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!
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