River Cruising Water Cooler

[Coli]

10 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

Coli,

is Ariel Sands ever going to be redeveloped?

I’m honestly not sure. I know the Dill family (Michael Douglas’s) family have something In the works. Such a lovely property.

[notamermaid]

On 8/1/2021 at 12:12 PM, notamermaid said:

The old Main Bridge was probably the busiest place in Würzburg which instinct made us avoid it. I actually found that I could appreciate it more seeing it from the embankment and I really recommend that. I will come back to the subject of the bridge.

After ice-cream and a tiny bit of shopping our party headed down to the river. The bridge was filling with people and it was still quite warm and exposed. We were in unison to go to the embankment next to it and really appreciated the view standing left of the bridge where we could see the Käppele and the Marienburg. To the right of the bridge is the old mill, a fine, restored building with restaurant in it. To the left is a wine tavern, kind of in the open - like a beer garden (the green parasol in the photo), where I reckon most of the wine consumed on the bridge is bought from. We could normally have had a glass but on the day the place was about to close for a "private function". We settled on shop-bought water bottles, enjoyed the view, I wanted to post and my phone went flat. Talk of unlucky...

 

But I had my digital camera with me so was able to take photos:

 

 

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Canal archive]

Just heard on the news, Lufthansa is reinstating four return flights a week from Bristol airport to Frankfurt. So another company to use for flights to Europe.

[notamermaid]

5 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Bristol airport to Frankfurt

Never thought about such a connection being worthwhile for Lufthansa, but appears to be. Convenient for you, I guess this is your nearest international airport? Frankfurt gives you access to so many places on the continent by train, a great hub. And the regional train to Würzburg or nearby for a Silvaner wine glass/bottle pick-up may be a consideration .

 

Frankfurt to Bristol is quite convenient for a trip to Wales, I had never thought of that. Would like to see that part of the country again, also Somerset and Devonshire, Bath of course. Literally just across the border into Wales stands Tintern Abbey on the river Wye. One of my favourite ruins in Britain. So serene: https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/tintern-abbey

 

notamermaid

 

[jpalbny]

4 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Frankfurt gives you access to so many places on the continent by train, a great hub. And the regional train to Würzburg or nearby for a Silvaner wine glass/bottle pick-up may be a consideration

 

Oh yes, we have done that a couple of times! So easy to grab the train and have a relaxing journey to your final destination - and then just walk to your hotel.

[rcaruso]

15 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

Oh yes, we have done that a couple of times! So easy to grab the train and have a relaxing journey to your final destination - and then just walk to your hotel.

Us too!  Love my DB App!

 

[notamermaid]

59 minutes ago, rcaruso said:

Us too!  Love my DB App!

 

From our conversations on the Main thread I gathered that you are a seasoned train traveller in Germany 🙂.

 

Frankfurt is so central that you could get to a river cruise in Luxembourg or even Paris without using CdG airport in Paris itself. A bit far fetched but it works. If you had a problem getting a direct flight to Lucerne to be in Basel you could fly to Frankfurt and be in Basel with the high speed train in less than three hours. Only caveat is delays that one would need to factor in.

 

I love the train ride from Frankfurt airport to Koblenz; if one wanted to, extending it to Cologne for embarkation there is also easy.

 

Admittedly, I am a train enthusiast, but I am not the only one comparing flights and train options in European travel.

 

Flying to London? Not for me unless I was in a real hurry. If you have ever been in first class Eurostar (or come from the Dover docks in the old days) and arrived at Victoria or St Pancras railway station you will understand why. 🚂 🙂 

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Daisi]

@sharkster77, not that it will matter for your trip, but all future air, cruise, rail passengers will have to be vaccinated. Early Fall possibly, but I know you are already vaccinated. 

 

https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/1426290143518994434?s=20

[Ritabob]

2 hours ago, Daisi said:

@sharkster77, not that it will matter for your trip, but all future air, cruise, rail passengers will have to be vaccinated. Early Fall possibly, but I know you are already vaccinated. 

