Wilkommen! So, we're back from Germany. The trip was the first time we've done a holiday without the hounds which was quite a milestone. We took them to the kennels that GRW use, just north of Blackwood which has always impressed us when we've visited to drop off or pick up hounds for the charity.(Link to their website here - http://www.pantymilah.moonfruit.com/) They are used to greyhounds' special requirements and are happy to accommodate neurotic fusspots like us! So, off we went with a list of typed instructions and notes, a bag of coats and muzzles and a heavy heart. Leaving them was a wrench and coming home to a house without dogs in it was horrible, but it was also very exciting knowing that we were going to be travelling in the morning.

Met the coach at an unholy hour of the morning and travelled over to Medway services in Kent, which was the meeting point for all the feeder coaches. Then swopped over to our permanent coach and two drivers. Off we went to Eurotunnel, my first time, and it is amazing. You can't photograph the site unfortunately, but it is very striking with rows of ramps swooping down to the carriages, which themselves are giant silver double decker coaches with tiny windows. Passengers stayed on the coach, then the coach itself was driven on to the train with its own compartment. To allow easy access for vehicles entering and leaving, you drive on to what is effectively a giant metal tube and once all vehicles are in place, out of the ceiling come drop-down shutters and doors to compartmentalise you. I loved it. It takes about half an hour (travelling at speeds of up to 90 mph) to cross and you smoothly emerge into the dingy surroundings of Calais on the other side. I've crossed the Channel before on ferries and hovercrafts, but this was an impressive addition to the list.

We then travelled on the excellent Continental autoroutes/autobahnen through France, Belgium and Germany until we reached our hotel base, in the pretty village of St. Goar on the Rhine. This part of the Rhine valley is a World Heritage Site. It's the heart of German wine growing country and the valley sides are covered in steep vineyards and orchards. The Rhine is of course a major transport artery through Europe and all along you could see the big barges carrying goods up and down it, as well as a plethora of assorted pleasure cruisers, mostly festively decorated with pretty lights. Small car ferries also cross the river at frequent intervals. As well as the pretty villages and towns laid out along the river, the valley sides are spectacularly topped with wonderful bergs - castles and fortified manor houses, some in ruins and many still inhabited. Seeing these fairytale castles emerging from the rocks made me expect to see knights on horses or a dragon crossing the skyline. Naturally, I took plenty of Wagner on my Ipod along with some Kraftwerk to get me into the German vibe.

The valley floor is also a rail artery with fast, frequent trains serving the towns and villages, very clean and modern with each train having dedicated areas for bikes on many of the carriages, helping passengers to properly integrate their travels. I found this both inspiring and depressing - it shouldn't be that hard to take these simple steps to help make transport easier yet in the UK we don't seem to make it easy for cyclists. More generally, the Germans (and continental Europeans generally) don't seem to have the terrible mindset affecting traffic planners in the UK that if you drive a car you must be some Jeremy Clarkson figure and the alternative is a system where you only cycle or walk, while wearing a hair shirt and a pair of sandals. In fact, in reality, many people use multiple modes of transport and would be happy to use alternatives to the car if (and it is a big IF) public transport was clean, reliable, reasonably priced and integrated. So, this would make things like having bike areas on trains a no-brainer! Certainly in Germany, town centres had plenty of cars - most were not pedestrianised except where medieval streets were simply too narrow for cars, yet this was not a problem. There didn't seem to be any parking wardens, yet people parked neatly and considerately and we didn't feel that cars impinged on our experience as pedestrians. I do wish we could get this right in the UK - when I think about the current shambles in Cardiff, I just want to bang my head against a wall somewhere. But don't get me started on that - that's a rant for another day....

