Düsseldorf is one of the larger cities in Germany. Located in the western portion of the country, it’s the capital of the German Republic State of North Rhine-Westphalia, which borders Belgium and The Netherlands on Germany’s western boundary. Since 1949, Düsseldorf has been considered the fashion capital of Germany, which explains all the seriously high fashion clothing stores we saw when walking through the ultra-modern downtown districts, looking for coffee. There are a little over 500,000 people living in the city limits, with about 100,000 of them transplants from other than Germany, but mostly from around the European Union.
In the Altstadt, old town, there are many outdoor cafes along the Rhine River. Photo by Donald Fink.
There’s a vibrant Old Town along the Rhine River, where we spent some time wandering the shops and cafes. We found a great American style steak house called Block Steak House. It turns out that they’re a relatively large chain of restaurants with locations throughout Europe.
There was one Starbucks in town that we found. The Starbucks app lists one in Old Town, but it turns out that it’s closed, permanently. Interesting that the Starbucks app lists it as an open restaurant, but Google Maps lists it as closed.. Hmm. Still, we found another one that was open in a shopping mall in the Konigsallee fashion district, near the park, and less than a mile’s walk from our hotel.
Melia Düsseldorf is a very modern hotel, conviently located about 15 minute’s walking time to the Konigsallee shopping area or a 15 minute walk to Altstadt, Old Town, through the Hofgarten, Park. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
While in Düsseldorf, we stayed in a Melia Hotel. Melia is a European hotel chain that we’ve used before with good results. We use them for the same reasons we use Holiday Inn Express in the States. We get loyalty points, which leads to free nights and therefore reduced overall costs, and we also have an expectation of quality. At Melia in Dusseldorf, we found a relatively modern building with clean, large rooms. There was good internet in the rooms that was included with the price of the room. The restaurant served buffet style breakfast that was not automatically included in the room price, but available for a nominal fee. They also served dinner, but we didn’t sample evening meals, preferring instead to find our meals outside in one of the many close-by restaurants. Parking was an additional €25.00 per day. We would normally be annoyed at the parking price, but having just left New York City where the price to park (assuming you could live through a car ride to the hotel) was a staggering $70.00 per night! It made Dusseldorf seem like a bargain.
From our hotel, all destinations led through the Hofgarten, the oldest park in Germany. The first portions of the Hofgarten were built in the 18th century. We transited the Hofgarten on our way to the Old Town, and on our way to Starbucks in the Konigsallee Shopping Area. In each case, the walk was just under a mile, and we only made it through a tiny portion of the park. In terms of beauty, the Hofgarten isn’t Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, nor is it Central Park in New York City, but it does have its appeal. If we lived in Düsseldorf, we would no doubt spend a lot of time relaxing there.
This is the very popular Konigsallee shopping area . Photo by Bonnie Fink.
Speaking of the Konigsallee, it’s a major upscale shopping district in the heart of Düsseldorf. It features world renowned clothing, jewelry, and just about every other fine shopping store you could want. It was a place where, if we needed a new pair of cuff links, we would certainly be able to find them, but we might have to think about the purchase awhile before committing the money. Of course, on this trip, we didn’t feel the need for new cuff links, so we just went to Starbucks.
We had a good few days in Düsseldorf. If we needed to go there again for some reason, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. We enjoyed it like we enjoy pretty much any big, busy city. We found the people to be polite and friendly. They seemed to be used to tourists and our language challenges. Actually, most people we encountered spoke English. It was just kind of surprising that most of the people we interacted with were not native German speakers, but imports themselves.
Can we recommend Düsseldorf for other travelers? Sure, we used it as a base for travel to other locations in the immediate area. Düsseldorf is in the middle of some interesting historic places, and getting in and out of town was generally easy. Traffic was not as challenging as you might expect for a reasonably large city. Of course, at just over half a million people, it really isn’t that big. We aren’t big city people by our nature, but we found it easy to navigate, safe, and comfortable.
On our way to a laundry mat, we happened to walk through an area that seemed to be just a local neighborhood, just for locals. It was filled with shops, cafes, grocery stores and so on. We were as comfortable in that area as we were in the more touristy areas.
Our plan for now is to not return to Düsseldorf in the near future. We visited, enjoyed this city, and now it’s time to move on.
There’s a little town called Cochem along the Moselle River, about 20 miles upstream from where the Moselle empties into the Rhine. It’s a German vacation spot, where locals come to camp, play on the river, enjoy some of the local wines, or just hang out in this quaint little town, enjoying the food and shopping.
We discovered this town on our first trip to Germany a few years ago when we were visiting castles, and the local castle, called the Reichsberg Castle, found its way onto our sights. We showed up in this town on a weekend that happened to be a German holiday, and even though we never learned the meaning of the holiday (it seems that everyone would give us a slightly different meaning when we asked), we did learn that the Germans know how to party.
There were literally thousands of German bikers in town on that first trip, along with river cruise ships, and daytime sightseeing ships docked along the river. There were jet skis, kayaks, and yachts cruising up and down the river, and the occasional river-going cargo ship was passing by. Bicycles are a big form of transportation in Europe, and Germans brought their own while the local bicycle rental businesses were doing a brisk business too.
You may find that we use the term Moselle when we’re talking about the River that runs past Cochem, when other folks will say Mosel. Our reasoning is simply that Google Maps calls it Moselle. In France, it’s generally agreed that it’s called the Moselle River. Once it crosses the border into Germany, many locals call it Mosel. Certainly, the wine region is called the Mosel Wine Region and it’s Mosel Wine, not Moselle Wine, that comes from this area. Still, when you’re looking things up on the map, you wouldn’t want to be confused.
This Town Goes Back
We would normally talk about the “old town” when speaking about the touristy parts of any destination in Europe because that’s usually what interests us, but in Cochem, it’s all Old Town. It has its earliest mention in official documents as far back as 886 AD. It was granted “Town Rights” in 1332, presumably by Archbishop Baldwin, who was the Electktor of Trier Territory. The town remained under Trier rule until the French occupation in the 18th Century. From there, it moved forward. There was some damage in World War II with one bombing raid in September of 1942, but most of the town was left standing, and the Castle of course, was not the target.
