In August 2001, I was sent to Germany on a business trip by my employer, Cellmania. In addition to the week I spent working there, I took a few extra days before and after in order to see the area as a tourist. Here is the tale of my trip, along with pictures.
The following road map shows some of the cities I visited. The roads highlighted do not correspond exactly with my route, since I mainly traveled by train, but at this scale the differences are very minor. The railroads follow the rivers a lot more closely than the autobahns do.
Start: Bacharach
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
After I finished up my work there, I went down to the Mosel river, taking the train to Trier.
Additional Mosel pictures:
Mosel River links:
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
I spent the evening exploring the city of Trier. The Porta Nigra, a remnant of one of the gates to the city from Roman days, is one of the great landmarks of this historic city. There is also a great market square (the Hauptmarkt), which dates back to ancient days as well.
Next: LEGO Meeting
Previous: Mosel River
Trier links:
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
From Bingen, I rode the Köln-Düsseldorfer ship from Bingen to Koblenz. The day started out with partly cloudy skies, but got progressively cloudier and wetter, and by the time we reached Koblenz it was pouring down rain.
Next: Düsseldorf & Ratingen
Previous: Bingen
Rhine by Boat links:
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
On Sunday, I went back up to the Düsseldorf area, to the city of Mönchengladbach, to meet up with some fellow LEGOŽ fans. Holger, Jan, and Jojo are LEGO train enthusiasts who discovered at a recent meeting of their LEGO train club that there were not nearly enough buildings and other accessories to go along with their trains. So when we met, we built some LEGO train buildings and other similar items. I built a pedestrian overpass, so the LEGO minifigs can get from one platform to the other without being run over by the trains. It was the first time I've worked in collaboration with other LEGO builders, and I think it was very successful.
LEGOŽ links:
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Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
I spent the night in Mönchengladbach, and then took the train to Frankfurt, by way of Köln (Cologne). I passed the morning looking at the magnificent Köln Dom, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Europe, and the largest in Germany.
Next: Frankfurt Airport
Previous: LEGO Meeting
Köln links:
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
I met with another LEGO fan in Frankfurt in the evening, and spent the night in a hotel in Bad Homburg, a spa town which is only 20 minutes by train from Frankfurt. I didn't get a chance to visit the spa, but will definitely make that a priority for my next European adventure. From the descriptions and brochure, it sounds like a great place.
On Tuesday morning, I went straght to the airport (flughafen - think "flight haven" in English) for my flight home. I took some pictures in the terminal - they have baggage carts that are designed for use on the escalators, which I thought was quite clever.
Next: From Airplane
Previous: Köln
Frankfurt Airport links:
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
The castle above the town, Burg Stahleck, is now a youth hostel. I hiked up the hill to the castle and admired the view. The path to and from the castle offered some great scenery as well.
Next: Bingen
Previous: Hotel Kranenturm
Burg Stahleck links:
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
While in Düsseldorf and Ratingen, I rode their excellent bus system extensively. I took a few pictures inside the bus, and of a bus stop that would surprise most Americans.
Next: Mosel River
Previous: Hotel am Hallenbad
Bus links:
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
For the business portion of my trip, I stayed at the Hotel am Hallenbad (in
Ratingen, a suburb to the north of Düsseldorf).Next: Bus
Previous: Düsseldorf & Ratingen
Hotel am Hallenbad links:
Posted September 25, 2001 07:06 | Category: Germany (2001) | #
To do the business portion of my trip, I took the train from Koblenz to Düsseldorf, staying in Ratingen, a suburb to the north of the main city. The next five days (Monday through Friday) were spent working, but in the evenings I made side-trips to Düsseldorf. One thing I particularly enjoyed about Düsseldorf was the fine Japanisches Restauranten - it seems that Düsseldorf has a large Japanese community, and as a result several great restaurants and sushi bars. I also went up to the top of the Rheinturm, a telecommunications relay tower with a viewing platform and rotating restaurant.
Next: Hotel am Hallenbad
Previous: Rhine by Boat
Additional Düsseldorf / Ratingen pictures:
Düsseldorf / Ratingen links:
Last updated: 09/19/2007 William R. Ward, bill@wards.net
