On The Water, It's How We Spent Our Vacation ...

Our trip through France, Germany, and the Netherlands  had a constant theme pretty much the entire time.   There was a consistent focus on Water.    (Holland and the Netherlands are the same place, Holland is a more traditional name for the country)

Even up through the final days, we were either on the water or near the water, usually both.  The place we stayed for the last week in Holland was on a dike, or large berm, on the IJssel River.   On this entire trip, we were never far from the water. 

To be fair, these were inland waterways, often man-made.  Like the canals in France, the waterways in Holland are often engineered or converted rivers.  However, on the last day we were quite near the North Sea, in Haarlem Holland. 

There are so many things to do in the Netherlands, and we did our best to hit many of them.  The history of this place goes back for millennia, so there is seemingly no end to the historic features.

One such place was a small medieval village called Elburg, on the Drontermeer River.  It was a well-preserved town with buildings dating back several hundred years.  It's fun to walk among the streets of an ancient place like this.

 

I don't often put food pictures in the blog, but I couldn't resist this enormous plate of barbecued ribs we gorged on in Elburg.  Ken ordered it and we helped him finish, I couldn't believe we ate the whole thing!

 
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And that led to another canal ride!  What a surprise!  Only well ... this was actually a very pleasant surprise and even one of the highlights of the trip - the Geithoorn village canals.  

There is a bit of a story there.  We had a rather challenging time finding this hidden gem, and when we finally got there the weather had gotten a little cloudy and windy and cold.  

But we set out in a sixty year old wooden boat that used to haul cows around.  There were other options for the self-guided boat cruise, but we chose the slow, historical method. 

We immediately went out into a large lake and were buffeted by the cold wind, with increasing clouds.  And we were making slow progress in the boat, with others passing us left and right.  It looked kinda iffy for a while, but we had a good laugh.  

  


Turns out the trip eventually winds it's way into the village with small canals weaving through impossibly quaint Dutch houses, and the sun came out!  And at that point, our slow small wooden boat became a real asset, leisurely taking our time drinking in the sights of this delightful village. 

We returned to our canal house, but not without a ride on the ferry boat across the IJssell River.  In fact, we went out of our way to catch the ferry just to keep the theme going.  

This ferry was like the ones we see in Oregon that take local traffic across rivers.  Even got a couple of geese to pose for the picture! 

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The next day we headed to Amsterdam.  Our goal upon arrival was - guess what? - a canal ride.  This one was a commercial tour boat through the winding canals of the Dutch capital.  

 
It is a great way to see the city, but alas, we didn't have a lot of time, our trip was coming to an end. 

We made our way next to our final stop in the lovely little city of Haarlem.   There is a great central square and when we stopped for coffee, we were right next to the city hall.  There was a wedding going on and we had front row seats.  Fun times.

 

  
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And sometimes I exaggerate (really?).  Our entire trip was not on the water.  We did visit some things on land, Ha!  

We went to the Van Gogh Museum in the Dutch countryside and enjoyed many priceless works of art from the slightly demented genius.   

 

Vincent Van Gogh had a short but brilliant career (he died young), and like many struggling artists, was not really appreciated during his time.  He left a large body of work that is now one of the art world's most famous. 

And while on land, we also visited a particular favorite place (we've been to Holland many times) - a fantastic garden called the Fantasiem.  It is the work of one guy with amazing garden sculptures, and it seems like anything grows well in the rich wet climate.

All in all, it was a great trip.  Started out in France, and then a long week on the canal boat, filled with adventure and danger!  Well, a couple people in our group of friends were injured ....

And then we finished up traveling through the wine country of Germany and enjoyed the many things to see and do in Holland.  

Already thinking about our next trip ... 

Windmills And Wooden Shoes, Guess Where We Are?

After many exciting adventures, and the scars to prove it, we have returned from our boat canal trip and parted with Larry and Bev.  We have moved into another phase of our travel, to Germany and Holland.  

Upon completion of the canal journey, and the return of the boat, Fiona, Mary, Ken and myself returned to Strasbourg, France.  After a good night's sleep in a hotel, we rented a car and headed north.

 
Our destination was Bacharach, Germany, on the banks of the Rhine River.  This is a very historic region with castles around every corner, and numerous wineries on the steep hills that plunge down to the river. 

