Day 9: A relaxing day in German wine country

One more day of adventure for our European vacay today. Sad, but it was a good way to end the trip!

We started out w/ a morning trip to The Chocolate House in Luxembourg. Erin had told me about this treasure and we didn't make it there before it closed on Tuesday, so we went first thing Wednesday morning. They have a WALL of make your own hot chocolate sticks. SO many flavors. I could have had like 5, but I wouldn't have felt well. :) So, I had a hazelnut one and Michael and a caramel sea salt one. SO GOOD and creamy and delicious. This is a genius idea.

After our hot chocolates it was time to head to German wine country, one bus and two trains later (with some very close connections) we met up w/ Cathy in Neustadt an der Weinstraße for a day of touring the Rheinpfalz region. Cathy had a full day of yummy foods and wine adventures planned for us. It was nice to have something planned by someone else and she did a great job! It's wonderful to have friends that live in amazing places! 

We first stopped at Cathy and Martin's apartment for a nice lunch of flammkuchen and watermelon. It was perfect pre-wine drinking food. The views from their place are also AMAZING! Vineyards everywhere! It's a magical little village (Bad Durkheim for those that want to see where it is on a map). 

Then, it was off to our first winery. It was a crazy hot day (in the 90s), so Martin was nice enough to drive us there even though we likely would have walked if it wasn't so hot. That's how close Cathy lives to these wineries! Amazing! At the German wineries you taste as much as you want for free(!) and Cathy had picked out some of her favorites to take us to. They're known for their rieslings in this region and they're not sweet like many people think of German rieslings. They're very crisp and refreshing and were lovely on a hot day.

Then, we hiked through the village to some castle ruins where we had a wine schorle (wine mixed w/ sparkling water). Great views!!

Next up was the 2nd winery where we tasted more wines, this time one red and some sparkling stuff. All yummy. We even bought a bottle to bring home with us. 

Before we left we had to get our pic in front of the biggest wine barrel in the world. A nice roadside attraction!! :) There is even a restaurant inside!

Next up was tea and cake time (and time w/ Onyx the cat) back at Cathy's apartment followed by nap time! So much wine tasting!

Then, we had dinner in a neighboring village outside next to the grape vines. So magical and the food was good too! :) 

It was a great visit and I have a feeling we'll be back to visit them next time we're in the region. It was a nice relaxing way to end our vacation and we're thankful for Cathy and Martin's hospitality and all their great planning!