Our Last Stop Before Home!

Amsterdam, Netherlands

We packed our bags (plus one extra large suitcase Brian provided for all the souvenirs we bought) and made our way to the train station to take the roughly two hour ride to Amsterdam, where we planned to stay a night in a nice hotel a few blocks from the Central Station and fly back to the states the following evening.  Brian was flying out the following day as well, only on an earlier flight and to a different destination, so Neal and I made our way to the city on our own, tugging our luggage along.  Ironically, Den Bosch had just shut down all trains leaving the city JUST THAT MORNING for repairs, so a bus ride to a neighboring city was added to our trip.  What I can tell you about train travel (at least in our brief experience) is that it is very confusing if you don't know the language.  We had to ask numerous times where our stop was, and where to get to the next train.  To add to the confusion, there was a subway system that runs alongside the trains and each had a different ticketing system.  Thankfully, an extra stop to ask questions prevented us from both getting on the subway, and from boarding the wrong track to Paris (although I'm sure that would have been fun in its own right).  Other than accidently placing ourselves in the 1st class car (who knew??!!?), we were able to make our way.

In a nutshell, we made it safely to the beautiful Amsterdam Central Station (luckily it's a big enough place where eventually it seems all trains arrive there) and made our way to the hotel.  Excited about what the city had to offer, we dropped our bags and made our way through the city. Using the hotel map as a guide, we found the sites to be found easily and all well within walking distance (by European standards, not Iowan).  

Arriving in Amsterdam.  Grand Central is in the background.

The first place we decided to visit was the Royal Palace.  It was free admission that day, otherwise the entry fee is 10 euro per person.  We were given personal devices to listen to the self-guided tour in our language, and we found it to be dry and over-rated.  The history is interesting and the square outside is neat, but I wouldn't pay admission to go there.

Next, we walked through the Red Light district (sorry everyone, no photos are allowed at the red-curtained windows. :-), China Town, and along the busy shopping district.   We came upon numerous cheese shops offering multiple samples, and the one below was our favorite.  Had we stayed another day, we would have taken advantage of their tours through their cheese factory, which is located a few kilometers from Amsterdam.  Maybe next time....

Gouda is good, no?!?

We later came upon a hole-in-the-wall bar with wonderful atmosphere and sampled a few beers on tap (beer on tap is limited here).

I mentioned in a previous post that bikes are prevalent.  This bike garage holds 2500 bikes for commuters.

Brian joined us later in the evening, where we had a delicious dinner together and walked the city a bit more before heading back to out lovely hotel.  The next day, we said a very tearful goodbye to Brian and took a one hour canal tour before leaving for the states.

Amsterdam has 1200 bridges. From this shot, it is possible to see seven.

 Neal was particularly astounded on how much buildings lean so much.  It seems nothing is plumb, and it's due to Amsterdam being under sea level, with unstable sub-ground.

We had noticed the previous day that most buildings had joist beams at the top of each roof, seen above.  We learned on the tour that they are still used to this day to move furniture and large items into top floors, due to the narrow staircases.

Thousands of house boats line the canals, and the city has limited its 2500 permits to those who are currently floating there, so that no more boats may clog its waterways.  Most of these boats are permanent residences.

We took a quick float out to the harbor.

One last shot of Amsterdam.

We were anxious to return home and greet our children with the numerous gifts of chocolate, gingerbread, bike bells, and stuffed animals we gathered along the way.  It truly was a trip we will never forget, and hope to return someday soon, possibly with the kids in tow. 

Thanks for reading.

Home again, Home again, Jiggity-jig!

Brian's Apartment

Den Bosch, Netherlands

How fun it was for Neal and I to finally get to visit Brian's home that he's been living in for the past year!  Nestled amongst tall buildings on a street that more resembled an alley, we settled in, made ourselves at home, and began to reflect on the previous week's trip.  Our first night there, too tired to go out for dinner, we broke open the large jar of Alsace stew, a pork-based dish, that was the perfect comfort food for the drizzle-filled sky and chilly temperatures the Netherlands is known for.  That, paired with various yummy beers Brian had cold and ready in his fridge, it was a perfect way to end the long day's trip.

Da Brajas (this is how Germans say "brothers" in English----according to Neal) working together in Brian's little kitchen.  Plus a shot of our Alsace stew and beer.

The next day, Brian reluctantly went back to work (we begged him to skip, but he's so darn responsible!) and Neal and I had a day to wander on our own.  We were both excited and nervous.  Up until this day, we had relied on Brian to do the speaking of German or Dutch, as well as help out with European customs.   Our jobs were two fold: 1. Get the car returned to the car rental   2. Walk back to Brian's safely 

The rest of the day was open to whatever exploring we desired.  

