Sunday July 4 River Rhine Cruise
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Gulp!
We compared memories of our lives in the home counties of England for a few minutes. I also told her about my adventurous camping trip in the Rockies, and what happened when I came face to face with a black bear cub - and his very protective Mother.
It seemed my new friend shared my reckless spirit, because some moments later, she asked if I knew about the short cut that led to the river. After Donna's and my twilight trek up the winding road to the fortress, a short cut off the hill sounded like a perfect idea!
So I collected Donna, and we followed this precocious 10-year old down a steep, overgrown wooded pathway that seemed to lurch down one side of the hill.
Just as I was wondering if the child, herself, had ever travelled this path before, a magnificent panoramic view of the Rhine river opened up before us. Our tangled path had led us right to the entrance gate to the Rhine Castle River Cruises.
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Our Angels really do come in all shapes and sizes!
After expressing our delight at arriving at the river's edge in record time, we hugged our youthful guide "auf wiedersehn" and wished her well on her travels. Her school group had already gathered nearby, for their continuing bus tour of the Rhine Valley.
Meanwhile Donna discovered that our 1st Class Eurail passes allowed us free passage on this particular Rhine Cruise. So we anticipated getting some much needed rest and relaxation that morning.
Though we were oblivious to the fact,
an adventure was about to unfold
an adventure was about to unfold
I had expected that a cruise boat would carry some variety of ordinary bottled water.
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Oh dear!
What to do?...What to do?
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Perhaps Donna was right and I would forget about being thirsty, if I just relaxed and read my book. But, the boat had scarcely pulled away from the dock, when three young American men - in their early twenties - strode purposefully into the aft lounge...and loudly announced:
"Today is July 4, 1976
It's America's Bicentennial!
and the beers are on us!
and the beers are on us!
Everyone is invited!"
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In the absence of water, I was aware that beer could also quench thirst. The only problem was, I didn't much LIKE the taste of warm, thick English beer.
But these were American lads in Germany, so their beer would at least be ice cold.
And wasn't I also in Germany. And wouldn't it be sacrilegious to travel all the way here and not even sample a good German beer!
With very little hesitation, I asked Donna to keep watch over my back pack, passport and travellers' cheques for the remainder of our Rhine cruise. Then I followed the pied pipers of pale ale, to the bow of the vessel.
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By 10 am, our hosts Geoff, Charlie and Hank had the party in full swing and several more passengers had heard the music and decided to join in the fun.
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The heat was merciless, but we all braved the sunshine to sing along with the loud, cheery music. It didn't seem to matter that nobody knew the lyrics!
Close to noon, the ship's captain provided free refreshments of bratwurst, heavy bread and more beer for the merry-makers. The food kept the party buzzing for the next couple of hours of Rhine travel.
My first ever German beer, drunk on that hot Bi-Centennial Sunday morning, afloat on the River Rhine, was surreal, but it certainly helped to quench my thirst.
But my first beer led to a second, then a third, then another...and another. With all the fun we were having, taking photos and laughing with the boys as well as singing with the band, I hadn't paid attention to how many beers I drank.
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It was only when I later developed those photos and saw how 'skewed' they were, that I realized my level of intoxication had, indeed, been great.
That I hadn't stumbled and fallen overboard was it's own small miracle.
My three, stalwart, American hosts took very good care of me for the five hours it took to get to our destination. Relentless sunshine baked our ferry and its passengers, as it bore almost continuously southwards. Going UP-stream by river, it seems, takes a good deal longer than travelling downstream.
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The train to Stuttgart was practically empty except for the three American guys, Donna, myself plus a couple of others who had also disembarked there.
Geoff had an inkling that sunburn wasn't my only problem that afternoon, as led the two of us and both our back packs into a vacant carriage.
Away from the hot glare of the sun, I became aware of just how much my head hurt and how sore my eyes were. Even after removing my contact lenses, my eyes still felt puffy and prickly.
Geoff was apparently more concerned about my burned and scuffed shoulders, than my ability to see clearly. But my eyes and throbbing head felt much better in the relative coolness of the train's interior.
From his own back-pack, Geoff produced some ointment, turned my back to him, and proceeded to gently massage it into my skin. It was a very sweet and timely action that magically took away most of the pain, while instantly cooling my skin.
Being separate from the group, and now free from pain. also gave Geoff and me our first opportunity to talk quietly and discover what had brought each of us to this place at this particular moment in time. We enjoyed it so much, we spent the rest of our train journey sharing youthful ideas and trading travel news.
An hour or so later, the train neared Stuttgart, where Donna and I were to disembark, leaving our generous hosts to continue their journey by train. Geoff and I rejoined the others in time to take photos, exchange mailing addresses and say goodbye.
Then Donna and I stepped onto the platform and out of the lives of three American strangers with whom we'd shared Bi-Centennial Celebrations.
