We stumbled our way through getting everything in the car. It was a quick and uneventful drive down to the airport at Keflavik, once I won my fight with the navigation software and found a way to load in something close to the airport for it to navigate to.
Check-in took some time as poor Sara had to fight with the incredible slow and temperamental check-in kiosk. I guess having a bunch of flights leave at the same time creates a stress on the system. After beating the system and going back to check in Sam (oops), we got to our flight area with plenty of time and grabbed a quick breakfast bite from a coffee shop.
Good bye Iceland. I really enjoyed the visit, and I would come back, as I feel there are adventures to still be had. Maybe visit the glacier areas crashing into the sea? If you are looking for a interesting place to travel, I would definitely recommend a trip to Iceland.
On to Germany!
The flight to Frankfurt from Iceland was pretty uneventful. The teens and Katy caught some shut-eye part of the way. Getting through Frankfurt airport was quick, no passport check and walk through customs. Picking up the rental car at Budget was equally easy and after packing everyone in, we were on our way in the Ford Galaxy.
A quick aside about the Ford Galaxy. I'm reasonably impressed with it. Mini-van sized, probably not unlike the mini vans that many of us own. It has the equivalent of Ford Sync in it, which is pretty sweet. Sara braved the German manuals and the Sync in german to find the "english" setting, paired her phone, and we were jammin' down the autobahn with full navigation. The van also has 2 sunroof areas cut out along the left and right sides all the way down the car, giving it more light and a roomier feel.
So, back to the drive from Frankfurt to Rothenberg. An nothing beats driving fun like an open stretch of autobahn. Well... there weren't THAT many open stretches... and I was in a mini-van. Well.. fun, none the less. The Ford Galaxy held its own on the road, good ride at around 85 mph. I kicked it up to 100 for fun, but that seems a little much for this sized vehicle. After Sara got her iPhone paired, we were crusin' down the autobahn singing along (well, Sara and I were) to some Depeche Mode. The teens and Katy decided to take another nap. As we got closer to Rothenberg, the shear beauty of the rolling green hills with the little German villages soon had everyone at the window with cameras in hand. The crew also marveled at the huge wind turbines scattered throughout the region.
We soon arrived at Rothenberg and something pretty amazing happened. I believe I heard all of the kids jaws dropped as the saw their first middle ages like town. We pulled into our parking lot and took in the city wall as we gathered our things.
A quick walk and we were greated with another visual treat, this quant old hotel, the Hotel Hornburg, which is our home of for the next few days. The hotel is very cool, with a historical feel but roomy and with the modern amenities. Definitely going to enjoy staying here.
A brief 15 minutes of distraut ensued as we were getting settled, created by none other than me. Apparently, the room safe can be locked BEFORE you have set your code.... but after you have put lots of important stuff in it. Hmm.. seems like a bad design :). Panic time, but fortunately the staff was still around and a quick call to the owner produced the master key and was able to open the device. Whew.... that could have been bad.
Some quick cleanup and it was off to dinner. We decided we needed to start the German leg of our trip off with some traditional German food. The Landsknechtstub served up the right food and a great atmosphere. Super friendly waitstaff, who was very patient as we ask a thousand questions about the menu. What better way to celebrate Sara's birthday than with Schnitzel, Spatezel, and beer. Good food.. recommended.
After filling out bellies, it was off to the Nightwatchman tour. Everyone was very into hearing the entertaining and informative tour. It was especially nice because the sun was setting over Rotherberg during the time, making some spectacular lighting on the city. Another event highly recommended. I believe I even heard Sam saying she might do an in-depth essay about Rothenberg for school next year.
And to finish the day, a stop at one of the local eis shops (ice cream). That was a hit with everyone.
And the day is done... tomorrow will be more Rothenberg..
CsB
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