The train takes the strain

Last night we enjoyed front row seats for an excellent firework display. As darkness fell, hundreds of people assembled on the bank of the river by the boat – quiet, well-behaved, no drinking. Very impressive. The display was great, difficult to photograph, and afterwards, everyone went quietly away.

Then this morning, no surprises,  the train won out – although the walk to the station took rather longer than the train ride. Very efficient local railways, though the ticket buying system is not so efficient: the single automatic machine seemed to baffle three German ladies trying to buy tickets for themselves and two children. So much so that although we had arrived 15 minutes before departure time, they only managed to complete their transaction as the train pulled in to the station. So we jumped aboard without tickets, and since no inspector arrived, had a free ride to Limburg.

Limburg proved to be a delight: it is charming and lovingly preserved, so much so that you start to understand why the bling bishop wanted to spend so much on his palace. Even the post boxes make you want to write a postcard – almost:

We walked up to the cathedral (they always seem to be on the top of a hill), and found a service in progress, so had to wait to look inside. We found a nice view from the back:

After touring the cathedral, we needed a reviving glass of Riesling, and this bar obliged:

We reviewed various options for lunch: Limburg boasts a large number of Italian restaurants, which we avoided for obvious reasons, finally finding one offering local cuisine – which usually means plenty of schweinfleische (pork). We lunched well, and then set off by train again, further up-river to a place called Runkel, where there is a terrific castle:

The visit was well organized and interesting, if quite energetic: lots of ancient spiral staircases up the towers. But a good view from the top:

Germany is proving a revelation to both of us. The Germans seem well-adjusted, calm and content. The towns are far from crowded – of course, it is August – with traffic under control. Prices are significantly lower than in France. Tourism in this area is mostly domestic, and involves whole families – the children actually seem interested, not being dragged around whining for ice creams. Many people even take their dogs sight-seeing with them – and the dogs are well-behaved too!