Edam and Heineken

Today, we headed out to the village of Edam for a morning in a more traditional section of Dutch life. We learned how cheese was made and got to try some of the famous Edam cheese. I really wanted some of this and was going back and forth on the practicality of trying to transport it but in the end, I didn’t get any.

After that, we learned how you create clogs. Clogs are a type of traditional Dutch footwear that many people still wear because they are extremely durable and can double as a hammer because they are made of wood. Also, when they do wear out you can hang them on the wall as a planter.

When we were done at the cheese and clogs, we went on a bike ride around the town. It is a small town so there wasn’t much to see but we saw the dike and the old windmill. It was very relaxing and our guide was very good.

We headed back into Amsterdam after Edam for the rest of the day. I went with a couple people to the Heineken Experience. It reminded me a lot of the Sierra Nevada Brewing factory in Chico, CA. Of course, the Heineken Experience was a lot more in depth and longer. It took about two hours for us to complete. It was a really fun time. They even have a beer “ride” that takes you through the beer brewing process as if you are actually being brewed. We got to have three 25cl glasses of beer as well, included in the price.

This was the last night with everyone on Contiki. This meant that it was also the last dinner. We paid an outrageous amount of money for subpar food at a beautiful restaurant. We went to the Sea Palace, which is right on the water and is a stunning view. I was really disappointed in the food though. It was Chinese and I thought it wasn’t that great, especially for the price. It was nice to say good bye to everyone though.

Here is a fun fact about Amsterdam. Many people probably think that the XXX on the flag of the city symbolizes the red light district or sex in general. In reality, it means something completely different. It is supposed to protect people from three disasters: fire, flood, and the Black Plague.

St. Goar and Arrival in Amsterdam

We began the long travel day from Heidelberg to Amsterdam with a stop in the village of St. Goar. Driving through the Rhine valley was really pretty and our stop in the village was nice. St. Goar is a pretty city and we got to learn how beer steins were made. The store we visited had a huge collection of beer steins and I was tempted to buy one, but they were more than I was willing to spend and more fragile than I was willing to transport.

St. Goar is also known for its Cuckoo Clock. It has the largest free-hanging cuckoo clock in the world. It is an impressive clock.

After that, we basically had a lot of driving to do. We arrived in Amsterdam in the evening and were dropped up at the red light district to eat and explore. I have some pictures of Amsterdam from today though, but not many.

For those who are curious about the red light district in Amsterdam, feel free to ask me about it but I’m not going to go into it here. Instead, I’m going to just leave you with this photo, which is a symbol of the area.

Heidelberg

Today will be a relatively short post because it was mainly a travel day with over five hours on the coach. Tomorrow will be an even longer day of travel because we have to cross most of Germany to get to Amsterdam.
We arrived in Heidelberg, Germany today after crossing the border from Switzerland. Heidelberg is a cute town with a lot of history (like many towns in Europe). General Patton died in the hospital here back in 1945.
I walked at the beginning with Anita and Brenton but Brenton left partway through. We went to the Baroque Church that is in the center of the main square. It is a very pretty church and it was nice to walk around in. You could walk up to the top of the bell tower for two Euros but I didn't think the views from up there would be worth the money so we didn't go. We had too much else to see.

After the church, we went and wandered along the water. The river Nectar runs through the city. We went up on the bridge over the river to take a few photos.

Over by the bridge, there is a brass statue of a monkey. It is mooning the river. The statue is supposed to symbolize that the people of Heidelberg are no greater or less great than the people outside of the city. You are supposed to rub the mirror he is holding for wealth, his outstretched fingers for a return to Heidelberg, and the mice near him for fertility.

Anita and I walked to a Jesuit church after. I think it was arguably more impressive than the Baroque one. It had a museum with a treasury as well which was pretty neat.

That's about all we got to see because we were only in the city for an hour and a half. Just like many of the cities we have seen on the Contiki I would have liked to have seen more. I wasn't able to get to the Castle or the University. I did get pictures of the castle though from a distance.

Tomorrow will be a really long travel day. We will be in Amsterdam by the end of it and done with the long coach days of the Contiki. I will add another country to my ledger by the end of tomorrow. Next stop: The Netherlands!

Jungfrau and Lauterbrunnen

Morning dawned over Switzerland and it was overcast and cold. This country is as beautiful as I remember from the last time I was here. I am in a different area now then I was when I was last here (although I have been to the Canton of Bern before)  but it is still equally beautiful.
Today was taken up with the most expensive extra on the Contiki trip. We went to the top of Jungfrau Mountain, the third tallest mountain of the Bernese Alps. It has large claims to fame because it has the highest railroad station in the world as well as the highest Chocolate Store in the world. There were some stunning views on the way up once we broke through the first layer of clouds.

Once we got to the top, Anita (Australia), Kate (Australia), Rory (New Zealand), Kim (New Zealand), and myself had some food and then headed over to the Swiss Chocolate shop. I didn't get anything but the shop is pretty.

Then, we headed through the tourist route. The first stop was at the panoramic video of Jungfrau and then we headed through the areas that had monuments to the people who carved the tunnels and built the area at the top of the mountain.

Once we got to the exit we went outside. It was white-out conditions so we couldn't really see much, but it was still really cool to see. It was 12 degrees Fahrenheit, so it was really cold.

We went back inside and headed over to the Ice Palace. This might have been my favorite part of the visit. Walking through tunnels completely made of ice was really a cool experience and seeing the ice carvings was cool.

After we left the mountain (it's about a 2 hour trip up and down by train) Anita, Kate, and I went and walked up behind one of the waterfalls in the area. There are several but this one had a path carved out to go up. It was really cool and a fun trek that we were all happy about after.

We walked back to the campsite through the city. Lauterbrunnen is a quiet town and very cute. They have sheep everywhere. The sheep all have bells around their necks so they can be found in bad weather so the town always sounds like bells. Tomorrow, we will head back to Germany and to Heidelberg, but tonight I will leave you with a picture of sheep.