Expedition Eldredge

Have you really checked out the city of Kaiserslautern? If you're a local, I promise there are some interesting things to see in your own backyard! Do you live in one of the local villages, and don’t want to deal with parking downtown? Download the DeutschBahn app and get a ticket.  1. Take pictures with the different “Kaiserslautern Fish” around town. Do you know the history of the fish? Have you noticed that many businesses and signs say “Barbarossa?” Well, modern-day Kaiserslautern was the favorite hunting spot of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (ruler 1155-1190). The open-mouthed pike on the flag of Kaiserslautern was supposedly Barbarossa’s favorite post-hunt meal.  2. Watch an FCK (eff-see-kah) match at Fritz-Walter Stadium. Fritz-Walter Stadium is a sight to see in itself. In 2006, it was a World Cup venue, and can hold almost 50,000 people at capacity. From the train station in Kaiserslautern, it is a hike up to the entrance of the stad...

One of the best things about Nate's job is that I'm able to travel in conjunction with him, or able to travel to meet him when he's on a trip. The last trip, he was sent to Arnhem in the The Netherlands. It was an easy four-and-a-half hour drive, and we passed into the land of tulips and windmills. We didn't have time to venture out much, but it is an easy day-trip to Amsterdam from Arnhem.  We stayed at the Best Western Plus Hotel Haarhuis . It was a great location, right next to the train and bus station. However, if we return, I'd rather stay at one of the nicer hotels in the area. The room was a little cramped and there was no A/C. However, breakfast was included, and it was fantastic. The breakfast made up for the rest of the hotel experience.  You know you're in Europe when there's beer in the vending machine (bottom left) While Nate was working, I ventured out and explored the city. The Netherlands seems to have the best system for bike...

For our "big trip" in July, we went to Rügen Island on the Northern coast of Germany. I will refer to it as the "Cape Cod of Germany." There are many different resort-style towns on the island. We stayed in one of the more affordable ones called Binz. I met up with Mr. E at the Frankfurt International Airport, where he disembarked and we embarked on our 55-minute flight to Berlin on Lufthansa. It was so easy, that I can image we will fly to different places in Germany in the future if we don't have the time to take the train.  From Berlin Tegel airport, we took a bus to the Berlin train station, where we hopped on a nice train that took us all the way to Binz. We hung out in the bar cart and had a wonderful time. After we arrived, it was a ten-minute walk to our spa hotel, where we were greeted with a spread of fresh fruit and champagne in our room. We were also given beach towels, robes and slippers (for the spa). The downside of the room was a lack of ai...