Not everyone has the physical ability to ride a bike, however. Senior citizens are allowed to own these tiny cars and park them right on the sidewalk in front of their houses. These cars aren't much bigger than the scooters the seniors were riding around on the cruise ship, but they have the advantage of a roof to protect you from the rain.
The houses in Amsterdam are very tall and skinny, because your property tax is based on the house's footprint. In other words, the dark brown house would only pay about half the taxes that its neighbors on either side would pay. The houses in Amsterdam also lean a little bit, because the foundations are so old, they are starting to deteriorate. The houses aren't in danger of falling down, though, because they hold each other up. But you often see crooked gaps between the houses where one side is lower than the other.
Another thing I noticed was that many of the doorways are very elaborate with tiled entries, hand-carved doors, and wrought-iron railings. They seem to use ceramic tile a lot in Europe.
We happened to be in Amsterdam on a Sunday, so I stopped in for mass at a local church. The service was in Dutch, but it wasn't much different than attending a service in Latin - the rhythm is still the same. This was the beginning of many, many churches that we toured, one more opulent than the next.
We reserved our hotel in Amsterdam through the cruise line. Originally we were booked into the historic district, but then they switched us to the De Pijp neighborhood - advertised as one of those up-and-coming, "trendy" neighborhoods (aka. cheaper than the historic section). I was disappointed with the location, but the hotel itself had been totally renovated. The only weird thing about it was the bathroom - it had glass walls! Luckily it also had a giant shade that could be lowered when the bathroom was in use.
Our first port stop after boarding the river boat was Kinderdijk, (pronounced kin*der*dike) in The Netherlands. The Dutch use a lot of j's in their language, but then they ignore them when speaking. Kinderdijk is known for their windmills - 19 in all and still working. I was really looking forward to this port as an opportunity to do some sketching. But we ended up doing a quick run-through of one windmill and then hustling back on the boat. While the Midwest has had non-stop rain this summer, evidently Europe has been experiencing a drought. We'd been warned about a possibility of having to bus our way across Europe if the water dropped any lower, because the boat wouldn't be able to make it. As it turned out, we frequently got off on a bus to take a tour of one town or another, but then the bus always took us downriver to get back on the boat. I'm guessing that's because it was sailing through a shallow section and busing us around was a way to get the weight off.
The next port was Cologne, Germany. This is the home of the original Eau de Cologne store - not necessarily it's biggest claim-to-fame, but a cute bit of trivia.
We spent the morning touring the Gothic Cathedral. Many buildings in Europe are undergoing renovation, mostly cleaning. This church was about half complete, so some of the statues were very bright and others were covered in black soot.
We stopped for a traditional German snack at a sidewalk cafe - liverwurst, cheese, and beer.
The next port was Koblenz, Germany. We made a brief stop at the headland (where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers meet) - long enough to take photos of this monument and drop off some passengers who were going on an optional excursion.
Then we rode back downstream for the "included" tour to the medieval Marksburg castle.
Even though this castle was built in the 13th century, it had some "modern" features, like a toilet. Basically it was an indoor outhouse. Our guide told us it turned out to be an area of vulnerability when under attack, because invaders could climb up the drain hole and get inside the castle (yuk). So the door leading into the bathroom was heavy iron with a bolt.
There was also an impressive display of armor in this castle. They even had protective helmets for the horses.
We spent the afternoon cruising through the scenic portion of the Rhine. Almost every town along the river has an old castle up on the hill, so it was very picturesque. But being summer, the riverbank was also loaded with wall-to-wall campers.
Later that afternoon, we turned onto the Main River Canal - a 109-mile waterway that connects the Rhine and Danube Rivers via a series of 19 locks. The Main River is very shallow, so the canal was built to allow commercial boats safe travel. Every few miles, we would go into a lock, and the water would raise us up to the next level. But partway through, we reached Europe's Continental Divide. The only difference was that the locks would empty out of water, lowering us to the next level.
They also had to close the sundeck during this portion of the cruise, because the bridges were so low. There were times when there were literally inches between us and the bottom of the bridge.
