The Last Touristy Day

So it was sadly our final day of being tourists and I was not happy about it. I did not want to go to the airport the next day. I did not want to see my house or the mundane streets of my hometown. I was a sour person, so in order to combat this I was determined to enjoy every little bit of my last day in Europe. It began in the cute little hotel we were staying at near Koblenz Germany. The people that owned it was this sweet old couple and they loved us. That morning they said that they would have a little party for us at the end of the day, and they were just so excited about it that it was contagious.

Our first activity that day was a riverboat tour on the Rhine River. It really was not that exciting after awhile. But it was cool to see a bunch of random stone castles along the river. It seemed like throughout the time on the boat my group started to miss home. One major American norm that they missed was not having to pay each time you use a public restroom. This custom seemed really odd to me because I didn’t think that I should have to pay in order to perform a human bodily function, but I did have to say their restrooms were extraordinarily clean. My friends also missed cheeseburgers. I do have to say that I really missed cheeseburgers, I was craving them almost the entire trip. They were sold there, but I saw people with them and they just were not up to my American standards. After hearing them talk about this I did sort of miss home, but I’m very stubborn, so I refused to admit it when I was there.

Next we were on our way to our last castle. It was rougher looking than the Ambras and Neuschwanstein Castles, but it was built as more of a fortress than a place for kings. We were shown cannons that they would use to shoot over the Rhine River at ships sailing by. Then we walked up the dilapidated stone stairs that warped over time to the actual castle. When we walked in Lucas told us that the stairs curved the way that they did to give the castle owners an advantage because the people coming up the stairs would hit a wall when they were trying to swing their swords. Something I found interesting was that when we were led into the bedrooms the beds were freakishly small. Our guide told us that this was because they would sleep sitting up. Next when we were shown the eating room an interesting addition was that they had a toilet right next to the table so that when the residents were hosting dinner they would not have to leave the conversation to go to the bathroom. They really did not understand hygiene and I am so glad it is not like that today.

Finally we were back to the hotel with the sweet old couple. They fed us till we were completely stuffed and constantly kept trying to give us more. Then when they finished trying to fatten us up they turned up some music to party. They even brought out funny costumes like hats, boas, and glasses to put on. We played limbo, did the YMCA, and did all those classic line dances that people do at celebratory events. Then it was time to go to bed and I was dreading leaving.