What to Do In Cochem
Shopping
The first thing we noticed when entering the “tourist” parts of Cochem was the large number of shops. Unlike the usual cafes, bars, and restaurants that you’ll see in a tourist environment, there were also many boutiques and general stores of all kinds. Our first thought was, “we’re never going to get things home if we bought them here,” but the point that this is a German hot spot, catering to local Germans, is underscored. The German tourists can make their purchases, then simply take them to the car and transport them home, again emphasizing the point that this is a German tourist spot.
Wine grapes seem to be the popular crop to row in the Mosel Valley, just upstream of the Rhine River near Cochem. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
Wine
The valley along the Moselle River is a major wine producing area. It seems that every square foot of area capable of agricultural use is engaged in growing wine grapes. We’re not proficient in all the types of wine grapes, but we saw many different varieties during our wanderings through the valley.
The week we arrived at Cochem was the conclusion of their annual Food and Wine Festival. Not to worry, other villages were preparing for their annual Wine events too, and our guess is that pretty much every little village along the Moselle River will be doing a Food and Wine festival of some kind before winter.
Restaurants
There are too many restaurants to count in Cochem. It seems that we would pick one each day more or less at random, and the experience never went bad for us. Language was an issue in most cases, with some servers able to speak a little English, others not so much. It seems like the younger folks were remembering some of their basic English they learned in school, but not much more than that. Still, with our few words of German, a high school course in English on the part of the server, and a trusty Google Translator App to work out the menu, we didn’t go hungry.
One of the many unique restaurants in Cochem, Germany. This establishment seemed to be carved out of a cave in the side of the hill. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
Our favorite café turned out to be a place called Gaststatte Noss. It’s located on the main street of Cochem, about midway through town. We stopped in over the course of several days. Sometimes we’d have coffee, sometimes coffee and dessert, and on one occasion we had a full meal. Everything was perfect for us, and the atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for in a small German village. There was outside seating, inside booths, and our favorite table was actually inside, but inside a glass door that opened to the outside in good weather and closed when it was raining. It was the best for all weather for us. Oh, and the restaurant had free bathrooms for customers. We mention this like it’s unusual in Europe, because it is. We’ll definitely visit again next time we’re in town.
Travelling Around the Area
With so much to offer in this region of the Moselle River, you need a way to get around. For us, we have a leased car, so getting around is as easy as it is any other time. We’re in our comfort zone. The only issue for us is parking once we get to a new village. Most villages we found had either street parking or organized parking lots. For us, arriving at most destinations before noon, parking was not an issue, but we found that parking in some of the busier places like Cochem became a challenge after lunch. Of course, in Cochem, we typically walked from our hotel with the car safely parked there.
The entire region along the Moselle River is connected by a walking and bicycle path on both sides of the river. We saw that many folks used bicycles to move from village to village. Most were locals bringing their own bikes, but we also found a bike rental business on the main street just on the edge of Cochem. Were we into bicycling, this would have made for a pleasant way to travel from the various villages, and parking is less of an issue with this mode of travel.
Bicycles and pedestrians have a separate walking path along the Moselle River in cochem. The pavement on the right is for bicycles while the paving bricks are for walkers. In most places, there is no railing separating the two, You’re on your honor to stay clear of the bicycles. Photo by Donald Fink.
There’s an etiquette involved when it comes to sharing a walking path with bicycles in Cochem. Much of the walking trail is divided into one area that’s paved with black top, and another side that’s paved with concrete pavers. The paver side is for people walking while the smoother black-topped area is for bicycles. It’s best to stick to your side of the trail. Some of those bicycle folks are fast, and the can get up on you very quickly. Pay attention!
River boats are a big item along the Moselle River. Everything goes up and down the river from Viking Cruise Lines to local sunset cruises. Cochem has a couple of small docks with cruises that usually last most of a day, making several stops in other villages before returning to Cochem in the afternoon or evening. We didn’t do a river cruise, but the way the local boats seem to work is they publish a schedule of when they’ll dock at a particular village along their route, then again along their route on the return trip back to Cochem. This means that you can choose to stay with the boat as it makes its way up and down the river, maybe catching some brief shopping at each stop, or you can get off for a longer stay at one village. Maybe have lunch or dinner at one village along the way, then catch the river boat on its return leg to Cochem. Kind of like a hop-on, hop-off bus, except along the river, and worth looking into. Of course, cruise lines like Viking will work all that out for you as well. We know people who have used the Viking Lines in particular and have reported a great experience.
One day cruise operator we saw in Cochem was KD Day Cruises. We can’t recommend them, or not recommend them since we didn’t cruise, but we saw their boats operating from the town. Actually, according to their web site, they have operations all over the area including up and down the Rhine River.
The Castle
You can’t come to Cochem without seeing the Castle. This one is called Schloss Rheichsburg. It sits prominently on the hill directly behind the town of Cochem. There are two ways to get up to the castle: you can walk as we did or you can catch a shuttle bus from the Town Square. We walked, not because we feel the need to punish ourselves, but because we didn’t know about the shuttle until we were already at the top of the hill and we saw a bus go by. Fine!
Tours inside the Reichsburg Castle are guided, meaning that you can’t just wander the halls. But there was plenty of time to stop and take it all in and take photos. The tour guides offered several different languages with their tours too. On a previous visit, we discovered a lighting fixture in the castle that’s supposedly a mermaid, and according to the tour guide, touching the mermaid would bring about good luck. At the time our house in New Mexico had an offer pending. It was the only credible offer we had seen in seven years on this property, so you can imagine that we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make contact with the lucky-mermaid-lighting-fixture-thing. And of course, the house closed shortly after and we went about our merry lives. Hooray for the lucky Mermaid!
Where to stay
We stayed at the Stumberger Hotel located just outside the village along the Moselle River. We’ve made two trips to Cochem and stayed there both times and couldn’t be happier. If we return to Cochem—and we certainly will—we’ll stay there again. We feel so strongly in our recommendation about Stumbergers Hotel that we posted a separate article about it here. It reads a bit like a commercial advertisement, but it was just a great place to stay.
