A Word About Youth Hostels~

 "Hostel-ing" in Belgium

Staying in Youth Hostels has been a new experience for us on this tour. We've previously stayed at Gaust Haus's, hotels, primitive cabins and camped, but this time we decided to go the hostel route. Doug became a card-carrying member of Youth Hostels International, which essentially gives you 3euro off the regular price. The prices are very reasonable and usually include a breakfast. Its definitely worth it. It can be a very good experience and sometimes not so good. Luckily the Belgium hostel Doug chose was nice. So on to the guided tour!
Here you see the approach to our destination on the right. Beautiful wooded area, quiet and away from the city.

My first impression was that it looked like an old grade school in America. But it was actually built as a youth hostel. These are common all over Europe. Young people are sent here to spend a few weeks in the country where they have activities and attend lectures. This particular hostel is very near the open air museum we visited, which you will see on my next post!

One of the best things we have found as we travel around Europe is how well kept things are. Well, not everything. But we've been impressed at the pride europeans take in their homes and places of business.

Thank you, Doug, for always taking such stunning pictures of me! This is where the breakfast is served. Typical continental fair; deli meat, rolls, bread, cheese, orange juice, room temperature milk and choices of fruit spread, Nutella and butter. What no Fruit Loops?

Six bunks to a room! Luckily we came at a time when we were able to stay in a room by ourselves, so we didn't have to share the space with strangers. This particular room had a sink inside which is not typical.....

This is typical. "Good morning~nice hair!"

But at least you can dress in private. These are personal dressing rooms. Co-ed, but private. The showers and toilets are separated by Vouw und Man (women and men), thankfully!

We took a walk around the premises. I love this picture. Doug looks like his hair has grown long, but its actually a hoodie!

Such a pretty place, and a perfect morning for a walk!

The evergreens in this area were interesting. I've never seen this type before.

The kids found a stick hut that was started, but by the time we left, they had completed it including moss applications to the exterior. They had a great time doing it!

On the road again!

More Than Windmills and Tulips

 We awoke on our first full day in the Netherlands to partly cloudy skies and lots of wind. It was a bit chilly, but such an enjoyable day!



Mandy and Jared have been to The Netherlands several times so we hit a few of the highlights that they had enjoyed since we had such a short time to travel in that country. One of the places we visited was Zaanse Schans outdoor museum, a charming sample of traditional Dutch experiences in close proximity. Here we were able to see close up how a windmill works, wooden shoes being made as well as enjoying the quaint architecture of former times.
The windmill above is called De Gekroonde Poelenburg (The Crowned Poelenburg) and was used as a sawmill in its time.

Standing on the upper deck of De Zoeker (The Seeker) was a remarkable experience. We were able to experience the power of the wind as it whipped around the mill and feel the vibrations of the giant cogs as they turned inside. We actually climbed the narrow ladders inside the windmill and watched as peanuts were ground into oil. Doug took some amazing video of the workings of the mill. It was built in 1672 and is the only wind powered oil mill still in operation.

Here you see Het Jonge Schaap (The Young Sheep). This is a replica of a windmill built in 1680 that once stood on this site but was demolished in 1942. It is a wind powered working sawmill that is only opened to the public two days a month.

We spent some time in the shop that sells wooden shoes, which has a small display area dedicated to antique and unusual wooden shoes. 

These shoes would have been worn for a special occasion such as church, a holiday or wedding.

Doug liked the work boots. The shoes on the right would be worn under shoes to elevate them off the ground and out of the mud.
Each province has a different type of wooden shoe so at a festival all one would have to do is look at your shoes to discover which province you were from!

These are bridal shoes.

There is also a workshop showing how shoes were made originally and how they are made today. In former times, shoes were hand carved from chunks of wood using a large blade attached to a workbench. Now they are made by a lathe that uses a previously made shoe as a template to make a new shoe. What used to take hours to accomplish, now takes only 5 minutes.

On our last day in the Netherlands we were mostly driving, but spent a little time sightseeing along the way. These are some of the things we saw.

Serene lake in a neighborhood where we also saw...

This rather amazing house. Yes, that is a thatched roof. Thatching is truly an art which I love!

Every city we visited had canal systems which are in daily use, as you can see.

Bicycles are a means of transportation that is readily used. Also a lot more convenient we found as we tried to navigate through narrow streets with a van pulling a trailer behind.

I...don't even know what to say...

Here we are standing on the beach of the North Sea. It was so very cold! "Quick, take the picture so we can get back inside!"

When you leave your rain jacket at school, certain emergency measures need to be taken!

We made a stop in Gouda at the cheese shop.

Nathaniel was very helpful!

Doug had an interesting conversation with the owner of an antique shop that we spent some time in. He and Doug shared a common interest in WWII. He told Doug to walk with him down the block and showed him this residence with three brass blocks embedded in the sidewalk. He said you can find these all over the city of Gouda, designating that from this house, the persons named on the plaques were taken by Nazi soldiers and sent to death camps.

 

One more look at the tulips, and now on to Belgium!

The Netherlands Adventures

Tulips!

Recently we took a trip to The Netherlands, more specifically Holland. I'm embarrassed to admit that I expected to see tulips and windmills the minute we crossed the border. I really didn't know that much about this surprisingly beautiful country as I have never really studied about it. In all honesty I thought Holland was the name of the country, not a region within the country. Now that I have admitted my naivete`, I'll continue...
As we crossed the border into The Netherlands I was instantly struck by the fields of yellow, not tulips but rapeseed which is the source of canola oil. I didn't actually see a single tulip until we had reached our destination of Lisse which is actually in Holland. Our first evening there we drove out to the tulip fields. The only word to describe this experience is breathtaking!

