Germany Day 1

After a long, but basically uneventful flight, I arrived in Frankfurt this morning at 8:00 a.m. German time (2 a.m. in FL) My friend, Ursula and her father picked me up at the airport and we drove to their home in Landstuhl.  It is in the southwest area, near the U.S. military hospital & Ramstein Air Force Base.  I had a short rest, then we had a big German lunch of pork roast and potato dumplings.  

Next, we took a driving tour of the Rhineland Pfalz region.  The road wound through tall forests, acres of vineyards, and hills with flocks of sheep and cows.  This area is known for their wine and most of the quaint villages had many Weingut (vitner) shops.  Most of the pictures I took are from the charming village of Annweiler.

Our last stop was at Burg Berwartstein, a castle built in the 1100s.  It is the only castle still standing in Germany that was never occupied.  It was very medieval - there were knights, catapults, and a dungeon.