Following the GPS and figuring out after driving 1/2 mile that her prompts to turn were actual roads, not alleys (it's REALLY hard to tell in Europe), we were able to navigate and drop off our wonderful Fifi.  We walked back in a drizzly rain and stopped for coffee in Brian's neighborhood.  The streets of Den Bosch are  confusing (there are no perpendicular streets there) so it took us the entire afternoon to lose ourselves in the streets and then find our way back.  Before the end of the day, we did find the butcher, baker, (but no candle stick maker), and made a trip to the grocer to greet Brian home with a home-cooked meal.  We also found the local wine shop and the "wine man" made some great recommendations. Not bad for a first day on our own!

 Brian coming home to dinner and wine.  We are discussing the possibility of sitting on his rooftop porch.  It sounded lovely----so we did.  :-) 

My small attempt to "chickify" Brian's apartment.  The flower cart in the central market, just a few blocks from the apartment, would be a dangerous convenience for me if I lived here!! The empty whisky and wine bottles made for great candle holders.

The next day, having more confidence about getting around on our own, we made our way to St. John's cathedral, a 3-minute walk from Brian's place.  It is beautiful, its floor plan designed around an ancient burial ground that was there centuries before the cathedral's erection.

Tombs of said burials.  This is Indiana Jones stuff we're talking about here!

Neal and I found this painting to be beautiful, odd, and slightly frightening all at the same time.  The Virgin Mary on the right is exposing her breast to God, and there is a possessed looking Jesus face on the bottom left that's slightly covered with a sheet.  EVERYTHING was written in Dutch, so I had no idea what the meaning was behind any of it.

Isn't this beautiful?!?

The next day was "Market Day" on the square, and we took full advantage.  You may notice in pictures that I am gradually adding European apparel to my wardrobe, and as it turns out, Den Bosch is a shopping destination in the Netherlands.  We enjoyed shopping for clothes and bags, as well as trying various food carts on the square.  Turkish dumplings, egg rolls, fish nibblets, as well as Dutch and Belguim waffles were all sampled. The Dutch are not really known for their culinary skills, but I can attest, that if you have them straight off the cart, Dutch Waffles are AMAZING!!  Thin, crisp, with a small layer of maple-caramel syrup between two waffles makes for a great dessert!

Yummy, yummy, in my tummy!  We have heard from locals that eating them hot and fresh right from this cart is the only way to go (they are not nearly as good packaged), so here's a shot by the waffle stand.  I can almost smell the yummy goodness!

Bikes, bikes, everywhere!  People in this country do not verbally voice their presence.  Bells are used vigorously, so we went to the local bike shop and bought a bell for each kid to bring the custom back to Iowa (no more yelling "bike on your left!" on the trails).

One Quick Detour to Remember my Grandfather

St. Vith, Belguim

After a great weekend in the Alps, we had a long car ride ahead of us to get back to Brian's home, especially by European terms.  Eight hours of driving out of the Alps, back-tracking through France, then Germany, and landing in Holland for a week at Brian's place was on the agenda for our Sunday.

But first, there was one last thing I felt like I needed to do on this journey. Before our trip, my dad and grandmother helped me research where my Grandpa Soapy Zapf had been captured during the Battle of the Bulge, somewhere along the Belguim/German border, and I felt the need to make an attempt to find the spot, being so close to where he had once been.  My grandfather had been only briefly stationed (like a few days) in St. Vith, Belguim before marching a few kilometers to the east along a ridge just inside the German territory.  This was where the Battle of the Bulge took place. Knowing very little about the details of his capture and not sure of what, if anything, would be there in remembrance of his division, we thought we would take the small detour (12 kilometers) to see what we could find.

Our first attempt to find information was where we found the actual ridge in which the battle took place.  We did a little research on Brian's phone and sure enough, as we entered the tiny little village my grandmother described, the ridge was clearly visible in the distance and was eerily similar to a landscape I could envision in my own little hometown in Littleport, IA. 

With it being Sunday and all else quiet and closed in town, we decided to move along to St. Vith, Belguim, just 3 km away.  As we approached, I could feel my throat thicken and my eyes swell.  What if there was nothing there? Or, what if there was something there and I couldn't handle the emotion of it all? Our car became quiet as I crawled about the streets of St. Vith---feeling silly that I could even think to find anything remotely interesting without some kind of reference guide.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tiny sign indicating a WWII Memorial.  Taking a quick turn, we doubled back, and sure enough, on the lawn of a church marking the place where my grandfather had once been, it was there.  It wasn't anything extraordinary, yet it was incredibly powerful for me.  My grandfather had been part of something so profound that it should be etched in stone, a world away from our small town in little Iowa........and it was almost like I could feel him.

