Instead of writing an entire recap of our Euro Trip 2014, I decided to narrow it down to
10 most memorable experiences in no particular order.
Anne Frank House
We waited about an hour to get our tickets which was not bad. It was actually great. All the tour books said to buy them ahead or to get there first thing in the morning, neither of which we did because "what's so great about walking thru a girl's house," says Adam. "Adam, have you read the diary, do you know "this girls" story?" says Erica. "No," says Adam.... Oh jeez. Well he learned it and learned it quick. I think the both of us were so unprepared for how we would feel walking thru the annex. It was crazy to walk the exact foot steps that Anne and her family walked. The staircase up was steep and narrow and made you feel a tad claustrophobic and uneasy, as it should. There were still photographs on the wall in Anne's room. I read every plaque and every word that there was to read as well as watched every short video clip they had. The emotions you feel being there are quite overwhelming because you imagine yourself in that situation. Hiding out, the fear, the quietness, for yourself and your family. And then when you get to the extra horrible part where the SS was tipped off and they were found, it makes you literally want to hurl. Imagining how they must of felt, the fate they must have known, the minute the SS found them sickens me. If you don't know this story, you should. You should read her beautifully written words, the words of a young girl.
What was even stranger is how life goes on and people are just walking by this house day in and day out. It's hard to wrap your mind around the fact that this even happened. If she were alive today Anne would be 85 years old.
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| "Despite everything, I believe people are really good at heart" |
Red Light District
I have never in my life seen anything like this. Because you know, I spend lots of time in strip bars, and know loads about prostitution and drugs, I have so much to compare the Red Light District too. Adam was a little hesitant on visiting this very famous area of the city. Not me though, "we are going! We are here." So let me set the scene... it's a long street, full of bars, and live shows where very vulgar things go on once you enter the doors. We did not enter the doors. There are bachelor parties going on all over, or "I am turning 40 parties," or however and whatever the guys choose to celebrate. We went there rather early, it wasn't even totally dark yet, and people were already drunk and peeing in the streets. I think I was shocked more by this than the fact that mostly naked women were showcasing themselves in window stalls, showing off what they got, in hopes of someone being interested. It was crazy. I took some pictures, not of them but of some signage to show that we actually went. One of the ladies shook her finger at me to say no photos. So only a few did I get. I was somewhat fascinated by the whole premise of the Red Light District, reading up on it a little. They even had a museum where you can go in to ask questions, anything you want, about how the whole system works, basically because the Dutch want you to know that this actually decreases the amount of people placed in jail due to less crime, less rape, and the fact that soft drugs are legal. Use them responsibly and there is really not as many repercussions. These ladies actually pay taxes to the Dutch government, and rent their windows (200E/night). They usually charge around 50E a dude and that's for 15 minutes of their time. They are checked for HIV and STDs on a monthly basis, and require said dude to wear a condom. So they have to "get with" four people and everything over is their profit. It's baffling and totally legal in every way. I can't imagine living this life, but people do here.
Castles Tour
We purchased a package deal thru our hotel; a day of sightseeing King Ludwig's Castles. I had been heeing and hawing about how we were going to get to Fussen. Originally the plan was to go high speed train, then bus. But we weren't brave enough. And sometimes avoiding stressful situations is best especially when it didn't really cost more to do the hotel option, of a guide who takes us by coach bus to Fussen and basically hands us a ticket and says walk that way. The first stop was an old German town that we got to roam around for an hour. These trips always involve stopping somewhere that is out of the way and has nothing to do with what we signed up for, so that "us tourists" can spend a little money, boosting their economy. We have learned that and choose to embrace it as a way to see another area that life exists. We spent little time in the shops and more walking around... seeing things like mountains, cows, and a group of guys throwing back tall ones at 10am, the German way.
After that stop we were off to King Ludwig's first castle, Linderhof. It was fascinating seeing the way he lived. But honestly, seeing the outside, and the Bavarian landscape is what really blew us away. It was beautiful. Back in the bus, and on to the prized castle, Neuschwanstein was the best part, because that what everyone wants to see. It is nicknamed the Disney castle, because it's what Walt modeled his theme park castle after. We had time to get lunch, which Adam and I scarfed down, so that we can climb up to the top of the hill and make our way to the bridge, so that we can see Schloss Neuschwanstein from afar. We then had to come back to enter and tour this amazing "home." Again, the sites out the windows were amazing and so beautiful. Inside it was cold and drab and really not much to see based on the size. King Ludwig died before it was complete, and they just never added to it. The only thing I wished for was more time in the town of Fussen, it was so cute and quaint. But there is always pros and cons to what you choose to do and we were on their schedule not ours, so we had to go back to Munich.
