rhön
we were off to a bad start. it was as if the heavens were against our short get-away, pelting us with hale and snow and slowing us down at an unbelievable 60 kph on the autobahn.
when we reached the rhön residence, it was wet and cold. so right after check-in, we got our swimming paraphernalia and headed straight to the indoor pool. it was kind of surreal watching snowfall while playing in the sub-tropical pool area. after an hour or so, we were warm and hungry enough to venture outdoors. the weather let up a bit and we took the opportunity to see more of the “land of the wide open”(my translation; in german, they call it land der offenen fernen which may literally translate to “land of open distances”)
the wasserkuppe is, at 950 m above sea level, the highest point along the rhön mountains. a great starting point for gliding airplanes and parasailing (think rene russo and pierce brosnan ala thomas crown affair) . also atop the hill is the fulda quelle, the source of water feeding the fulda river.
after a piece of cake and coffee (fanta for jan, of course), we went on an aimless drive, and found ourselves marveling at the unadulterated nature before us. in all shades of green, the uninhabited , uncultivated hills and plateaus seemed farther that just a couple of hours drive away. the area has been, afterall, designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. we ended up where the black bog (schwarzes moor) and a former look-out point between the east and west germany were. nothing much left of it, except a few rocks and stones that made up the the former boundary. on the way back, we all spent some time in probably the most creative playground we’ve ever seen. most likely, it hasn’t passed any of the german safety standards, but we rate it 10 full points! made up of twigs and branches, the playground’s mazes, statues, benches and “monkey bars” couldn’t have blended better into the forest backdrop.
we went back famished and exhausted to our hotel, which welcomed us with a dinner buffet.
next: burg-tripping
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One Response to “rhön”
January 17th, 2008 at
[...] bang asked whether i planned to get a travel agent for our bohol trip. i did consider the idea, yes, in the off-chance that they might offer cheaper local rates, but frankly, i can’t remember the last time i’ve been to a travel office. i used to book my flights from frankfurt to manila by phone from a travel agent who offered balikbayan fares that allowed up to 35 kg luggage allowance, but even that has been at least 2 years ago. our more recent travels, however, are all made online, be it flights, hotels, or holiday packages. my last two fra-mnl flights, our mallorca holiday package, our weekend trips to playmobil park and rhön, air tickets to malta, egypt, rome, portugal, singapore, and even train tickets here and there. heck, give me a well-padded credit line and i can even book a luxury royal caribbean cruise if i so wanted! [...]