Germany Mach 1

After leaving Hamburg we jumped a train to a small town an hour south of Hanover called Goslar. We were a little unsure about this place as 2 German guys in our dorm responded with "Why Goslar?" when we told them! We were glad we did though as it turned out to be one of the highlights of this trip so far. Basically Goslar is a fairytale town, cobbled streets, almost all traditional houses, located at the base of the Harz mountains (they provide a dark green backdrop to the town), churches with stained glass windows and tall towers, a Glockenspiel that put on a show at 6pm and the best Schnitzel either of us have ever eaten in our lives!


I also think the Harz mountains are the home of some fairytale witches, so there was plenty of witch brews and stews going on too. I can confirm that goulash from















the witches cauldron was sensational. Our accommodation was the Schmidt Guesthouse, where we ended up with a little self-contained apartment about 40 meters from the main market square. Here we set up for a few days complete with bacon and eggs for breakfast (for the first time since January), and the cheapest beer I think we will have this trip. A 6-pack cost 1.79 Euros...not bad considering there is a recycling machine at the store and by recycling all 6 bottles you get 1.50 Euros back!!! That's right....0.19 cents for 6 German beers! Admittedly they probably weren't the best beer money could buy, but they were easily as good, if not better than most Aussie beers, after all they are German (although I should add, Astra is easily the worst beer I've ever had in my life)!


We were sad to leave Goslar, and contemplated staying forever. Maybe at a later date...I dont think that will be our last trip there. We spent most of a day travelling on 4 different trains through Göttingen and Frankfurt until we reached Mainz. We were both glad we only spent one night there as we found it disappointing.maybe we both missed Goslar. Despite our plan to catch a cruise up the Rhein to Koblenz, we had to settle for a train as the boat wasnt yet operating for the season. This has been a very common theme in Europe so far...it mostly shuts down through Winter so if you want to sightsee here, best brave the crowds during summer! Anyway, we trained along the Rhein to Koblenz, and then again up through the vineyards of the Mosel valley (on the Mosel river) to the town of Trier, which is Germanys oldest town.


There are a few remaining ruins from Roman occupation with the most celebrated being the Porta Nigra (the black gates), which is a huge entry gate into what would have been the old town surrounded by walls. Trier is also the birthplace of Karl Marx. Trier is bustling right now, partly because the sun has finally come out to play, topping out at a very welcome 24 degrees today. The old town alleyways are packed with people sipping beers and coffees in sidewalk cafes and restaurants, and theres plenty of people-watching to be done sitting on the steps of the many monuments and fountains. Our hostel (also home to the fattest cat in Germany) is about a 5-10 minute amble to the old town, so its been perfect for us to wander around the city and then duck back for a quick siesta in the arvo. We depart in the morning for Luxembourg City. We hope to spend the night, leave the majority of our gear somewhere and then undertake a 5 day hike around the country (literally!). Weve even gone all out and booked our hostels ahead of time for a change, so were both looking forward to just walking, seeing the sights, and organising lunch and dinner. Hopefully the weather holds!