Bikes, Dikes and Canals

People of all ages, dressed in sport gear ( some matching, tight fitting stuff that they shouldn't) or their Sunday best; biking for leisure, the market, church, or possibly on their way to work are everywhere in Holland. Bikes are kings/queens of the road!

Auto driving in rural areas can be tricky. Besides dodging tractors and wagons, roadways are marked in unique ways. A car lane is centered in the middle, when oncoming traffic meets, someone must yield to the other. Bike lanes are clearly marked for use on both sides of roads.

The North Sea meets Holland on its west and north shores. Seagulls and a strong breeze welcome one walking on top of dikes. Because of land flatness, a feeling of being free is experienced as you move along.

We hadn't realized how much boating and fishing is done on canals. Charming housing is situated by waterways; so perfect and well groomed it doesn't seem possible it could be real.

The art of leisurely sitting at a cafe, sipping a beverage and soaking up sunshine, was said to be hatched in this country. No worries, no hurry are the motto.

Continued Monitoring of the Arches

When menu checking in the Netherlands, for what gourmet idea a McDonald's chef created this time, I was delightfully satisfied after test tasting a "McCrocket". The seafood cake sandwich was a winning combination of fish, cheese, seasoning, breading and a special sauce. I wanted to award a 10, but didn't because of curb appeal, no healthy, green lettuce garnished the food. (9.5)

Believe me readers, McDonald's are designed with love and cultural likes in Europe. They are not stamped out like most in the States. Dutch yellow and blue coloring complimented a smiling Ronald. Children are rarely seen at restaurants except here. We have yet to stop at a McDonald's that is not really busy. Happy kids and parents behave well, don't scream much, put their trash in the can, like generous portions and the 1 euro menu! An American success story! (whose secret weapon is the "special sauce")

A Masterpiece By Van Gogh's Great-Grand Niece

Throughout Europe Saturday is shopping day! It's great fun to visit food and flee markets, browse in shops, find an art fair, watch street theater, listen to aspiring musicians or sit in a park and do nothing.

Kampen Holland a historic, small city of 32,000 described as a typical, lively waterfront place was our destination.


We have a collection of art from painters around the world.
The only rule when purchasing is the artist (who must be present) has to smile for the camera.
A photo is then attached on the backside of the piece.
This artist was so elated and proud to sell her work, she was beaming!!
A colorful daisy reminded us of the free spirit seen in so many Dutch people.


Two toe tapping, strawberry-blond flutists captured our attention.
They played their hearts out while Mom sipped coffee (and maybe had ice cream) at a cafe across the street.
She had her radar on, reminding musicians a little giggling was OK,
but to keep on task.

I also had to have a lovely turquoise, orange and pink bracelet.
The 12 year old beader was so appreciative of a sale.
Europeans encourage kids to expand their horizons beyond a lemonade stand.
In Bamberg a couple of weeks ago, at the flee market,
a special area showcased kids hawking "gently used" toys and clothing.

A Day to Remember

To pay our respect and celebrate Memorial Day abroad,
we stopped at the American War Cemetery in Margraten Holland.
8,300 servicemen who died in World War II are buried at the site.
Beautifully designed, graves are marked with a plain white cross.
In honor of the holiday, each was graced with two flags, U.S. and Netherlands.
A silent walk around the grounds reminds one of the profound impact war has on man.

U.S. military cemeteries in Europe do an excellent job of explaining history
with maps and brochures.
They are well worth a stop when traveling.

Dutch Lawnmowers

Pastoral countryside filled with grazing areas and beautiful animals describes eastern Holland. Sheep (especially), cows and horses looked big, content and well cared for by owners. Farming is alive and appreciated by Dutch.








Constantly munching grass, we wondered how many hours daily these animals spent chewing. Few critters were just laying in pastures soaking up sunshine. Did these four-legged friends think the stuff was tasty or was this work for them? When approached with the camera for a quick picture, one could hear animals tearing off grass and loudly eating with mouths open.

