Day 1 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Landed at 7 AM, got through passport control and made it to the airport train station by 8 AM. Bought an all-day group ticket (which turned out to be way more than we needed) and took the train into town.
Got to our hotel, dropped off our bags and went out in search of iced coffee. After that mission was accomplished, went in search of espresso with ouzo.
Slowly made our way towards an apfelwein restaurant that opened at 11 AM
Had lunch
Walked around
As we headed back to the hotel, it started lightly raining.
After we checked in, took our bags up, and went back down to the guest lounge for tea and coffee, the rain had become steadier.
Returned to our room to unpack a little bit and tried not to fall asleep before getting a light supper. The goal was to power through until about 7 PM so we could quickly adapt to the time zone.
About 4:30, it was still raining. The hotel loaned us umbrellas and we walked to the nearby mall for Vietnamese food.
Returned to the same bar where we'd started our day for a Jaegermeister nightcap.
Back at the hotel, I took a shower, washed my socks and wound down for the night, getting to bed around 7:30 PM, after having been awake for more than 32 hours.
Day 2 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Woke up at 5:30 AM and went downstairs to take advantage of the unlimited free coffee.
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| I did not, however, take advantage of the Nutella on tap |
Did some recon, walking through our residential neighborhood to find our car rental agency for the next day.
Got some breakfast at a Turkish bakery.
Stopped back at the hotel, then headed to a brunchy restaurant that opened at 8 AM and allegedly started serving cocktails at that hour.
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| This block really nailed the neutral tones |
They weren't quite ready for us, but they improvised beautifully (a mezcal negroni for Bhob and some kind of passion fruit prosecco for me), and treated us to a shot of fresh squeezed orange juice with ginger.
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| I guess most people don't expect anything beyond a mimosa at 8 AM |
Next stop was another cafe bar that opened at 8 AM, but they only had espresso martinis. Since I'd already reached my caffeine limit for the day, only Bhob ordered one.
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| And had a great conversation with Marc, the Filipino/Moroccan/German barista |
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| Gotta film your TikTok somewhere! |
The weather forecast called for heavy rain between 11 AM and 2 PM, so we went to the Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum.
Visited the permanent exhibition
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| Disappointed to find out that her hair was a wig :( |
and the temporary one, which showcased The Long Tracking Shot, and the equipment and techniques that facilitated it.
Bhob was perturbed that Brian De Palma was so heavily featured.
The thing about Long Tracking Shots is that they are very long, so we ended up spending 5 hours at the museum. After we left, we were pretty hungry, so we went to another restaurant that served apfelwein.
They weren't quite open yet, but they let us order some apfelwein, and as soon as the kitchen opened at 5, we ordered some bratwurst.
After supper, went back to our side of the river
Passed a bar that I had bookmarked (that was described on the google as "quirky"), but it didn't look appealing (perhaps it was the Pulp Fiction images that put us off?).
The place I really wanted to go opened in 20 minutes and was a 20 minute walk away.
Expectations officially exceeded!!!
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| You would never guess the flavor journey and gangsta rap that await on the other side of this nondescript entrance |
After a fabulous 90+ minute cocktail adventure, we went back to the hotel and got to bed around 11 PM.
Day 3 Plettenberg-Eiringhausen, Germany
Woke up at 7 AM.
Went downstairs to The Most Wonderful Coffee Machine In The World
Got breakfast at the same place as the previous day.
Back to the hotel, washed hair, packed, went to the ATM, checked out and walked to the car rental agency to pick up our Suzuki Vitara hybrid.
Had to pull up to the office to have them change the dashboard language to English and show me how to lift my seat and disengage the parking brake.
After a wrong exit off of a roundabout, we were on our way to Plettenburg.
Gorgeous!
Drove to the Aldi Nord in Balve to get a sense of what kind of driving we were in for over the next few days (in a nutshell: narrow, winding, hilly country roads 😨)
Filled the gas tank, got back to our apartment and had a well-deserved glass of Aldi's finest pear brandy
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| It tasted EXACTLY like the pear raki that we loved in Gjakova, Kosovo |
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| Hummingbird moth in the lantana! |
Walked down into town for burgers
And back home to wind down and watch some youtubes on Bhob's phone. Went to bed around 10 PM
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| Our floor looked like Semsmieh, or one of those other kinds of sesame seed candy |
Day 4 Balve, Germany
Woke up at 5:30, had some coffee and putzed until Bhob got up at 8 AM. Figured out (eventually) how to use the induction cooktop to heat up my leftover french fries and make some eggs.
