It’s finally the last week of school, and we are all so ready to be done with school activities, checking grades, turning in last-minute assignments, and stress! We are so ready to relax in the evenings!
Monday was Ryan’s last day of school because he was leaving Tuesday morning to go to Normandy with Boy Scouts. We are just so, so proud of his growth over the past three years of middle school, especially in the last year. It is hard to start middle school under normal circumstances, but he had to do it as a new kid in a new country, and I admire his bravery and resilience so much. It has not always been easy, but he did not give up and is finally hitting his stride.
Tuesday, Brooklyn had her first practice with a local softball team she wants to join, the Stuttgart Reds. The team has all levels of competition, but Brooklyn is trying out for the state-wide team. She said it was fast-paced and challenging, but she really enjoyed it and is looking forward to potentially playing with them. She had her second practice with them on Friday and will do the third trial after we return in July.
Wednesday was Brooklyn’s last day of school. School lets out early on the last day, and the high schoolers always go to the pool afterward. Unfortunately, it didn’t go over 65F, but they all still had a good time!
Friday was my day off. The weather has been so awful lately, and the forecast initially predicted rain all weekend. When it suddenly cleared up, two friends and I, who are both moving in June, decided to head up to the Rhine River for one more epic bike ride.
There has been a lot of flooding in Southern Germany lately, so the drive took forever due to traffic from road closures, but we made it to our base in Boppard in time for dinner. The Rhine had flooded up into the city earlier in the week but had finally receded almost back to normal levels. The current was so strong, though. Boats heading downstream were just flying by, and empty barges heading upstream barely looked like they were moving.
We had dinner at an Italian restaurant on the riverfront and then did an evening walk around town before returning to the apartment for wine and cards.
We got up and went straight to the bike shop after breakfast on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, they were out of e-bikes when we arrived, but we figured we would be fine on the flat river-side sidewalks. We took the beach cruisers they had and headed out.
Our first stop was the Boppard chairlift, which would take us up to the Gedeon’s Corner viewpoint, which our apartment host had recommended.
We weren’t sure what to expect; just about everywhere in Germany advertises a beautiful view. This really wow’ed us though! A short walk from the top of the chair lift is a biergarten with an unreal view of the sharp turn in the Rhine River called Gedeon’s Corner.
We all had another coffee, took pictures, and headed back down the chairlift, ready to start our bike ride.
From the base of the chairlift, we immediately set out for our first destination; Sankt Goar, about 20 kilometers south.
We made it to Sankt Goar by about 2 pm, and after a quick walk around the picturesque old town, we had lunch at the cutest restaurant.
After our lunch, we were feeling really good and decided to continue our bike ride south to Bacharach, another cute town about 10km further.
On the way to Bacharach, we passed the Loreley Rock. This section of the Rhine flows faster than other sections, with a sharp turn and big rocks in the shallows. The treacherous pass caused so many shipwrecks that The Rock was named for the mythical siren Loreley, who sang her song and tempted sailors to their deaths.
Since the river was running really high, it created a couple of standing waves that could have surfed on. We saw some ships go through the curve safely, including a huge party boat with a booming DJ. I was jealous 😂.
We finally made it to our second destination, Bacharach. We were all in need of fuel, so we had some of the best ice cream. I’ve ever had (maybe it was the thirst and exhaustion), and then did a walk around town.
I think Bacharach is the most picturesque town on the Rhine River (I’ve seen so far). The entire old town is intact and filled with tipsy, half-timbered buildings. There is a castle up on the ridge above the city that, of course, advertises a beautiful viewpoint of the Rhine, but we didn’t have the time or energy to hike up there. Maybe another time.
We needed to keep on course, so we climbed back on our bikes, which were starting to make us quite sore. The wind had been blowing into our faces during the journey downriver, and we expected the wind to push us back home. What a surprise to find that the wind had changed directions and was still blowing in our faces when we started the journey back north to Boppard.
We made it the 10km back to Sankt Goar and were thoroughly sore in our seats by then. We stopped for dinner and ate on another beautiful riverside terrace. Then, it was time to trudge on.
The final 20km was really painful; no other words for it. Our thighs and butts were burning, and we had to stop for several breaks. We thought about hopping on the train at several train stops on the way home but decided to go the whole way. We really picked up the pace of our peddling when the sun started going down.
Shortly after 9 pm, we finally limped back into Boppard, dropped our bikes at the bike shop, and immediately returned to the apartment for bed.
After a good night’s sleep, we all woke up surprisingly refreshed and not really that sore, although we had been expecting to be. We had a quick breakfast and then headed 45 minutes away to Burg Eltz.
Burg Eltz is one of the must-see castles in Germany, and although we have traveled very close to it several times before, we have never made it. The family is honestly getting pretty tired of castles, so I was glad I got to go with friends.
The castle has an excellent 45-minute guided tour, after which we had a quick lunch and headed home.
A few hours after I was back, Ryan finally returned from his trip to Normandy! He had a great time, and we loved hearing all his stories. Lodging was hard to come by in Normandy on the 80th anniversary, so the scouts camped in the field in front of the famous St. Mere Eglise church.
Some of the big things they did in Normandy were doing a 20km hike on Sword Beach, attending many parades, and visiting several museums and cemeteries.
The troop also participated in the official Norwegian Memorial service in Hermanville-Sur-Mer along with the Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Defense Minister of Norway.
The troop met the Secretary of the US Air Force following a parade. On the day they visited Omaha Beach, they watched the US President landing in his helicopter for the service he was attending.
The troop also got to see multiple aerial flypasts and parachute jumpers.
On the final day, the Troop visited Mont St. Michel monastery and the Bayeaux Tapestry.
Ryan had a fantastic time and would kill me if he knew I typed this out, but I think I saw a couple of tears in his eyes when he returned; it’s always hard to return home after a great trip.
Gilcrests Abroad 