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AmsterdamSaturday morning, we had to be on the bus at 8, so breakfast was at 7, but I was up and ready by 6:30. So I ate early and then sat in the lobby to work on my blog. They wifi on the bus was finally working. However, as we got away from the city, it was sporadic. As we drove along the interstate highways, I noticed a lack of billboards and advertisement like we have in America. Even the exit signs only indicate food (crossed spoon and fork) and lodging (a bed). No company names.
As we crossed into Germany, there is no large sign to indicate that you are crossing into another country. A couple of small signs indicated that you were now in Germany. We traveled along the Autobahn for a while. According to our tour guide, Germany has the worst roads to travel on due to its poor condition. Most of the time I couldn’t see the land before our pit stop due to the sound barrier walls or high plants and shrubbery. At the rest stop we were warned that the restrooms are a pay as you go type. You have to pay
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The Netherlands €.70 in a turnstyle slot. Then you get a ticket that’s worth €.50. This slip can then be used in the store to purchase food or items. What we weren’t told was how clean these restrooms can be. These have got to be the cleanest restrooms at a rest stop that I have ever seen. The cool thing was the actual toilet. When you flush the toilet, a lever pops out of the wall and begins spraying the seat with a sanitizer. Even cooler, the seat lid rotates all the way around. I flushed it three times to watch it. Simply cool. They do have the giant windmill blades here in Germany. They paint a couple of red stripes on the tips of theirs. About an hour into Germany the flat lands of the Netherlands started to become rolling hillsides with little towns in the valleys. With the rain, there was mist obscuring the hillsides at times.
Our next stop was a Rhine River cruise starting in Boppard, Germany. The bus meandered down a winding road through forests of tall trees and pines until we reached the bottom of the Rhine Valley. We had a
few minutes to explore the shoreline village of Boppard before boarding the boat. I still can’t get over how much they love Italian food and pizza. One restaurant in Boppard advertised that they had American food. Since we were a little early on boarding, most of us grabbed a bite to eat. I ordered the German Bratwurst with French fries. It was good. I saw with a new couple that I hadn’t had much interaction with. They are from Australia. The man had long black hair and looks like he could be a member of heavy metal band, but was a private guitar teacher. His wife works for the Australian government. They were very nice. The man and I had a nice discussion about teaching and the influence of technology on the students of today. After I finished eating, I headed up to the top deck to get ready for the cruise. Unfortunately, due to the rain, everything was wet. The wicker chairs were just a little damp. We finally left at 2. We saw many small towns that had mostly older buildings. There were a lot of castles along the way. Most had been turned into a hotel. We
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The Netherlands passed a church/bar. Because the bar was so close to the church, they created an entrance where you have to walk through the bar to enter the church. It rained very lightly as we cruised past the wonderful scenery. We got off the boat in the town of Loreley, famous for the Loreley statue and lore, of which we saw right before the cruise ended. We walked along the embankment until we got to the bus.
Heidelberg is a town on the Neckar River in southwestern Germany. It’s known for venerable Heidelberg University, founded in the 14th century. Gothic Heiliggeistkirche church towers over the cafe-lined Marktplatz, a town square in the Altstadt (Old Town). The red-sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle, a noted example of Renaissance architecture, stand on Königstuhl hill.
We drove for about an hour and a half until we reached Heidelberg. We stopped there for about an hour for a bit of a break. Like the past week, it was overcast and it rained for a while. We got there late and as soon as it started to rain most of the shops started to close. Quite a few were already closed. I was
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The Netherlands able to get a few souvenirs and something special for one of my nieces. We left Heidelberg and drove through the city for about 20 minutes to reach Mannheim. We got into the Mercure Hotel a little after 7. My room was one floor up. Very spacious. I liked the shower. Dinner was supposed to be a buffet but instead it was a set course. All of it was good. I try to take pictures of the meals, but this time I was so hungry I ate the chicken, small potatoes, and the vegetables quickly before remembering to take a picture.
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