 

https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/1426290143518994434?s=20

Just to confirm, this relates to Canada.   So if you will want to travel in Canada by air, rail or ship, you will need to be vaccinated. 

[sharkster77]

6 hours ago, Daisi said:

@sharkster77, not that it will matter for your trip, but all future air, cruise, rail passengers will have to be vaccinated. Early Fall possibly, but I know you are already vaccinated. 

 

https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/1426290143518994434?s=20

Alas @Daisi our trip to Canadian Rockies next month has been cancelled.  AAA/Collette is running tours that are entirely within Canada, but our itinerary had a day where we were to drop across the border and spend a day in Glacier National Park, then back to Waterton Lakes NP for the night.  I imagine that was a sticking point that couldn't be worked out, or the itinerary couldn't be modified to stay entirely in Alberta.

 

I guess we call our travel agent next week and see what the next step is.  We joke that we've been to Ireland, Iceland, Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, but simply have had no luck getting to the exotic locale of Canada!  Let's hope 3rd time will be the charm.

Edited August 14, 2021 by sharkster77

[notamermaid]

On 8/3/2021 at 11:57 PM, notamermaid said:

After ice-cream and a tiny bit of shopping our party headed down to the river.

I was asked the other day where I had been in my Summer holidays. I replied: "Just a few days to Würzburg". "Oh, but that is nice, getting away a bit", was the comment I got. Yes, and that is exactly right. Three days that felt great. I plan to go back - it may be to see autumn leaves as I do not know the Main in autumn or possibly to see the Christmas market(s). I do not need an ice-cream but a bit of shopping and a walk to the river it will have to be.

 

Some more photos from my trip. Würzburg market square:

 

The row of trees in the Residenzgarten which I really enjoyed:

 

And a little something that I got from a shop I just could not get past without obtaining a bag of goodies:

 

Würzburg has a Lindt chocolate shop! Loved it, it was difficult not to linger and keep my travel companions waiting .

 

A short detour took us through Ochsenfurt on the way back to our hotel. The town with its medieval towers deserves a bit more attention than the few minutes we gave it and a next visit to the area will hopefully allow us a bit more time to wander through the old streets.

 

Medieval towers and old streets is what we saw in a most interesting place that we decided to visit on the Friday after a short notice change to our travel plans.

 

More on that another time.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by notamermaid
grammar

[Daisi]

14 hours ago, notamermaid said:

 

 

Würzburg has a Lindt chocolate shop! Loved it, it was difficult not to linger and keep my travel companions waiting .

 

 

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Have to LOL at this... we grew up on Lindt chocolate as my Swiss "Oma" worked for years as a secretary for one of the executives in Kilchberg.  She used to send us stuff all the time - chocolate ships, castles etc.  We have a large German and Dutch population here as well, so it's easy to find locally.  However, when I heard there was a shop in Cologne, we had to go visit.  So disappointed, as we didn't find anything new there that we couldn't get from home.  We did buy some of course, but we had thought we would find different stuff.  @notamermaid, if you like Kirsch, look for the Kirsch sticks at Christmas time... what a treat!

[Ritabob]

Lindt has a shop in Kitchener that has some pretty good deals on holiday goods just after the the holiday...January is the best time to buy santas, etc.

My Lindt story took place in Achen Germany about 15 years ago.  We walk into their outlet store and just inside the entrance are full size grocery carts and hand held baskets. My husband picks up a basket and asks "do we need one?"  LoL! I grabbed  a cart and proceeded to fill it with goodies I had never seen before. €50 .  The best part was we boxed it up and shipped it back to Canada and it arrived the day after we got home.

RB 

[sharkster77]

23 minutes ago, Ritabob said:

Lindt has a shop in Kitchener that has some pretty good deals on holiday goods just after the the holiday...January is the best time to buy santas, etc.

