Red, Red Wine

Our guidebook informed us that Cologne seems ridiculously proud to be home to Gemany's largest Cathedral, (bit like Bristol and their bridge) a huge blackened gothic building which dominates this mainly modern city. Visiting the Cathedral on Saturday it's not difficult to see why they are so proud. As big churches go, it's up there, covered in gargoyles, with two towers 157 metres tall, and some truly magnificent stained glass - it is simply awe inspiring.

The Cathedral isn't however, all that Cologne has to offer. We visited the Ludwig Museum, before which holds a vast collection of modern art courtsey of their titular patron. They currently have a fab Lichtenstein exhibition, along with their usual Picassos, Warhols and other masterpieces.We also used our student ISIC cards for the first time and got a tidy discount – which will be doubly amusing to anyone who actually knows us.

We left Cologne to go somewhere altogether more rural and off the beaten track. Obviously this being Germany, such places are easily reached on clean, efficient and regular public transport. Our chosen destination was a small village called Altenahr, in the Ahr valley, which has a lovely campsite by said river Ahr.

For anyone who thought it would all go wrong when we tried living in a tent, I've been massively impressed by how well we've not only managed this whole camping thing, but enjoyed it. Its fair to say, however, the Germans do camping big and better than us. Our little tent was dwarfed amongst campervans, caravans with plastic conservatories, and an array of  furniture and gazeebos, along with a selection of BMWs, Audi TTs and vintage Mercs. Everyone else had electricity, and many of them had sky dishes-and no they weren't all semi-permanent some of them packed up at the end of the weekend!

Altenahr feels German. A small picturesque village, with Germanic font used on every 'Weinhaus' and 'Biergarten', and a stall selling a selection on sausages. You can imagine our delight, then, when we were out eating “flammkuchen” and drinking the local “Rotwein” when an Oompha band errupted into song on the bank opposite.

Altenahr clearly does a good tourist trade with Germans, and a few Dutch, but English guests were clearly a bit of a novelty. Strange really then, that it reminded me of a small town English tourist destination. Pubs, little cafes, an America n line dancing themed bar, an old hotel where people over seventy do karaoke surrounded by lampshades, flower pots on every window sill, and chintz, chintz and more chintz from doilies to little statues of dogs.

We came to the Alt Valley for two reasons, for the countryside (perhaps even do some walking) and because it's one of Germany's few Red Wine areas. What better way to combine those two things then, than with the “Rotwienwanderweg”.

For anyone not familiar with German this is the Red Wine Hiker route, a 36 K trek through vine yards with wine bars and wine sellars all along the way. No we didn't walk the whole thing, but we did walk over 6 miles (mainly uphill) enjoying some spectacular views and a good few litres of German red wine.

And so finally, to answer the questions any decent person (red wine drinker) will now be asking... No its a lot better than Hock, but no it's not like Chianti. Germans take a different attitude to red wine, with sweet, medium and dry -dry being like  French red  and the sweetest being more like a Rose. We were surprised by all three. I think our favourite discovery of the day though was a sparkling sweet red called Do Secco.

And with the taste of Do Secco still tingling in our mouths we jumped on  yet another clean and efficent train to Boppard, in the Rhine Valley -home to Germany's best white wine.

Luke and Louise

(Posted by Louise)

I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

Right then - where were we?

After a short break back in the UK (losing elections, getting married - usual stuff) Lou and I are now back on the road as man and wife. And where better to kick-start another whoknowshowlong of globetrotting madness than... er... Belgium. Home of waffles, frites and mayo, bier, Tin Tin and Poirot. It's not exactly Russia I agree, but in it's own very Belgian way, it's been a pretty pleasant way to ease ourselves back into the travelling groove.

As we are camping for the European leg, home for our first two nights was in a camp-site tucked behind an evangelical church in central Brussels. The entrance, via a car park, was about as welcoming as an Ed Balls leadership direct mail, but the site itself was small, well equipped and pleasingly boho.

As for the city itself, we did what most people seemed to be doing, namely eating waffles, scoffing chips and may (from Antoinne's - truly sublime) and drank beer. We also got very wet in the appalling weather, and discovered that the Belgians actually won World War One courtesy of a military museum stuffed with more lifeless dummies than your average GC meeting (apols, non-Labour types).

And so, having eaten our body weight in lard, we find ourselves on a high speed train to Cologne, from where I'm typing this. As the Wi Fi will doubtless cut out just before I post it, I'll do it now.

(5 hours later)

Well, so much for the much vaunted German efficiency. The Wi Fi went down the moment we hit Cologne. Rats. Anyhow, said city is very lovely. In the few hours we've been here, we've drunk far too much beer, and seen an elderly man arrested for drug dealing outside by secret service agents in an unmarked BMW. I shit you not.

Tomorrow, after a whistle stop tour of the city, we are off to the beautiful Ahr Valley. See you there.

Cherio,

Luke and Louise

(posted by Luke)