PRTM Summer Outing

Saturday was PRTM's annual summer outing. PRTM's Frankfurt office and their Munich office join together for this annual event.  The weather forecast was sunshine and hot for the Rhein Rhinegau which was the chosen destination/ activity this year. The Rhein Rheingau is a large area along the Rhine River that is famous for making Riesling wines. Click for Rheingau information  At 10am, we met at the downtown office to board the bus. The girls and I met Eric's boss, plus we got to visit his office on the 14th floor. He has a great view of Frankfurt when he is in town. We also met another family with 2 little girls and speak English. The girls immediately connected and took the front 4 seats of the bus in front of the large window. They acted like they were the drivers. The tour bus only had seats on the top so it was like riding on a double decker bus. After picking up more colleagues from the hotel, we then continued on our journey to our 1st destination of the Rheingau Johannisberg.

Around 11:30am, the bus dropped us off in the small town, so we walked up the streets to the Schloss Johannisberg.  Click for Castle Johannisberg information The temperature was quite warm and the sun was intense, but we knew of the tasty reward when we made it to the castle. There we had a light snack, soft drinks, and of course wine from the Rhinegau in the courtyard overlooking the vineyards. Eric and I had already visited this location in 2005, so I have posted a picture from our first visit as well. The girls enjoyed walking under the vines and looking for the grape clusters that were starting to grow.

We left there at approxiamately 1:30pm and walked about 2.5 km (ie approximately 30-40 minutes) through the vineyards to Schloss Vollrads. Marie, the trip coordinator, intially told us the walking paths are paved and suitable for strollers; however, we found majority of them to be natural paths or dirt paths. Despite the intense heat and hot sunshine, Eric pushed a sleeping Emmie along the winding path. Adeline and I casually walked with the group and she sometimes jumped on the stroller for the ride down hill. 

At Scholss Vollrads,  the courtyard was reserved for us. Click for Castle Vollrads information It was set-up very nice with cloth covered long tables and many large  umbrelllas  to help us stay cool. We dined on BBQ meats, numerous hot and cold side dishes, plus a large assortment of seafood. This was all accompanied by water, soft drinks, and local wine. After our meal, they had games and some activities to keep the kids and adults entertained. Majority of people stayed in the shade as it had become quite hot. For dessert, they brought out a chocolate fondue which the girls loved dipping their fruit and cookie sticks in.  There also was an assortment of fruit and mousse cups to end the afternoon. 

When we returned home in the evening, we learned it had been 44 degrees Celsius in downtown Frankfurt, which is 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though it was record breaking heat, we had a beautiful summer day in the vineyards.