The boat even had a motorized mechanism for lowering the pilot house down inside the ship whenever we passed under a low bridge.
The worst part about closing the sun deck was that it limited what you could do (this was a very small ship - only 190 passengers). Most people sat in the bar and drank. Bruce loved it, because he used the time to write. BTW, that greenery on the sun deck was the chef's herb garden.
Our first stop along the canal was Miltenberg, Germany. Our tour wasn't until later in the afternoon, so we hustled off the boat and hiked up to the ruins of another castle. I nearly made it to the top before turning around.
But Mr Mountain Goat made it all the way up. It turns out there were a couple other people on the boat who were as enthusiastic about climbing up to old ruins as Bruce, because we often passed them on our way up or down.
We met up with our guide for the afternoon tour at an interesting statue (or maybe I should say fountain). Evidently in the past, the town flooded a lot, so boys urinated right in the street. Then the town built a flood wall with a public restroom next to it, so you have a more private place to go. But they put up this statue as a memorial. Hmmm...
Because of the flooding, the buildings in Miltenberg were masonry on the first floor and timber-frame on the levels above. The masonry prevented water rot. The buildings were also "protected" by religious statues usually placed over the front doors.
It's amazing how many of these were not destroyed during World War II, but people often took them down and stored them in basements or underground caves.
We frequently heard stories about happenings during World War II from our tour guides. We saw many "stumbling stones" - brass plaques set into the sidewalks outside the homes of victims who were removed by the Nazis. It was a very sobering memorial.
The next day we stopped in Wurzburg, Germany. This was one of my favorite stops. Not only was it very beautiful, but smaller and more peaceful than many of the larger cities. I spent a couple hours at an outdoor cafe sipping a latte and sketching this fountain.
Wurzburg has a really neat Romanesque bridge going across the river with 12 statues of saints along both sides. It's a tradition here to sit along the bridge sipping Franconian wine that you can buy from the kiosk vendors at either end. I passed on this; it seemed too hot for wine.
The next day we stopped in Zeil am Main, Germany to drop off some passengers for an optional tour. Bruce stayed onboard, but I walked into town for a quick sketch. I found a bench near this old water wheel, that is actually still in operation. Some bikers stopped and asked if I'd take their picture. They were speaking in rapid-fire German, which I don't know at all, but when someone is holding up a mobile device, you can figure they want a photo.
We cruised on down the river to Bamberg, Germany. This town was probably my least favorite spot, because we were there on a Saturday night at the beginning of a summer festival. In other words, it was jam-packed with people.
The Old Town Hall sits on an island accessible only by a narrow bridge lined with cobblestones. There were so many people, the only way I could get a picture was raising the phone over my head and hoping for the best.
I was in danger of a mental meltdown from the heat and the crowds, so we wandered up to the historic section near the old Cathedral and hung out under a tree until the bus came back to take us to the boat. We couldn't even get into the church, because it was closed for a wedding.
The next day was Sunday, so things were naturally quieter at our stop in Nuremberg, Germany. Plus we found an amazing sidewalk cafe after our walking tour that served giant ice cream sundaes. I would have split it with Bruce, but he opted for the apple strudel instead.
We happened to be in the plaza when the glockenspiel went off. Every day at noon, the historical figures march around the duke who sits in the center. Then the rooster at the top crows 3 times when it's finished.
The next day we dropped off passengers who wanted to take a 2-hour bus trip to Munich. Since we'd been to Munich before, we stayed on the boat and sailed on to Regensburg, Germany. I decided to take a break from the daily walking tour and headed off into town on my own. I found another little cafe across from this beautiful doorway and spent the afternoon sketching it - very relaxing. When we got back on the boat, we left the Main River Canal and started traveling down the Danube River. This was great news to all the passengers, because the top sun deck was opened back up. I liked our balcony, but you could only see one side of the river.
The next day we stopped in Passau, Germany. Passau is another town known for their cyclists, because there is a bike path that runs along both sides of the river. So now, in addition to camper vans, we often saw cyclists camping along the river in tents. I was fascinated by this bike trail. If I were ever going to head back to Europe, it would be to spend a week biking along this trail.