We'd planned to do a leisurely walk down to the actual town of Plettenburg, but the rain that was light when we walked out the door became a little bit heavier by the time we reached the end of the street, so we returned home and I curled up with a good book.
After a bit, it looked like the rain had slowed down, so we ventured out again and took a walk to the river.
And beyond (though still didn't make it to "downtown")
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| Turns out that it's a brothel |
Came home, made a salad for lunch and headed to Balve for Welcome Day (or "Prophetic Overture", the outdoor, pre-festival event) of the reason for our trip, Prophecy Fest
Got our wristbands and merch and took the longer (bike path) route to the festival site.
Walked around
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| We were not the oldest attendees... |
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| Not even close |
Until the alleged opening ceremony. We found a bench to sit on, which was great for our feet, as over an hour passed with no activity.
Finally, the dungeon synth opener started, so we made our way down to the stage, bought our souvenir glasses and stood in line for our free welcome beer.
Just as we got them, it started to rain so we stayed in the tent for awhile.
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| Battle Robe! |
After another act played, we realized that we'd have to get some food at some point or we'd be too distracted by hunger to enjoy the one band that we'd come to see (who was playing last, several hours later)
Walked to the nearby restaurant, only to find that they weren't open until the next day. We figured we'd have to walk to the center of town, but were delighted to find a food truck just up the road.
Ate our burgers, went back to the festival site and went back to our bench.
The next act was a guy doing really earnest, dour English-ish folk music and it pert near killed me.
Then it started to rain again, but we were fairly sheltered. The music actually did kill Bhob, because he said "Let's just go".
I convinced him that we should just sit in the car for a couple of hours and watch youtubes until Dymna Lotva played, but after 20 minutes, and realizing that their side project was playing in the actual cave during the actual festival the following day, we bailed.
The drive home was challenging, as the daylight dwindled and the rain blew across the road in sheets, but we made it, and enjoyed a couple glasses of Aldi's finest.
Watched some youtubes and got to bed around 10:30 PM
Day 5 Balve, Germany
Woke up around 6 AM. Had some coffee and putzed until waking up Bhob at 7.
Drove to "downtown" Plettenburg, and after a few mistaken notions about where we could park, found a spot and walked around for about an hour.
Stopped at Aldi for a couple of items,
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| Yup, Aldi Nord is owned by THAT brother |
got home and made breakfast.
Took a shower and enjoyed the ventilation fan.
Hung out, had another salad greens and kidney beans lunch, and waited for the rain to stop so we could head back to Balve to walk around a bit before the music started at 3:30 PM.
When we got to Balve, it was raining again, so we hung out in food and drink area until they opened the cave. Bhob bought some merch and we found the Comfort Pass seating area at the main stage.
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| This is actually the second stage |
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| Best. Battle. Jacket. Ever. |
The band (Kall) wasn't anything special, so we went to the second stage to position ourselves to be right up front for Hangover In Minsk, the Dymna Lotva side project.
They were AMAZING!!! This vocalist was born to perform.
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| I could smell her shampoo! |
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Went back to the main stage and watched the next few bands, Antimatter (Dad Rock; we went outside for dõner wraps), Darkher (spooky and cool, but repetitive),
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| Darkher |
The Vision Bleak (Bhob: "They're like if Powerwolf was good") and then the headliners, Myrkur and Enslaved. Myrkur gave me me big time flashbacks to the heydey of Nordic Roots, and Enslaved (FINALLY) delivered the metal we'd been hoping for.
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| Myrkur! Exquisite harmonies |
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| I'd crop it so you can see her better, but I wanted to capture the whole setting |
We left a few minutes before they finished, and managed to get out of the muddy parking area with no delays.
By the time we got home, it was nearly 1:30 AM.
Day 6 Balve, Germany
Woke up at 7:30 AM
Had coffee and yogurt and putzed until I got Bhob up at 10:30 AM. We didn't miss out on doing anything outdoors because it rained until about 10.
Made breakfast and tried to do a short walk in the woods at the end of our street,
but it was too muddy so we just went straight to the festival site.
