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June 26, 2005
Today we were up early and on to meet our bus and driver after a wonderful buffet breakfast at our hotel.
We made our way out of Haarlem and drove for about 2 hours before our mandatory first rest stop. The bus has a recording
device that records the drivers speed, distance, and time; if he is caught going over any of the legal limits - driving not
more than 2 hours without a break - he could be fined; this was for his safety and ours.
Our first stop was the outdoor museum in Arnhem. Ben led us around the park on a guided tour. We had lunch
at the park cafe which was a sampling of crepes and then we were free to walk around on our own and follow the map
we received upon entering the park.
About 2:30pm we left the park and headed to Bacharach, Germany. It was a long ride and we got suck in some traffic
but finally made it to our hotel around 7:30pm. Dinner was provided by the hotel for the two nights we were there.
After dinner, David and I took a walk around the town and found the "back door" - you know what I mean if you watch the Rick
Steve's Tour DVD! After we found a GELATO shop!!!
| We had this beautiful bus with a fantastic bus |
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| driver - Juan!!! He was the best!!! |
| Recreations of old Dutch farm homes and |
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| other historic sites - a nice place to take a stroll. |
| Ben, our tour guide, led us on a walking tour of |
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| the museum and then set us free to roam around. |
| Isn't this one of the sites we came to see? |
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| Hi Erin! |
| We were standing here, listening to Ben and all |
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| of a sudden a duck came up from the pond. |
| The best memories are those that are not planned!! |
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| Our bus got suck trying to make a turn out of the busy parking lot in Arnhem. |
June 27, 2005
Another beautiful day had begun in our new location of Bacharach, Germany. After breakfast, Her Jung came in and
gave us an overview of his town before leading us outside for a walk through the town and up along the hillside. It
was just a beautiful site to see and listen to Her Jung make it all come alive. We walked by buildings that were
hundreds of years old, saw castles on the hillside and listened to the music coming out of the windows, and
Rhine River flowing off in the near distance.
| Her Jung - the retired school master |
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| He made sure we new how to pronounce the name of his town with all its "bark's" and "rhah's"!!! |
| Our hotel - an old castle |
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| with a surprise in the basement. |
| This house was built in 1368!! |
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| You just have to take this picture. |
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| It's so surreal. |
| Ironic - even the ruins are beautiful. |
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| Not to be missed. |
| This was the castle up on the hill with people |
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| playing "We will rock you" by Queen!!! |
| I was star struck!!! He really made my day. |
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| I kept all the pictures and photo copies he gave us - i'll treasure them forever!!! |
After our walking tour of Bacharach we boarded our bus and headed down to St. Goar. Once there we were to meet
at the castle ruins of Rheinfels, some of us took a taxi up the steep hill and others were brave and walked up the hill (I
walked). The walk allowed you to take in the surroundings step by step. At the castle ruins we were greeted
by our tour guide and led on a tour of the grounds. She was very animated and made you feel as if you were in the time
period when this castle flourished. We went though caves, courtyards, and sub-level gathering rooms where the temperature
changed by 10 to 15 degrees colder.
| Castle Rheinfels in St. Goar |
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| Our tour guide made our surroundings come alive. |
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| One of the caves we ventured into. |
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| Other caves were pitch black - I stayed out of those!!! |
With a quick walk down the hill from the castle we were treated to a great lunch of bratwurst, potato salad,
and sauerkraut at the local hotel. After lunch we had about 1 hour to do some walking around and do some souvenir
shopping for beer steins, knives, cockoo clocks and more. We shipped home some steins and knives - everything arrived
home unbroken and in perfect condition. We all met at the pier for a scenic Rhine River cruise that would take us back
down to our hotel and for a nap before dinner and some late night entertainment!
| Shopping for cockoo clocks, beer steins, knives, |
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| and teddy bears. |
| This little boy was ready to go out for Halloween |
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| Too bad he was a few months early - maybe he's a landlord from medieval times!!! |
| River cruise down the Rhine. |
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| The landscape was dotted with castles on the hilltops and small villages between. |
| The hotel owners opened the basement Tikki |
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| lounge for us to do some dancing and have some fun!!! |
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