Royal Cupcakes, Rhein River and a Biergarten

How happy was I  to have Mittagessen with Christine. We wanted to go to Cafe Rico, but today was 'Ruhetag' or Day of Rest. I am not kidding. In Germany, even restaurants get a break. Rico was closed, so we found another cafe, and enjoyed lunch outside on the cobblestoned patio near Rudolphplatz. The same accordion player that serenaded us last night at Cafe Bauturm was there, bless her heart. She was so bad, we considered paying her to stop. I think Christine probably wished the blueberry spritzer she ordered had been spiked!

The best treat of all came after the serenade.  What follows lunch in Germany, when you are on vacation, or even when you aren't? Exactly: Kaffee und Kuchen. So ... we made our way to Royale Cupcakes. I ordered the Carla Bruni. Though the photo doesn't show it well, this one had glitter on it. Edible glitter, apparently imported from the U.S.A., because there is no such baking item in Germany. There was another cupcake store across the street. Not that I am thinking at all about work, but I couldn't help but ponder: 'Cupcake Cluster'? Apparently the one across the street bakes according to the French pastry style, while Royale Cupcakes (which we at the Travel Frau Headquarters recommend), are baked in the English tradition. None of this to say we have anything against German baked goods - they are sehr lecker, but we are on vacation and are not averse to trying new things.

Compliments to Christine for capturing so artfully our Kafee und Kuchen experience.

The Rheinauhafen project was indeed impressive, and it was good to take a nice, brisk walk after the Carla Bruni. But there was no shopping. Only restaurants and spas below, condos and apartments above, all with amazing views of the Rhein. It made for a nice backdrop for a VW promotion event. There were several rows of the new Volkswagen Touran lined up, all shiny, having their pictures made be the river.

A quick trip to the DM (Germany's version of a Rite Aid), then I was ready for a nap. I'm ever grateful to Bill for sharing his apartment with me. At least I can pretend that I live on one of the poshest streets in Köln. And since I couldn't shop at Rheinauhafen, I did a little damage on the Ehren and Pfeilstraßen. To kill the guilt, I was ready for my Biergarten date with Martina and Harald. I worked for Martina back in the day for a stint in Corporate Communications at Deutsche Welle. We have also spent time together on the Ehrenstraße. Clearly Martina and I now have a strong bond, considering we've done some high-end shopping together.

Martina and Harald are a wonderful couple. They inspire me with their love of travel, and their genuine goodheartedness. I was very sad to learn that my vacation ends just as their annual Sommerfest begins. They will celebrate their anniversary and Martina's birthday, and I hate to miss the festivities. It was a lovely evening in the Stadtgarten with the two, and I even got a break from speaking German, as they are very good with English.

Now I must close this post on the blog, right as the South Carolina gubernatorial primary polls are also closing.  Though I am tired (it's about 1 a.m. here), I am eager to stay up and follow the results of the race. I voted absentee. By the time I get to Norway tomorrow, we will know who the Democrat and Republican candidates will be for South Carolina's next governor. Ich bin ja gespannt!

Zonk Out

Planes are not allowed to stay on the tarmac for more than three hours, and after two, we were pushing it close on Saturday, when our U.S. Airways pilot announced that we were finally second in line for take off. Then ... oops! The wing of our plane clipped the tail of another, and the rest is Murphy's Law fulfilled.

Lucky for me, I was sitting next to a woman in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Djibouti, Africa, who flies all the time. She gave me the play-by-play: they will call maintenance, the pilots will have to be drug tested, we'll deplane and they'll rebook our flights and reserve us hotel rooms. 

She was right.

Four hours, four new friends, and a free hotel later, we joked about the adventure. Tori, the U.S. Navy She-Ra I teased was from Planet Positive, helped me not feel too sorry for myself for losing a day of my big vacation.

The next morning at 4:30 a.m., I was headed back to the airport for my flight to Dulles. A six hour layover, then off to Frankfurt. This time with Lufthansa - Ja wohl! I love Lufthansa. Every seat has a headrest and a movie screen, and despite international terrorism paranoia, you get to eat with real, not-plastic, cutlery. It was a turbulent ride, and I was dead tired. I got to sit next to a 19-year old Army guy, who reveled in ordering a glass of wine. When I told him I was ready to zonk out he said, 'What do you know about zonking?'  Fun fact: Zonk is a unofficial Army command used at PT formations during unusually bad weather. Entire units run off screaming to their barracks when they hear the command; otherwise, they end up running five miles in the freezing rain. It's probably one of the few Army Cercies - a surprise reprieve from the routine.

Touchdown Germany at 5 a.m. Monday. Fast train (ICE) to Cologne from Frankfurt (it arrived pünktlich right at 7:09 a.m.). Taxi from the Dome Hauptbahnhof, and a lovely greeting from my friend and host Bill when I finally arrived. Bill has a fantastic apartment near Rudolfplatz in Cologne, on a street lined with chic stores. A quick coffee, a key exchange, and he was off to work. I was off to Sleepy Town.

Several hours later, I resurfaced and made plans to meet up with the lovely Christine and Edith. Christine works in a funky office space in Köln as a freelance writer. I met her there, and we walked to a corner cafe for a celebratory Sprizz Aperol. 'Auf Dich,' said Christine, which made me feel loved.

You'll understand if my blog turns out to be a litany of cafes and cocktails. After all, I'm on vacation, and it's Europe, people!

Post-Aperol, Christine and I set off to meet Edith, the Power Frau, for a tour of the auto shop she runs as part of the family business.

And then it was time for my first Kölsch. Prost! Kölsch is the local beer of Köln (Cologne), and a fine beer indeed. A typical German meal of white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, potatoes and ham, and we're off to the next joint for another Kölsch. They come in such small glasses. You have to drink more than one!

No zonking today. It's such nice weather in Germany, and one shouldn't take that for granted. So enough blogging. I'm off to walk along the Rhein and check out the new mixed use development on the water called Rheinauhafen. There should be some good shopping there, and it's near the Chocolate Museum.

#1- Twenty years from now ...

Twenty Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain

I don't see how I could possibly be disappointed by this trip, even if (Heaven forbid) I don't get to go. It's been the most fun to plan, and I've realized how well-loved I am. The very best part will be reuniting with friends I got to know well during the near four years I lived in Europe back in the first decade of the 21st century.

I quote Mark Twain, which is not original at all. He's talking about twenty years from now, but I'm thinking about ten years ago. When I first landed in Germany. With a lot more stuff than I packed for this trip. (See photo below). Can you believe I fit enough for two weeks in three different countries into that one suitcase? Don't answer that.

The tag on it reads, "I'm pretty sure this isn't your bag." It was a toss-up between that one and the one that says, "Careful: my shoes are inside." I would have picked the latter had it been written in German: "Achtung: meine Schuehe sind mittendrin." Really, though, I did pack my Michael Kors clutch, but not the Manolos. Carrie's jaunt to Paris in Season 6 taught us that designer shoes really don't do well on cobblestones.

Anyway, I digress.

I leave on Saturday at 11 a.m. and am trying out the shuttle service from Columbia to Charlotte. It's called - brace yourself - Columbia Charlotte Shuttle. I'll let you know how it goes.

Be sure to take the poll to the right of this post. It's the 21st century and we all enjoy expressing opinion and measuring the results. I'll be submitting a summary report at the end of my journey. My popularity and self-esteem hinge greatly on the number of hits I get to my blog. :)

Kuss und Gruss,
Amy