Fall tour

This weekend we had the opportunity to show our friend, Chad, the fun we are having while being here. Chad was in Europe during the week for work, but on Friday afternoon, he met up with Eric in Frankfurt. After a tour of downtown, the guys headed to the old part for some traditional food and drinks. When they got back here, the guys then went to downtown Hofheim and hung out in the old underground wine cellar at one of the restaurants. 

Saturday morning, I took Chad shopping with me around town to give him a tour of Hofheim in the daylight.  Afterwards, I helped him pick out many tasty souvenirs to take back to his family. We then snacked on a few sweet treats from the bakery before heading to the Rhine River.

We spent the afternoon at Schloss Johannisberg. It was perfect weather for sitting outside the castle and enjoying the atmosphere while sipping on Riesling. The girls wandered among the grapevines, while we were admiring the scenery. 

We then stopped in Eltville for dinner at a quaint local family's winery and restaurant. The small menu did not have spätzle as Chad was hoping for, but the tasty seasonal meal was a good alternative.

After a late lunch, we headed to the Hochheimer Markt. The fair has been a tradition for over 500 years and last year it was raining when we attended so we only visited a small portion of it. This time, we caught a bus to get to the fair as I learned it would be easier than trying to find a parking spot close to it. When we started walking into the festival, we found one could buy anything here: a basketful of fruit to dress shirts and even tractors. 

It did not take long and we found ourselves enjoying some Gluhwein to consume as the sun was setting and Chad was consuming the popular currywurst, a sausage with a special sauce poured over it.  This pleased our guest as after an afternoon of great wine, he was ready for sausages and beer. The girls spotted crepes being made, so of course we did not pass this booth. After strolling around and seeing more things one could buy at the festival, I spotted a chocolate covered apple. It was good, but did not satisfy my craving for a caramel apple. We then came across a beer tap, so we stopped. We managed to get a few seats to rest and enjoy the atmosphere.  

On our way to the historic town of Hochheim, Chad spotted a Thüringer Rostbratwurst, a traditional sausage that is bigger than the roll they serve it on, so he enjoyed one. As our stroll continued on, we found a vendor making fresh pretzels, so Chad talked Adeline into sharing one with him. We toured the old town and rested at one of the local family restaurants while sipping on another glass of local wine. 

The fair had become three times as crowded since we arrived, but we managed to find our bus stop to head back. We just missed the bus when we arrived, so we waited and then waited some more for the next bus. By the time the next bus showed up, there was a mob of people wanting to board. We told Chad who was in front of us to push his way onto to the bus as we know the Germans have no sense of lines or order when it comes to these type of free for all situations. He grabbed us a few seats as we had to push to make sure we just made it on the bus even though we were in the handful that was initially waiting. This was an eye opener for Chad since the people here are very orderly and precise about everything else. We all made it back to the car and the girls were fast asleep on the way home. The guys picked up a döner on the way and topped the evening off with  their "fastfood" and beers. 

It was a fun full fall day with Chad and the family. We hope he had a good time with us in doing a few  things we are enjoying during our stay here: wine on the Rhine River and festivals.