It's a very scenic drive, there are castles everywhere along the way, and Bacharach is a very scenic town.  The weather was good and we dined on authentic German food (sauerkraut) when we arrived.   It's a very traditional and photogenic town.

In the afternoon, we set off on foot to visit the local wineries - of particular interest to me because of my connection to the wine business - but they were all closed.  On a Saturday afternoon?  What's up?   

We finally found out that they were all at a gathering, a sort of large tasting event and symposium at the town hall.  Which is where we went.  

Personally, I really enjoyed the variety of wines and talking to the winemakers.  I found out a lot about the wine business in Germany, and of course, sampled many of the local wines.   

In addition to having a very long history, the wine makers here have a much different way of doing business than those back in Oregon.  For one thing, the vineyards are tiny - around three to four acres mostly.  And they only make wine from the grapes they grow themselves on their own land, so the production run is very small.  But top notch nonetheless.   

The Land of Tulips

The next day we set out for Holland, our following destination where we would spend the rest of our time on this trip.  Of course, the more common modern name for this country is the Netherlands, but I will use the traditional name in this post.  

It was kind of a long drive but we were on freeways most of the time.  People drive very fast on the roadways here, especially the Germans.  It was not uncommon to be passed by a car going close to 100 miles an hour!

We had a place to stay in Welsum, Holland and after we found our way there, we were very pleasantly surprised by the accommodations and the location.  We were staying in a dike house, built on a raised berm that controls the water levels in a country that is 26% below sea level.  There is a large Windmill right out in the backyard, how Dutch is that?

 

We managed to pack several visits into a rather short time.  For much of the last century Holland has been affected by World Wars, and has suffered among other things from a lot from bombings .  We visited a very interesting museum in Arnhem.

There are many stereotypes of the culture in Holland, and most of them are quite accurate.  There are lots of windmills, wooden shoes, great cheeses, flowers, millions of bikes, and canals everywhere.  

It's a very pleasant place to visit.  They seem to be very relaxed, peaceful and calm.   Kinda rubs off on you ....

  
One thing that strikes you is that the country is very tidy, neat as a pin.  It's clean and green and they take great pride in their orderliness.   The houses are well built of brick and the yards and gardens almost always seem very nice.   Thatched roofs are common.  

They usually find a way to decorate with a subtle approach in good taste!

Take A Licking and Keep On Ticking! More Travel Adventures ...

In an attempt to catch up from several days of activity, I will recap with words a few hair raising events and intermix many photos at the same time. 

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, this trip on a boat is a high participation effort.  Everyone on our team needed to be ready for action, and we often had to be "all hands on deck".  It was not a kickback relaxing time, it was a lot of work and you usually had to be at your best all day long.   

Mishaps to our crew!  

In order to pilot a boat like this through the miscellaneous challenges, you need a young, vibrant crew of agile, athletic, strong people.  This was not a description of our crew.  None of these adjectives applied to our team.  In some ways, we were the opposite of this required status.  

 
But, for the most part, we did a surprisingly good job negotiating the numerous skills needed to sail a boat on the canals for a week through sixty two locks, often in bad weather.  


Until near disaster happened.  There were a couple of rather alarming accidents that affected our team, and put us to the test.   

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The first was late in the evening when a female member of the team took a nasty fall inside the boat.  Bev went down while making the transition from bathroom to the bedroom of her cabin.  Keep in mind, these are tight quarters.  

It was a very noisy plunge in which she landed roughly with one part in the bathroom, one part in the bedroom, and one part out in the hallway.  

We all heard the crash and jumped out of bed to see her laying there in a very awkward position.  It looked real bad, but she gamely said "I'm good, it's all right, nothing to be concerned about.  Nothing to see here!"  Only we knew that was not true.  She couldn't get up. 

Turns out she twisted her ankle pretty badly, and it got worse as time went on, but she was a trooper and tried not to let it affect her perpetual good-natured approach to life.  

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Unfortunately, things got worse a couple days later when her husband Larry went down hard while making a leap from the boat to secure a rope line to a dock landing.  The last thing we heard from him before he prepared to jump was "this is a perfect spot!"  