There are indeed dozens, if not hundreds of hotels located in and around the Cochem area, and most of them would probably be good choices. We’ve only stayed at Stumberger’s so we can’t recommend the others, but we’re sure you can do your own homework if you plan a visit to Cochem.
One possible reason for staying somewhere else is that Stumberger’s is on the very edge of town. It takes a bit of a walk to get into the city center. We happen to enjoy walking, so it worked as an advantage for us. You may not feel the same and prefer a room in the center where your favorite café is right outside your door. It’s certainly possible in Cochem.
Our overall impression of Cochem is that it is a great place to come and play. It’s also primarily a place where Germans come. We’re not usually all that interested in where the “locals” hang out, but in the case of Germany, it seems appropriate. The Germans, for the most part, seem to like the same things we do. Good food, good drink, recreational opportunities all around. What’s to go wrong? And in Cochem, we found all that and more. After two visits, we’re sure it will be on our list in future visits too. Cochem has become our German home town.
Not long ago, we happened through Cochem, Germany on our summer’s trip through what we consider to be the heart of Europe. Our purpose when coming to Germany is to view castles, and just take some time to look over the pristine countryside. Cochem is on the Moselle River, about 20 miles from the Rhine River. It’s in southwest Germany, not far from France and Belgium. Aside from the famous Reichsburg Castle, this is a major wine producing region, and a popular German holiday spot. You’ll find a few English speakers in this town, but not many since most of the vacationers here are locals.
When staying in Cochem, we like a small, independent hotel just on the edge of town called Stumberger’s Hotel, no doubt named after the Stumbergers who own and operate this establishment. It seems to be just Mr. Stumberger and his wife, along with a small handful of staff that makes this establishment run.
The hotel consists of a few rooms, a restaurant, and a beer garden. The beer garden isn’t always open, but also serves fast food along with ales when it is. On one of our first trips, the beer garden was open because there was an unusually large number of bikers in town on that particular weekend, and it was popular among them.
The restaurant might be unique to Cochem because it’s a Mexican themed establishment. We were surprised to see this in Germany, and had to try it out. Surprisingly, it was pretty authentic. The main dishes were spot on while the Mexican Rice seemed a little different than our usual Tex-Mex expectations. And the refried beans weren’t enough, compared to the usual portions in a Mexican restaurant in the States. But the overall experience was pretty close, and way better than we were expecting. After all, Germany is a long way from Mexico, and being original Californians who lived in New Mexico for several years after retiring, we have pretty high expectations when it comes to our Mexican cuisine.
We enjoyed the view sitting on our balcony at Stumberger’s Hotel. Photo by Donald Fink.
We requested a “castle view” for our room at Stumbergers Hotel. There are only ten rooms, but three of them have a large balcony with a stunning view of the Reichsburg Castle, nestled on top of the hill overlooking the riverfront town of Cochem. What you’ll see from a Castle View room is the River Moselle across the road, the town of Cochem to the left with the castle on the hill above. The river is active most of the day with river tour boats, river cruise boats, bulk transport ships, and pleasure boats ranging from yachts to kayaks. It makes for quite a show from the balcony in the afternoons after a day of trudging through your favorite castle of the day.
Normally, we prefer to stay in chain hotels when we travel for a number of reasons. The main reason is that we like the consistency they offer. We know what to expect when we book a room. There’s a level of excellence that we enjoy when staying at a familiar place, and we’re rarely disappointed. Stumberger’s Hotel is an exception to this rule. We’ve stayed there twice now, so we do in fact have an expectation, but the first time was a shot in the dark that paid off for us. Truthfully, we do stay at independent hotels quite a bit even though our goal is to stay somewhere that’s better known. Sometimes it pays off, as is the case with Stumbergers, and sometimes it doesn’t.
What You Can Expect
At Stumbergers, you’ll get a clean, comfortable room. It’s not the biggest room we’ve stayed in, but it’s big enough.
Internet is included, and quite good. We were at about 6Mb/s up and down with small latency times.
Parking is free. And there’s enough of it.
Breakfast is included, and quite good. It’s a typical European kind of hotel breakfast, which is not quite what we’re used to in the US, but everything was there. The one notable difference for us was that eggs were cooked to order rather than having to dig through a bowl of old scrambled eggs, hoping to find that sweet spot where they weren’t too runny or too dry. Mr. Stumberger brings your eggs freshly cooked to your table, as well as your orange juice and coffee.
The restaurant is good. Truthfully, we ate there only one night on this trip. We had various enchiladas that were authentic to our idea of Mexican cuisine. There are also various German inspired dishes on the menu, but the menu was primarily Mexican.
The Beer Garden was not open this trip. We were at a somewhat slower time, and it probably didn’t pay to have it open. Keep in mind that most of the time it’s Mr. and Mrs. Stumberger running this operation. They can’t be everywhere at once.
About the only thing we can find fault in at Stumberger’s is the fact that there are no elevators. To stay here, you’ll need to walk up at least one flight of stairs. Having only ten rooms, there simply isn’t space for an elevator. This was not a problem for us, but for a person with severe mobility problems, negotiating the stairs could be a challenge. Getting your bags up to the room wasn’t really a problem for us, but again, for a mobility challenged person, this could be an issue. We wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Stumberger was willing to help with the bags if necessary. He seemed to be interested in making us comfortable.
Keep in mind that the lack of an elevator is not uncommon in small hotels, and especially small hotels in Europe. We didn’t find it a hindrance, but we felt compelled to mention it in the interest of full disclosure.
In The Future
We’ll come to Cochem again. It’s one of those kind of places where it takes many trips to see all there is to offer. When we do come back, we’ll definitely make Stumberger’s Hotel our home base. It’s got everything we need, and Mr. Stumberger made us feel right at home.