On our walking tour in Passau, our guide kept pointing out watermarks on the buildings. The particular section we were touring is at the confluence of 3 rivers (the Danube, Inn, and Ilz), so when the water gets high, it really has no place else to go, but in through the cobblestone streets of the town. The worst flood occurred in 2013, when the water rose over 42 feet high.
Consequently, on many of the buildings in Passau the decorative trimwork around windows and doorways is simply painted designs rather than traditional wood or plaster mouldings. The yellow trim in this picture looks like it sticks out, but it's just painted to look that way.
Our walking tour included a concert in St Stephen's Cathedral. This church is the home of Europe's largest pipe organ with 5 separate organs and over 17,000 pipes.
The next day we toured the Benedictine Abbey in Melk, Austria. I've never seen a place so opulent. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but the complex included a church, a museum, a high school for local students, and a huge historical library filled with very old hand-written books.
The property was surrounded by many different kinds of spiritual gardens for meditating and reflecting.
We decided to walk back to the boat rather than take the bus, since it was all down hill. Plus it turned out to be really easy to navigate through town. They had blue tiles built right into the pavement leading the way, kind of like the Freedom Trail in Boston.
The next day we stopped in Vienna, Austria right as the sun was rising over the modern side of the city (we were docked on the historic side). Normally, Vienna would have been a beautiful spot, but I think every person in Eastern Europe was on vacation inside the city that day. It was so crowded.
We opted for the walking tour that went into town via the subway, rather than ride around town on the bus. Vienna has a wide range of architectural styles, but they are most known for their elaborate Baroque monuments. We frequently saw huge statues framing doorways and windows.
They even had a set of statues framing the entrance to the grocery store.
Our guide told us that Vienna is known for its sachertorte - a very dark chocolate cake. Being a choco-holic, I couldn't pass that up. I even got Bruce to try a piece. Other tourists who were walking by the cafe kept stopping and asking us if the cake was good.
We stayed 2 days in Vienna and then headed off to Budapest, Hungary. The churches in Budapest were unique in that the roofs of the buildings were made out of brightly-colored ceramic tile.
During our free time before heading back to the bus, we wandered into an antique store. We were tempted by a few things, but had no room in our suitcases to get them back home.
Budapest was actually the end of the river cruise. Some passengers were flying home, some were staying a few days in Budapest, and some were renting cars or taking the train to other parts of Europe. But about 20 of us (still under the guidance of the cruise line), boarded a bus for Prague, Czech Republic. We traveled through the country of Slokakia (but didn't get to stop). The roads in eastern Europe are very bumpy. They don't look like it, but we sure felt it on the bus. Our guide told us that it was because this part of the country was originally under Communist control and Communists tended to build things on the cheap. Rather than using poured concrete, the roads were built from concrete block (hence the bumps). Luckily, the new government was in the process of replacing the roads, so some sections were much smoother. I think our guide was obsessed with American fast food, because we made a lunch stop at a rest area with a Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was a bit tricky to order, because the menu was in Czech. Bruce ordered a "zinger" thinking that was the word for a chicken sandwich. It turns out that the term "zinger" is also used in the US - it's KFC's name for spicy-hot chicken.
I think Prague was my second favorite city on the entire trip. It was very well-preserved, because the buildings hadn't been bombed during WWII like so many other cities. It was just a bit tricky to navigate, because the cobblestone streets are so narrow and twisty.
They had a glockenspiel like the one in Nuremberg, only this one had a much more elaborate show with moving figures. The clock face was also fascinating, because there were different hands to show seasons and phases of the moon, as well as time. It was a very popular spot for photographs, especially wedding pictures.
A lot of the buildings were decorated with ceramic tile, both inside and out. We went into this restaurant mostly to see all the decorative tile on the walls, but the food was good, too.
They also had a bridge with statues on the supports like that in Wurzburg, only these statues were significantly more elaborate. All in all, our double cruise was a great adventure with an opportunity to check off several new countries on my bucket list. But I think I'm ready to stay home for a while. Walking over to the library sounds real good to me right now.
