Day 13: Andy hitches a ride on a train

By By Chris Whitaker / staff writer
June 13, 2002
Andy Armstrong's trip took an interesting turn on Wednesday. On the advice of Texas tourists, he and his grandson, Eric, hopped a train in Bingen, Germany.
Andy and Eric were in St. Goar when they met two couples from Texas who were riding bikes to the Netherlands. They shared their trip with the couples and sought advice about which way to go.
So, they boarded a train heading to Mainz and to Stockstadt, Germany.
Wednesday began like every other day for the duo with breakfast. The night before, they had pork steaks and au gratin potatoes at a hotel in Bendorf.
Wednesday was overcast and cool once again. Heading down the eastern side of the Rhine River, they saw castles on the side of mountains and small villages below that once served the castle.
Armstrong said he loves the countryside and the smell of the air.
They made it to St. Goar where they met the couples from Texas. They were in the middle of town when Andy set a water bottle on the back of his bicycle and tried to get on. He went to kick his right leg over the bike when he hit the bottle, falling and knocking over some tables.
They also stopped and fed pigeons while they were in St. Goar. Armstrong said they will probably stay in Stockstadt tonight.