climbergirl blog

We got up to breakfast just at the end of the serving time. There was no coffee, so I had tea instead. We ended up having a long conversation with Sheryn & Barry & Margeux about US policy and capitalization. I suspect the world’s view on us Americans is very different from how many of us actually think, feel, and act; so I hope it was insightful for them…On the flipside, it was fun for us to learn about Australian politics and the way their governments deal with health & policy issues.

We decided to see Topkapi Palace & the Archeological Museums. It cost total 60 Lira to see and do it all. It would have been a bit more if you rent two sets of headsets, we only rented one and shared. By the way, the headsets aren’t entirely needed because they have english signs everywhere in English, and the information on the headsets don’t explain much more than the signs. (more…)

The first day of our tour was a rainy day! We went out for some coffee and pastries early in the morning, then went back to the room to enjoy breakfast. We had a meet & greet with the tour at 2pm, so we had a lot of time to explore Old Istanbul prior to the tour. The Turkish doorman of our hotel was quite impressed with our raingear and our desire to sightsee in the weather.

At the meeting time, we went up to the 4th floor and met the group. The tour was split between Gen X/Yers and Baby Boomers, quite a bit different demographically than the Japan tour (all GenXers except one). Most everybody was Australian, although there was one Brit, one Frenchie, one Canook, and the two US bums (Dennis & I). (more…)

Our flight to Istanbul was at 11:45am, so we got to the airport 4 hours early. I’m not sure exactly why we got there *that* early, but we did. We stored our souvenier bag in the locker at the airport, and then went in search of breakfast.

Turkish Airlines occupies a large section of the Frankfurt Airport, and once you’re inside it’s a little tricky finding out which gate is the right one. Of course, being so early doesn’t help-because they simply don’t know where the bird will be more than 2 hours before the flight! (more…)

Amazingly, all the train connections went fine. From Bacharach to Mainz to Frankfurt, arriving in Frankfurt at lunchtime. The hotel was a little nicer than a Holiday Inn, well appointed room with nice ceiling windows so we could see the stars. The room felt like a mansion compared to the shoebox in Bacharach!

We had some serious cravings for some spicy food, so the hostess made reservations for us at her favorite Indian Restaurant,Indigo. We were very happy and excited to try the Indian food in Germany. (more…)

The railpass can be used for a cruise on the Rhine. We went to the tourist center in Bacharach, and they showed us the map with the cruise schedule. It worked out best to take a train up to Boppard, and then take the cruise back to Bacharach.

Boppard is about 5 times the size of Bacharach, there are many more shops and much more to do. We took a short walking tour around the town, starting in the Mainz Platz at the church and town hall. During the tour, we found out about a chairlift which takes people up to a ridgeline of mountains on the edge of town. From there, you can see how the Rhine makes a horseshoe loop, and also get a great view of the town. (more…)