Sunday morning, our group met at the appointed hour and we set off on the Rennsteig, which runs right through Neuhaus, the town we were in.
All 12 of us were in good spirits and looked forward to our adventure.
Pretty soon, we came to a Rennsteig mile marker (kilometer marker?) showing that we had 51 Kilometers (a little over 50 miles) to go.
After a kilometer or so, we left the town and entered the forest.
For the rest of the day, we walked through forests and meadows, often with outstanding views.
We stopped for occasional breaks
and, course, group photos.
We finished in Oberland am Rennsteig, where we studied German beer, and other beverages
while waiting for the taxis to the hotel in Steinbach. Apparently, no hotel actually on the Rennsteig had room available for a group our size, so Lena booked us two nights at a hotel in Steinbach, a days walk down the Rennsteig, and arranged for taxis to take us there (and return us to Oberland am Rennsteig in the morning). Wolfgang and Dieter (“Opa” as he is lovingly known in the family) drove to Neuhaus, so the same taxis took them back to Neuhaus to pick up the cars.
Once we arrived in Steinbach, the group continued to teach us about German food and beverages. Beer, of course, was plentiful, local, and varied.
Each glass arrived with just the right head.
The food was also very plentiful. Most dinners came with two potato dumplings, each only slightly smaller than a baseball. Leslie Ruth ordered a trout, which was enormous.
Not wanting to insult the restaurant, she finished it all.
Karl manfully ate his very large portion of sauerbraten, but felt inadequate when he could only eat one of his two dumplings. Maybe with more practice?
After dinner, Karl studied raspberry schnapps.
ITALY, GERMANY, AND MORE! 