So after that debacle, we made the one hour flight back to Frankfurt Hahn and bussed to Mainz for the night. Stayed in the popular InterCity hotel, just a couple of blocks from the main train station and a one mile walk to the Rhein River cruise. We were pleasantly surprised with the accommodations and the buffet breakfast was delish but not free. The room was only 72 Euros, tho, so well worth it. Had to catch the boat at 8:45 so headed through the town to the river…beautiful place with vendors setting up a farmers’ market in the center of town next to a cathedral.

Boarded the boat for our 4 hour trek along the Rhein River with several stops along the way. Saw so many castles we lost count…what history this place must hold! The weather was chilly and needed our jackets in the morning, however, it got warmer in the afternoon and the sun forced us inside for awhile.

Made our way to Koblenz where we trekked another mile or so to the train station…another wonderful town…cobblestones, churches, unique architecture…had a great meal across from the station. (BTW, we pre-purchased 7 days worth of German Rail which averaged $59 for the two of us per day. Sounds expensive but it also got us on the KD Rhein boat and unlimited trains for each day…we’ve covered hundreds of miles each day we’ve used it and saved thousands of dollars versus paying per trip and much less expensive than renting a car.)

Arrived back to Zirndorf exhausted and overwhelmed. Need  a couple of days rest then off to Berlin on Friday.