Visit to Germany - September 2000
For the fourth year running the Club arranged a visit to Europe by coach, on this occasion a 5 day tour of the Rhine district of Germany staying at the Hansa Hotel, Koln Hurth, a few miles south of the City of Cologne.
The trip was supported by 45 people, mostly Club Members and their wives. An early morning ferry from Dover allowed sufficient time for a brief lunch stop at Diest in Belgium and then on to the Hotel which we reached in good time for evening dinner.
Our first full day was taken up with a visit to Boppard (left). After time for sightseeing at this delightful Rhineland town and lunch at the Bellevue Hotel we boarded a Rhine Cruiser for Oberwesel, near the famous Loreli Rock, to witness the Rhine in Flames celebration, an extravaganza comprising 80 illuminated boats in procession, floodlit castles, bonfires, and culminating in fabulous firework displays on both banks of the River with musical accompaniment. After sailing back to Boppard we boarded our coach eventually returning to our hotel at 1.00 am.
On the second day we visited Monschau, an attractive valley town in the Eifel Region, and the forests and lakes of the region. An afternoon stop was made at Lake Rur for tea and to enjoy the superb view of this large lake, a watersports paradise.
Our final full day was spent in Cologne (Cathedral Cologne shown left above), touring the City by bus or horse and carriage, boat trips down the Rhine, and to enable the ladies to indulge their passion for shopping.
En route for Calais to board the ferry for our return to the UK, we made a stop at
Mons in Belgium, famous for its role in World War1.
Our intended visit to a hypermarket had to be cancelled when we encountered a French farmers' blockade near Lille necessitating our returning to Calais by a circuitous route.
This was the only slight blemish on an otherwise very successful trip enjoyed by all concerned.
