Day 17: How to return a rental car

We awake in our hotel room in Koblenz to another sunny blue sky with an expected high of 23 degrees. Church bells ring on the hour. Our hotel room was relatively quiet during the night and we had excellent pillows. Yes, small things make a difference. We have learned the wifi only works with the first two devices so Lana isn't able to use her iPad only her iPhone. We need to return our rental car to the Frankfurt Flughafen (Airport) before 13:00 and then check into our airport hotel we always stay at. It is about 110 kms and a 70 minute drive?

We head out into the Altstadt to get a Chai Latte at Starbucks and visit the local bakery Hoefer for our breakfast of German pastries. What an incredible selection of goodies! Yes, German pastries are tasty. I had two for breakfast!

Hoefer pastries.

Hoefer plum streussel cake.

Chalk board at Hoefer. Hey, our last chance at German pastries. Lana loves the look of the round dark brown loaf of bread and is trying to figure out a way to get one home  :)

We checked out of our room and then walked to the parking garage with our suitcases. Cost for the entire time was 15 Euro. Like Canada, you use your ticket to pay at a machine and then get to the exit and push your card in so the gate opens. Once we were up on the street and trying to drive to Frankfurt Flughafen our GPS decided not to cooperate. It was completely lost for at least the first five minutes of driving. It finally came on and we were on our way for the long trip to Frankfurt. As usual, lots of road construction, slowing traffic and general frustration at the pace of traffic with the construction delays. When we were close to the airport we missed the turnoff for the rental car returns but only because there's no warning and when you see the sign there's no way to get over into that lane in time. But Lana figures out an alternative route and we follow around to the next turnoff where she spots a sign for rental car return--thank goodness--you'll understand why shortly.

 When we come across these signs while driving and your exit is on the sign I say "that sign means now you're f____d!"

When we returned our car to the car rentals at the airport this is how the dashboard looked. As you can see we only had 68 km of diesel left and the needle was in the red range. We were proud of ourselves! We had pre-paid for a full tank so we got our monies worth! Plus, we were told we put 2,132 kilometres on the car. Lana says you know you're close when your getting warning messages from the car to fill up!!

 Frankfurt am Main train station partial map. We are pretty good with finding our way around using their train system given the number of times over the years we have used it. Very weird that twice today the train we were on was checked by train security for tickets. This rarely occurs in our experience. 

We had communicated with our Frankfurt buddy Markus to meet for lunch downtown on the Hauptwache in front of the main entrance to the Galeria Kaufhof. We take the S Bahn train and are about 10 minutes early. For only 15.80 Euro you can buy a full day card (we used it 4x each) that can be used by up to five people. It is a beautiful sunny and warm day. We are dressed for the weather, but many locals are in jackets and much warmer clothes. Markus picked an Austrian-style restaurant (Salzkammer) in this busy part of downtown. Great chat with Markus and spent more than an hour and a half at the restaurant outside enjoying the great weather.

Lana's lunch of the daily special of Heute mittag menu. Selbeirohm suppe (cream of celery soup) and Risotto mit Hazelnuss, ricotta, tomato und salat gemister. Plus, the local drink is Apfelwein. 

Randy's order of Original pan-fried Viennese-style Schnitzel (veal escalope) served with fried potatoes and wild cranberries for 13.50 Euro. Plus, I had a nice glass of 2015 Grüner Veltliner wine from Austria. 

Lana's big opportunity to do some serious shopping finally. This area is full of shops and malls. Lana bought tea and some clothes/shoes at COS. We bought one bottle of wine at the Galeria Kauhof being a German Müller-Thurgeau wine variety. Can't find this variety in Canada. Back on the train to the airport hotel and change to take the train back into downtown area for dinner. Markus recommended a great German restaurant, Atschel, located in the Saschenhausen neighbourhood. Easy to find with Google Maps. We sat outside in the back of the restaurant at a communal wooden table with a wooden bench. Our partners at the end of the table were two young women from Japan. Probably, our last chance to eat outside for a long time. 

 OK, I can't be in Deutschland and not have a dunkel beer! Dunkel Krug-Bräuvom Fass for 3.70 Euro. Delicious! Yes, my shaver conked out and the converter won't work with the shaver so I am growing a grey beard. 

Randy's order of Roasted pork in a beer brew with home-made Swabian Spätlese noodles and salad. Forget the salad as there is so much meat to eat and noodles!   :-)

 Our order of Handkäse a regional cheese specialty.

Lana's order of a Frankfurter Schnitzel. She was dying for another schnitzel before we left Deutschland. The green sauce is the Frankfurter part--another regional specific dish that is basically a green herb sauce to have with the schnitzel.

Tomorrow we fly out at 13:30 and it is a direct flight to Vancouver (YVR). We are going to miss Deutschland and the Mosel Riesling wine. I finished the night by watching a European Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid live.