Europe Day 46 of 59, Frankfurt to Bonn

Today marks the third, and last, day that we get to travel by train. You know what that means. We woke up, ate breakfast, got our stuff together and headed out the door.

Heading out the door. In Frankfurt, Barbie picked up an extra traveller and he got the privilege of riding shotgun with her. Yes, I thought this was such a cute image that I made her stop and stand there in the doorway while I pulled out the iPhone to snap this.

On the ride to the Frankfurt train station, we spotted an Obama 2008 sticker on a European car. It still amazes me that people across the globe got invested in our election, though it does not surprise me. For better or worse, our President effects Europe about as much as their own leaders.

Frankfurt train station. From Wikipedia: Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is the largest train station in Germany by number of platforms and railway traffic. Regarding daily passenger volume it ranks second together with München Hauptbahnhof (350,000 each) after Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (450,000).

You read that correctly, 350,000 people per day. I read this in the morning before heading to the station. I could say that I took pics because of this fact, but the truth is I always take pics of train stations because they are scientifically proven to be cool.

Welcome to the largest train station in Germany by number of platforms and railway traffic. Your train awaits you.

The train that intends to take us up the Rhine to the former capital of West Germany. I also read this morning that Frankfurt was initially chosen to be the capital of West Germany, and a building was built for the parliament, but then they decided to move it to Bonn. The main reason was that Frankfurt was already an important and historic city, and they were already conscious that when they reunited with East Germany, not if but when, they would want to restore Berlin as the capital. By placing the capital in Bonn, there would not be an argument to NOT move the capital of a reunited Germany back to Berlin. I cannot speak for you, but I find it fascinating that in 1949 the Germans already intended reunification.

This is what it looks like on a train through the lush, wooded contours of western Germany.

All along the Rhine, you see villages that essentially have a (1) castle on the hill, (2) church in the center, and (3) scattered buildings around a main square. We saw at least a dozen such towns.

Another town with the three essential elements of a village on the Rhine.

The iPhone itself makes a rare appearance on the blog.

My brother picked us up at Bonn's train station in this his Electric Orange Ford Focus RS. In Europe, it is the fastest, most powerful machine Ford makes. And in Electric Orange it looks pretty fast sitting still.

Gillian Howard is too fast to capture. The blog is about to become less historical, as the next three days are going to about fast moving young people.

Charlie Howard took a break on his Uncle's lap.

Amanda Howard is too mature for tomfoolery. Or is she?

Who could ask for more than home cooked BBQ? And to add a German touch, two varieties of sausage came off the grill.

Walking to get post BBQ ice cream.

Do you think he is pleased with his ice cream? Mine is Nutella ice cream, so you had better believe that I am pleased.

Everyone joins in on the concept.

Amanda is also an excellent spokesperson. At eleven, she has spent the last year picking up German as fast as you'd expect. So I just say, "Amanda, order me a..."

After ice cream at the drinking fountain in the city center of Bad Godesberg, a small town that is part of Bonn. Wikipedia calls Bad Godesberg the, "posh part of Bonn."

Believe it or not, Barbie said to me, "We should stand in front of the statues..." and before her sentence was complete Gillian had run into place and stood exactly as the woman on her side of the statue.

Tomorrow I may be fulfilling a life long dream, but I shall keep you guessing.