Even though we write this review of this hotel like it’s a paid advertisement, we were not paid or even approached by the Stumbergers to comment in any way. We’re doing this simply because we think it’s one of those hidden treasures you occasionally find on a trip that helps to make your vacation a pleasant experience. We’ve been here twice and the experience has been the same each time, so we know it’s not just a fluke. This little hotel in this little German vacation spot is the real deal.
Today we made our way from our hotel in Düsseldorf to the small town of Solingen, where we spent some time at the Schloss Burg, or the Burg Castle. This building dates back to the Middle Ages—to 1130—when it was constructed as the Neuenberge Fortress. It wouldn’t be referred to as a Castle until somewhere in the 14th or 15th Centuries, after its strategic importance as a fortress had declined.
Originally, Neuenberge Fortress was built by the Counts of Berg as a family seat, and as the name implies, a strategic fortress to repel aggressors. There was a wall around the buildings and even a moat at the entrance. The moat wasn’t filled with crocodiles as we all grew up seeing in our Saturday cartoons, but rather, it contained thorny bushes. Presumably there was a gate that could be raised when needed.
On our visit, we found an elegant but small castle. The main buildings have been converted into a museum, describing life in the late Middle Ages. There were items of everyday life, including cooking utensils, tools for wood working and metal fabrication, and of course, weapons and armor all around.
You can use this Google Map to find the location of Schloss Burg in Germany. Click on the View Larger Map link to see a new page with a larger map.
We particularly enjoyed the visit because it was self-guided. For us, trying to take pictures, we could move at our own pace. And of course, all the plaques and descriptions were in German, so we needed a little extra time to work out their meanings.
After our tour, we stepped outside the castle walls and immediately found a small outdoor restaurant. After some brief negotiating with the mostly German speaking server, we settled on coffee and a dish of ice cream, which is pretty much what we were after.
We probably spent about two hours touring the Castle. Altogether, it used up about half a day of our time including travel both ways from Dusseldorf. That’s about what we thought it would take. Of course, in addition to visiting the Castle, we got to see some fantastic German countryside, and made a couple of runs down the Autobahn. In our diesel powered Renault Dacia. Six speed manual and all.
Eltz Castle is one of the few castles in Europe that’s never been destroyed, by fire, by war, by anything. We spent some time walking the grounds and touring the interior of this pristine noble home, and came away with an appreciation for how life could have been for the very wealthy in the middle ages.
Early History
It all began in the 12th century, when three branches of the Eltz family jointly built this castle along a trade route between the Moselle River and the Eifel Region. The Eifel Region is an area of mountains in western Germany and eastern Belgium. According to the information we’ve read, the idea of having more than one part of a family jointly owning a castle is simply one of economics. One family by itself could not afford to build, own, or maintain a castle, but by pooling resources, several families could enjoy the status and more importantly, the security of having a large, defensible castle.
The castle has only been attacked one time, between 1331 and 1336. There was a dispute between the leader of an area known as the Trier region of Moselle and the knights of several houses, including Burg Eltz. It seems that these knights had been allowed to wander away from loyalty to the previous Trier Leader, and when Archbishop Baldwin took power, he decided to set things straight.
Ruins of the siege castle that was built by Archbishop Baldwin during the Eltz Feud of 1330. The ruins are approximately 230 meters away from Eltz Castle and uphill, which provided a good strategic position from which to launch a five year attack. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
The Archbishop made a direct assault on Burg Eltz, but failed, so he built a “siege castle,” which was a fortified structure about 230 meters away from Burg Eltz and slightly uphill. The purpose of the siege castle was simply to give soldiers a safe place from which to lay siege to Burg Eltz without being in danger themselves. Archbishop Baldwin pummeled Eltz Castle for several years, using rock filled trebuchets and an early form of cannon.
The purpose of the siege was not to destroy the knights of Eltz, but to bring them under control of the Trier government. After five years of siege, the Eltz knights finally agreed to recognize Archbishop Baldwin and the feud ended.
Where is Burg Eltz
Burg Eltz is located in southwestern Germany near the town of Wierschem. We were staying in Cochem, along the Moselle River when we visited, so it was simply a matter of driving along the river to Moselkern, where we headed inland towards Wiersham. Using a rental car, it wasn’t a problem to find the castle. There was a parking fee, and from the parking lot there were two choices to get to the actual castle site. First, there was a walking path of about 1.3 kilometers (about .8 miles), and there was a shuttle bus. This is a downhill walk to the castle, so it’s easy getting there, and a little more difficult getting back to the car. The shuttle bus was €2.00 each person, each way. We rode the shuttle bus, but had we known that the tickets were only good for one way, we probably would have walked downhill into the castle grounds, and ridden the shuttle back out.
What will you see at Burg Eltz
Rooms for worship were often built high above the ground, outside of the main building. The rules requiring a private worship place were complex. One could not live above the chapel, for example, which is probably the reason they were attached outside the main building. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
There are no photographs allowed inside the castle. This is highly annoying to folks like us who are trying to bring stories to folks like you, but we understand. They are probably concerned about flashes damaging artwork, tapestries, and wall paintings. And we know that they can’t simply say, “No flashes” because of the large number of people who won’t read their manuals on their phones and cameras, and have no idea how to turn their flashes off. Plus, it’s their castle. Their rules. So we’ll show you no pictures from inside.
The interior is only open for tours from early April through the first part of November, but the grounds and the interior court are open year-round .
There was a small gift shop where you purchased tickets to take a tour of the interior of the castle. The cost was €10.00 per person, and there were tours in German and English, with French and a few other languages on request.
The castle is divided into three separate family spaces which were used for the three separate branches of the Eltz family. This works to an advantage here because on the tour, we were able to see a complete set of rooms, from the entrance hall, through the living quarters, and finally right down to the kitchen. We did this without infringing on the Eltz family’s private living space, which they still maintain elsewhere in the castle, apart from the spaces set aside for touring.
Many of the walls were hand painted with artwork as was the style in medieval Europe, with tapestries on the walls, carvings and paintings on the bedroom furniture, and so on. There were several examples of various chests, tables, and chairs from earlier times, and apparently these furnishings are pieces that have been in the Eltz family throughout the centuries.
