Culinary Volksmarch

Today was a perfect day for a 5K hike. We took a bus tour through the base RTT to Rheinhessen wine country for a Culinary Volksmarch. Ryan was fired up to ride the bus...

In a walk of between 5 and 10 kilometers we got to sample food and drinks that have made the region famous. There were about 10 catering stands that sold different samples of foods. We were encouraged to use our "Weinpass" booklet to purchase a sample of wine at each station.

I liked the Portuguese Rose and a drink called "Hugo"...it's made of Speco (sparkling wine), mineral water and mint leaves...I will have to make that sometime when we have friends over. It's a great summer drink.

The boys did a great job keeping up. They were little troopers and spent much of the time running the trail. The end of the march is in (again) a castle (upper left side of picture). The castle was constructed in the 1100s. When I can find the name of it, I will add it to this post.

Lookout Over the Ramstein Flightline

The boys and I had a picnic lunch at Landstuhl Castle (Burg Nanstein). We met a retiree who was on his daily walk and he mentioned an area nearby that looks out over the Ramstein flightline. We decided to check it out. It was a pretty cool. From what I hear the view is pretty amazing at night so we'll have to check it out. The boys had a great time playing in the woods and even started making a fort. We'll be back here plenty, I'm sure.

Oh, and we spotted deer...even Mia was ready to hunt them down...

A Fair in Trier

Today we went to Trier. It's located on the banks of the Moselle River and is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BCE. Again, only about an hour drive from Ramstein. Today the city was having an Easter Festival or an Osterfest. The boys enjoyed riding on the swings, eating waffles and painting eggs.

We made our way through the shopping area to --> The Cathedral of Saint Peter (German: Trierer Dom). It is the oldest cathedral in the country. The edifice is notable for its extremely long life span under multiple different eras each contributing some elements to its design, including the center of the main chapel being made of Roman brick laid under the direction of Saint Helen, resulting in a cathedral added on to gradually rather than rebuilt in different eras. Since 1986 it has been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
The pictures we took do not do it justice. It is an unbelievably beautiful structure...full of intricate detail.

 We walked back through the market area and the boys got some ice cream and got their picture taken with this "statue"...

Lastly, before we left for the day we had to be sure to tour the Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate). The modern appearance of the Porta Nigra goes back almost unchanged to the reconstruction ordered by Napoleon. At the south side of the gate remains of Roman columns line the last 100m of the street leading to the gate. Positioned where they had stood in Roman times, they give a slight impression of the aspect of the original Roman street that was lined with colonnades. The gate is today closed for cars, but stands right next to one of the main streets of Trier. In addition to the general pollution, the exhaust fumes of the passing cars have been damaging the stones for decades. Generally, however, the Porta Nigra is still in remarkable condition. 

I've learned from this trip that 

A: I need to work with my camera more to get better shots indoors. 

B: I need to learn to use the video camera so that I can take video of the inside of these places. Sometimes pictures just can't show it all. 

Also, I miss a few things:

Large parking spaces like those in America

Shops open on Sundays

The value of the dollar (or at least what I thought it was)

My minivan (it's sitting here but I can't get it until tomorrow)

Having more than 4 outfits to wear...I want my household goods!

Free/accessible toilets

Ice..drinks here do not come with ice...something I guess I didn't realize doesn't happen everywhere. 

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE IT HERE...but I just realize the there are things we have grown used to and often take for granted.  

 

Having Fun in Heidelberg

Today we went to Heidelberg. It's about an hour from Ramstein AB. We decided to go to Heidelberg Castle first. Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398 - 1410) erected the first representative building as a regal residence in the inner courtyard. The exterior of the building, divided into a ground floor made of stone and framework upper levels, seems quite unpretentious today.

Inside the wine cellar of the castle houses the biggest barrel in the world, holding 55,345 gallons of wine. It is said that local wine makers would bring a barrel and dump it into the large barrel for the King to be drank at court. An honor for the wine maker and a total status symbol for the King...

 On our walk around around the courtyard we ran into this guy in the fountain...

Then the boys played in the courtyard while Gabe and I laid in the sun...

After the castle we explored Heidelberg’s historical city center, the "Altstadt" (Old Town). It is full of wonderful places to eat and little shops. The boys really enjoyed the center fountain. It is very child and dog friendly. 

We then made our way to the "Alte Brücke" (Old Bridge), an impressive stone bridge built in the 18th century, dates back to the Middle Ages – the original wood structures were destroyed by fire, but you can still see a medieval gate, which was part of Heidelberg’s original town wall.

This last one is my favorite shot of the day. We are on the bridge but you can see the whole castle in the background. 

And no trip is complete without a Myers Family Emergency! On our ride home we ended up in our first "Stau" or traffic jam. Dylan started complaining of a stomach ache. We had no where, I mean no where to stop. The situation was getting worse when thankfully I spotted a "job-johnny" on the side of the road. One placed there for the construction workers. We pulled over and made a dash for it. Incident avoided!