A garden in the central round-about in St. Vith, Belguim.

 Quietly, we made our way home. 

The Hills Are Alive!!!

Interlaken, Switzerland

I am going to start this post by saying that it's a bit lengthier than the others, as I am putting our entire weekend into one, and we really did a lot during our stay here.  I would rate this leg of our trip as the most picturesque, by far.

Interlaken is "locked" between two beautiful, glacier-fed lakes and is close to the top destination in the world for extreme adventure sports, second only to New Zealand. Here, you can go canyoning, hiking, sky diving, bungee jumping, white water rafting and paragliding. It's all within your finger tips right from this small town nestled in the Alps.

I was so incredibly excited about this part of our trip, mostly because I love food (I think I may have mentioned this before), and I had been reading over the past few months how well they do cheese and chocolate here.  Considering how well all of Europe creates (note the word CREATES, not just cooks) their foods, however, we had been spoiled with heavy breads, fresh meats, and delicious cheese that whole week  previous, so Switzerland had a lot to live up to.  

It may have been the vast difference in landscape that did it for me (after being immersed in castles, towers, row houses, etc).  Or maybe it was the fresh mountain air (cheesy, I know).  It may have very well been the relevance to home I felt (believe it or not), or just our ability to go outside and PLAY.  Whatever it was, this long weekend we spent in the mountains turned out to be our adult playground.....

Our first evening in Interlaken, we decided to head to a restaurant that was highly recommended.  It took awhile to find our way on foot, but we found the place we were looking for along one of the many canals connecting the lakes within Interlaken.  I was SO EXCITED to try fondue.  I admit---I had never eaten cheese fondue before (yes, I am sheltered) and it was delicious.  

I cannot remember exactly what Brian ordered, but I know it involved veal with some kind of mushroom sauce .  This was also yummy.

Neal is very much enjoying his pasta with cream sauce and zucchini.

 The small square in the quieter part of town.

We only have one regret of this entire trip together.  For 12 days of traveling, I would say one regret is pretty damn good.  I don't like to dwell on the negative, but I must take a moment to caution anyone who is reading and may someday got to Interlaken to not make the same dreadful mistake we did---Heidi's Hostel, or the place we have infamously renamed "The Piss Hostel".  Take it from us, if you arrive at your lodging and you get that not-so-easy feeling about it, WALK AWAY.  Don't feel bad about turning away from the 82-year-old (sweet but crazy) owner and saying "NO" to the lobby that smells like cat urine, or the bath towels that are as stiff as cardboard.  Don't shy away from saying "Neh" when you hear skittering across the ceiling at night and small black pebbles fall from cracks into your water glasses.  Stay strong and announce "I will not!" amongst the cluttered hallways and dank, dusty staircases.  That is all.

Now on to the better stuff.  In an effort to escape Heidi and all things smelly, we intensely researched our first night what to do with the remainder of the weekend. The word "random" shows up frequently in my posts, and is probably the mantra of our trip, as little was planned ahead of time, other than our lodging (not so well planned out in this case---OK, enough!).  

One very tempting but expensive option that was on the top of our list was to buy a tram ticket to climb the JungFrau (Young Frow), the highest climbing train in the Alps, complete with an Ice Palace and restaurant/viewing area to welcome us at the top.  This is a HUGE tourist attraction and the feat of building a railroad in the Alps alone was something of interest, not to mention the promise of seeing the largest intact glacier in all of Europe. Our main reservation (other than the expense), however,  was that it would be an entire day dedicated to this one activity, with a five hour train ride and another two to explore at the top.  Loving our freedom and fearful of commitment, we reluctantly moved away from that idea to instead pick random country mountain roads to climb into the Alps ourselves, and see just what Fifi could handle.  Again, we WIN and here's why.

 I am not even sure why we chose this road to climb, but we knew there was a waterfall somewhere along this way.  About halfway up (maybe 20 minutes' drive up), among the clouds, we came upon this beautiful restaurant, clinging to the side of the mountain.  We stopped for coffee, played a couple hands of cards, and talked to the two ladies who worked there.  

Some of the prize-winning bells of the herd of cows they own.  We looked through photo albums of this family-owned business and inferred that many a winter have been spent here with neighbors, drinking and talking together.  It came across to us that this place is somewhat of the area's village hangout, away from the tourists of Interlaken. 

Once the clouds baked off a bit, there was a beautiful view of the lakes below.

