Chillin' by the Rhine

And after a breeze through customs, we were in Germany! Internet connections might be sparce, so we'll upload when we can dear readers. We have just spent two nights in Mainz, Germany, which is about a ten minute train ride from Frankfurt to the west. The ride was dotted with small plots of land divided into even smaller plots in what looked like community gardens. 

In Mainz, we walked until our feet couldn't take it anymore and saw much of the very old, yet vibrant city.  A 10th century cathedral called St Martins provided our first touristy adventure. With a multitude of side rooms and alters from nearly every century, it was a treat. 

We walked all over the city, discovering things as we got lost amongst its whindy-patterned streets.  Chagall designed most of the windows in a cathedral called St. Stephens which we stumbled upon after picking up some remarkably delicious sandwiches. The church left much to be desired, but it was a neat discovery. The Gutenberg Museum was a huge treat. We saw two original Gutenberg bibles, with some letters hand-painted with red ink. They were extraordinary and unbelievably old. The museum also held a number of books from the pre-printing press era, as in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Yeah, books from the Middle Ages. Imagine that! Hand-painted letters and all. 

Another great spot was the Martinsdom- Martin's Cathedral, whose construction began in the 900s AD. They had clearly had a few years to collect some very interesting altars. Outside of the Dom was a wonderful market where we picked up some apples and enjoyed people watching. 

So far we're well within budget and enjoyed camping for our first two nights. Let's hope it keeps up!

Now we're in Oberwesel! It's tiny but great. Medieval towers, centuries of history, and of course, biergartens! Beer outside next to the Rhine makes for a pretty nice afternoon.

More soon!