Swisttal, Germany - Friday October 9, 2015

By 10 AM this morning we were on our way, leaving Strasbourg, France and heading north to Swisttal, Germany.  We knew today was going to be along day, since we were taking the small back roads north along the Mosel River and Ahr Valleys to reach the area of Swisttal which is very close to Bonn.  Initially we took the highway to get out of Strasbourg and then changed over to the small winding roads that we love to travel on.  These roads enable us to see the small towns, villages, local people and animals, which represent the country.  As was the case a few days ago, Gail utilized her iPad to find the tiny winding roads.  Unfortunately, the sky was very overcast, so it was not a great day for taking photos.  Once we got into the Ahr Valley, which is Germany’s red wine district, we saw a lot of grapes still growing on the vines and people out in the vineyards picking the grapes.  This was unlike France, where almost all the grapes had already been harvested and the vines were already turning yellow.  The Mosel River Valley is mostly known for their white wine.  As we continued our trek north, I saw a sign for the Nürburgring ……… Germany’s famous auto racetrack.  I immediately got very excited and took a detour to see the new motorsports complex, which was built in 1984.  The old racetrack had been here for many years prior to 1984 and I had been on it in 1983 when I was in the area.  In addition to auto racing, individuals are allowed to “race” their personal cars on the track at certain times of year ………. very interesting.   When we arrived in the area of the motorsports complex, we could hear the roar of cars racing around the track.  Since we were on somewhat of a timetable to arrive at a friend’s house in Swisttal, we did not have the time to stop and take a tour, etc. of the complex.  I hope to do that at a later date in the next few years.  After leaving the area of the Nürburgring, we continued north, passing many more grapes growing on steep, terraced vineyards.  By 4:30 PM we arrived at a friend’s house in Swisttal.  I had met my friend Robert in 1979 when he came to New York with a musical exchange program.  We had lost contact for many years, but the Internet and email brought us back together.  I visited with Robert and his wife in 2011 when I was last in this area.  He and his lovely wife Brigitte invited us to come stay with them when we were ever in the area.  We arrived on Friday and were spending the weekend with them before departing for Brussels on Sunday.  After some coffee and cake we took a walk in the area before having a nice dinner prepared by Brigitte.  After dinner we all chatted for a bit, talked about our families, what we have been up to over the years and then went to bed.  It was a rather long day, but very exciting getting to see the Ahr Valley of Germany, the new Nürburgring and then my friend Robert again.  As I have said before, travel is the ultimate inspiration.