"Little Berlin" As It Is Called

We live less than an hour from former East Germany.
On a Saturday afternoon field trip to Modlareuth,
we visited Deutsch-Deutsches Museum,
an open air exhibit that shows what was.
Like its big brother Berlin,
a wall divided the town.
East Germans kept in by a wall were even forbidden to wave across the divide.
Histocially land from the village belonged to two provinces, half in the province of Bavaria (West) and the other in Thuringia (East).

For forty years two different German worlds existed.
870 miles long the wall divided Germans from Germans
and it constituted a dividing line between two large military and political power blocks.
The former GDR extended a great financial outlay when it built a system of border barriers.

After an enthusiastic joy over Germany's unity, issues and feelings surfaced quickly that continue to challenge the nation. Physically the wall was gone, however it had provided protection and security for most in some way. Since 1989 a new country is evolving that has never been seen before.

The French Like It Too!

I continue to look for those golden arches whenever traveling. My major reason (besides salty fries), is to check out what special sandwich has been created to entice the local folk in with.

A super-sized (it's our duty to fatten up those French babes) "Le boeuf par excellence" (a Big Mac knock off ) was a nine in my opinion. American grease goes best with a sesame seed bun, not a chewy baguette.

I know you are wondering why does she go to McDonald's? Well, I miss the U.S., have fond memories of driving with my kids to get the latest Happy Meal prize they wanted , and like burgers when they have a tasty little pickle on them!

Ooh la la !!

The Eiffel Tower was never built for function, just to impress and it does!


Bridge builder Gustave Eiffel won the design prize for the 1889 World's Fair contest.





A symbol of progress and human ingenuity, the tower became world famous.



We had to look French while in Paris,
so we purchased cute berets to use for photo purposes and warmth.

Both Monday and Tuesday raindrops kept falling on our heads until late afternoon.

Window shopping was fun;
as was relaxing in coffee shops,
taking time to read a newspaper and rest our feet.

P.S. Croissants were light and buttery, living up to their excellent reputation!

Paris in the Springtime

Gretchen and I trained to the world capital of all things fine; art, fashion, food, literature and chic ideas. Both of us had visited ten years ago or so and were anxious to return to sample more French lifestyle.


Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart) Basilica was voted favorite trip stop.
(we visited twice)
Four hundred and twenty feet above sea level,
the highest point of Paris,
a wonderful view of what's below spreads out.




An undeniable,
fun ambiance sets up outside the church,
great people watching
and street music is abundant.
Montmarte neighborhood is touristy but a quintessential experience in the City of Light.


Sitting on top deck of the bus at the Arc de Triomphe,
we watched the amazing traffic pattern of the centerpoint of Paris.
Six roads intersect,
creating twelve exits to turn out of the rotary,
which has three or four or five lanes of traffic. (no lane lines marked)
We saw no fender benders take place during our long bus stop. (20 minutes)
Honking auto horns
and "what are you doing" looks were exchanged between drivers,
however traffic kept moving.

Travel Is Good For:

(While the editor is on assignment in Paris,
our blog photographer will provide filler.)

TRAVEL IS GOOD FOR:

LAUGHS

REFLECTION
BEING WITH OTHERS


TIME FOR YOURSELF

AND
FREEDOM TO STIR THINGS UP

Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

(While the editor is on assignment in Paris,

our blog photographer will provide filler.)

Bright yellow fields of rapeseed are presently in bloom.
A crop not previously seen by us is grown for
biodiesel, vegetable oil, animal feed and used as a winter cover crop.






I found these fields enticing lens subjects.