Chalets with cows grazing along the road.  Each cow wore a huge bell of a different tone around their necks (I thought that was just a myth!) and so the hillsides would be ringing in chorus! 

Isn't that just gorgeous!?!

Me saying "hello" to one of the ladies.  Brian told me not to touch her, or I would be quarantined at customs.

We went up as far as we could go, to the point where the road didn't look much like a road anymore, and found this bench.  This is a picture of our lunch.  Earlier in the morning, we found a baker and bought a baguette, bought some goat's cheese and fresh yogurt from the local farmer at the market, and brought along a bottle of wine from the Alsace region.  While restaurants have their place, I have never enjoyed a lunch so much as this.  

The view from our bench.  See the chair lifts?  I hear people like to ski here in the winter :-).

These bad boys were discovered when I went for a potty break across the hill.  I have never seen snails so huge!!  They were scattered all over. Again, Brian was quite nervous I would be quarantined, but I just couldn't help myself!!

 Neal and I went for a short hike and came upon this.  Considering we were walking along a ski lift, it's possible that it's some kind of emergency shelter.  Neal's guess is that it's a hobbit's vacation home.  Ever watch the TV show LOST?  Yeah, I think we may be on to something.

We made our way back down the mountain and along another road to find the waterfall we were looking for.  

We are damp.  And we are happy.

A beautiful hotel is situated just off the waterfall.  We wandered around and pretended we were guests there for a bit.

At the end of the day, we descended back into Interlaken and made plans for the evening.  Paragliding was on my agenda, and it turned out to be a fantastic experience.  

Landing.  The boys didn't know which one was me in the air, so there are no shots in the sky.  There can be  anywhere from 6-10 paragliders in the air at one time when the conditions are just right.

Can you say adrenaline rush?!?

Our view of Jungfrau from our outdoor deck.  

Do I look happy?  Yes.  Yes, I am.  Thank you Switzerland!  It was a blast!!

Kaysersberg, France

The Best Random Stop Ever!!!

 Kaysersberg, France

Have you ever just stumbled upon a random little morsel that turns out to be a completely whole, wonderful experience you would have never expected??  This post is all about that, as Kaysersberg was what all three of us voted as the best surprise on our trip.  

While perusing our hotel's lobby, I came upon numerous brochures of things to do in the area.  For whatever reason, one in particular caught my eye---a glass blower that uses centuries old methods in a remote village 40 miles south of Strassbourg.  Brian punched it into our GPS and it only added 12 miles to our route to Switzerland, so we thought, "Why not?  Maybe there will be a cute cafe for lunch and we can watch some guy blow glass for a bit." So, we left Strassbourg mid-morning and began our way there with no further expectations.

It's difficult to describe the feeling we had when we entered this gem of a town. This heavily German influenced area is situated within the Alsace region. It's known for its fantastic wine, and many of its ancient vines date back to the 16th century, having been transported from Hungary.  It has a very medieval feel with quaint, cute shops and lovely homes.  Here, it's just easier to explain with pictures......

This was the first street we explored, and quickly came about its central square.  In the background is a fountain with a statue of Kayser, the emperor of which the town takes it name.

The glass blowers making vases.  Neal was doubtful that we would even find it, but we stumbled upon it within 10 minutes of arriving.  We WIN!

The gallery of all the various vases, decanters, candle holders, and countless other pieces.  The three of us bought numerous items.

We stopped at an outdoor cafe for coffee, chocolate croissants, and salmon broccoli quiche. The French truly know how to do all of these things right!

After spending a couple hours here, we made a collective decision to somehow live here someday.  We played a game, where we each picked out the house we are going to buy.  It only occurs to me as odd now as I write this that Neal and I will be living in separate houses.  Just ignore that small detail for the moment.......

Here's Neal's:

This one is Brian's (we may have to arm wrestle for it one day, as not only is the color fantastic, but it is also on the canal):

This one's mine.  Isn't the green lovely?!? Plus, the back side is built as part of the old fortress that used to surround the city.

Just a couple more pics of us wandering the streets....

Me pointing out to Brian how long of a walk it would be from his house to mine to get together for wine and cheese.  :-) Notice no screens on the windows = no bugs. Another reason to love this place.

This is just a shot of one of the streets along the main square.

The strange part about this is there is no mention about this place in any of my Rick Steves' travel guides, and it doesn't show up as a destination on any google hits when researching the Strassboug area.  However, now that I have been there and have specifically researched Kaysersberg, it is listed as one of the most beautiful places in the Alsace wine region.  All I know is, this is a place we WILL be visiting again.