Dachou
One downer of this trip, but absolute must, was visiting Dachou Concentration Camp. It was cold and drizzly the entire time, which fit the mood. I have noticed that when you go to tell people about your vacation to Germany and you say you went to a concentration camp, they kind of look at you like, why... you are on vacation. That's a downer. And they really don't want to hear about it, and because you went and you understand a little more than you did in high school history class, you want to tell about it. We didn't go because we thought it would be fun. We went more to be educated at what those people actually went thru for no reason at all except for that they were Jewish, or they were non-Jews who tried to stand up and say, "this is not right." Basically everywhere you walk in Germany, were probably grounds for these camps. So you can't just go there and enjoy the beer, you have to realize it's not a happy place for lots of people.
These people entered this work camp in hopes of coming out of it one day... the SS literally striped their identities away, literally and figuratively... they were no longer mothers or fathers, sons or daughters... they were naked bodies, replaced by pajama looking clothes with a number on them. As you walk the path of a prisoner, you were just overcome with emotion. We were part of a small tour group where our tour guide brought us there and explained everything to us. It was hard to listen too and hard to comprehend the hate the Nazis felt. How people could do things of this nature to another human being is just so twisted and sick. One part that sticks in my head is the human experimentation that they did... throwing people into ice cold water, and then scolding hot water, just to see what would happen... putting them in the part of a truck that mixes concrete to see how much flipping around a human could do before they are killed... making them stand in straight lines outside shoulder to shoulder in rain, sleet, snow, and heat with no slouching... if they fall or step out of line, shooting them dead. If the person next to them bends down to help them after they fall from exhaustion, hunger, or dehydration, both of them getting shot. How did the Nazi's think that this was okay and that they were better than everyone else? Standing where these people stood, knowing they were people just like you, thinking about your family being in that situation was heartbreaking. The tour included a walk thru the crematorium, and that pretty much was the final straw for me. Where you see the sign that says "showers" brought instant tears. I did not take many pictures there for obvious reasons. I didn't need too, it all remains engraved in my memory. Not a day has passed since that I haven't thought about Dachou. And that was just one of the thousand camps spread through out Germany. Dachou being the camp the others strived to be. Right beyond the crematorium are homes where people actually live now, there backyard is the concentration camp. It's shocking.
Playground in Switzerland
On our way down from Mount Pilatus we got off the gondola and discovered a huge park. This park was the most amazing children's playground. It was completely wooden, with metal slides. A park of our childhood, a park that just doesn't exist in America anymore. This is a park where you would burn your butt on the metal slide if it got too hot, you could actually break an arm from going too fast on some of the attractions, or you could fall from the heights. It had an actual see-saw. I have never been on one, and it has been a wish of mine. We were not leaving until I got a few sees and saws out of that thing. Quite popular among the Swiss children, I had to wait a long time for my turn! In the middle of all the commotion of kids playing, there was an open fire pit, where some of the mom's were roasting hot dogs. It was insane, and oh, so cool. We noted all the times we heard, "mmooooommmmmmyyy," among the crowd. They were there to kiss bumps, sort out the fights, push the swings, catch the little ones at the bottom of the slide, and sit and chat with each other. All the while we are halfway up a mountain in the Swiss Alps. It was a moment I won't forget... and neither will Adam judging from his battle wound scar he has on his arm now.
