January 24th, 2016
Hello, My Faithful Readers
21
Months Served/5 Months to go
I
have placed some photographs at the bottom of the blog!
So, you may be wondering why the numbers don’t add
up to the 27 months that I am committed to as a Peace Corps Volunteer. My official COS (Close of Service) date is
July 15th; however, we can apply for early release (sounds like
prison). J
In any event, I
requested that my COS date be June 30th, 2016 so that means I have 5
more months of service. I don’t know if I will get the date I asked for, hope I
do; but, I will know officially in March when we have the COS conference. At
the conference all will be revealed.
Before I begin with Part 2 of my travels in Western
Europe; I wanted to share some events happening here in Georgia.
The last time I looked the currency was 2.50 Lari
for 1 US Dollar. My US purchasing power here in Georgia is very high; but, I
don’t think it is good for the Georgia people and economy.
January 14th is “Old New Year” – so, of
course, January 13th is “Old New Years Eve.” It is the Orthodox New Year and the folks
here (at least in Sagarejo) take this very serious. Fireworks and gun fire can
be heard at midnight (and beyond) and on
January 14th family and friends gather with a feast of food to
celebrate the New Year. Of course, wine is in abundance. It just does not seem
that the holidays will ever be over J https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_New_Year
January 19th is yet another
holiday but of the religious kind. It is Epiphany. The link below will provide
more information; and the good news is that everything is closed (including the
schools). Even though school officially started on January 15th;
because of the holiday nothing really starts until January 20th. http://agenda.ge/news/28246/eng
And yet another tradition that I had no
knowledge of and that is something called “The First Footer.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-foot.
This tradition is very much alive here in Georgia;
as well as other places around the world and yet it is all new to me.
"First footing" (or the "first foot" in the house after
midnight) is still common across Scotland. To ensure good luck for the house
the first foot should be a dark male, and he
should bring with him symbolic pieces of coal, shortbread, salt, black bun and
a wee dram of whisky.
Ok,
so now I begin with Part 2 of my trip on the Rhine River:
When I last left you I was boarding the river boat,
AMACERTO, in Basel, Switzerland. I was upgraded from the dungeon (what I call
the lower level) to a stateroom on the top level. It was a wonderful surprise.
(pictures below blog). No matter where you are on the ship; it
is all wonderful. The lower level does not have a balcony; but, the rooms are
basically the same. I would have been very happy in the dungeon (smiles) but
the upgrade was a real treat.
There are 12 locks on the Rhine River and the link
below will give you a Utube video of another cruise line that went through one
of the locks. If nothing else; I would go on river cruises just to witness the
engineering of going through a lock. One morning I woke to the sound of what I
thought was someone singing. I was going to call to the reception desk and ask
that whoever was singing to please stop and then I realized we were going
through a lock. The sound that I heard was that of the equipment that was being
used to get it through the locks. It was really funny at the time; and I can
say, if someone was singing they were pretty bad!
I really did not know much
about the Rhine River before the cruise; and probably even at this point after
the cruise I don’t know that much more; but, the cruise felt like a history
lesson. During our time on the ship the Cruise Manager gave a couple of
mini-lectures on the areas we were traveling through. The Rhine River was also
such a part of WW2. Again, it was a learning experience for me. Details will be
given as I move us through the cities we visited during the cruise.
The first evening on
the ship the Captain invited me and others to have dinner with him. The dinner
guests (all 12 of us) were the single travelers on the ship. There were name
tags indicating where we would sit and I was seated next to the Captain. What a
character he was. Easy to talk to and shared pictures of his wife, children and
grandchildren with me and the group. He works 4-weeks and then has 2-weeks off.
The meal, I think 5-courses (maybe more) went on forever; but it was a nice way
to start the cruise.
One of the great things
about a river cruise, or any cruise for that matter, is that once you unpack
you are done. No more placing luggage outside the room or worrying if something
was left in the hotel as you were leaving. Another reason is the food. As you
know, my Faithful Readers, food here in Georgia is not really in abundance and
what food there is available is not really to my liking; so having the food on
the ship is one of the magnificent benefits. I think we had (6 or7) food events
during the day. In addition to the traditional breakfast, lunch, dinner; there
was also early lunch and afternoon tea and late night fare. I felt like a baby
that was eating every (2) hours. I loved every minute. Of course, since my body is just not used to
eating so much and such good food; so, I was not feeling so great at times; but
that didn’t stop me. I felt like a bear trying to garnish calories to store in
preparation for winter (and that winter translates into going back to Georgia)
- J.
