Germany - Day One

Germany
April 6

We had a very early train. We left the facility at 7:15 am. We had an 8 hour train trip to where we were staying in Germany. We rode a little train to Achen, Germany for about 30 minutes, another train for an hour and a half to Brussels, Belgium, then a four hour train to Munich, Germany, and finishing with a two hour trip to Frielassing, Germany close to Salzburg. The plan worked well until we got to Munich and Cliff, Jon Michael, and I got off at the wrong Munich stop. We were sitting in a different car than the others. Our itinerary just said Munich, not which Munich stop. Our connections were so tight we knew we would miss them. We got the next train in 15 minutes and pulled in just after our scheduled train with everyone else pulled out. We got another train in an hour and were met at the train station by John. A short ten minute walk brought us to a charming hotel where we had a view of the Alps from our windows, big fluffy pillows and duvets on the bed and a dinner of schnitzel. Germany has the greenest greens, the bluest blues, and the whitest whites. The gingerbread houses and crisp, clean lines of the whole area makes you feel like you have been swept into a fairy tale.

Just as we sat down for dinner, I looked in the dining room reserved for small groups and saw a sewing machine! I asked our waiter (also the hotel owner) what they were doing and he replied, "patchwork". I  said I knew they were quilters! He said " Come, come, come!" he introduced me to them as an American quilter and they seemed as excited as I was! We chatted for a while and they showed me their projects and the plan for this year's block of the month done in appliqué. When they were beginning their meeting I went back to my dinner of salad, fries and schnitzel as they said their goodbyes and wished me safe journey. It was a trip highlight for sure!

We walked around the town after dinner as the sun granted us beautiful photo ops as it set. W passed a woodcarver's shop and saw birdhouse, and trees transformed into wonderful creatures. We returned to the hotel where we got a lovely nights sleep and awoke to the Alps outside our window to greet the day.