Trippstadt

Started off the day with a great breakfast prepared by our hosts (cold cuts, cheese, rolls, cereal, eggs, coffee, yogurt).   Then headed out for a walk through Schwedelbach; the town we lived in for 3 years.  Wow... the changes are really amazing; not just from all the new buildings and houses, but whole roads have been created and old roads have been repurposed.  The road we used to take each day to work is now a bike path. A beautiful warm September day for a trip down memory lane...

Here are some pictures from the village.

 

After this we headed over to the Trippstadt area.  This was one of our favorite places to visit locally.  It is in a wooded gorge.  We had a bit of trouble getting through the village since the road was torn up right on main street in the center of town.   We couldn't get good data reception for the GPS on my phone so we kept going up and down little side streets trying to figure out where we were going.  Eventually we had to go round about by another village to come back around the other side.   Karlstahl is a gorge that has a nature path which we really enjoyed walking.

We then went to lunch down the road at a place we had been to before.  We both ordered the trout.  It was so delicious. After that we went for a walk down the trail next to the gasthaus to a stone-walled pool where I had taken this exact same picture of Cheryl 40 years ago.  Hoping to find the original photo when we get back home to show a before and after.

To add to our active day we headed over to Landstuhl.  We tried to visit the hospital where Heather was born, but we couldn't enter the area without a military ID.   Walked around town and then had an incredible ice cream.

We went to a store that is like a Sam's Club and Super Walmart combined with every thing all jumbled together.  Bakery section near dishes and towels.  Shoes across the aisle from jellies and jams.  You insert coins into shopping cart handle to release cart from chain as you go into store.  On the way out you reinsert the chain and you get your coin back.   This makes sure cart is returned to front of store rather than being left in parking lot.  Great solution to missing carts, America!

Headed back to hotel to relax and enjoy snack items (crackers, cheese, sausage, chocolate, etc.) as a light supper.  Started our Germany journal by Cheryl, writing on the balcony in Schwedelbach, watching the sun set... Feeling sad that we will be leaving in a day and a half, knowing we will probably not return...but so thankful we had this opportunity to revisit a special place to us.  Another good night's rest...