The cruise includes all
the excursions; however, in order to order transportation and such we are
asking to let them know what events we want to participate in. Although we
didn’t go into the Black Forrest we did get to see it in the distance
(Southerwestern Germany). Black Forrest cake originated from this region. Wood
carving, including cuckoo clocks date back to 1740; however, the idea of a
cuckoo clock did not originate in the Black Forrest. It is said that the name
was the result of the forrest being so dense that no light, or very little
light, was available in the Forrest…thereby making the area “black.”
The choices for
excursions were Breisach, Germany; Freiburg, Germany or Riquewihr, France. I chose France. At this point on the Rhine River
- Germany is on one side and France is
on the other. Many of the houses in Riquewihr date back to the 16th
& 17th Centuries. It was lovely to walk around; however, so much
is dedicated to shopping. The main village street was all shops. The area has
largely remained unchanged and escaped damage during WW2. As a result, it does have a unique feel and
charm from a period back in time.
Coming back to the ship
from France to Germany we did see the French police checking cars wanting to
come into France (over the bridge) – as France was still under siege as a
result of the recent terror attacks. As we were in France going back to Germany
we didn’t have to deal with it; but, it was a reality check of what was
happening in the world.
Some interesting facts
about Christmas: In Germany, Heiligabend or
Christmas Eve is said to be a magical time when the pure of heart can hear
animals talking. The earliest known Christmas decorations were apples. It is
said that during the twelve days of Christmas spirits, good and evil, were
active. These spirits evolved into Santa’s elves. Ah, more useless information
you cannot use is the fact that after the Swiss are done with their military
service they get to keep their rifle and that women can finally vote in
Switzerland in 1978. Basel is a city of drugs; that is, pharmaceutical
companies in abundance and you can get a beer at any hospital in Germany (beer
is very important).
As we started the
cruise from Basel, the coastline of the Rhine River was devoid of anything but
vegetation. I was surprised, the Cruise Manager said as we move up the river
towards Amsterdam we will see more construction on the Rhine.
The next day we had options
of Kehl, Germany; Alsace, France or Strasbourg, France. So, if I was going to
go I would have gone to Strasbourg; however, since I was not feeling so good I
just camped out on the ship and reveled in the luxury that surrounded me. Some
interesting things; however, about Strasbourg:
The
city’s main sight is the Cathedral of Notre Dame with its famous astronomical
clock. The city center is classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO and its
medieval cityscapes includes the black and white timber-framed building. The Christmas market is BIG - called Christkindelmarik, previously called “Saint Nicholas Market”. I heard from
the folks who went on the tour that it was really cold and windy and that the
clock was up so high it was really hard to make any sense of what it was doing.
Back on the ship; we
were treated (in the evening) to some traditional French music by a group
called “Armand & Sabrina”. Sabrina was the singer and Armand playing the
accordion in the wonderful tradition of the French Cabaret. A wine growers
dinner was featured and then off to the luxury of my stateroom.
Something
to think about: Author, Khaled Hosseini
“Love will free you or squeeze you into something smaller than
yourself”
New
Year’s Eve on the River is really something special. However, the day was spent
touring Mannheim, Germany; Speyer, Germany and Heidelberg. Heidelberg has the
oldest University in Germany; founded in 1386. It overlooks the Neckar River
and of there is the Heidelberg Castle. The Heidelberg Kiss is a candy
consisting of chocolate praline nougat and thin wafers covered with chocolate.
Back in the day men and women were not encouraged to meet; however, this
chocolate kiss given to women who caught the attention of a young man was
chaste but delicious. It is all very romantic.
Shopping
once again is so prominent throughout touring and Heidelberg is no exception.
It has one of the longest shopping streets in all of Germany. The street named Hauptstrasse is over 1km from one end
to the other. Even if you don’t want to shop; cafes are abundant and it is in
the heart of the city.
New
Year’s Eve is party time. The ship is decorated and a DJ comes aboard to dance
the night away. A feast of all kinds of food; seafood, oriental, French and
German is made available. On the top deck of the ship we wait for the
fireworks. They start about 30 before midnight and go on way after 12:30am. I
get dizzy turning around in order to see the 360 view of fireworks. We did have
some kids shooting fireworks at the ship; but, the Captain took care and made
the kids stop. Last year when I was on the Danube we had the same kind of
fireworks display; so I guess this is a European thing. The States we watch the
fireworks head on; only in front of us; but, here in Europe the fireworks
surround you.
