headlights" expression......

"Entschuldigen Sie mich, bitte. Mein Deutsch ist nicht gut."

Ahhh, English would be better?

"Ja, bitte."

Well, at least I tried. The reception staff was courteous and actually complimented my German. OK, not bad, we should be just fine. 

Our hotel offered several room selections, and we pre-booked a "vineyard view room." With our arrival in early Fall, we figured the view would be spectacular. 

And it was.

View from our room

We had a 4th-floor room to get this view, so the room itself wasn't overly large. No worries, as we didn't intend to spend much time in our room. We'd be exploring!

Room 401

Where does this go?

I've never seen a spiral staircase in a hotel room before. Then again, I've never stayed in a 19th-century castle, either. Ahhhh, I know! I bet the staircase leads to an observation deck for the vineyards!

It didn't.

It led to.....our bathroom. 

Yes, you read that correctly. That spiral staircase led to our bathroom. That was....different. Granted, it was a private bathroom, just for us, but still. Midnight bathroom break? Climb the stairs. Need to wash your hands or rinse off? Climb the stairs. 

But....

We're here! We're in the Mosel Valley, the heart of German wine country. A place I've waited decades to visit. And we're here! Time to freshen up a bit, then walk to that restaurant we passed on the way to the hotel. 

Oh, right, the staircase.

(sigh)

There were several good prospects we saw as the taxi brought us to Schloss Lieser. We weren't looking for dinner just yet, as it wasn't even 5 pm. Just some of what we came for: wine. 

And maybe a snack.

Ahhh, this looks like the perfect spot: Weingut Hugo Hower

Prost!

photo by Cindy Newman

I hope those of y'all reading this won't get tired of repetition, but it's gonna happen. Trust me on this. After so many hours traveling today, we were ready to finally relax and enjoy the moment. We ordered the Auslese, of course. And this is what you'll see over and over: The "A-Word." What can I say? It's a delicious wine. Throughout our trip, all the wines we drank were locally produced. Yes, locally.produced. Terroir, with a capital T.

"Would you like that in a glass or by the bottle?"

Ahhhhh, bless her little hearrrrt. 

"The bottle, bitte." We'll start from there and decide as we go.

2024 Bernstein Auslese

Now for something to go with the wine....

Ooohhhhh, how about the Winzerteller? That sounds good. Thinly-sliced, air-dried ham with crusty bread, mustard, butter, and jam. Oh, hell yeah!

Winzerteller (Winemaker's Platter)

As we were enjoying this plate, I remarked to Cindy how the smoked ham paired perfectly with the wine. Our server overheard our conversation. "Sir, the ham isn't smoked, just air-dried."

Oh......could've fooled me. 

The sun was starting to set, and cast these beautiful rays across the table. I tried to capture this sight, but the photo does it absolutely no justice.

Sunshine on my wine

After savoring our bottle, we looked for somewhere close by and inexpensive for dinner. A quick search on Google Maps revealed an Italian restaurant just a short walk away. Prices seemed reasonable, so off we went. My father always seemed to find a good Italian restaurant everywhere he went, from Singapore to Seoul. The operative word here being "good." 

This restaurant was....ok. Neither of us expected five-star cuisine and to that end, we weren't disappointed. It was filling and reasonably tasty, but that's about it. We didn't come here to eat Italian food anyway. This is the land of schnitzel and bratwurst, not "spaghetti arrabbiata."

Our hotel has a terrace with a fantastic view. It was still a bit early for bed, so we ordered some more Auslese (See? That danged A-Word strikes again!). We had a wonderful conversation with our bartender and told him why we were there. "We have reservations tomorrow night at Puricelli (the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant)."

"Ahh, good choice! May I suggest you do this as a wine-pairing dinner? We will pair each course with the best wine. Be prepared for a three-hour experience."

Wine pairing, with local wines? How could we not do it? Done!

I still can't believe we're actually here!

What a view!

Sunset on the Mosel

Life is good

A pleasant coolness settled in as the sun went down. It felt so good just sitting outside, near the Mosel River, sipping wine and taking it all in. After a couple of glasses each, we decided to call it a day. 

I had a hot date with a hot shower....upstairs.

Like I did with my Madeira series, I recorded the step count we did each day. I call it "minimum steps" because I sometimes carried something in my left hand, limiting the watch's movement. 

Minimum steps: 7106 

3.05 miles

For a travel day with lots of sitting, that was more steps than I thought we'd have. I'm sure most of those were at Schiphol.

Coming up next, our first full day in Germany.

The first installment can be found here.

Until next time....

carpe cerevisi