It was a rainy day and the dock was slippery.  The dock was also concrete.  As Larry hit the landing, his feet slipped out from under him and he went down hard.  He landed with a thump and a loud groan.  It sounded bad, and it was. 

We had to scramble to get the boat tied up while he rolled around in pain on the hard ground in the pouring rain.  It was an alarming period of time, as he could not breathe properly and thought he broke some ribs.  When I first heard him fall, I thought he said he broke his leg!  

We were all extremely concerned, both for Larry, and for the remainder of our trip.  Is he going to have to go to the hospital?  Is he going to be okay?  How are we going to carry on?

As it turned out, he gradually recovered from possible broken ribs, and some very, very serious bruises.  With the aid of some medicine, rest, and a trip to a local pharmacy, he was able to continue on with our boat trip.  

But he was limited in his movement, and suffered a lot of pain.  It was a huge bummer for Larry, and we were hampered by having a key crew member out of action and in recovery mode. 

Hey, we're all about travel adventure, but this was a bit much.  In fact it was off the charts.  First his wife Bev went down and was still struggling from the ill effects of her fall, and then Larry suffered a calamitous tumble that while very bad, could have been even much worse.  

So we soldiered (sailored) on.  While our team had years of acquired wisdom, we lacked the above list of physical attributes that should have been obligatory.  We made it through, but it wasn't easy.

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We Saw Many Amazing Things 

I don't want to make it sound like it was all bad.  Indeed, we had a lot of good times and saw many wonderful things.  We had a great time that we won't forget.  

 



As an example, we had scheduled a tight window of opportunity to visit a brewery on the shores of our canal.  This was a large historic French beer making company that had been in business for over three hundred years!  (I know, the French are generally assumed to be all about wine, but they are also master brewers!)

We parked our boat and walked a couple kilometers into the nearby town.  It was a glorious sunny day after a lot of rain, and we enjoyed a extraordinary visit to the Meteor Brewery in Hochfelden. 

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One of the more interesting parts of the trip came when we sailed on the canal ... over a river.  Yes, there was a river running down a small valley and we went right over the top of it in our boat on the canal.  

It may be hard to tell from the picture above, but the canal is on the top left, with the river below.  You can see our boat there on the top right. 

This scenario struck me as very unusual, but for some reason, the others were not as impressed.  Different strokes.  But this was undoubtedly the first and maybe only time I will sail over the top of a river in another body of water going a different  direction.  

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There were many charming towns through which we passed and even spent the night on the trip.  The canal has been around since 1845, so the towns are built around it, and history is woven into it to a large extent.  

I really enjoyed the smaller towns, and we usually had dinner in a local restaurant, with excellent results.  

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At one point I was tasked with going to town early to get some bread and was asked to bring back something "pretty".  This is not normally a strong suit for me, but I did my best.  

  
This particular episode was blessed - when I didn't have enough coins with me to afford the items I selected - and a wonderful French young fellow paid the shortage and bought for them for me/us.  It was a special moment on the trip ....


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Who Are These Morons?

And another anecdote of pure goofiness - 
Larry and I went to town on bikes to get some food or anything we could find for dinner.  It was a long way and it was Sunday and pretty much everything was closed.  

We somehow wandered into a very nice restaurant and promptly got kicked out - based on how we were dressed and the fact that the first thing out of our mouths was "You guys have any beer?!?"



But we did score!  We did not return empty handed!  We eventually found not only some beer - but Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream!  Check out the triumphant look on our faces with our bounty!  (And the obvious reason we got booted from the nice restaurant). 

By now, as you read this, we have completed our initial phase of our journey, and we are moving on, to Germany and Holland.   Stay tuned for more updates!

A Bridge Too Far

As we traveled down the canal and locks, we encountered a few adventures.

A Bridge Too Far

(Actually, it wasn't a bridge, but a lock)  

On a boat near Strasbourg, France:

We're currently on a week long, self-guided journey on a canal boat and ... it can be somewhat complicated.  Before departure in advance, we had set a course through several towns with periodic stays along the way.   

There are organized stopping places at certain intervals, with the “opportunity” to stop anywhere you like, or anywhere you can.  You have to pace yourself and plan your route, and try to make sure you can reach your destinations.