There was a “treasury,” which was a museum that displayed personal family items from jewelry, to tableware, to clothing. There was also a large assortment of weapons, including swords, bows, cross bows, various long guns, pistols, and derringers. This was included in the price of the tour, but was self-guided, so you could take your time in this area.
There were two areas to grab a bite to eat, or have a drink, and there was a set of stairs leading down to the Eltz River. The river area was a treat because it gave a sense of how the forest would have been, and still is, for that matter.
Overall
We think that touring Burg Eltz is worth the time if you happen to be in Germany, and happen to be passing through this area. It’s a relatively small castle in a remote area of the forest near the Moselle River, but considering its long history, and its pristine condition, we think it’s worth it. We’ve seen many castles that were well conditioned and furnished, but it was an extra special treat to know that the furnishings in this castle were actually family possessions, from the original and current family. And that the family has had this home longer than a great many countries have even been in existence was extra special as well.
Yeah, that’s a mouthful for a hotel name. We stayed at the Hotel Jagschloss Kranichstein for just a night on our way to Cochem because we thought it would be fun to stay in a four star hotel with some serious history. It turns out that it was kind of anti-climactic, in that we were expecting “rustic,” and what we got was well maintained and modern on the inside, and historic on the outside. Rustic was nowhere to be found.
The rooms were as modern as it gets with the exception of air conditioning. There was none, but there wasn’t any real need for it either. Keep in mind that we’re at 47 degrees north latitude, or the equivalent of a bit north of Seattle, so air conditioning even in August isn’t a priority. The windows being open in the evening were adequate for comfort. There’s even WIFI in the building. Speed tests showed about 5 MB/s up and down, so no problems there.
There was a well-appointed “Bistro”, which looked to us like a combination bar and morning breakfast area, and in fact that’s how it was used. And there is a restaurant on the property. We didn’t try the restaurant because there was a private event in progress the night we stayed. Instead, we went for a walk in the forest.
Near the town of Darmstadt, this building was constructed in or around 1580 By Georg I of Hesse-Darmstadt Landgrave. The idea then was to build a hunting lodge, or castle among the forests of the area, and it remained a hunting lodge through the centuries. It gradually changed purposes until it finally emerged as a premier location for the elite to vacation and unwind. Queen Victoria was known to visit here in the mid-19th century.
Today, it’s a four star hotel that houses travelers from around the world as well as hosting weddings, meetings, small conventions of all sorts. It’s still among the forests and we found a walk in the woods was quite inviting. There is a large pond (about three acres) in the immediate back of the hotel grounds and the forest is crisscrossed with hiking and biking trails. The landscape, to us, looks very much like Tennessee, but without the humidity.
The question now is, how can we find more excuses to stay in this great hotel in the future?
We’ve spent the last few days wandering around London, playing American Tourist. For us that means seeking out the Starbucks stores—of which there are many—watching the Changing of the Guards, hanging with the street performers at Trafalgar Square, and so on. Mostly for us, we’ve just been staring at the buildings. Weather has been excellent this trip, so it was a good time to be outside.
London is a busy place. There’s traffic and pedestrians in nearly every square inch of its surface, except possibly the parks, and everything seems to be precisely choreographed and timed. Apparently they are used to foreigners visiting their city because many of the streets even have signs on the pavement telling you which way to look before crossing the street. We found that, like most big cities, ignoring the pedestrian traffic signals could put you in serious peril very quickly if you didn’t understand the flow of traffic. While some folks seemed to be able to judge when to cross the streets, we seemed to have better luck just following the rules.
Since this is our third trip to this vibrant city, we thought we would pass along a few things we’ve learned and observed for those who might be considering a trip to England at some point in the future.
Seeing London for the First Time
The London Eye. The building behind the London Eye holds gift stores, food courts, the Shrek Adventure, and many more. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
If you’re seeing London for the first time, you might want to stick to the big tourist items: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, and so on. You could pick a tour operator that can take you to these places, or you can simply go, using available transportation, at your own leisure. We’ve done it both ways, and had a good time in each case.
One advantage to using a guided tours is that you don’t need to do your own research to understand what you’re looking at. Also, you have quicker access to places that often require you to stand in line. Windsor Castle comes to mind in particular. You also have access to places out of town, like Stonehenge, or Bath.
Doing your own thing has its advantages too. First, you can do your own research to know what you’re looking at. This often means simply that you slow down a bit and read the signs along the way. If you’re like us and like to take a lot of pictures, doing your own tour means you can spend as much time as you need to get the shot you want. We’ve actually been left behind by tours because we had a lapse in attention while trying to get a good shot. Doing your own thing also means that you can change plans at your whim. You may plan to ride the London Eye today, but it’s overcast, so you go to the Tower of London instead and save the Eye for another day.
Moving around London for us Americans is easy. They speak English. They’re polite. They answer questions. Never despair. Moving around this city is easy and we’ve found it to be a pleasant experience.
Ways to Get Around London
The one way to NOT get around London is to rent a car and try to drive yourself. This is a big city, and it has big city traffic. It also has big city lack of parking. In fact, one thing we see a conspicuous lack of while walking around all the tourist parts of London is parking garages. Not one garage. Nowhere.
There are several effective ways to travel the streets of London:
If you’re reasonably fit, walking is the best way. We spend most of our time walking. Of course, one strategy is to walk till you drop then hail a cab to get back to your hotel. We’ve done that a couple of times, but if you’re planning to hit the main tourist attractions centered around Big Ben, for example, walking is very effective. We carried a good mapping app in our phones, complete with a good data package, and used it on more than one occasion to figure out where we were trying to go.
Taxis are iconic in London. The famous Hackney Carriage (cab, black cab, hack, or London taxi), is the official taxi found in London. These famous vehicles are strictly regulated in terms of vehicle mechanical requirements and driver knowledge. Our information tells us that the drivers pass a rigorous knowledge test before being allowed to drive.