My Lindt story took place in Achen Germany about 15 years ago.  We walk into their outlet store and just inside the entrance are full size grocery carts and hand held baskets. My husband picks up a basket and asks "do we need one?"  LoL! I grabbed  a cart and proceeded to fill it with goodies I had never seen before. €50 .  The best part was we boxed it up and shipped it back to Canada and it arrived the day after we got home.

RB 

At our Lindt outlets here in the US they used to have a thing where you could fill a plastic bag with chocolates and pay a flat fee.  Our cousin held the local record for # of truffles she could fit into a bag.  She figured out how to stretch the plastic before filling it, significantly increasing its capacity!  That option, alas is no longer available.

[gnome12]

My first taste of Lindt chocolate was after a stopover at Zurich airport. I had some Swiss francs I wanted to get rid of (this was before I travelled all that regularly) and a large bar of chocolate was about all that I could afford. When I got home, I would take one square of that chocolate and just put it on my tongue and let it melt; it was wonderful. Now I buy it regularly at the supermarket.

[Host Jazzbeau]

At our Lindt store here they used to have a refrigerated counter with raspberry creams [and other things, but that's what we made a beeline for].  Then the dropped them and sold only truffles and bars [easier to transport and much longer freshness dates].  That lost our business – and, not claiming responsibility here, just sayin' – then the store went out of business...

[notamermaid]

Okay, warning, this can seriously make you hungry . The Lindt online shop - German edition: https://www.lindt.de/onlineshop

 

@Daisi you mean the Kirschstengeli probably. Never tried those. I tend to find Kirsch a bit strong, but you never know... I will certainly have a look out for those. My favourite chocolate/alcohol mix is the green packaging bar milk chocolate with Williams pear (schnaps).

 

7 hours ago, Daisi said:

She used to send us stuff all the time - chocolate ships, castles etc. 

What lovely parcels full of indulgence. It did not know they make figures other than Nikolaus and bunny for the general market, in the shops round here I only see the standard stuff, perhaps they have them in their own stores? The one in Würzburg is the first one I have ever been to - and too little time to look around in it. Tells you I do not live in a big city...

 

18 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

then the store went out of business...

Sadly, so has the one in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

 

 

About Würzburg Residenz. I happened to read this morning that the company that staged the exhibition on the restauration of the Residenz has won the German design award 2021 (in a special category). Well done to them! I saw it and it is good, informative and quite moving. One air raid, one dedicated American military man and 40 years of restoration: https://www.residenz-wuerzburg.de/englisch/residenz/dokuraum.htm

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Daisi]

18 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Okay, warning, this can seriously make you hungry . The Lindt online shop - German edition: https://www.lindt.de/onlineshop

 

@Daisi you mean the Kirschstengeli probably. Never tried those. I tend to find Kirsch a bit strong, but you never know... I will certainly have a look out for those. My favourite chocolate/alcohol mix is the green packaging bar milk chocolate with Williams pear (schnaps).

 

What lovely parcels full of indulgence. It did not know they make figures other than Nikolaus and bunny for the general market, in the shops round here I only see the standard stuff, perhaps they have them in their own stores? The one in Würzburg is the first one I have ever been to - and too little time to look around in it. Tells you I do not live in a big city...

 

 

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

Yes, I do mean the Kirschstengeli, or Cherry Sticks as they are labeled here.  We didn't find them strong, but then maybe because we are used to Kirsch.  We got the ships and castles sent over for Christmas (as well as other treats) usually with pictures so we could see what they looked like when packed, as sometimes, they were in larger chunks than one piece.  I am not sure, but they made have been made special from the Head office, or maybe she had some pull for her Canadian grandchildren. 🙂  My Dad has a bottle of that Williams Pear liquor with the pear inside.  

