Darmstadt

On the last weekend where could use the 9 Euro ticket for unlimited travel on regional trains in Germany we decided to go to Darmstadt where an former colleague from Bonn University is living. We met at the train station and then went to the Mathildenhöhe - a former artist colony with Jugenstil buildings that is a UNESCO world heritage site.

A short walk away was a lake that was a natural swimming pool:

 

Then a late lunch at market square 

 

 

 
Mia had brought a book for the train ride and the waiting time

 

Harbor and Alster Boat Tour

 We used some vouchers for a free harbor tour in the morning and one on the Alster in the afternoon

 
After the tour we went along a cnal to the metro station

In the afternoon another trip on a boat at the Alster

Mia and Ji also took the Shins for a coffee

Urban String Concert

After coming back from Austria we took the train to Hamburg to see Ji's friends there. 

On evening we checked out a cruise ship festival

On Saturday evening Ji's friend suggested to meet for dinner and then a concert. It was outdoor in a former warehouse section by the harbor

 Some it it was nice

Some other pieces were a bit difficult to digest

Last Day at Lake Wolfgang

 Our last day started sunny and with a breakfast outside at the terrace of the restaurant

The view was every morning amazing again

 Then we went for a little walk

 

 

Time for a selfie - not so easy to catch the rightz background

Rain clouds came in and we made it back to the hotel jist in time

The evening was sunny again

A nice evening to end our stay

Boat Tour on the lake

One can take a tour on the lake on a big boat or rent a small one with an electric motor. We tried the small one and it was fun. The boat rental was right in the center of the village

In the late afternoon we went for another swim

Schafbergspize

With nice sunny weather in the forecast we booked - quite expensive - tickets for the train ride up to the summit of the Schafberg mountain. It was worth every penny - the view from the top with four different lakes and a mountain range of the Alps was really breathtaking,
From the station at the end of the line to the summit it was just a short walk

There was even a nice a place to have something to drink of eat

 
A rescue helicopter flew in to pick someone up who had injured himself

A good place to take some pictures of us

We took the train also down again

We mad it down in time for a quick swim in the lake

It was a beautiful evening with a full moon

Once it was dark there was show on the beach of our hotel