In a previous trip, we stepped into a cab and gave the driver the name of the hotel where we were staying. He didn’t recognize the hotel, but after we gave him the street address, he took us directly to it. The problem was that the hotel was brand new, less than a year old. He knew the street, but didn’t know something had been built in that particular space.
One minor “gotcha” using the Underground in London is that numerous trains may arrive on the same platform. Notice the sign above that shows a train to Uxbridge, which is probably the one arriving now in this image. In eight minutes, the train to Heathrow Terminals 4,1,2, and three will arrive. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
Try the Underground. The subway system in London is extensive. And once you embrace the idea, it’s not all that hard to figure out. In our case, we walked down to a station for the first time after studying maps and getting ready. We bought a ticket by specifying the destination, and the ticket told us what line to get on and what lines to change to. There are nine lines that make up the Underground, so a bit of planning is a good idea. You can buy tickets that substantially reduce the cost to just a few pounds a day for basically unlimited travel.
When we thought about it, the Underground in London was only a little more complicated than the Disney Bus system around Walt Disney World in Orlando. Most of the extra complication comes from the fact that the Underground has multiple payment options, where the Disney transportation system is free. Having been on the Underground exactly once, we’re big fans. Next time we’re in London, we plan to make extensive use of its services.
You can find stands like this all over London, rent a bike for an hour or a day. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
There is an extensive system of public bicycle rentals around London. The cost at the moment seems to be 2 pounds for a 24 hour period, then an additional 2 pounds for each 30 minute period during that 24 hour period while you’re actually using the bicycle. There are maps available that show where to obtain the bike, and where to return it. We weren’t too excited about bicycles as tourists, primarily because we were more interested in walking around, gawking at the incredible architecture, not interacting with heavy traffic that we didn’t fully understand. We thought that the bicycles had potential, but mostly for the more seasoned traveler or the local.
Busses give a couple of options. There’s the hop-on/hop-off, open air, double decker tourist busses that run around to the major tourist stops all over the city. The cost is moderate, at anywhere from 40 pounds to 60 pounds and more, depending on what you decide to do. Truthfully, we didn’t use this service simply because we preferred to walk. We can’t help it. We like walking.
The public busses are another option that tie in with the Underground system. This is of course how a local gets around, and it’s how a local can afford to get around on a regular basis. The public busses seemed to be clean and in good repair, and although we didn’t ride them, it is only because the need didn’t present itself on this last trip. On our next trip, as we embrace the public transportation system more completely, using more flexible payment options, busses could very well be part of our method of expanding our reach as we explore this city.
Where to Stay
We keep talking about how to get around London, and we keep stressing walking. It might be reasonable to understand that in order for this to work, location must be factored into the equation. We’ve stayed in two different hotels in London. The first was a bit out of the way and almost required a cab to get to the usual tourist haunts. The next two times we came here, we stayed in a hotel that was about a mile from Big Ben, maybe a bit less. It was located on the opposite side of the Thames River in the Vauxhall area, the Borough of Lambeth.
On this quiet little street in the Vauxhall area of London, you’d never guess that there’s a state-of-the-art American style hotel. The building on the left of the vehicle in the street is a Staybridge Suites that’s less than two years old. Free Food, Fast Wifi. All the stuff you expect, and a central location too. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
The last hotel was a Staybridge Suites, which is a chain and part of the Holiday Inn hotels. We like them for lots of different reasons, but in the context of this report, the primary reason was location, followed closely by cost, but mostly location. We would leave the hotel each morning and make our way over to the Thames River and turn left or right, depending on our destination for the day. On one day we were heading to Hyde Park, so we crossed the River at the Vauxhall Bridge and continued down to Wellington Place and Hyde Park. On other days, we would walk along the River Thames and cross at either Big Ben on the Westminster Bridge or at the Golden Jubilee Bridges. Both of these bridges put us in the middle of the tourist action, with Big Ben, Parliament buildings, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Park, and Hyde Park.
We’re not saying that the Staybridge Suites London-Vauxhall is the best place to stay in London because we’re still relatively new to visiting this town, but it was good enough that we stayed there twice in two years. Next time we might try some place different. We might not. Some of the positives about this hotel are that they operate in much the same way as other Staybridge Suites in the US. There are kitchenettes in the rooms and a Tesco (grocery chain) within easy walking distance, the wifi is good. There’s a free wifi and a paid wifi, like most places in Europe. Since we’re frequent guests in the Holiday Inn bubble, our fancy wifi was at no extra charge. There’s also breakfast in the mornings, like you would expect in a Holiday Inn facility. Rooms were clean and quiet. Actually, our room looked out over the train tracks, and the windows were so good at sound absorption that we were never bothered by the noise. Most of the staff did not speak English as a first language (which seems to be normal in London, New York, Miami, wherever), but they were generally proficient, and always courteous and helpful. The one English word they didn’t seem to know was “no.”
What To Do
The new Guards marching into Buckingham Palace to become the Queen’s Guards. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
It would be silly to pretend that we could make a comprehensive list of things to do in London. There are books on the subject, and when you visit, you should certainly invest in one or more to see what the options are. We’ve made three separate trips to London over the years, and we’ve just touched on the surface of what’s possible, so we can list some of the things we have done so far, and what we would like to do in future trips.
A lot of what we’ve seen here centers around the River Thames, which makes sense because much of the oldest parts of London are near the river. That’s why it was important to us to have a hotel near the river, so we’d be in easy walking distance to the more touristy attractions.
A partial list of sites to see are:
Big Ben. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
Big Ben
You know the famous bell song from the clock tower. You’ve grown up hearing clocks playing the chimes that emulate Big Ben every quarter hour. There’s just something about standing on the Westminster Bridge and hearing the real deal.
London Eye
It seems like every tourist town has an eye these days, but the London Eye was the first. The view over the Thames river and across to the Government buildings and even St. James’s Park is remarkable. On a clear day, you can see all the way out to Windsor Castle. The Eye holds 800 passengers in its 32 capsules. The 32 capsules, by the way, represent the 32 boroughs that make up London. When the 135 meter tall wheel was built in 1999, it was the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world.