I was surprised to learn that when growing tulips, the growers let the tulips get to this stage of blooming and then go through and cut the bloom off the top. This strengthens the bulb. It seems a shame but apparently its a necessity. Then the tulip bulbs will be harvested in August and separated with the largest bulbs packaged for sale all over the world and the smaller bulbs replanted. The Netherlands ship out over 9 million bulbs every year.

Doug asked me which color was my favorite...

The white was really beautiful...

But in the end, the red won out!

On our way back to our hostel, we passed by this amazing thatched roof home. What an art!

The sign on this restaurant made us laugh! I'm not sure we've ever seen abbreviations on a sign like this before! We ended up eating here later on, thinking that Chinese food would be a safe bet for kids who don't always appreciate foreign cuisine. We were wrong, none of us liked the food. I'm not sure I've ever had Chinese food with tomato sauce before!

Castles on the Rhine

Have you ever dreamed of living in a castle? We have. And our dream came true....well, for one night at least. We spent the night in Stahleck Castle which overlooks the Rhine River and rises majestically above the medieval village of Bacharach, known for over a thousand years for its wine industry. 

The enchanting road leading into Bacharach...

In the center of the village you will find this old house built in 1368. Just the kind of thing you would expect to see in a medieval city, isn't it? 

Love the detail on this door...also, the blessing by the priest on the house recorded on the chalk paint on the upper right hand side. The village priests bless every home, whether the occupants are Catholic or not...

A stroll around the village. Notice the lovely gardens and the vinyards on the hillside. We wondered how anyone could work in the vineyards without rolling down the very steep grade, but discovered that there are iron loops to anchor ropes to. We can only hope they use them!

View of the Rhine from the castle courtyard...

The castle truly "rises from the rocks". You can see how the steps are worn smooth from centuries of foot traffic.

Stahleck Castle was built around 1100. One of the most interesting facts about this castle is the tale of a secret marriage between Agnes, daughter of Konrad von Staufen and the son of Heinrich dem Löwen. The marriage was secret because the two families were feuding...well, apparently not everyone was feuding!

Schönburg Castle...

Rising like a centenal above the town of Oberwesel, Schönburg Castle dates back to sometime between 966 and 1141. It has seen many a battle, has risen and fallen especially during the Thirty Years War.

Inside the Shield Wall. You can see the archer's slits in the arched openings of the walls.

View of Oberwesel from the castle keep...

 Looking back up at the castle from the garden below. Now notice the archer slits from the outside...lots of room inside for the archer to move around, but a very small target from the enemy outside.

View from the castle's north side...

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle situated on a small island in the middle of the Rhine was built beginning in 1327, primarily for the collecting of tolls.

This is Gutenfels Castle, built after 1200. It can be seen across the Rhine from the Schloßweg (castle way) road. We didn't visit any castles on the other side of the Rhine. There are over 20 castles along this stretch of the river...we only toured five...

 
 This is Sooneck Castle a beautifully built castle with the distinction of being a "robber knight" castle. It was built as a protective castle in the 11th century, but by the mid 1200's the Lords von Hohenfels became robbers enriching themselves by robbing travelors and collecting heavy tolls.

View of the courtyard...

A bit threadbare now, but elegant furniture for the time....

I had to take a picture of the lighting!

Original crossbow

                                                          View from the top...

This is Reichenstein Castle, also belonging to a robber knight. We decided not to tour it because it is so massive it would take the better part of a day to go through it. Hopefully we will be able to go back...

                                              Entrance to Reichenstein...

Rheinstein Castle, as you can see, sits atop a crag of rock, breathtaking as if from a fairytale. This is a Princes castle built early in the 1300's. It had fallen into ruins, but was bought by Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig of Prussia and was restored by Claudius von Lassaulx and Wilhelm Kuhn from 1825-29 (hmmm, I wonder...). It was his favorite residence, and he and his Princess Louise Wilhelmine lived here until his death. It remained in their family, falling again into ruins until 1975 when it was purchased by German opera singer Hermann Hecher, who began the renovations.

View of the castle from below...

Taking a rest along the way. It was a long, steep hike! Great for defense. The enemy would be too pooped to fight by the time they got to the top.

   Above the main entrance is this crest of the Hohenzollern (a royal family) a Prussian Eagle with Helmet and King's Crown. The gothic letters read "Gott mit uns" (God with us).

Doesn't every little boy dream of being a knight sometimes? These suits of armor are parade armor. The armor height averaged about 5' 4". With all the constant wars going on in Europe, there had to be a lot of "little man syndrome" going around.

This is the Knights Hall. The stained glass windows date from the 17th century.

This is the courtyard. The vine you see here is approximately 500 years old and still produces grapes which the owner says are delicious!

                                                         View from castle ramparts...

I loved this picture of the sink in the castle kitchen!

The bedchamber of the Princess. The bed is Gothic from the late 16th century.

During our little excursion on the Rhine, we took almost 300 pictures. It is an area rich in the history of knights, princes, kings and wars. Each castle presents itself as a hallmark of times past, and as we rambled the halls and climbed the stairs we were reminded that we were walking where kings have walked.