We loved the beautiful Christmas markets in the town centres. Squares would be filled with a selection of stalls selling a variety of handmade goodies and huge quantities of food and drink. The Germans certainly respect their sausages - I tried a Bratwurst ( a roasted sausage, which was really delicious) and as well, there was a whole plethora of grilled, boiled wurst, served with curry, bread or chips according to preference, of every conceivable shape, size and colour. Other popular food stalls were chips (pommes frites, sold in gargantuan quantitites), crepes and hot fresh waffles. Gluhwein was immensely popular and around the stalls you'd see big groups of Germans, meeting up with friends and family, all warmly dressed, cheerfully knocking back glasses of the wonderful hot, spicy drink. You get a glass with your first wine, which you pay for and then either have refilled or you can keep it as a souvenir. If you give it back, your small deposit is returned to you. This system worked very well and we've now got some souvenir mugs to remind us of happy times spent savouring a hot glass of festive cheer - it is certainly a wonderful drink when it is cold as you can feel it warming you and giving you that festive glow.

We also went to a wine tasting in a medieval cellar in Rudesheim which was very interesting and informative. We have bought some wine to bring back, including a sweet dessert wine that should go well with Christmas pudding. Again, we had some souvenir glasses as well! Rudesheim also has a particular speciality which is a Rudesheimer Kaffee, a potent mix of sugar, flaming Asbach brandy, hot coffee and huge quantities of whipped cream. It is served in a pretty, decorative china cup and saucer (these made popular gifts) and I tried one, which was delicious and would certainly ensure you went shopping feeling warm right through, as the brandy gave it a powerful kick, even after some of the alcohol had been burned off.

Wandering the little cobbled streets was delightful. Everywhere was decorated for Christmas with lots of fresh greenery and twinkly lights, and the medieval buildings, many half-timbered were wonderful. In spite of the huge quantities of takeaway food, the towns were spotlessly clean and it was also nice to see German people out and about with dogs. Pets seemed to be welcome in shops and cafes, and were very well behaved (again, we saw no dog poo anywhere on the street). What a pleasant contrast from the UK. Koblenz in particular had suffered bomb damage during the war, but in general the Germans decided to rebuild and restore along the medieval town plans rather than adopt the UK model of completely obliterating the old town layout. When I think about Swansea and Plymouth for instance, both heavily blitzed, their town centres bear almost no resemblance to the pre-war orientation and layout. So, in Koblenz, it was very difficult to tell which bits were rebuilt and which were original and we liked the higgledy piggledy streets, the little squares and the natural dominance of the Rathaus and some of the bigger churches. Poor old Plymouth has the 1960s monstrosity of the Civic Centre plus some very dodgy shopping areas. The German approach had kept the scale right for pedestrians and hadn't suffered the dead hand of too much architectural and planning interference. The other benefit of the Continental approach to towns is that they are lived in. Most of the town centre shops at ground level were topped by two or three stories of apartments - this gave the whole town a lovely feel. People could walk out to their nearest amenities (again, a sensible approach) with shops, schools and local amenities intermingling nicely. Many British town centres are rigidly EITHER shopping zones or a hot spot for bars and nightclubs which is often a no-go area for folks who don't want to party in the street. And while I'm on my soapbox, how come the Germans were knocking back gluhwein all day long, as well as copious quantities of schnapps and brandy, all with glass containers and we didn't see a single fight, nobody vomiting, weeing on the street, being loud and obnoxious or generally behaving like a British drunk. We did see lots of groups of happy German people, obviously well lubricated, and the most boisterous behaviour we saw was a group of lads singing carols, as they were walking along a street. And we didn't see a single police officer in any of the town centres. The contrast with Cardiff was quite depressing.

Anyway, to end on a more positive note, we loved Germany, and we can recommend a trip to one of their festive markets wholeheartedly. You'll come back with a healthy respect for sausage diversity, and an admiration for the art of the cake maker (patisserie is taken very seriously indeed with wondrous results) along with some unusual presents, a taste for gluhwein and very happy memories. I've put a couple of pics up here, but you can see the whole album if you're interested by clicking the link below, which will take you to my Facebook photo section, and the pics from the trip. I will also add that it was lovely to be reunited with the hounds yesterday and it seems they had a very good time while we were away. All are well and quickly resumed their habits of sofa stealing, snoozing and demanding tickles. The Woodhouse pack is reunited.

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