We're serious this time.

This is really it. We've taken our last side trip in Germany.

There was a going away lunch for Beach on Thursday at which his commander and coworkers said some very nice things about him. For example, "I really didn't want someone with a PhD, but he proved that engineers aren't so bad. I might hire another one sometime." (the Colonel, confirming stereotypes about pilots). He was given a certificate stating that he graduated, with honors, from the Stein-Werfen Schule (Stone-Throwing School - the 3rd AF is a tough crowd). And he was presented with a framed picture collage declaring him the best officer ever to grace their hallways (see previous post - this is what happens when you ask someone to design their own going-away gift).

But I digress. After lunch we hopped in the car and headed up to Cochem in the Mosel river valley near the French border. The Mosel valley is said to be what the Rhein wants to be; it has beautiful vineyards, picturesque castles, and quaint villages. Well, except for Cochem which, while pretty, has been overrun by tourists (mostly German and Dutch). Like many American tourist traps, this city offers its visitors an abundance of stores where you can buy souvenir t-shirts and "authentic" battle axes made in China (for those who remember Fudge Knives, it's the German equivalent of that). But what Cochem has that American cities don't is architecture that has endured since medieval times. So, we had plenty to look at.

The first afternoon and evening we walked around the city, hiked up to Cochem Castle on a hill overlooking the valley, had our last schnitzel dinner at a restaurant on the river, and danced a bit with Finn to a band covering "Lady in Red" at a wine festival ("Lady in reds, she dancing wiss me").

The next morning we went outside of town to Burg Eltz, a castle that has been continuously lived in since the 1200's by the same family and has had the same furnishings since the 1500's (at least in the part we saw). The Eltz family was smart enough to form the right allegiances over the years (German-French, French-German, whoever controlled the area) so their house wouldn't get blown up like so many others in the area. The castle doesn't offer tours in English, so we got to practice our German a bit. I think I understood four sentences out of the whole 45-minute shpiel. They didn't talk much about buying bread. That I would have understood. Still, it was interesting to see. Afterwards we hiked down to the little stream near the castle for a quick cool-down, where we witnessed a gentleman strip down to his tighty-blues for a wade in the ankle-deep water. Oh yes, we got a picture. See it here (along with some of the rest of the trip and Finn, if you're interested in that kind of stuff).

Cochem and Burg Eltz - check.

We're outta here on Sunday, so this week we're knee-deep in moving preparations. Keep posted for an update coming later this week on our plans for the next month or so.