Amsterdam:
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| Bill with Becky , Mike, Finn, and Stella |
In late October Bill and I flew to Amsterdam, first to visit our daughter Becky and her husband Mike and their children Finn and Stella and then to take a Rhine River cruise on one of the Viking cruise boats. It was a wonderful experience and we've included lots of pictures and few words so you can experience our adventure visually.
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| The canal where Becky, Mike and family live |
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| Near the Anne Frank house |
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| Anne Frank house in the middle | | | | |
Kinderdijk:
The Netherlands are known for their many windmills. At Kinderdijk there is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is known for its network of the old type windmills and their ingenious flood management services. One windmill is attractive in the environment, but many are magical. The windmills can only pump water about four feet, so several rows are needed to pump it higher.
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| Kinderdijk has the largest concentration of operational windmills |
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| One of these screw pumps can pump the same amount of water as 8 of windmills |
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| Returning to the boat at Kinderdijk |
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Cologne, Germany:
After leaving Kinderdijk the boat moved on to Cologne. On the 11th day of the 11th month at 11:11 am the Cologne Carnival starts. There are many festivities, the most obvious to tourists are the bright costumes, heavy drinking, and large crowds. Many places are closed, but bars and restaurants are full to overflowing in both beverages and customers. We were fortunate (or unfortunate depending on your choice of sites to visit) to arrive at the dock in Cologne at 10:30 am. We enjoyed walking through the crowds, but were happy to return to the quiet of the boat.
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| Bill standing by our cruise ship, the Viking Forsetti |
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| Cathederal in Cologne, |
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| He posed for me and motioned for me to take his picture |
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| More posers |
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| Kohlner Dom is Germany's largest cathederal |
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| Hohenzollernbrucke Bridge - lovers initial their lock and throw the key in the river |
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| A horseman guarding the city |
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| Cruising "up" the river, Mary with friends Joe and Sarah |
Koblenz, home of Marksburg Castle:
Marksburg Castle is one of the few castles on the Rhine River that has retained all of its initial construction. It is the best preserved castle on the Rhine.
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| Luckily we had a bus take us to Marksburg Castle |
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| A foggy morning looking from Marksburg down to the river |
Kitchens and dining areas
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| Did those last few pictures of Marksburg Castle remind you of New England homes? |
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| Knights armory from all eras of Marksburg Castle |
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| All good castles must have a wine cellar |
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| One last view of Marksburg Castle |
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| A small village near Heidelberg Castle |
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| House on way to Heidelberg Castle |
A misty overcast day of cruising and viewing ten castles and many cathedrals along the river.
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| The famous statue Lorelei, near the narrowest part of the Rhine |
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| High water on the Rhine |
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| Vineyards around the village |
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| Vineyards away from a village |
Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg is on the Upper Rhine plain where the Rhine river meets the Ill River at the border of France and Germany. Today it is in France, but it has gone from a part of France to a part of Germany and the reverse several times, depending on how the boundary wars were settled. The bus took us from the river into historic Strasbourg where we were guided through the village.
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| Bill with our friend Sarah |
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| Amazing architecture |
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| A small dog carved into the inside panels |
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| The smallest house in Strasbourg, |
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| Flower boxes and Christmas decorations |
Property taxes are based on how much land is covered by the bottom floor. The red house has none,
hence no property tax.
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| A butcher's sign |
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| 111 heads are displayed on the outside of this house |
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| Bartholdi's house, he made the Statue of Liberty |
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| Window shopping can be fun! |
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| Enjoying a hot cup of cocoa | | | |
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| Strasbourg scenery from the bus |
The Black Forest:
The Black Forest is a particularly scenic part of Germany and is known for the skillfully crafted cuckoo clocks that are hand made
here.
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| Native dress of Black Forest |
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| Church in the Black Forest |
The architecture in this cathedral is bright and of the Baroque style.
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| The cuckoo clock workshop's side wall is a working clock |
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| One of the many cuckoo clocks |
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| Black Forest cakes for sale in the cafe of workshop |
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| Inn near the cuckoo clock workshop |
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| Scenery in the Black Forest |
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| Barn and house in one building |
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| We even had snow in the Black Forest |
Our European trip ended on Nov. 16 and two days later we started moving our boat down to where it will be warm for the winter. It is now Dec. 17th and we've made it to Fort Myers Beach. Later this week we'll move on to Marathon, FL for two months of warmth, fun, and good social events.
