One week after our former neighbors visited us, our current neighbors, Tim and Mary Harvey from Brookings SD, came for a visit. It seems this year our Fall has been our Summer and the weekend was beautiful. We began where we usually begin, on a trek into the market for beer and Flammkuchen at the Ratskeller. It was the weekend of yet another festival in town - Stadtfest (Cityfest). All through town, every square or plaza had a band playing. We ended up at our local Tapas restaurant - Los Tios - for beer, wine and small plates. In front of us on the square was a local band playing salsa with a german twist. There always seems to be an oom pah pah somewhere in the sound.
After dinner, the girls headed for home while Pete and Tim walked through town visiting the various stages. At one corner, they saw our favorite local musician - Mark Gillespie - who sold the boys a few CDs. They ended up at our usual headquarters - Irish Pub. After listening to more live music in the pub, Pete and Tim wandered past another music stage where a guy from the audience was singing "Sweet Home Alabama" while seated, like he does this everyday.
After a good rest, on Sunday our group headed for the Rhine river valley to have a real picnic lunch at our new favorite vineyard - Schloss Johannisberg. It was a gorgeous day and perfect weather for sitting on the hillside overlooking the Rhine.
Our next adventure was to drive through Champagne region of France on our way to Paris. We stopped in Epernay, home of Dom Perignon at Moet Chandon - the mother of all Champagnes. Although we visited Mercier who produces the self-proclaimed "most popular Champagne in France." After another al fresco lunch, we headed into the dreaded traffic of Paris.
Once again, Pete pulled through and got us to our hotel in one piece. We checked in and hit the road since we still had daylight in Paris. First stop was the Eiffel tower which we arrived at just in time for the light show. We stopped at a local cafe for dinner and then found our way back to our hotel. Next day, we decided to spend some time at Musee D'Orsay, home of many French impressionist paintings. Notre Dame was next on the list and a stroll through the left bank streets and shops.
Unfortunately, we only had one night in Paris, so we parted ways later that day. Harvey's went to Brugge, Belgium via Brussels. We headed back home to Wiesbaden. Ready for more adventures with friends.
Tschus!
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| Schloss Vollrads winery above the Rhine |
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| Perfect day for a Picnic with the Rhine in the distance |
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| The two Merry Mary's on the grounds of Schloss Johannisberg |
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| RIP: another bottle of Champagne |
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| Made it just in time for the light show |
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| Twilight in front of Notre Dame |
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| Notre Dame tourists |
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| Perfect architecture: looking through the monument from the Louvre to the obelisk at Place de la Concorde and on to the Arc de Triomphe |
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| Mary and Tim overlooking the Seine |
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| The legendary Johannisberg Noble Rot grapes on the vine |
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| Never get tired of this picture location |
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