On our way out to the main road, we had the pleasure of witnessing the most artful driving I have ever seen, as the truck in front of us was backing up with a trailer, snaking between the parked cars on either side. It was hard enough for me to do in a car going forward, so we were beyond impressed.
Got there just in time to catch the openers, Dornenreich acoustic set. After that was another set by Darkher, an acoustic version of what she'd performed the previous night. It was less interesting the second time, so we went outside for currywurst.
Next was Imha Tarikat. Some real metal at last!
They were fantastic!
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| And nice to finally see a musician of color onstage |
The next group, Kayo Dot, was unlistenable, but we had seats in the front row of the "you cruise, you lose" Comfort Pass section, and we wanted to keep them for the headliners, so we persevered.
I went over to the second stage to listen to The Great Sea, but I couldn't see anything and you could hear them at our seats so I went back to sit.
Next up, Soror Dolorosa!
Looks like I'm not the only one who's a sucker for old-school Darkwave!
The band Kall performed the songs of Lifelover. I went out for a sandwich.
Then one of our faves, Gràb!
And the main event of our night, Arthur Brown!
If you don't know who that is, google him on the youtubes. He's been doing shock rock since before I was born. Without him, there's no Alice Cooper, no KISS, no King Diamond, no Marilyn Manson
The show was epic!! Spectacular set, visuals, fabulous band and a costume change with every song. At age 83, he hasn't lost any of his range.
It was an absolute delight :)
The final band was Moonspell, but we left right after Arthur Brown so we could get home before midnight.
Sorry, Moonspell. You're good, but I was TIRED.
There were not many other cars on the road, so I drove extra slow and we did indeed make it home by 11:51 PM.
Had some potato chips with the last of our Aldi pear brandy and got to bed by 12:45.
Day 7 Düsseldorf, Germany
Woke up around 7 AM, had coffee, woke Bhob up, made breakfast and started packing and cleaning for a 10 AM check out.
Took a quick walk to the street above ours
Checked out and said goodbye to our lovely home.
Beautiful drive to Düsseldorf* (no photos, as I was busy driving). Just the tiniest hint of the Fall colors that would be peaking in a few weeks.
Got to our apartment around noon and found a parking spot. The Booking.com listing said check in at 6 PM (!). I had messaged the host several times but got no answer about checking in earlier, so we locked the car and went out in search of lunch.
Had some great food and some local specialty digestifs.
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| This yellow jacket was determined to get that piece of bacon airborne, and nearly succeeded |
Walked to the other side of the river.
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| Ich bin ein flinger |
Gotta film your TikTok somewhere!
Finally got a response from our host that said that the apartment would be ready by 3:30, so we started heading back.
Got there at 4:30 and waited for a response about the lock box code. On a hunch, I looked at the VERY blurry photo on the Booking.com listing showing the lock box. Tried a few possible combinations ("Is that a 0 or an 8?"), and finally opened it.
Crawled up the steep stairs to the attic,
dumped off our stuff, opened the windows, had a drink of water and plugged in my phone.
Rested a bit and then headed out for supper.
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| For job security in this country, I suggest Hedge Trimmer Blade Sharpener |
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| Quince? |
First went to Brauhaus Joh. Albrecht, had a seat outside and were ignored for over 15 minutes, so we bailed and went around the corner to Im alten Bierhause - Hermann Meuser and were acknowledged and served immediately.
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| Weiner schnitzel! |
It was Sunday and all of the regular supermarkets were closed, so we walked to the 24-hour convenience store to get orange juice and chocolate croissants for the next day's breakfast.
Went back to our apartment and chilled until bedtime.
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| And planned our remake of Rear Window |
*We didn't have to bring the car back until the next day. We chose to spend our bonus day in Düsseldorf because it's the home of Kraftwerk and Doro Pesch
Day 8 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Woke up around 5:15 AM and putzed until waking Bhob up at 6.
Had coffee and croissants, packed and tidied up.
We had to return the car in Frankfurt by 11:18 AM or we'd be charged for an extra day. We'd planned to leave by 8 AM, giving us 3 hours and 18 minutes that the google maps said would take us 2 hours and 26 minutes. We ended up leaving at 7:50, which gave us even more of a buffer.
Along the way, there were many backups, lane closures, crashes and rain.
Lots and lots of rain.
As the trip went on, the google maps estimated our arrival time to be later and later. Eventually, it said that we would arrive by 11:30 AM.