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I began to feel shaky and dizzy while negotiating the wide stone staircase that descended to the street exit. My legs became less and less steady, till I finally collapsed at the bottom.
Donna managed to wrestle me and both backpacks to one side of stairway. Meanwhile, I was just praying that my head would stop spinning.
Donna then left me there, alone, as she ran to call the Red Cross.
A passing physician saw our predicament and, immediately, came to my aid. When I opened my eyes, the room had stopped spinning. Now I was staring into the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen.
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His advice for my dehydration was to rest quietly for the night and drink lots of water.
I concurred wholeheartedly with the idea of drinking water! But where DID one find plain, non-sparkling water in Germany?
We had only just arrived in Stuttgart so, along with drinking water, we also needed accommodation for that night.
Once again, my medical knight in shining stethoscope came to the rescue!
He recommended the Hotel Wahr on Vogelstandstrasse, and even phoned the proprietor to secure snacks, breakfast and a room overnight for Donna and me.
Then, my angel of mercy picked up my backpack and led Donna and me to the bus stop outside the station.
The gorgeous doc then waited with us for the 55 bus arrive. When it arrived, he quietly paid for our fares while telling the driver exactly where to let us off. Happily the driver seemed eager to comply.
I thanked my new friend for appearing precisely when I'd most needed him, and for going out of his way to help a stranger. Then I wished him well, and stepped onto the bus and out of the life of the good doctor.
It occurred to me that while learning my life lessons
in a series of short-lived dramas had its merits,
saying goodbye still sucked lemons!
Whoever he was, I was thoroughly impressed by my Good Samaritan's professionalism. In his solicitous care of me, an ailing tourist, this Doctor went above and beyond his Hippocratic Oath to "first, do no harm".
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We were met at the door by Frau Wahr, and led into a large, comfortable 'drawing' room, furnished in heavy brocade draperies, gold filigree mirrors, rubber plants and plush furnishings. While our room was being made ready for us, Frau Wahr served us tea there, in china cups and saucers.
Tea was just what the doctor ordered!
One had a sense that this room hadn't changed in half a century or more. But any Victorian dwellings of my acquaintance always featured dusty curtains and dark, musty-smelling corners. Frau Wahr's establishment was spotlessly clean. Every mirror gleamed. Even the air sparkled.
Lydia Wahr greeted us warmly, making me feel instantly 'at home' and very welcome. After our tea, we were led to a spacious and very comfortable room containing two comfortable double beds, with lamps on each side table, a large pine wardrobe, a cocktail table, set between two easy chairs, a large chest of drawers and, in the corner, in lieu of an en suite, was a sink.
The bathroom was down the hall and featured a large claw-footed iron bath - deep enough to submerge your entire body. And we were assured there was enough hot water available for us to wash some clothes as well as each enjoy a hot bath ! Frau Wahr was true to her word!
But most importantly for me, there was an abundance of clear, clean drinking water. Since I managed to consumed about a gallon's worth of the precious fluid during the following two hours, I soon recovered from that day's excesses.
July 5: Stuttgart
I felt so pampered and well-rested at Frau Lydia Wahr's guesthouse that I just didn't want to leave. So, during breakfast, Donna and I discussed the possibility of staying an extra night there.
Frau Wahr tactfully explained that the good Doctor had not only reserved our room, but also paid our overnight stay for us, because he had (correctly) surmised that the room might be beyond our budget.
It was yet another reason to be thankful to that Good Samaritan for being our angel! After more than two week's of haphazard travel, we'd certainly needed - and had both thoroughly enjoyed - this single night of unabashed old-world luxury.
Soon after breakfast, we reluctantly vacated our tall-windowed room, slung our packs over our shoulders and bid Frau Wahr, "auf wiedersehen"!
It was Monday morning and the stores were open in Stuttgart! But first, Donna and I caught the bus back to the train station, dropped off our packs at the station lockers and double checked our departure time for that afternoon.
Then we went shopping!
Donna needed a drug store, and I needed to buy a bikini before we headed to Greece the following week. Stuttgart was a very modern city with all the usual stores. And the way those stores were set up, in 1976, I had the feeling they expected a lot of their customers to be American.
Browsing in Stuttgart would have been fun for me. But we had simply run out of time. Our train to Schaffhausen left at 12:41 pm. Our next stop would be SWITZERLAND!
Next Week
July 5-6
July 5-6
SWITZERLAND
Schaffhausen
Castel der Munot
Bodensee Cruise
Oberwinterthur
Schloss Hegi Hostel
GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE
JULY 5-6 SWITZERLAND
Castel der Munot
Bodensee Cruise
Oberwinterthur
Schloss Hegi Hostel
GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE
JULY 5-6 SWITZERLAND
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