Edited August 18, 2021 by Daisi

[Coral]

We have a Lindt outlet store about 30 minutes from me. The last time I was there - it had a section that was European chocolates and another one of those sold in the US. We never had a refrigerated section. The European chocolates are much more expensive.

[Canal archive]

My husband for some time worked for a German company and actually managed to learn what he referred to as restaurant German much to the horror of his German colleagues, he could now understand them, actually when they got together they were a rowdy bunch. After his first trip to Munich after he returned I found a freezer full of different varieties of Schnapps and several  bits and pieces of Lindt in the fridge, did I complain not on your life.  

[notamermaid]

@Daisi It sounds as if your Oma had "special access" indeed, directly to the factory or the was given "seconds" for her to take home.

On 8/18/2021 at 10:58 PM, Daisi said:

My Dad has a bottle of that Williams Pear liquor with the pear inside.  

Yes, that is an ever so weird idea.

 

13 hours ago, Canal archive said:

several  bits and pieces of Lindt in the fridge

I wouldn't mind that, opening the fridge one day and finding Lindt chocolate in it .

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Time to turn to Friday of our Würzburg trip. A bit of background info. I live in a country that is full of castles, ruined or in different states of having a roof on and living quarters in them, old town walls and even some Roman stuff lying around. Without giving too much away, within a perimetre of 30 kilometres I can visit three castles, two palaces, and also some Roman stuff. In short, I am spoiled with history and it is not easy to impress this girl. There is a place in Germany that is so famous around the world that, well, half the world seems to visit it. Accessible from the Main on a river cruise excursion, it is a favourite with Americans. But the Japanese especially like it, too. This means that I always thought I am not going to visit in a hurry as 1) I know old stones (see above) and 2) eager photographers from other countries would get in the way of me enjoying the place as it will just be too busy for me. So, on said Friday, a change of plan made us unanimously decide on giving this place a try while there are not many people from outside of Europe in the area. I still cannot believe it, but yes: I went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and I loved it!

 

Here is a photo as a teaser, the information panel:

 

It is the Pulverturm, or (gun) powder tower. In the photo on the left you can see the steps up onto the wall. It is fascinating.

 

More on Rothenburg when I have sorted technical problems with my camera and am back from work (weekend shift).

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Ritabob]

Oh, notamermaid,  I am so glad you liked it.  We have been there twice. Once in early spring and once in the late fall. Shoulder seasons.  We decided to walk on the wall and found ourselves fumbling down the very dark steps in the tower at dusk. I hope it was a sunny day for you.

RB 

[notamermaid]

50 minutes ago, Ritabob said:

I am so glad you liked it

Liked it? I talked to relatives the day after our visit and raved about it enthusiastically. Sort of. I think it was the surprise element. I though I knew what to expect, "great town wall, medieval buildings, church, museum, etc.", but I found a "fortified church, better than great town walls, a Renaissance staircase tower, a museum, another museum, etc." I could go on... This girl was seriously impressed.

 

Nice that you have been twice, once for just four hours is not enough I think. Those stairs are perilous, really need to watch your step. We had lovely sunshine, just a tiny bit too warm, got a bit of sunburn, but it was worth it.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by notamermaid

[travelingman]

We were in Rothenburg the first weekend of September of 2017 and by chance they were having a festival.  it is called the Imperial City Festival (the Imperial City Festival transports visitors to Rothenburg’s old city to the district’s golden age. The entire old city becomes one huge Medieval camp.  Historical groups from different epochs of Rothenburg’s history come together for the Imperial City Festival. A host of knights camp in tents in front of the Rödertor, while the Meistertrunk troops from the Thirty Years’ War range through the city. In Herrngasse you’ll come across Medieval townsfolk and Schillingsfürst peasants. Dive into the past as a visitor. Entry is free).  WE found it very interesting and entertaining even though we did not know what it was until i researched it later on.

It is worth attending in my opinion.  Because of the festival you would need to book ar oom a good bit in advance.

 

Stan