It began to rain almost over the minute we entered into Germany, borderlessly & seamlessly.
It didn't helped at all even though I crossed my fingers until it almost twisted. We arrived into Cologne while it continued to drizzle and by now, I could felt the low temperature, about 18 or 16 degree celsius I think, when we followed the Tour Director to tour the gothic cathedral.
Just as we are about to enter the cathedral, the rain grew heavier and I had to retort to use my brolly plus wrapping myself in shawl. As we walked along the shopping street of Cologne, I realised Alvin and myself are the only 2 persons in bermudas.... hee hee....
After Cologne, we travelled via Bonn, the old capital of West Germany before East and West Germany merged and they government shifted the capital to Berlin. Bonn is also the hometown of the famous musician, Beethoven.
We finally arrived in Boppard where we boarded our cruise to sail down pictureque Rhine River. But the rain doesn't stop and the boat sailed through not medieval hill-top castles and steep leafy vegetation, but grey and still grey of scenery........
We are entitled to a drink onboard the cruise and if you order a red or white wine, we get to keep the shot glass thatr hold the wine as souvenir ! I was delighted and insisted Alvin to drink the white wine while I get to keep the glass. Yay !
The name of the boat is called Loreley Star and you can see raindrops splattering on the glass panes.
Finally, after a long day on the road, we arrived at our hotel named Steigenberger Mannheimer Hotel in Rhineland (also called Mannheim). We were greeted with a bright and spanky lobby and we can see it had just under went a facelift change.
After Cologne, we travelled via Bonn, the old capital of West Germany before East and West Germany merged and they government shifted the capital to Berlin. Bonn is also the hometown of the famous musician, Beethoven.
We finally arrived in Boppard where we boarded our cruise to sail down pictureque Rhine River. But the rain doesn't stop and the boat sailed through not medieval hill-top castles and steep leafy vegetation, but grey and still grey of scenery........
We are entitled to a drink onboard the cruise and if you order a red or white wine, we get to keep the shot glass thatr hold the wine as souvenir ! I was delighted and insisted Alvin to drink the white wine while I get to keep the glass. Yay !
The name of the boat is called Loreley Star and you can see raindrops splattering on the glass panes.
We got off the boat at St. Goar and strangely, we view the legendary Loreley Rock after boarding the coach while travelling southwards to Heidelberg instead of viewing it from the cruise.
The Tour Director decided to continue to see the Heidelberg Castle as it is only a short drive from our hotel for the night. The rain did not care and continue to pour.... by then, I was already shivering and I believed the temperature continued to dip further as we strolled the human-less town of Heidelberg.
Low clouds fog the castle that sits on top of a cliff and a castle nestled in mid hill, while the little town below the hill is wet and wet and wet.....
Finally, after a long day on the road, we arrived at our hotel named Steigenberger Mannheimer Hotel in Rhineland (also called Mannheim). We were greeted with a bright and spanky lobby and we can see it had just under went a facelift change.
So you can imagine my atonishment when I was greeted by this old fashioned lift. One that you open the door to enter, close the door and slide an iron gate across before the lift moves slowly up or down. And seriously, this is the first time I am taking such an old fashioned lift.
We got quite a big room and we were caught in surprise when we realised the room is not equipped with air con. After verifying with the hotel reception and we then knew not all the rooms have aircons. Anyway, the temperature is low and we managed to sleep through and very well.
After 10 minutes of stroll with stops to take pictures along the park, we managed to see a golden arch beaming on the other side of the park. It's MacDonalds and our faces lit as brightly as the arch. We had a meal, shared, as it was almost 9.30pm then. No matter what, it does satisfied our stomach better.
On our way back, I was attracted to this window display and could not helped by snapped it down with my camera. It's definitely therapeutic looking at the display all once again now.
We got quite a big room and we were caught in surprise when we realised the room is not equipped with air con. After verifying with the hotel reception and we then knew not all the rooms have aircons. Anyway, the temperature is low and we managed to sleep through and very well.
Dinner was provided this evening and I must say the food is delicious but you should see my face when the dinner is served. The portion is so small that I wondered which part of my stomach it can fill. After the meal, Alvin and me decided to take a walk in the 'ghost' town even though it was quite breezy and cold out there. To be honest, the real reason is to try our luck whether we can managed to find some food out there.
The hotel is located beside a large park with a big water fountain and a tower like structure. The lights in the parks and surrounding buildings made the walk romantic, coupled with cool breeze.
After 10 minutes of stroll with stops to take pictures along the park, we managed to see a golden arch beaming on the other side of the park. It's MacDonalds and our faces lit as brightly as the arch. We had a meal, shared, as it was almost 9.30pm then. No matter what, it does satisfied our stomach better.
On our way back, I was attracted to this window display and could not helped by snapped it down with my camera. It's definitely therapeutic looking at the display all once again now.
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