We agreed that whatever time we arrived, we would just pay the extra, because it wasn't worth stressing out about being late, and I didn't want to make any stupid driving moves trying to make up for the delays.
We eventually got to Frankfurt, made our way to the rental office, and pulled into the return spot at...
(wait for it)
11:18 AM!!!
Returned the key, got our invoice and walked to the S-Bahn stop a few blocks away to get the train to our next hotel.
Got to our hotel, dropped off our stuff and got the paperwork done for our check-in a few hours later.
Went next door to the Italian restaurant for a cocktail (and to practice my Italian with the very accommodating server).
Walked around and returned to Adolf Wagner for lunch.
Went back to the hotel to see our room, rested a bit and then did some recon for our airport run two days later.
Walked around
Went to Klapper 33 for a shot of Berliner Luft
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| Well that's a sensible combination |
Then to Drinksmith for a couple of fabulous cocktails
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| Beta Vulgaris was the winner of the night |
Had falafel sandwiches at MyPita and went back to the hotel. Wound down and got to bed around 11:45 PM.
Day 9 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Woke up around 6:45, washed my hair and went downstairs for our free breakfast.
The food was fantastic, but the soft reggae-esque covers of crappy pop songs (and Scorpions! And Pixies!) prevented us from lingering. Could it be the hotel's strategy to keep people from overeating?
Keeping with what has become a Bhoboleena tradition, for our last full day of the trip, we picked a spot on the map with a lot of green and walked towards it.
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| Great color! |
In this case, we chose the area around Goetheturm.
Climbed the tower
Then walked for an hour in the forest
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| That's my kind of hiking trail! |
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| This one is for all of the folks who have requested more photos of me in the travelogue. You're welcome. |
Had some refreshments at the café near the tower
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| Bhob really hates having his picture taken |
Walked back to our neighborhood
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| A sticker of someone else's sibling? |
Went to some record stores
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| Wow, someone really likes Rory Gallagher |
Picked up some bagged salad and got back to the hotel just as it was starting to sprinkle.
Went back to MyPita for a late lunch/early supper. This time we got the Greek falafel.
The server gifted us with a little dessert of a kind of cinnamon donut hole drizzled with Nutella.
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| Diabolical peppers imprisoned in The Phantom Zone |
Walked back to Hunky Dory for one last hoorah
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| Oops, forgot to take a photo beforehand. They were kind of pinkish. |
The bartender treated us to a tiny taste of something lovely
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| Window peeping :) |
Got back to the hotel around 9:30, wound down and got to bed around 11 PM
Day 10 Departure
Woke up at 5:30 AM, had coffee and started packing. Went down to breakfast at 7 AM and were greeted by the soft reggae-esque pop covers, which mercifully switched to innocuous, unfamiliar slow jams.
Did our final idiot check, checked out and walked to the south train station to catch our train to the airport.
For at least the fourth time since having an Iranian visa on my passport, I was "randomly" selected for additional security screening. Bhob got a new passport immediately after our Iran trip and has never been selected.
Hmmm...
Random Observations
Every time I saw a sign for Balver Höhle, the song The Humours of the King of Ballyhooley ran through (and typically got stuck in) my head.
This was my first time driving a car with all of the latest safety features and it took some getting used to. We nicknamed it K.I.T.T.
Even though we've been to Berlin, this felt like our first time in Germany, and we really embraced it (hence all of the bratwurst).
Berlin is kind of its own thing.
It was only after third round trip from Plettenburg to Balve that I really noticed and appreciated the quality of the road surfaces. They were absolutely perfect, like in a car commercial!
MNDOT needs to get over there to learn some pro tips.
FAQs
So, it was a good trip?
Ja!
Why Germany?
Because we wanted to go to Prophecy Fest
I thought you didn't like music festivals.
We don't.
But this one was in a cave.
Is it a metal festival?
Not really.
There were only a couple of bands that I would classify as metal. The rest were metal-adjacent.
Bhob's take: "It's like if the Cedar Cultural Centre and Wacken had a baby"
But it's in a cave that has a legendary connection to a badass blacksmith , so... that's pretty metal.
The acoustics must have been amazing!
Probably, but I wouldn't know because I was wearing earplugs.
I'll bet it would be transcendent with unamplified voices and instruments.
