So it begins

Wine on the Rhine

Published Date : May 21, 1999

Interlaken, Switzerland

Last night, Rod had mentioned a trail he had been told about that winds around the valley near the chalet. We agreed to wake early to go check it out before breakfast this morning.

It was another clear, mild day and we took full advantage of it. We quickly found the trail that we were looking for and enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the valley. The small houses nestled in the hills, cows in the pastures wearing bells, the wildflowers in bloom, waterfalls pouring off snowy peaks thousands of feet above us – it was the stereotypical image of Switzerland brought to life in front of us. Both of us could have easily spent the whole day exploring further up the trail, but unfortunately, breakfast was calling.

We arrived back at the chalet just in time to catch the last of the food. Loading the bus, we said a fond farewell to Switzerland and began the drive north back into Germany.

Our lunch stop today was the university town of Heidelberg. We ran into traffic problems and found ourselves behind schedule. The weather had closed in again, so instead of spending a leisurely couple of hours eating and exploring the town, we stopped just long enough to eat before getting back on the road.

The afternoon was spent driving along the banks of the Rhine. Despite the grey day, it was still a beautiful drive. Our destination for the night is the town of St Goar, a quaint town nestled between the river and the steep banks behind it. Unfortunately we arrived too late in the day to see much of it.

We spent the evening learning about ice wine and beer steins. The mood was quite subdued tonight with the realization that we were headed to our final destination tomorrow.

It didn’t help that our accommodation was slightly confused. Our group ended up spread out at several guest houses, with many of us sleeping on mattresses on the floor because there weren’t enough beds. It was comfortable enough, but all the walking and activity over the last month has finally caught up with me – my right calf kept cramping all night long.

The Damage

Published Date : May 22, 1999

Breakfast and loading the bus – our usual morning routine. We drove northwest through the Ruhr Valley en route to our first stop of the day: Volendam, The Netherlands.

As had been the pattern for the entire trip, every time we entered a new country, Pip would ask if anyone knew any of the language. In addition to handing out cheat sheets of key phrases, if someone on the bus knew any of the language they would be asked to go over some pronunciation with everyone.

Windmill in Edam

Tracey, one of the South Africans, and the other 18-year old on the trip had the honour of attempting to teach us Dutch. By this stage of the trip everyone had about given up on learning a new language every couple of days. As uninterested as we all were, we still had a lot of fun butchering the pronunciation!

We arrived in the seaside town of Volendam to find sunny skies and mild temperatures. The town immediately reminded me of home with the quaint feel, waterfront promenade and abundance of fish and chip shops. We had been told not to be surprised if we saw anyone walking around in traditional clothing, but we didn’t see any of them in our time there.

Most of us opted for the fish and chip option for lunch. A dozen of us claimed a couple of nearby benches where we sat and enjoyed the sunshine, the sea air and watching the fishing boats come in.

After lunch we rejoined the rest of the group for a leisurely bike ride through the Dutch countryside to the nearby town of Edam. After years of riding mountain bikes with hand brakes, I found it a challenge to adjust to foot pedal brakes and nearly caused a wreck or two along the way. It was all good fun though.

Our bike ride ended at a cheese and clog factory with a functioning windmill. There were given a demonstration of cheese and clog making. Quite a few people bought both cheese and clogs while we were there, but I’m souvenired out for this trip.

It was late afternoon when we arrived in Amsterdam. For our final stop of the trip, we have hotel accommodation in the middle of town. Luxury!

After dinner, Pip took us on a walking tour through town. Our destination was the infamous Red Light District. After the overblown safety briefing we were given before venturing into that part of town, the reality was a bit of a letdown. It wasn’t much different than any other city centre that I had ever seen – apart from the half-naked women in the shop front windows that is!

On our return trip, we walked past the Van Gogh museum which was only a couple of blocks from hotel. Pip also pointed out where the Anne Frank house was, although we didn’t pass it.

As usual, we ended the night in the hotel bar, dancing and drinking well into the night.

Final days

Published Date : May 23, 1999

Paddleboats on the canal

Sandi, Sheri and I opted to sleep in a bit this morning. Then it was out to the canals to rent paddle boats to explore Amsterdam’s waterways for the morning. This is such a beautiful city. I’ve never paid much attention to architecture before, but this trip has definitely piqued my interest in it. After seeing everything from gothic cathedrals to Roman amphitheatres to gabled houses, how could I not be interested?

After a couple of hours on the water, we returned to dry land and headed for the Anne Frank House. We had expected a long lineup, but whoa! We had an hour wait just to get to the front door! Before coming to Amsterdam, I recognized the name Anne Frank, but I did not know the significance of it. After visiting Mauthausen and the Anne Frank House, I am ending this trip with a much better understanding of history and its importance to us. It is very sobering to see with your own eyes just what people were forced to endure. I would have preferred more time in the house to absorb things properly, but it was just too busy. I’d like to come back sometime and spend more time there.

Our plan had been to also visit the Van Gogh museum today, but the long wait had thrown our schedule off. We headed into town to meet the rest of the group for another optional event: a live sex show. When in Amersterdam…

The Red Light District looked very different in daylight, but still much more low key than I had been expecting. We were ushered into a theatre with a show already in progress. Apparently it’s a 45-minute show that repeats several times over the afternoon. Without going into detail, it was very X-rated and there was a surprising amount of audience participation. Where did I leave my eye bleach again?

Back to the hotel, we had an hour or so to make ourselves presentable before dinner. Our meal for the night was at an American comedy club called Boom Chicago. The improv show was great! It was a nice meal, with nice drinks and enjoyable entertainment. Overall it was a very pleasant way to spend our last night on tour.

We finished off the night in the hotel bar, but it was a very subdued night again.