Unfortunately, there are delays and obstacles. Sometimes the locks don’t work right, or we don’t understand how to operate the idiosyncratic machinery, or you have to wait for others to travel through.  Also, the weather has been unpredictable and rainy.  Also, while we're at it, the boats are limited in speed so you can only go so fast. 

Oh, and the overall system closes down in the evening and opens again in the morning.  And the times change if it's a Sunday.  You need to keep all this in mind and make sure you have a location to park the boat and stay for the night.  

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So after a leisurely morning we struggled to find a place for lunch at a big town.  It was Sunday and almost everything was closed, but we finally managed to land some sandwiches and set off.  We had a stop in mind and a plan to get there.  There were eighteen locks to pass through on the way. 

We were making good time and the weather cleared up; it was bright and sunny.  As we continued on we tried to be efficient with our efforts and push our travel speed.  Before too long, it became clear that our plan to arrive at our destination was going to be tested.  

We realized it was going to be very, very tight with a chance that the locks would close before we could get through.  


Well, guess what? We missed the last lock by ONE MINUTE!   We were stranded!  Up the creek without a paddle! ... well, sort of.   Plan B was to dock by the side of the canal until morning.  

Fortunately, these boats are equipped with almost everything you need.  We had battery power, water, a little heat, food, and beverages.   

The possibility of stopping somewhere in the middle of nowhere was upon us.   

Our disappointment soon turned to excitement when we discovered how wonderful a spot it was.  We relaxed and enjoyed the surroundings, went for a walk, were amazed by the sunset, and generally appreciated the splendid isolation.  

Being open to adventure is part of the joy of traveling.  

The Boat and the Locks

Our boat is a big one, about 43 feet long and sleeps six people with three separate cabins, each with a bathroom.  It has a large diesel motor and lots of systems similar to an RV for comfort.  There was a reasonable kitchen and a sitting room, with an outdoor upper deck.  Our particular unit had been around a while, but was in decent shape.  

Big boats respond slow to steering and are hard to stop, so you have to pay attention getting around.  Plus many of the locks are narrow and tricky which adds to the challenge.  And you have to secure them with ropes and knots at the dock or in the lock or other places in the canal. 

Overall we did alright with our crew and managed to get around just fine, although there were a  couple of mishaps.   However, this type of sailing could benefit from a youthful approach and our group was ... ahem, a rather mature bunch. 

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The Locks:  Part of the magic of a trip like this is going up and down the large canal through a series of locks, which enable you to traverse across land that is not level.  

Locks are formally described as - A device used for raising and lowering boats and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be raised and lowered, usually entered from one end and exited from the other. 

We went through a lot of locks.  In fact we passed 

through a total of sixty-two locks!   The French have designed this system to be fully automatic for the most part, but there were instances when things didn't work right.   And it could be turbulent when the water changed levels and the lock filled and emptied.   

And of course, there was the large incline that we came through, in which the lock itself is picked up and transported three hundred feet in the air!  It was like a giant swimming pool going up a hill.  

As I said, overall we did well to navigate these sometimes complicated features of the canal trip, but it was a lot of fun, and it kept us really busy!

Next, misfortune pays us a visit ... 

A Massive Elevator For Boats, and Floating Through Tunnels ...

 

We are on a canal boat cruise, and not the kind you might think of. Many trips of this kind include deluxe accommodations, food and drink, guided tours and a pilot and crew.  Our trip is on a boat - and it's a nice one - but we are driving ourselves, on our own.


There are six of us, three couples, and we are exploring the waterways of northeastern France, on the Rhine canal. We picked up the boat on Friday and set sail right away to a nearby town for a break-in get-to-know-you with the craft.

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The next morning we set out in earnest, and even though we thought we knew what to expect we were still surprised by what we encountered.


Before long, we came up to the first of two tunnels which the canal travels through. Imagine piloting a boat through a long tunnel that goes through a hill. If you can’t quite imagine that, we couldn't either. 