How many people attended?
I have no idea. I'm not good at estimating crowds.
The cave's capacity is 2000, and it certainly wasn't full, so I'd say somewhere between 600 and 1000?
How did you hear about the festival?
We subscribe to the Prophecy Productions youtubes channel because a lot of bands that we like are on their record label (Dymna Lotva, Nyttland, Year of the Cobra, Gráb)
How was the weather?
Mostly rainy, but our day in Düsseldorf and our final two days in Frankfurt were lovely.
Temperatures were generally in my comfort range: upper 40s to mid-60s.
What were the conditions in the cave?
Dry, cool and comfortable (though toward the end of the nights it was borderline cold)
What time of year did you go?
Mid-September, 2025
What’s the time difference?
7 hours
How were your flights?
MSP-FRA
Lufthansa (or actually Lufthansa's discount stepchild, Discover airlines)
Airbus 330
No problems, no delays
FRA-MSP
Lufthansa/Discover
Airbus 330
Arrived about 20 minutes later than scheduled
What did you watch on the airplane?
MSP-FRA
6 episodes of 30 Rock
The Friend
4 episodes of The Office
FRA-MSP
2 episodes of The Office
5 episodes of Parks and Recreation
Köln 75
BlacKkKlansman
Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny
The Year In Fashion 2024
Did you learn German?
No.
Do most people speak English?
Yes, and the ones that don't still knew a few words, so we got by with charades and the google translate.
Did you learn the National Anthem?
No.
How did you get around ?
Mostly walking, a couple of subway rides, rented a car.
Is this the first time you've rented a car overseas?
Yes.
Would you do it again?
I'd rather not.
How are the motorists?
Mostly courteous and sensible.
Did you drive fast on the Autobahn?
Nope.
And contrary to popular belief, the only parts of the Autobahn that don't have a speed limit are the straightaways outside of metro areas.
Did you listen to Autobahn while you were driving on the Autobahn?
No, I had included it on a sick driving playlist that I had created before the trip, but we didn't want to take the chance of anything interfering with the navigation system.
I meowed it, though.
Maybe we'll listen to it next time we drive to Cannon Falls or something.
Is it bike and pedestrian friendly?
Extremely.
Did you hear any interesting music?
All of our faves at Prophecy Fest
Did you try any interesting foods or drinks?
Apfelwein!
Did you drink the water?
Yes.
Any highlights?
Arthur Brown at Prophecy Fest
Düsseldorf!
Very charming and pleasant. It didn't hurt that it was the first day of the trip with no rain in the daytime.
Though I'm glad that my beloved life partner also runs screaming from events like this.
Any lowlights?
I did not enjoy driving the narrow, twisty-turny roads between our apartment and the festival.
Parallel parking on the narrow street at our Plettenburg apartment was challenging. If it was my own car, I wouldn't have cared about scratching it (and if you've ever seen my car, you know I'm telling the truth).
Despite a very graphic aversion campaign, lots of people in Germany still smoke
Any surprises?
Same as the highlights
Is it safe?
We never felt unsafe
What was the exchange rate?
1 Euro= 1.18 US Dollar
How much did it cost?
For 2 people, 9 days
Flights $2267.82
Trip insurance $160
Lodging $1005.64
Ground transportation $414.89 ($364.9 was car rental and gas)
Food:
Groceries $40.40
Restaurants and street food $630.82
Coffee, booze and treats $460.44
Admission to attractions $603.76 ($570 was for Prophecy Fest)
Miscellaneous Prophecy Fest expenses (parking, food, etc) $234.5
Total $5818.27
Total “on the ground” (not including airfare and lodging) $2384.81
Total per person per day $323.23
Total “on the ground” per person, per day $132.49
To save for a trip like this, you’d need to save $7.97 per day for a year
Would you go back?
We would definitely go back to Germany for a single concert, but I don't think I can handle the duration of a 2+ day festival, 10 hours per day, with the last band starting at 11:30 PM, especially with such a variety of music styles. There was a lot of waiting around for the bands we liked.
However, I'm really glad we went to Prophecy Fest. If we hadn't, for the rest of our lives, every time we'd see footage from it on the youtubes, I can guarantee that we'd say "Oh man, that looks so cool! We should go!"
Who watched Stinkerbell while you were gone?
My dear friends and neighbors Rob and Jennifer
