Koblenz is on the Rhine so of great importance in transport history. There are many Rhine river tours starting here. It is a beautiful town, one some of my ancestors lived in several hundred years ago.
Koblenz, Germany
My Home (ancestral) – Bad Kreuznach
This house is now a place for abused or threatened women to be safe. they allowed me to go in only this far.
I should note this synagogue is now surrounded by a 2 meter tall fence and all the outside decorations and religious symbols have been taken down. This gave me a very unsafe feeling concerning potential terrorist attacks against the Jewish population in Germany.
Bad Münster – Germany
Bad Münster is near Frankfurt and a short distance from one of my ancestral homes, Bad Kreuznach. This is a beautiful area of cliffs, wineries, castles, retired people and tons of tourists in Bad Kreuznach. It is a great place to relax and get to know Germany. The wine is delicious!
Seoul Korea 2
Korea break – Jeju Island
Jeju Island has been a desired destination for 40 years. Finally i land here to find it very developed, with a lot of scenic views and a very welcoming atmosphere in this semi autonomous part of Korea. If you visit i highly recommend renting a car. Buses are few or far between especially the journeys to opposite sides of the island.
Wine from Nahe – Rhine Area
While traveling you can expect some interesting things to happen especially if you interact with people. Today while in Bad Münster we were on a walk to climb up to the Ebernburg castle for the view of the surrounding area. On the way down we saw a gray haired fellow on a street corner tending to a stand we thought had fruit for sale. As we approached the fellow walked away, back into what we thought was his house. As we got up to the stand we found it was a wine shop stand with prices and a collection box. This was a self service stand, pay and go.
The prices were very reasonable but Without an understanding of the wine flavors a choice would be a hit or miss. I decided to walk closer to the house and as we approached we saw it was a small family winery.
The fellow we saw was in what looked like a warehouse and people were sitting outside enjoying some wine. I approached the fellow and found he was the owner of the Rapp family winery and as we discussed further we learned he had been to California and the west coast up to Canada when much younger.
Herr Rapp then invited us to go around the vineyard with other customers (we bought a bottle of wine) on his wine tasting/vineyard orientation which you see here.
What a great experience and such generous support from these great people. The wine was excellent, ranging from dry to sweet, and the other customers were great fun to talk to. THANK YOU HERR RAPP! This was a great highlight of our first week in Germany. I highly recommend this winery/hotel. If you want an excursion close to Frankfurt make sure to book a room and try their wine as well. Coming from California i can verify the high quality of the Rapp wine.
Herr Rapp told us part of the vineyard was sold by a family member a few generations ago to buy a ticket to the States. “He never returned”! Just like my great grandfather.
Gwangju – Korea (another break from Europe)
The photo above would indicate that Gwangju is a town of ancient automobiles, but actually, it is very much a university town. We thought the most interesting part of the area would be the bamboo forest, so that’s where we went.
Gyoengju – Korea (a break from Europe)
This city is one of the most important cities in Korean culture. It is the birthplace of the Kim family. Several stories passed by me. One is the Silla king had a phoenix lay a golden egg in front of him and a baby popped out. Kim in Korean, Chinese and Japanese means GOLD! In my travels here, once 45 years ago, the streets had no golden eggs laying around but I am sure there were many Kims.
Mainz – Germany
The visit to Mainz would never be considered as having “happened” if you did not visit Gutenberg’s museum and also had a photo taken with the “printer” himself, even if he is a pretty “hard” fellow to get to know. I think he is now Bronze. From here you can take a vineyard and wine tasting trip on the Rhine or visit Wiesbaden, another beautiful place with an iconic Old Town.
Frankfurt- Day 2