Mount Pilatus
This is one of the activities I was most looking forward to on our entire trip. Mostly because I have never been on a mountain before. The closest I have gotten was when my family lived in Tucson, AZ, but I chickened out and stayed home. I was like 7. What did I know of, in my opinion God's greatest pieces of artwork? But heck, if you choose to go on a mountain, one in the Swiss Alps will do. We started our voyage to the tip top of it by boat. This took us thru Lake Lucerne which was a hour ride to the dock. Here we then took a cog wheel train up the mountain. I was scared and nervous to do this until I saw it. In my mind, I thought a dwarf like man was going to be operating it and he would be turning the wheels by hand or something and I would be strapped in with 4 point restraints or something. Not the case at all. It was a very comfortable, airy ride up. Steep ride up, I must say, after all it's the steepest cog train in all the world, but it manages to get a lot of people up in 30 minutes time. Once we got to the top we got to explore a little. Unfortunately, due to snow, the trails were all closed, so we didn't have much to see or anywhere really to hike. We climbed a little so that we could say we were at the very top. There is a hotel on top and a visitors center. The view was incredible. After we were done taking it all in,we had lunch up there. We then took the gondola down. It made 2 stops which we got off to look around. The first one seemed to be a stop where you could participate in a lot of outdoorsy kind of things. Tobaggans, rollerblading, skate boarding and some other activities the Swiss rigged up. The second stop was a restaurant that we wished we would have waited to eat at, and this wonderful park that I have written about as well in the top ten list. It took 45 minutes to get down the mountain by gondola, which was a nice airy ride above the mountains and over the top of evergreen trees. You can see herds of cows, and if you didn't see them, you heard their bells, a sound I will always associate with the Alps now. Once off the gondola, we walked a little in Kriens and than took a bus back to Lucerne. All in all, it was money well spent and totally unforgettable.
Old Swiss House
This was quite the experience and by far our most outrageously expensive meal in Europe. Switzerland overall was quite expensive. Our hotelier made our reservations. The first question we asked was "look at us, should we dress better than this?" And she said, Yes. Ha. We were in for a surprise. Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted right at the door by the uptight owner lady. She was dressed very nice, and looked Swiss. I don't really know how to describe that but that's how I pictured a Swiss lady looking. And of course, the whole restaurant looked Swiss too. Lots of old artifacts on the wall, and the tables were dressed to perfection. Adam and I sat down, and the plates in front of us were etched with Old Swiss House. Aye... I don't know how to act in places where your voice needs to be low. We started by ordering with the uptight looking Swiss lady our wine, and appetizer. In America, an app can feed the whole table, in Europe it seems one app is for one person. So when we ordered the cheese croquettes and the cheese croquettes only, the look she gave us was a if we just committed a sin. She was a big bully, and that was the last we saw of her. We then had a nice young Swiss server. We felt pressure to get another appetizer, so Adam ordered cream of asparagus soup. And we were quite satisfied. We still shared appetizers, we didn't care. The entree I ordered was schnitzel which they cook table side. At first I was quite impressed until Adam pointed out that it's the exact way I make pork chops at home. It really wasn't anything special, but made me feel special that I could see my food being cooked and smell the smell of bread crumbs turning brown in about 4 sticks of butter. Just watching it made you feel like you might have a heart attack. We definitely had to do a lot of walking following this meal. Both of our meals were delicious, but if ever back in Lucerne I would not return. It was a one time only experience. We skipped on dessert and chose to eat chocolates that we bought earlier in the hotel room instead, made at a local chocolatier.
Rotenburg
Take a dollhouse and bring it to life and that is Rotenburg ob der Tauber. It is the best preserved medieval city in Germany. We stayed there two nights and it was just right. Driving in was completely crazy cause you have to go thru the city walls, and then drive down these tiny cobblestone roads. We felt kind of funny doing that in our fancy rented SUV. The first day we got there we walked the city walls where there were so many scenic views. The rooftops of all the homes, the gardens, and the churches. It's hard to believe that people live here. Our favorite part however was the Nightwatchman Tour. This guy gives a one hour tour of the town and explains it's history. It is packed full of dry humor which I love and it certainly kept things interesting when we had to learn historical facts.
I loved the fact that we could walk this whole town. It is the end of the Romantic Road, which I had plans for us to drive, but the weather was crap the second day, so we turned around and came back. We ended up walking around some more, sampled some Franconian wines, and then it brightened up, so we found a park and just sunbathed.
