Koblenz

April 19: Today we took the train to Koblenz.

Wiesbaden Hbf (main train station) 

If you, like me, learned in school that German trains always run on time, I am sorry to disillusion you.

We took lots of trains during our 7 days in Germany, and I think I can safely say that 90% or more were late. Not only that, but the train system is quite chaotic. We were using the DB (Deutsche Bahn) app, which tells you the time and platform number for your train. Very convenient, you say? Ah, but here's the rub. Sometimes, at the last minute, the platform changes. Or the train suddenly changes destination.

That's what happened to us on the train to Koblenz. We boarded the train, secured our bikes with the special strap, and found seats, ready for the ~1.5 hour trip. Next thing we knew, there was an announcement (in German) and people got up and left the train. I noticed on the screen that it now said Frankfurt, so we realized that the train had changed destination and was going the opposite direction to what we wanted. So, we unfastened our bikes, checked the app for the new platform, and headed over there. 

This train was much more crowded, and after securing our bikes, we had to walk through a few cars to find seats. But the train eventually left (late, of course) and we were on our way.

When it was time to get off, Dave was sure our bikes were two cars in front of us. I thought they were two cars behind us, but he seemed so positive that I decided maybe he was right, and I had got mixed up with the first train. So we made our way forward, through a thick knot of people, saying "Pardon" with every step.

As we went further and further forward, I got the feeling that I had been right about where our bikes were -- not in front of us, but behind.

The trains usually stop for about 4 minutes at the bigger stations, so we thought we would probably have enough time to go back to get them, and if worse came to worse, we could just ride to the next stop and then double back.

But as we were waiting for the stop, there was an announcement -- in German -- and I thought I understood that there was a change and Koblenz was now the final stop for this train. I asked a couple of people seated nearby. The first person had not understood the message, but the second person said yes, I was right. Phew! This meant we could relax. After getting out of the car we were in, we would have plenty of time to walk back along the platform to the car where our bikes were waiting for us!

So, all's well that ends well!

We had booked a room at the Super 8 (yes, I know, that doesn't sound very German), which was a 5-minute ride from the station. It was pouring rain, and although we were wearing our rain gear, we were still pretty damp when we went to check in. The desk clerk looked down her nose at us when she saw our bikes and told us in no uncertain terms that we could not take them up to our room. 

We have taken our bikes on multiple trips and nowhere else has anyone denied us permission to take our bikes into our room. After all, they are small and foldable, and it's obvious they will fit just fine in even the smallest room.

The clerk went on and on about the glass doors, and how a previous guest had taken their bike into the room and broke the glass, blah, blah, blah. So we asked if we could put them in the luggage room. At first she said a hard no, and told us we would have to park them at the train station. However, after we explained that they fold up to the size of a suitcase, she agreed that the luggage room would be OK, but added that right now it was full. It would have space later in the day. She finally deigned to tell us that there was a bike stand outside where we could lock them until later. The reason for our purchase of the lock able to secure 12,000 euro bikes now became clear! 

The view from our hotel room window

After we got settled into our room, we went across to a mall where I bought an umbrella and we set off for the cable car station, which is just a few blocks from the hotel. We had read about this and decided it would be a good rainy-day activity. You can take the cable car across the river to a fortress/museum (Ehrenbreitstein). These photos are quite effective in showing how rainy it was!

The fortress was interesting enough, but a lot of it was outdoors, so we were a little cold and wet most of the time. Also, there was a special event on that day, which jacked up the price from 19 euro to 23 euro. (This included the cable car there and back and entrance to the fortress). I don't regret going, but I would have appreciated it more in better weather.

Also, because the weather was so bad, this is the only photo I took!

I did take some photos of the view from the highest point:

This shows the confluence of the Mosel and Rhein Rivers

The Koblenz Rathaus (town hall)

By the time we finished at the fortress and got off the cable car, we were quite hungry and ready for dinner. I used Google Maps to search for a German restaurant and we came across Gretchen's. A short walk brought us there, where we enjoyed traditional German dishes. Dave had wiener schnitzel, and I had Zanderfish, which was something new for me. We also added the "German asparagus and potatoes with parsley" to our meal. 

The pricing was a little confusing, but it turned out that the meat/fish was about 6-7 euro, while the veggies were 11 euro. A little steep, especially since potatoes are so very cheap. Whatever... it was delicious and I would get the same again!

After dinner, on the way back to the hotel, we stopped in at a beautiful old church, The Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Beloved Lady). We could see the towers from our hotel room, so we were glad to look inside. It was built in the 1400s, but the towers are from the 1600s.