House of Parliament of Westminster
You can book tours on Saturdays and most weekdays during Parliament recess. Here’s a link.
Entrance to Buckingham Palace. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
Buckingham Palace
No, you can’t go to London and not see Buckingham Palace. What would you say to your friends? The trick is to see the changing of the guards, and we say trick because it’s not always clear when a guard changing will occur. The best advice we can give is to visit the British Army’s web site. They set the schedule based on a number of factors. The ceremony usually takes place around 11:00 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but do check the web site for specifics of when you plan to be there. Also, this is an extremely popular event, similar to a popular parade at a Disney park at Walt Disney World. If the changing of the guards is scheduled for 11:00 am, we would suggest that you arrive no later than 10:00 to get a spot next to the fence where you can see the actual ceremony. We were a few dozen rows out from the fence, and while we had a great view of the guards and the band as they approached the Palace, we saw absolutely nothing of the actual ceremony.
Tower of London
Don’t forget the Tower of London. This is where the history of London goes back to as far as 1078, when this fortress was built by William the Conqueror. You could spend an entire day at the Tower of London, or just pop in to see the Crown Jewels.
Changing the Queen’s Life Guards
Another guard change that’s not quite as popular as the main event at Buckingham Palace is the changing of the Queen’s Life Guards, or the Horse Guards. This display originates at Hyde Park Barracks and travels down Constitution Hill in Green Park, The Mall through St James’s Park, and finally to Horse Guard Parade, where a changing ceremony takes place.
Trafalgar Square
Fountain in Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery behind it. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
One of the more vibrant areas of the city was Trafalgar Square. Named after the Battle of Trafalgar, where Admiral Nelson defeated the Spanish and French in the decisive battle off the coast of Spain. The prominent stature in the square is of course, Admiral Nelson, guarded by four lions. On our latest trip here, we found street performers with the expected crowds. On another visit, we found a rock concert in progress. Still other times, you might encounter a demonstration or rally since this appears to be the symbolic place to hold political, religious, and other demonstrations.
The Parks – In central London, there are many parks that are worth a visit. We spent time in St. James’s Park near Buckingham Palace, and Hyde Park. Both parks have lakes with a considerable number of different bird species. Anything from the common pigeons begging for food to Egyptian Geese, who were also hanging around for a handout. Still, the parks offered a quiet place in the midst of one of the busiest cities we’re visited; a bit of breathing room among the chaos.
What to Eat
We’ve always heard that England is not the place to go if you want good food on a vacation. Our experience has actually been a bit different. As we’ve been moving about the city, and even during some of our trips up into Northern Scotland, we’ve found that finding a pub with good food is quite easy.
During this last stay, we found a couple of pubs that are worthy of mention.
The pub on Velliers Street, called simply Villiers, was a great lunch spot. Photo by Donald Fink.
The first is called Villiers. It’s located on Villiers Street, which is near the north side of the Jubilee Bridge, at the Embankment Station for the London Underground. We found this place because it’s right across the street from a Starbucks. We happened to be wandering the street around lunch time, and didn’t think another Double Chocolate Supreme Muffin from Starbucks sounded good for lunch, and there was Villiers, looking inviting and cozy. For those of you who prefer establishments that are not chains, this is it. We each had simple hamburgers, non-alcoholic drinks, and chips (fries). The burgers were excellent, cooked properly, and the wait staff was friendly and prompt. There was a large selection of ales and other drinks, but we can only assume that they were good since Don had a glass of tea and Bonnie tried the bottled Coca-Cola.
The next place we’d like to mention is called The Black Dog. This pub sits in the Vauxhall area, near our Staybridge Suites hotel, and it’s worth visiting even if you’re not staying in the area. If you’re staying in the Staybridge Suites, this could end up being your go-to place to eat. They’re open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and stay open late into the evening serving ales and desserts. Something unusual happened during our lunch at the pub: the waiter approached the table and actually served us water. This has never happened before in Europe. Not even in some of the American chains. Then, when Don asked for good ol’ iced tea, the waiter went in the back and made some. Another first. Finally, the wait staff came by every so often and checked on us, to be sure everything was OK. Again, an absolute first in our travels in Europe.
We tried the Fish and Chips, which was the best fish and chips we’re ever had. Ever! The fish was cooked properly, the batter wasn’t soggy, and the tartar sauce was homemade. The chips were hand cut and cooked to perfection too.
Both of these pubs are good candidates if you ever want to gauge the level of cuisine in London. We thought they handily laid to rest the notion that food isn’t worth bothering with in England. And we’re pretty squeamish when it comes to trying new and different things.
Final Thoughts
We were here only a few days, and as with the times before, we’re leaving London with a long list of things to try and do next time. Often, our trips here have been in conjunction with another part of a European journey of some kind, and we always seem to leave wanting more. On our next visit, we’ll use the public transportation more-especially the Underground-to branch out and see more of the outlying areas. We’ll probably use the train system to see Windsor Castle. One item big on our list for next time is to venture a bit out of town and see the Warner Brother’s Studios where much of Harry Potter was filmed. We tried this time, but tickets weren’t available on short notice. We’ll plan better next time.
If you’ve been to London in recent years, or if you’re planning a trip, we would be curious to hear your thoughts. Any concerns, or tidbits of wisdom to pass along would certainly be appreciated.
The Queen Mary 2 isn’t small by any stretch of the imagination, but it isn’t one of the largest ships by today’s standard in terms of big Wow factor. At 1,132 feet long, 131 feet wide, it houses only 2,691 guests (with a crew of 1,292), which could be considered small in some circles. Intimate is not quite the word that comes to mind when we think of her, but appropriate for the work she does.
The Queen Mary 2 was first introduced in 2004, and re-mastered in 2016 with a complete overhaul. We were fortunate to cross the Atlantic immediately after her re-mastering, so we got the “new ship smell” during that ride across. So far, a year later, the ship still seems new.