Lunch in Bruge
I booked a trip around Bruge for an entire day which was called the Triple Threat. We got to eat Belgian chocolate, Belgian waffles, and drink Belgian beer. The trip made a stop at a restaurant for lunch which happened to be one of the best parts of the day. There was about 20 of us, and we all sat together. Europe is full of communal seating. So it's fun to sit with others especially from different countries. There were people from Canada, UK, Austrailia, and US. Most were older than us, which tends to happen, but we all were able to trade stories. Most of the couples were avid travelers, so it was interesting trying to soak up all the knowledge from their past experiences so we could remember for our future experiences. We also got into deep conversations with them about birth control, the use of marijuana, health care, identity theft, and what our individual countries are doing about it. So here we are in Belgium, on vacation, and the same old topics of conversation are coming up. People all over the world have the same worries that I do. It was great to talk about it. Of course, my husband was very vocal, causing some discussion about these things, and the group nicknamed him for the rest of tour, the "pothead." I am so proud. It was so fun though, placing all these different people together and yah, we got to eat waffles and chocolate and drink really good beer, but sitting with them was my absolute favorite. We were all happy and on vacation and drinking beer which means we all became instant friends.
Bike Rides
We did two bike rides. The first was in Munich. Doing a bike ride seriously is one of the best ways to see the city. It gets you around fast without having to walk. We had a ball on this one. Our guides name was Jacob and he was so cool, if we lived there, we would force him to be our friend. He took us around, and explained the history of some of the buildings and of the city. But our favorite part was sitting in the English Garden at the Chinese Tower, doing what else but drinking a beer. We got to sit and converse with the others on our tour and with Jacob and it was just so memorable. Meanwhile in this huge beer garden others are laughing, children are playing on the playground, and everyone is just having a good time. Again, these things frowned upon in the US, kids playing while mom and dad are drinking, was totally normal here. After our beer, Jacob asked us all if we had to go to the bathroom. I said no. And we moved on. Nearly 5 minutes after riding our bikes the beer nearly shot out of my stomach and went straight to my bladder causing an excruciating amount of pain. Every bump was unbearable. I sped up next to Jacob and left the others behind asking him if there was any kind of place I could pee in the next hour. He shook his head no. I thought I was going to die. I was pretty sure I was going to pee myself. I have put myself in this situation way too many times, I will never learn. And always, always, always over beer. I should have peed when he told me too, I should of, and I didn't, and I was paying highly for it. For a good half hour I rode the bike focusing only on the fact of holding in my pee and I didn't enjoy anything else, which I am so mad at myself over. My silent prayer for a bathroom was answered when we ran across a porta potty. The heavens opened and Jesus shined down.... I hopped off that bike not even putting up the kick stand and was in the porta potty for what seemed like an eternity. I opened the door triumphantly when I was done as the rest of group applauded. And then 2 others went in.... Ha. The other bike tour we did was in Amsterdam, which took us out of the busy city life, (where I had one close call with death) and into the Dutch countryside. Riding your bike in Amsterdam is THE WAY... those people are serious. My favorite was seeing what everyone does on a bike... some sit and talk on the phone, while eating an ice cream cone... others are lugging multiple children to the next destination. They ride side by side and talk to each other... and very rarely do you see any sort of collision. Our guide for this particular bike ride, switched out of his gym shoes and put clogs on for the ride, saying "they are more comfortable." It was insane. It was nice to get off the busy streets and into the countryside where Adam and I could also ride side by side, we did not dare do that in the city, in fact if you didn't pay attention and keep up, there was no way of the guide to know. This tour included a tour thru a cheese farm, where we learned how they make and age cheese, and then saw how they make clogs. Both are quite the process. We got to try on clogs, which actually are quite comfortable. I got to get really close to a cow, so that was my favorite part, but I didn't get to milk it. Nothing like riding thru the country on a beautiful day on your wedding anniversary, I might add. Adam and I spent our fifth anniversary doing just that, riding bikes thru the Dutch country side and then going on the Heinekin tour. It was quite wonderful.
Our second voyage to Europe was wonderful, it's hard to believe it was already 3 months ago, it feels like a lifetime ago. Going is quite the addiction because it just triggers all the other places you want to go to in this world. We feel lucky that we were able to get more stamps in the passport, and we feel lucky over the people we got to meet, who quickly stepped in and then back out of our lives. Europe is wonderful like that and we most positively will be back.
Travel makes you modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in this world.
-Scott Cameron
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