TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES, WELL ALMOST…..

Last year while on a Findhorn Community week in North Scotland, I met a German who invited me to stopover whilst I was “in the neighbourhood”. So I bid “Auf Wiedersehn” to my lovely temporary home in Bad Nauheim and headed off on the final leg of my trip….middle Rhein. So last Sunday reminded me of my favourite film! Four trains, two boats, a taxi, a bus and a 20 minute walk through a forest to reach my friend´s ecowooden house in a peaceful country setting. But it´s always such a thrill to finally arrive knowing that the travel plan, although complicated, has gone to schedule! The company KD runs the cruises along the Rhein from Mainz to Cologne and a flexible day pass at 28 euros, pre booked online, is a good deal. Pretty towns, vineyards and enough castles to keep anyone happy, are to be seen on this route, including the famous Lorelei rock. Bonn, the former German Government seat, is in this area. It has a small city comfortable feel, a pretty riverside walkway and an impressive former palace is now a University – lucky students! And it was here, close by the railway station that I found my favourite restaurant IN THE WORLD! The Cassius Garten self service veggie restaurant http://www.cassiusgarten.de/ has such a fantastic choice of hot food, salad bar, juices and desserts that I was like a kid in a sweetie shop. And I like the charging method…it´s by weight on the plate! Which means one ought to hold back a bit so as not to get too big a shock at the till. You can always return for more if still hungry. Here´s my foodie wish for 2012…. That this healthy eating idea spreads to Spain and EVERYWHERE! How´s this for luck….My friend´s neighbour is the official tour guide for Petersberg where the Petersberg agreement was signed in 1949 and I had the opportunity to see around this amazing place. It´s an hotel and official guest house of the Federal Republic of Germany, dubbed The German Camp David and is situated at the top of a mountain (good for security) overlooking the Rhein. The list of guests makes impressive reading..emperors, kings, presidents and even Queen Elizabeth have passed through its doors. Apparently Brezhnev managed to crash an expensive car, gifted to him by the Government on his first drive down the mountainside! Ah well I may not have met anyone famous but I did enjoy cake and coffee on the terrace with its fantastic views. Now it´s time to head back to Frankfurt…