Paris and Amsterdam 2019

Amsterdam Day 6

The Dutch continue to amaze with their ability to harness the power of wind and water. They are brilliant sailors, dam builders, and windmill makers. Consider that at least one third of this country lies below sea level, next consider how these windmills were used to control the water in the lowlands. By pumping water to the rivers through a vast network of canals, the Dutch were able to turn land that was under water into farmland. Consider now that this engineering feat was achieved in the 1300's and there were 10,000 windmills in use to accomplish the task. The windmill we visited, The Museum Mill, operated from 1634 until 1928 when it was replaced by electrical drainage. However, this mill is kept up and running and able to pump if needed. It is hard to imagine the minds that could devise the gears, working parts and metal pieces to assemble this machine much less have it function successfully for over 300 years. But it still moves these massive sails and the turret continues to rotate in the direction needed to capture the wind. With this ingenuity it is no wonder this is the 15 largest economy in the world.

We also made a stop in Edam, a quaint little town, which is famous for its cheese by the same name. We had samples of several different flavors and they were all delicious. Plaques like the one found below are a sad reminder that the Nazi's came thru this neighborhood and took people from their homes. The plaques lists the names of the people who once lived there.

Schermer Windmill

Inside windmill

Edam

Day 7 Amsterdam

Today we did a tour of Keukenhof Gardens outside the city of Amsterdam. The first tulips are alleged to have come from the mountains of Turkey. In 1593, the head of the Botanical Gardens in Leiden, Carolus Clusius, planted the first bulbs in Dutch soil. Amazed when he first laid eyes on the flower, the botanist tasked himself with learning how to propagate and cultivate the flower and eventually wrote a book on the subject. Today, the Dutch control 77% of flower bulbs, mostly tulips, traded globally. The dams, canals and windmills create a land where beauty blooms to the tune of 4.6 billion euros annually. The photos below are from our trip to Keukenhof Gardens. We think the flowers below tell the story better than we can....

Amsterdam Day 8

Today is our last day in Amsterdam; we are boarding our ship this afternoon. We enjoyed our stay at the Movenpick because of its proximity to the city centre of Amsterdam. Will dream about the chocolate and Dutch french fries until we can plan another trip over - thoroughly enjoyed this vibrant city.
The cruise line we are using is Avalon Waterways and our boat is called the Expression. We will leave Amsterdam tonight and stop in Cologne, Germany tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow morning will be a much needed rest from running around.

We decided to take one last walk around Amsterdam to see anything that we missed. We came upon a small cafe, Winkels. It is always packed, but today it had a short line, so we went in to see what the big fuss was about. Carolyn walked up to the counter and said, "I'll have one of what everybody is coming here for." I took a trip to the bathroom dungeon. Bathrooms in Amsterdam tend to be small, challenging to get to, and you have to pay to use them. I found Carolyn outside eating what she describes as, "Probably the best piece of apple pie I have ever eaten. Based on the half she shared with me, I agree. Will find a recipe for Dutch Apple Pie when I get home!!! Wow, it was crazy delicious.

We visited the Anne Frank house. Anne and her family, Germans of Jewish decent, hid there during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. She kept a diary, which was discovered after the war. Another sad reminder of the atrocities carried out by the Nazi Germans. Westerkerk, in the photo below, is said to be the church Anne wrote about. She said she could hear the bells toll each day while in hiding. As we came upon the church, we heard those same bells; it was both beautiful and haunting.

Anne Frank House

Westerkerk

Below are some miscellaneous pictures of Amsterdam that we loved.

Cologne Germany Day 9

Checked onboard our Riverboat late yesterday. It's called the Avalon Waterways Expression. See photos below. We started in Amsterdam yesterday, and when we got up today, we were in Cologne, Germany. Our first leg of the journey down the Rhine has begun!

Avalon Expression

View from bed

Deck

There are a number of things to do and sites to see in the fourth largest city in Germany, but the highlight of Cologne is its Cathedral. Like many churches in this part of the world, the Cathedral at Cologne was constructed on the site of an earlier place of worship dating back to the 4th century. The cathedral was built over a 632 year stretch, so it contains gothic elements from its early construction period in 1248-1473 like flying buttresses which support soaring spires, gargoyles and rib-vaulted ceilings. The partially completed structure would wait until 1870 to be completed. Unlike Notre Dame, the spires remained true to their Gothic inspiration but were constructed of 17th century materials, namely steel. (Note: Notre Dame was devastated by a fire earlier this week) Finally, in 1880, the cathedral was finished!! Then came WWII... the cathedral became a navigational aid for the RAF which was sent to bomb the city 262 times!! The most notable bombing took place on the night of May 30; the RAF finally left the city in rubble and the church was hit with 14 arial bombs. But when the dust settled, aside from a few shrapnel chips in the walls, the cathedral was still standing tall.
After several hours of exploring the outside and inside of the cathedral we walked a few blocks to the city's hub. Interestingly, many of the stores are American, from Dunkin Donuts to the Foot Locker, the city seems to enjoy American culture...and Americans seem to like German culture. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and our host was from CA, and our server from Seattle.

Cologne Cathedral

Inside cathedral

Entrance to Cathedral

Cathedral spires

Fun Statue in Cologne square

Gargoyle

Koblenz and The Rhine Gorge Day 10

Koblenz is famous for the Basilica of St Castor named after the missionary who served his community in the fourth century. In the ninth century, St Castor extended the nave to include a monastery and quickly became a major player in the spiritual/political shaping of Germany and Eastern Europe. Kings, emperors, and dignitaries came to rely on the basilica to settle disputes, negotiate treaties, and broker territorial limits. Blueprints for the Treaty of Verdun were drawn up here. And the mention of Kings calls to mind castles.

Basilica of St. Castor

Sideview St Castor

Unique ceiling

As we headed down into the Rhine Gorge, we saw two things that define this area, castles and vineyards. The castles, all 23 of them, were built for security and protection. Living on the Rhine, a virtual thoroughfare through a large part of Europe, meant those with power could collect tolls in return for river passage. Romans, monks, and Lords discovered the soil along the river was perfect for growing Riesling grapes. The landscape is now sculpted by vineyards and the remains of the castles that used to reign supreme. Today, wine is King!