Today started out docking at Gerlachshausen. From there, some of us took a bus to Rothenburg which was an hour and some away. We walked into this walled city and all of the sudden we went back in time. It was like nothing had changed since the medieval times. Okay some things have been modernized like sewers and sanitation, but it looked like a different world, like you read about in Shakespeare's stories or Chaucer's tales. During WWII only a small portion of this town was bombed so the majority never had to be rebuilt. So some of the sayings we use today came from those old times. Back in the day, animals such as dogs and cats and birds and rats and mice use to live in the ceiling area between the timbers and the ... read more

We spent the day docked in Wertheim on the Main River. There was a glass blowing demonstration and then a tour in the cute little town of Wertheim, pronounced “Ver-time”. Then we had free time to roam around and do some shopping, soooooo, that’s what we did! I might have to get rid of some clothes that I brought so I can take home my new clothes; or maybe ship them home. We also went to a local home in a nearby village, pronounced “Willage”, and got to spend time with a lovely couple in their home. I swear, the folks over here are so historically knowledgeable. I just love listening to them, and their accents are fun too! Since I didn’t spend any time talking about the food, you’re probably wondering if they’re now starving ... read more

We started out in Koblenz and had a wonderful morning then it was “All aboard” and we sailed down the Rhine River to Rudesheim. The scenery was amazing!! Gorgeous towns, vineyards, churches and castles! We stayed on the sundeck and just saw one after the other. It was magical. I found the castle I want to buy and fix and flip. It’s perfect!! We arrived in Rudesheim and that’s where the fun began! We went to a beer garden for dinner and listened to an Umpapa band. There was dancing and singing, marching and drinking, shots and good food! Chandler and I stayed out on the town to experience the night life, except the town closes down at 10:00. We then stayed up on the boat so Chandler could serenade some of the boat staff with ... read more

So far, I'm finding Amsterdam to be a pretty dirty city. The architecture is beautiful, but it's just a little bit different. The quaint is gone and replaced with a lot more crowds, cigarette butts everywhere, and not really that charming. One of the highlights of the trip was meeting two ex-prostitutes and talking to them. They are actually called sex-workers and they are legal, registered, and proud of what they do. They are 73 year old twins named Martina and Louisa. You'll see a picture of Mom and Mary Ann with them. They were very interesting and appeared to still be willing to make some money if anyone was interested. They were selling books (Meet the Fokkens) and souvenirs. They are also on public television sometimes, at least over her in Europe...very interesting. The food ... read more

I wonder if there is such thing as drinking too much beer!? Today was spent in Bruges getting to do all of the things we ran out of time for yesterday. And then of course to do things we got to do yesterday but were so much fun, that we thought we'd do them again, like drink beer. We spent time going to The Basilica of the Precious Blood from the 12th century where according to tradition, the 'Holy Blood" of Jesus was brought back from Jerusalem by Derrick the Alsace and entrusted to the city of Bruges in 1150. We also went in to The Church of Our Lady, where there are amazing pieces of work including the Madonna and Child sculpted by Michelangelo. We also hung out in De Burg where the Town Hall, ... read more