This
bridge, Remagen Bridge (also known as Ludendorff) shortened the Second World
War. It has been said that the bridge was worth its weight in gold. The bridge
is no longer; however, there is a memorial to honor how the bridge was
instrumental to US Allied Forces.
Ludendorff
Bridge during
the closing weeks of World War II and were very surprised to see that the
railroad bridge was still standing. It was the last of 22 road and railroad
bridges over the Rhine still standing after German defenders failed to demolish
it. U.S. forces were able to capture the bridge. The unexpected availability of
the first major crossing of the Rhine, Germany's last major natural barrier and
line of defense, caused Allied high commander Dwight Eisenhower to alter his plans to end
the war and possibly shortened the war in Europe.
New Year’s Day morning was spent in the town of
Rudensheim.
It is a very small town and has a history that
dates back to the Romans. It is home to the “Reisling” wines. We went to the
town from the ship in a train like motor vehicle; kind of what Disney uses to
move people from the parking lots to the park entrance. First order of business
was to visit the Siegfried’s Music Cabinet Museum. I have listed the url below
to learn more; but such a charming and I am sure expensive collection of
mechanical music.
From the museum we went on a wine tasting tour
in a cave like dwelling. Now, I am not a fan of wine and honestly I liked the
German pretzels better (they were used to clear the pallet in-between the 3
different kinds of wine). I did find out;
However, that my favorite wines (red and sweet)
is more difficult to make because the grapes need to stay on the vines longer
than the white wines….one bottle of red sweet wine was 150 Euro….well, that was
not going to happen.
Another trade mark of Rudesheim is the
“Rudesheimer Coffee”. I didn’t get to experience this in the town as I did go
to the museum; and disappointed about that. Asbach brandy is a specialty of
Rudensheim and a key ingredient of the coffee. It is made as so – a sip of this brandy is poured into a
special mug and set on fire. Then doused with coffee and topped by whipped
cream and chocolate flakes.
We did have a version of the coffee on the
ship; but it was not like what my ship mates experienced in the town…..
The afternoon was spent
on the ship making our way through the Rhine River Gorge. This area is known
for its castles. It is said that no other river in the world has a greater
concentration of castles or castle ruins than the Rhine. While cruising we also
passed the famous Lorelei Rock which has a lot of folklore and myth attached to
it (link below to know more). The gorge was added to the UNESCO list of world
heritage sites in 2002.
The valley became a
core region of the Holy Roman Empire and during the Thirty Year was (1618-1648)
many of the castles were left in ruins. In the 19th century the
valley became part of Prussia and its landscapes became the hallmark image of
Germany. It is truly breathtaking to see the architecture and especially since
we are floating on a river boat and only have to divert our eyes upward to see
history pass by.
We continue onto
Cologne that is Germany’s fourth largest city. The Romans settled here in 50BC
because of its natural harbor. The city has a vibrant arts scene and the city’s
economy is primarily based on insurance and media industries. The Cologne’s
cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site was built to house the reputed relics
of the three kings (Magi) and was the tallest building in Europe until the
Eiffel tower in Paris was constructed.
The city’s most famous
product is of course “Eau de Cologne” (water of cologne) better known by its
brand name “4711.” The fragrance is very popular; however, I’ve never heard of
it. The name came about from the house number that was given to the factor
producing it during the French occupation of the Rhineland in the early 19th
century.
We are heading towards
Amsterdam and spend many hours cruising the Dutch Waterways towards Amsterdam.
I sit in the lounge in the front of the ship just watching the shoreline. I am
in love with this kind of travel. I am always up early and usually the first in
line for breakfast; so, usually I have the restaurant and the lounge all to
myself (at least for a little while). I love the solitude and the peace of
seeing the river traffic going down the river as we sailing in the opposite
direction.
We dock in Amsterdam
very near the train station; and Dear Reader – I could write an entire blog
just on Amsterdam. I also liked this city very much; although, it is not a city
for pedestrians. There are so many bicycles; and the people riding them are
called “Psyco-paths on Cyclo-paths”. We are warned to stay out of the paths
that the bicycles ride on (and I absolutely take heed of that warning). It is
said, that there are 800,000 bikes in the Amsterdam. The bicycles have the
right of way! L
There are very few
single family homes in the city. Most of the houses are broken into apartments.
Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands but not its capital.
However, it is the
commercial capital and one of the top financial centers in Europe. The canals,
the Rijksmuseum, the Hermitage, Anne Frank House and of course, the red light
district are some of the main attractions. In addition, there are many cannabis
coffee shops that draw almost 4million international visitors annually. It does
feel like a city of “tourists.” The
historic 17th century canals, located in the heart of Amsterdam,
were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2010.
