Germany (August 24th 2016)

After a week and a half in France it was time to move on to Germany.  There we would  spend a few days with family.

 We took one train from Lyon to Paris and another train from Paris to Kaiserslautern. We had exactly 56 minutes to change trains in Paris. This amount of time would have been fine if it was just a matter of changing tracks to another train; however, this change required us chance stations from Paris Gare Lyon to  Gare du l' Est. Even with our train arriving 5 minutes late we managed to make the dash though the Metro stations and make the changes needed to catch our train. We were comfortably in our seats and a little out of breath with 7 minutes to spare.

We arrived in Kiserslaughtern, Germany at 3:35.  Jueun's sister Julie met us at the station and brought us back to thier beautiful  house just outside of town.

It was great to catch up with Umma, Julie, Chris, Victoria and Alex. They really showed us a great time there. 

On the first day we went to the US Reinstein Army base, where Chris is currently stationed. This mini visit to America included a stop at the PX where we had lunch and did a little shopping. One thing about meeting Chris and Julie when we are on a back packing trip is a visit to a PX always comes in handy for picking up supplies. After a couple hours and a few American dollars later we were good to go.

LUXEMBOURG

Our second day we went to Luxembourg.  Another little place, that has always captured my interest. It was only an hour and a half drive from Kiserslaughtern so before we knew it, we were out walking around what is often described as Europe's most beautiful balcony.

BLACK FOREST

On the third day we headed south to an area called Black Forest. This wooded area in the mountains is a popular vacation spot for many Germans. We spent most of the day at a German folk village in a very scenic area called Gutach.

COLOGNE 

On the fourth day we were back on the Autobahn again and on our way to Cologne. Here we visited the Cologne Cathedral and took special note of the famous golden case that apparently containes the remains of the three wise men.

We went to an amazing German restaurant for some pork and sausages and for an afternoon cruise along the Rhine River. It was another  hot afternoon as we soaked up the sun and the sights along the Rhine. 

It was great to see everyone and we were given a great little tour of the Rhineland and Western Germany.  We savoured every mouthful of the sam gyup sal, bi bim bab and possibly the best barbecue I've ever had in my life.