If you look online for the ships currently in the Cunard fleet, you’ll find only three, the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Victoria, which came into service in 2007, and the Queen Elizabeth, first sailing in 2010. Of the three ships, the Queen Mary 2 is listed as an Ocean Liner. The other two are termed cruise ships. We’re not sure what the distinction is, but we’ve heard it said before that the Queen Mary 2 is an Ocean Liner, not a cruise ship.
There was another Queen Elizabeth, called the Queen Elizabeth II, which made her maiden voyage in 1967. She was in service until 2002 and is so far the longest operating passenger ship ever, with over 5 million miles of travel. She was the Cunard Flagship until her retirement. That title now belongs to the Queen Mary 2.
Early History
In 1839, Samuel Cunard, from Prince Edward Island, partnered with Robert Napier to form the British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company. They had won contracts to carry mail across the Atlantic from England to Halifax and Boston. They started with four steam powered paddle ships, and built an empire from there that lasted until the beginning of aircraft service across the Atlantic in the early 1960s’.
Beginning in the first part of the 20th century, there was a speed war of sorts between cruise liners from England, France, and Germany. Each country competed to build the fastest ship. Finally, the Queen Mary (the original Queen Mary) set a record of 30.99 knots during a crossing in 1938, still hauling the mail. To put this into perspective, we’re aboard the new, modern Queen Mary 2. We’ve been averaging 21 knots across the Atlantic so far, which we thought was reasonably fast. No doubt we could go faster if the Captain wanted, but we’re not trying to break any records. Still, 31 knots might be a bit out of our reach in this ship.
Cunard has had a unique history with the British government. Since the early days of hauling mail, the relationship has been one that allowed the ships to be converted into military machines when needed. In fact, it’s a Cunard ship, the original Queen Mary, that still holds the record for the most personnel carried at over 16,000 troops, which was set in World War II. Keep in mind that the original Queen Mary weighs in at just under 81,000 tons, while today’s Queen Mary 2 is over 151,000 tons.
You can still see the original Queen Mary. She’s still afloat, but converted to a hotel, in Long Beach, California.
Today
Looking down at the Grills Terrace and the Minnow Pool. Photo by Bonnie Fink.
Cunard was purchased by Carnival in 1998. Carnival has several cruise lines and they have made it a point to keep Cunard in their niche, which is one of maintaining the elegance and grace of cruising the world’s oceans in luxury and style. Many of the things cruisers have come to expect aboard a typical ship cruising the Caribbean, for example, aren’t found aboard a Cunard ship. There won’t be any Zumba classes like we found on the Norwegian Epic, nor will there be dancing parades of Shrek and Friends like we saw on the Royal Caribbean Line’s Liberty of the Seas. Not that there’s anything wrong with Zumba and Shrek. They’re just not on this ship.
But on the Queen Mary 2, or any of Cunard’s other ships, you’ll find a high elegance that strives to match the luxury that began nearly two centuries ago. On most ships, where you find tiled floors, you’ll see carpet on the Queen Mary 2 in keeping with the décor of a time long ago. Make no mistake about it, the carpet is not old, nor is it worn. In fact, it’s nearly new. But the style is of a time long ago. It’s kind of the point.
You’ll even see a hint of class distinction in passenger accommodations, but to be truthful, there isn’t any more class difference in Cunard’s passenger structuring than any other cruise line today. There used to be a first class, second class, and tourist class aboard not just Cunard, but any of the ships of the day. Aboard the Queen Mary 2, there’s just one main dining room. Well, sort of. There’s also dining facilities and lounges for folks staying in suites, but that’s really not unusual. We have special privileges aboard Royal Caribbean ships, not because of the rooms we stay in, but because of the number of cruises we’ve made, so the class distinction is there in pretty much all cruise ships. Speaking of which, have you tried to board an airplane lately? With all the class distinctions there, you’d better pay attention lest you find yourself in the wrong line being admonished severely by the gate people.
Cunard is more formal than other cruise lines. This is intentional as they work toward maintaining a certain decorum. On this crossing, it takes seven days. There are three formal dining nights. Seven day cruises would normally have only one or two formal nights. But the part where they want to maintain their decorum comes by asking men to wear at least a sports jacket—necktie optional—on non-formal nights. At any other time the dress aboard this ship seems to be the same as any other cruise ship. Except that at the moment we’re in the North Atlantic, and, well, it’s cold outside. Shorts are being worn by the die-hard, “I’m on vacation and I’m gonna wear shorts” kind of folks. But the rest of us know it’s cold.
The food aboard the Queen Mary 2 is a cut above most other cruise ships we’ve sailed. They’re especially good at desserts, which is good, because we’re especially good at seeking out and eating desserts. Many of the main dishes we can’t pronounce, but there’s always a hamburger, hot dog, or pizza. So like most other cruise ships, there is always something to eat, no matter what your mood might be.
This is our second Atlantic crossing aboard the Queen Mary 2. It will no doubt not be our last. We’ve come to enjoy crossing the Atlantic the old, slow way, by ship instead of flying. And as far as we know, Cunard is the only line that has regular service across. Other cruise companies have re-positioning cruises twice a year, and we’ve made a few of those, but Cunard is the only company that seems to specialize in this service.
A Final Word
It would be irresponsible to put up an article about cruising and not mention this, but for those of you who have not been on a cruise, this is not the cruise for you. We’re making this crossing in seven days. Keep in mind that this means that we’re at sea for seven days. So far, we’re in day five of this cruise, and we haven’t seen another ship since the very first night when we saw some lights way out on the horizon. This is not unusual. It’s a big ocean. We’re all by ourselves out here. If weather comes up, we’re in that too, although the ship is more than capable of handling anything the Captain will take us through.
We recommend that you make your first couple of cruises on something a little closer to home, or at least on a ship that makes a stop every once-in-awhile. If you learn that you like being on a ship, then by all means, join us with an Atlantic crossing. We can’t think of a better way to get across the ocean and are grateful to Cunard for still providing this elegant and luxurious way to travel.
We posted another story about crossing the Atlantic aboard the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas during one of her repositioning cruises. You can see it here.
Now, enjoy some of our images from aboard the Queen Mary 2:
