St. Goar to Berlin in six little hours;)

Darn you Jimmy Fallon! I have woken up with Tebowie in my head! Soooo,it's breakfast time! I wake up early and rejuvenated! Maybe it's good to have a plan after all;) the shower is clean with hot water (you didn't think I was gonna shower at the palace, did you?) actually this shower reminds me of killarney, except I didn't fall into it therefore I will have no Germany shaped bruise! At least not yet;) I'm gonna miss this place! I love the antique gilded mirror and the old brass coat rack! Ooh! I'm hanging my coat on it! Just real quick;) Breakfast is fit for ( a small army and) a queen, princess in my case. Slices of cheeses and meats, what I think is a poached egg (I think of you, Grandpa, although I should think of you, Grandma-you made em!) but is actually hard boiled, three kinds of breads, nutella-like spread (which I've never had-yum!), jams and tea with honey on the table just like G's in Cork! Except these two women are not like the cute Hungarian guys. They're sturdier. If we could speak the same language we'd be here for years! Cuz she's a chatterbox ;) she asks my plans, or at least I think she does and gets so excited when tell her I'm going to float down the Rhine! As soon as I'm finished she rushes back in the room with a huge grin, grabs my arm and whisks me out the back door (to the right this time, set designers!) and points me to the tourist office. She keeps clasping her hands smiling and saying "rdikhggfjy!" she's so excited! She grabs my hands to say goodbye. We've only known each other 10 hours, most of it I was asleep and we don't really know what the other is saying. How cute is she! I go toward the office and notice that a man is trying to come out. He has braces on both legs and already has the door open, I'm obviously stepping aside with my bulky backpack so he can come down the stairs without fear of me knocking him down. Oh, God she's back! She comes racing toward me with her hand waving toward the office door! She can't see the man. Yes, yes I'm saying and nodding. Finally he's down the steps, she sees it and acknowledges it. I go in. She goes in. She wants to assure me that the woman will be off the phone soon. She is so excited! I start to think she's coming with me! The woman gets off the phone and again we grasp hands as if never to see each other again. I think we will because St. Goar is just the type of place i'd like to retire (from what?)! Imagine that you'd work your butt off during "the season" and then travel and enjoy your own beautiful town the rest of the year! I could do that;)
The woman in the office is so nice and speaks better English than I do! She's from Koblenz....it's about a 20 minute train ride away...but she's moved here now. Good for her! Avoid the commute! Actually, Koblenz is very different from St. Goar, and I'd pick the latter, too. Except she's pretty young. Anyway, she says I can take a ride down the Rhine to Rudesheim-that's what my best friend had been yelling about;) but I can only take it one way and it doesn't leave for two and a half hours-even in the summer I'm thinking 2 1/2 hours is a lot of time in St. Goar:) but I think it's perfect! Walk off my breakfast, see the sites, look forward to my sail;) I am a happy girl. She gives me a map of the city and says I can do a walking tour on my own. I promise her that I will enjoy every second and get lost/turned around at least twice! She doesn't see how I could, but she hasn't met me. Half, well more than half the fun is getting turned around! Off I go! Boy it's cold. I have lost exactly two gloves so far this trip. Not a pair, just two. One is definitely a left-handed glove, black and the other is one of those stretchy any hand gloves, ivory. Both pair were cheap, the black ones were too big (I admit it, Baba!) so I tied them to the outside of my backpack to donate them to someone who might need a pair and then figured I had lost them both. In my mind, they went to a good person. I now know where the other ivory one went. I was asking directions in London and the man behind the security desk was so serious-I guess a good attribute for a security guard, now that I think about it. Anyway, I took off the glove to shake his hand and thank him and he broke into this huge grin. I must have, too because he laughed and said "aaah, that made you happy! I'm glad!" that's where my glove must be! I hope he finds it and someone else gets to see that huge grin;) where was I? Oh, it's cold. But it's like walking through a postcard. The house are so cute. At the end of this block, like stated in the guidebook, is the world's largest hanging cuckoo clock! And a million more of them inside for sale. I love clocks, but I don't know if I could take cuckooing all day long and with so many of them! Probably not the job for me. But on the next block...the school! The children are so cute! Running around and eventually in to the school ;) I swear I distinctly hear a girl's voice call out "Ryan!" not like where are you, more like get here. Ahhhh, there must be a little German Caitiebug calling out to her sister;) I bet the German Nona is curled up with her German Mamo! Good! Stay warm;)
walking along the river it's so gorgeous, I can't wait to float down it! I can see me! Why do I have a martini in my hand? It'll be noon! And in Germany wouldn't it be a beer? Anyway, it's very glamorous. Now I'm that girl laughing out loud to herself again-not because of the visual, I'm serious about that! Because I saw these old steps that go straight down into the river. It just amazes me because it's freezing and because I can just imagine someone ascending them wondering where they've arrived. No, much less Phoebe Cates, much more Esther Williams, you know, she had the pool company? Glamorous! But I can't get to the stairs to take a picture because of this bar thingy. It won't move. Well now I've found another set of them-not gonna fool me! I step over the bar, backpack and all and don't even fall down! I feel good and get the shot! Instinctively, I open the little gate. Please tell me someone else saw that! Hilarious! I want there to be a bridge that I can walk over to the town on the other side-it's sunnier over there (cue Jack Nicholson...always look on the bright side of life...) I'm sure around the next bend there will be one...or the next bend...oops! It's been an hour I should walk the other way, toward my pier! It's not really a pier...I think they just slow down and you jump on. Besides, the castle is closed. Actually there are a few castles nearby, but they're all closed. I'm better down with the commoners anyway. As I head back the way I came, I decide that for the next hour I'm going to pretend that instead of this heavy backpack (I could have checked it, I need the exercise) I have my Ryry on my back! She doesn't weigh a thing! Ooh, but she does roar louder than a lion! Speaking of lion, I didn't mention that my hotel is called "Zum Goldnen Lowen" for all of you who don't speak german ( and can't see the lion's head) that means the golden lion. How perfect is that for a leo? Perfect! And just so you're not feeling left out, Tamra, there are two huge lounging gold lions by the back door, one for each of us! Now we should put a "Fifth" there;) we have to have one everywhere we go!
Past my hotel, then on to see if the church is open yet....nope! Well I'm going to say prayers anyway. I've got two good looking guys I'm praying for, both with beautiful blue eyes-Johnny and Cooper!
Its been two hours, not much left to go. Do you know there's not a bridge! There are ferries at various areas down the Rhine (yep, that's fun to say) that go back and forth, cars and all! I'm thinking it would be a tough job (and cold!) to make sure you line everything up just right (otherwise the cars are going to sink!) when boom! It misses! Everyone on land is yelling "halt!" but no one on board is listening! A tiny woman on a bicycle jumps off and runs to help-I hope she is freakishly strong like my sister ( and nieces) cuz she's tiny! Finally they stop, reverse and get it right. Ugh! Scary!
Up ahead is a cute little shack that sells all sorts of food (hello! Not for me I'll be stuffed for days!) and drink. What I think is cute about it is that they have little chair cushions in a basket. I get a hot chocolate (I'm not kidding it is cold, in fact the woman at the shack inquired about about my gloves-if she only knew the fashion statement I'm about to unleash) take a cushion and head down to the picnic table by the Rhine. It's beautiful and I'm ready to float down it! I don't know what they feed the ducks here, but they are fat and have the most vivid color-maybe their colors just really come out in this cold? I should get over the cold-its 3! It will only be 2 in Berlin! (its in the mid 30s! I just looked it up!) The one duck looks like his beak is carved from wood. A nice one comes and curls up on the crunchy ground next to me. He's not begging, I think he's just proud of his good looks. I would be, too! He is gorgeous. Now we have an invasion of black birds. They get such a bad name, but they're not bothering me or my duck. (black bird, fly...seriously this song is beautiful) A big barge goes by named Amalia. Makes me think of Amelia who has big blue eyes;) across the river is a town called Lorleystadt. When I look quickly it looks like it says lonely :( that would be a sad name for a town-and not do much for tourism, or would it? (we're sgt. Peppers lonely hearts club band!) also across the river is a sign saying "Altstadt" I think of Ali and how blessed the girls are to have her :)
I say goodbye to my duck and start walking to my pier- I know it's not a pier! It's kind of a pier. My ship comes at 12:10. I'm so excited, it's like my own jubilee! Down the Rhine! I want to be a little early to get a ticket and be appropriately seated. I see a ship! My ship is coming! That is not my ship or a ship or moving. Ok, but this is a ship! Yep it's 12:11, nope it's gliding by! 12:25...my ship is not coming! This is dramatic in all the wrong ways! I have let myself onto the "pier" and walked all the way out to the edge and nothing. Just for fun I throw the back of my hand over my forehead and sigh! Now I'll go ask the woman at the tourist office what's up. Look! Here she comes! Did she see my dramatic demonstration? I doubt it. She meets me in the street to say that the woman from K-D had called back to say she had made a mistake and there was no boat today:(
She's been looking for me all morning. She assures me that I can see some beautiful places by train, too. I'm sure I will. I didn't want a martini anyway! Plus the train is free, well paid for anyway. I'm on my way to Frankfurt by train and on to Berlin! I'm still pretty much on schedule. I'll do my jubilee when it's warmer. I wouldn't want to wear jeans to it anyway. Now there's time to have a gown done-Karen Avery, you're on that, right? You'd pick exactly the right thing;) Ramin? You can get this hair under control? It'll be blowing in the wind. (nope! Not that song, it's more of an instrumental) I have to wait all of six minutes for the train, big deal! I get off one stop early...there are a couple Frankfurt stops, but I ask for directions which gives me 20 minutes to jump online! Thank you, Starbucks! I don't drink coffee, but I do do wifi! One more train;) and now we are caught up! Hooray! I just need internet service and I'll be posted! Yep, just two more hours, no one! It's a four hour journey. I've plotted out a couple overnights coming up-hooray saved time and money! In the meantime, I should read about Berlin! And what I'll be doing there:)