Love, Love, Love

Actually food, food, food and more food! Friday evening, Paul (the gentleman we rented from in Rattlesdorf) had invited us to a backyard picnic. He wanted to meet Gretchen when she visited. Nine of us ate together for four hours. (this story is not fiction)

Steins of Wagner beer (Paul's last name) were handed to us upon arriving (a small keg was in the basement laundry room). Son-in-law Ulli was our grillmaster. Seven meats were served; pork, two kinds of wurst, chicken, hamburgers (a delicious blend of pork and veal complimented with chives), fish, and Luddy had baked a lieberkase (sort of a spam/ham creation). Tasty egg plant and zucchini marinated slices received a purple ribbon. Six, we counted them, colorful cold salads, bread and herb butter to help further fatten us. Fruit schnapp shots were offered to aid the digestive process. Not done yet folks. Cake and coffee (oh so German) was the finale. Cherry cake to be exact!

Gabby (Paul's daughter) and Luddy (the wife) made Thanksgiving dinner look like a snack. Their hospitality efforts went way over the top. Ulli's brother and wife, Alex joined us too. Alex speaks five different languages and acted as our interpreter (sign language gets taxing).








What a wonderful life we have! The gift of friends and parties should not be taken for granted!

Sopron Hungary

Traveling into eastern Europe has pointed out to us the uniqueness of each country. The history and strife of many nations is powerful stuff. Our visit to one of Hungary's premiere towns and surrounding countryside on a beautiful spring Sunday couldn't have been better.
Sopron's winding downtown streets were an artistic wonder. Renovated buildings, balconies, monuments and arched gates were tied in a unit of commerce.




The Catholic church still remains strong;
amazing and well cared for structures featured wood carving and ceiling painting.
We were moved by the very sacred atmosphere created by devoted parishioners.






Gibraltar Vendeghaz's innkeeper made every effort to please us and did! Good Hungarian food (that means plentiful), a room that would pass any "white glove" test and hospitality plus (big smile and she waved good by) (A+ rating will let Triple AAA International know)

A cruise on country roads took us to a castle and vineyard. Bottles of red and white wines sold for three to five euro each. Samples from Walter (cute little guy watching the shop) encouraged us to take home some of each.

Two of Austria's Best

From border to border (Salzburg-west, Vienna-east) the national landscape of mountains, valleys and forest is unforgettable and inspiring in Austria.
Road trips are awesome;
providing panoramic views second to none.

Vienna, capital and largest city, has many (too many) sites not to be missed.
Our quick sampling included a stop at St. Stephen's Cathedral,
peeks at several museums,




shopping Saturday's flee and foodmarket,
and just wandering around cobblestone streets
surrounded by stunning buildings and coffee shops.










"The Sachertorte" served at the world famous Sacher Hotel, near the opera house, was a 10! Layers of chocolate cake glazed with apricot preserves and shiny chocolate icing is a symbol of Vienna's sweet empire. Europe's rich pastry tradition was launched here. After coffee and cake we hopped back in the car. Since we had no time to hear a live concert, (we have our priorities right) a CD of the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Daniel Barenboim was purchased.




On our way back from Hungary, we spent a quick three hours in Salzburg. Church bells, mountains, castle and scenery from "The Sound of Music" couldn't be passed up. Lucky Gretchen was pleased with her birthday gift of the movie's DVD spotted in a Salzburg shop. She can now watch the film spoken in English or German!

BMWs and Beer

Munich, considered by many, to be Germany's most popular and fascinating city,
is a mixture of tradition, high quality art and culture, technology and shopping.
After picking Gretchen and Simon up at Frankfurt's airport,
we took a scenic route south to the Bavarian capital, staying at Arthotel Munich.


Tom was anxiously awaiting a trip to the BMW museum.
It was on his "must do" list while in Europe.














When I asked Simon if he thought it was worth the stop,
he responded "it was worth the trip!"

(sorry Dirk and Terry).








With its unique combination of architecture and garden design,
Nymphenburg Palace was a treat to visit.
It was constructed as a summer residence for kings and their best friends.



Much ado about beer is part of the tradition of this metropolis.
Monks still get credited with beginning to brew around 1328.
We again ended up at the Hofbrau House
(number one tourist attraction)
for pretzels, beer, wurst, and kraut on a beautiful May 1.