We did have a canal
cruise. At times I felt like I was in Venice; but, my mind kept going back to
how this city was during the occupation. Windmills are almost a thing of the
past. There used to be 10,000 and now there are barely 1,000 left and most
badly in need of repair. They are a protected class. While cruising the canal
we noticed large steel beams protruding from the very top of the house. This steel
beam is used to hoist furniture into the house through the windows; as the
stairs inside the houses are so narrow they cannot get anything up into the
upper floors. It is also noticed that the windows get smaller and smaller the
higher you go into the building.
We also had a bus tour
of the city and when we stopped for the shopping portion; well I went out on my
own. I just love walking in cities and getting lost and then getting myself
found. There were so many people with suitcase dragging behind them. I followed
a group of young people who I thought would be heading to the train station;
however, they got on a tram and I was left to figure out how to get myself
un-lost. Amsterdam does have a metro; however, there was just no time to figure
that out. I did take the train to the airport to catch my flight home; as that
cost 5Euro; whereas, a taxi to the airport would have cost 60Euro.
A side note about my
train trip to the airport. I had to stand as it was so crowded and I met a nice
young fella who just happened to be a drag queen (so he said). His nails and
ruby red polish gave it away. He was on tour in Europe and in the spring he
would be touring in the USA. I wish I would have written down his name or
gotten his cards; it was a great train ride.
Once the cruise was
finished I had a full day in Amsterdam by myself before my trip home. The
weather was not that great; but, it was not pouring rain so that was a good
thing. I met up with a fellow PCV who was vacationing in Amsterdam and the
restaurant that was on the 1st floor of his apartment building was
kind enough to store my luggage so that I can walk around free of luggage.
My first order of
business was the “Red Light District.” I had to see this for myself. I still
have mixed feelings about what I saw. These women; and some looked like young
girls, seemed OK with standing in the window with very little clothing on. The
window is floor to ceiling with a red curtain that would cover the window if
the cord was pulled. The window spaces have a couch either to the left of the
window or behind them; or, there is a staircase (in some windows) (off to the side. Of course, there is a red
light on the outside of the building. The women flirt with people and motion
them to come in. I was in the area around lunch time which meant that not many
windows were open. I needed to come at night; but, since I was by myself I
didn’t want to do that. The women looked healthy and seemed like they were
having fun (maybe, I don’t know). The people walking by and looking were
laughing; as was I. In some capacity it almost felt “zoo” like; but, then we
put other products in windows…but these are human beings. Maybe the idea of
bringing this oldest profession “out of the closet” is just so foreign to me.
It was an experience.
Another fact about
Amsterdam is that on Monday you can get married for free; however the price
goes up as the week moves on. No one wants to get married on Saturday because
you have to pay overtime – as you must have a civil service (in addition to the
religious service). Most people get married in the middle of the week.
In June and July it is
light until 11pm in Amsterdam (nice!). In July and August there are no problems
with insects because of the temperature which is in the low 70’sF.
I walked around and
once again kept thinking about what it must have been like during the occupation.
I wanted to go to the Anne Frank house. That was a priority for me. It was very
special being in the area surrounding the building that hid the family for many
years. I waited in line a long time, 90 minutes (or thereabout). It was cold
and misty; but, I had no choice. This was absolutely something I had to do.
It appeared that they
built the museum around the house as everything was original as it had been
during the occupation. It was difficult to maneuver the steps going up through
the floors. The steps were very narrow and your foot had to be placed sideways.
It was very steep and my legs were feeling the pull. The rooms were all empty
(as requested by Anne’s fathers when the museum was being organized). However,
there were pictures on the walls showing what the rooms looked like during the
occupation. It was very quiet moving through the space. People spoke but almost
like they were in church. I tried to get my mind to think of how it could have
been living under these conditions; but, I could not come close. In my life,
this experience was one of the great moments.
I spent many hours
touring the museum. It was something I will not forget. I bought the book for
me and to also pass along to my granddaughter when I get back to the States.
I could write
more and
will add to my travels as I blog during the next couple of months; but, I think
for now I should close. It was a wonderful, relaxing adventure and I now feel a
special connection to the Rhine River. I would love to sail all the great
rivers of the world
Thank you for sharing
this with me.
Best,
Catherine Lawrence, G14
Peace Corps
Volunteer/Georgia – 1/24/16
The
contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of
the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.