It was a fantastic experience, kinda of unsettling at first, but we felt transformed. The tunnel was pretty well lit and the reflection of the round ceiling in the water gave the impression that you were floating in a round tube, suspended in air, in a boat. It was magical. And then we went into a second tunnel, this one over two kilometers long!
These amazing tunnels were separated with an open space in between, and we had to wait while other boats came out going in the opposite direction. All this boat activity is controlled by a central system with lights and timers and other equipment. While waiting there a high speed train raced by, and entered a tunnel side by side with the water tunnel we were on. We probably spent close to an hour going through the two tunnels and it was unforgettable. 

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And then not long after we came to one of the highlights of the journey, a long elevator for boats that travels down a hill to the canal below. This is hard to imagine without pictures, and even then it doesn’t quite convey the size and scale of the structure.

It’s about three hundred feet high, and we came on at the top. After waiting our turn, we entered what could best be described as a giant floating pool. The boat sails on to a huge water holding tank, which then travels diagonally down the hill to the bottom, where you simply sail out into the waters of the continuing canal below. It was spectacular.


The French were able to pull this off to quicken the travel time for the canal, which otherwise would have had to go through a series of locks, like water stepping stones. The only challenge was that we were there around lunch time, and once we entered the traveling waterway, the staff went off for lunch. We sat there suspended in space over this giant sliding water tank.

We eventually made our way to the bottom and exited, again, rather spectacular!

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Then began another “adventure” - a long series of locks down the canal for miles and miles through the French hills and countryside. We weren’t complete novices, but almost. We had to learn the process and the techniques involved in the transiting of the lock system. All in all, we went through around twenty the first day. It was fun, but you had to pay attention! It’s a bit tricky until you get the hang of it. 

We stopped in the next town and anchored up at one of the docks that service this waterway system. There were several boats and groups of people doing the same thing we were doing. There were hookups just like an RV park, with power, water, showers, and we even had wi-fi (most of the time). These are quaint little towns in the hills, picture perfect. There is usually a nice restaurant for dining and a market to stock up on supplies. 

The boat is mostly self contained and is equipped with everything you need for stopping, even you are not in a town or harbor dockside. This came in handy a day later, but I’ll save that story for now.


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The next morning I went for a run, which is something I try to do everyday even when traveling. I ran up to a castle above the town of Lutzelbourg, which shared the same name. It was a long arduous run uphill but was worth the chance to get a few pictures and enjoy the view and the historical setting.



This is the kind of trip where you are an active participant. There is always a lot to do - either while moving and sailing, or stopping and cooking, eating, sleeping, tying off the boat to the dock, or touring around the towns. We even have a couple of bikes for riding around. We will be on the boat for a week.


More updates to follow.

Back At It - Can't Let Any Grass Grow Under Your Feet

After a brief but very busy time at home, we are back on the road - or more specifically - on the water. 

We arrived in Strasbourg France on Wednesday and today we leave for a canal boat trip on the Rhine River.   This trip is a long time coming, with multiple arrangements requiring quite a bit of advance planning.  We are travelling with friends; two other couples are on the boat with us. 

Basically, we have rented a good sized boat and will drive (sail?) it ourselves.  We can go where we want, when we want.  Within reason.

This is in the historic Alsace (pronounced All-Sauce) region of northeastern France, with rolling hills, vineyards, green forests, and quaint villages.  We will be on the boat for a week.   So far the weather has been crisp and sunny, but the climate is similar to Oregon so anything can happen.  

Our first stop has been the city of Strasbourg, not far from the German border.  In fact, over the centuries this town has changed hands many times so it is kind of blend between the two countries, with a larger influence from France. 

We've spent the day and a half connecting everyone together and getting supplies and making arrangements.  We also explored the very interesting city of Strasbourg.   

There is a magnificent cathedral here that for 227 years, was the tallest building in the world.  Inside, among the amazing religious icons, is an amazing astronomical clock built a hundred fifty years ago.  It still works and keeps time to within a couple  seconds a year even today.  It's a work of genius. 

This picture shows the clock on the left and an  apostle who is looking away ... seemingly unimpressed.  

My hope among other things to visit a couple of the wineries in the area, and enjoy the culture of this well known part of Europe.  It is the home of Gewurztraminer wine, a variety that I produce at my wine business.  

There are a couple other goals.  I achieved one already:
The food here is unique and yesterday I had a first for me - I ate some snails - known as escargot (ess-car-go).   Not too bad really. 

Here we are in a local Alsatian restaurant.