Our feelings about our stay at Hotel Aria Stube in Urbar are complicated. On a positive note, we were happy to find a hotel that was relatively reasonable considering the price hikes of this w/e, the family and staff were friendly and hospitable, breakfast was excellent. But unfortunately our room was not so good. Our 11 sq. m room was not very functional or comfortable, the bed and linens had seen better days, the sole window was small and near the ceiling so no light came in, nor any air. The bathroom was pretty challenging as the narrow width of the bathroom made using the toilet an adventure. The shower had issues too. It was disappointing that our room did not resemble the photo on the site. Regardless, it was the best we could find within our budget.
We are on our way to breakfast at our guesthouse. Much care has been taken to make the main areas very nice.
The weather for the holiday is sunny and warm. We have become spoiled riding along the Lahn River as the riding is pretty easy. However, getting to Urbar required a very steep ride from sea level on the Rhein to the heights of Urbar. Once again, due to our concerns about over-working our heavily loaded tandem, we decided that Mary Ellen would walk up the hill. It helped.
It is a holiday in Germany and the campgrounds are packed from Thursday to Sunday. We have camped here a few times on previous trips and it is always super busy and crowded.
This statue of the fellow with his pants down sitting on a box is certainly eye catching. We now understand that this figure symbolizes the nickname of the residents of Lahnstein, “Baare”. Even in the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of the right side of the Lahn made great sacrifices in order to keep their well water clean. In absence of fresh spring water, the residents had to use ground water, so they had no latrines. To keep the groundwater clean, they used the Baare (wheelbarrow) as a toilet. In this way, the so called “Baareschesser” literally meaning “barrow shitters” were making an active contribution towards environmental protection hundreds of years ago.
The living history in this small town is incredible. Some structures date back to the 13th century, there are remnants of defensive towers….one still standing has a significant lean, hence its nickname, “the leaning tower of Dausenau”.
Cigarette vending machine…a different kind of historic relic…at least it would be at home.mWe see these all over Germany, but we can’t recall the last time we saw one at home in Canada.
Karen PoretNor in California ( USA)…Thank goodness! Smokers are the bane of our European trips… Reply to this comment 3 months ago
Barry BartlettIndeed. Progress has been slow in this area. A good change is eating in a restaurant …we recall a time when eating out was pretty unpleasant due to the “wall” of smoke inside. Reply to this comment 3 months ago
The river is busy with young people rowing down the Lahn in rented long boats. Each evening they stop at a campground for the night. It looks very relaxing as the river is high, the current is strong and it doesn’t take much to glide down the river.
Always good to find a free book library in a community. It is called the Book Worm’s library with a painting of a “bookworm” crawling over the back wall.
