Riding to an Island?

The Netherlands has so many interesting cities that it’s tempting to ignore the verdant countryside.  The  bucolic countryside here is like none other, where two-thirds of the land is below sea level and the vast green fields are framed and dissected with canals.   We woke up on Friday to very gloomy skies, with a so-so forecast of a high probability of rain but decided to go for it.   With all our rain gear in tow, we trekked about a mile to “Mac Bike” to rent bikes again for the day.   We caught the free, 5-minute ferry in back of the central train station to the North of Amsterdam.   Our goal was to bike to the “island” of Marken and then take a 30-minute ferry ride to Volendam.   The famous clog-making town of Marken is part of the “Waterlands (below sea level!) area; however the town of Volendam is not part of that area.   The total bike ride is about 30+ miles.  We were so surprised that the Amsterdam area (as well as The Netherlands) is absolutely flat and ideal for cycling.   Bicycle paths have been built along EVERY road with space left between the paths and the road making them very safe.  We even had our own lane around the rotaries!

As we “sped” toward Marken, the sky was beginning to darken.  We could see that it was raining in Amsterdam.  Our determination to do this ride today, overshadowed the thought of riding in a downpour.  We just kept riding faster and faster speeding by red-brick homes with flower boxes, quaint waterways, adorable wooden bridges and fat black and white cows with the hope that we would board the ferry for Volendum before the rain.   We rode our bikes to Marken along the dike that now attaches Marken to the mainland.   It was quite strange riding on a narrow strip of land and having water on both sides!  The picturesque streets of Marken reminded us of Provincetown on Cape Cod.   Marken was once a fisherman’s town; and it still retains that feel of a seafaring village.   The pretty green and white wooden houses which line the waterside are built on stilts to accomodate possible flooding.   Marken was originally an island; and, we learned that floods were apparently quite regular and often disastrous due to the temperamental tides.   As a result of continuous flooding, inhabitants created artificial dwelling hills on which they built their homes to keep them high and dry.   We also learned that due to its island location, Marken had become virtually a ghost town.   In 1957, engineers built the long causeway from the mainland to this island hamlet to allow easy access for visitors – thus it is no longer considered an island.   We were shocked to learn that Marken currently only has a population of less than 2,000 inhabitants.  Marken is quiet, perfectly quaint, and well-preserved, but not annoyingly crowded like Volendam.

The rain came only a few minutes before we reached the ferry from Marken to Volendam.   This ferry was originally one of the regular connections for the inhabitants of Marken to reach the mainland.  While on the ferry, we “suited up” with our rain gear.  To our amazement, by the time we reached the bustling harbor of Volendum, the sun was out!  While pulling into the harbor, this colorful, small fishing village looks like it is straight out of a postcard with a harbor full of classic sailing vessels and rows of brick houses.  The locals are decked out in their traditional garb and the the town is grotesquely touristy.  The main “promenade” is lined with souvenir shops and Dutch cliches-yuk!  Dutch food specialties of waffles mini-pancakes, herring and smoked eel are everywhere along with signs for Heineken and Amstel beer.  After a delightful seafood lunch, we traveled a different, shorter route for 1 1/2 hours back to Amsterdam on our cruiser-bikes. It was a delightful biking day.
Lots of little towns on our bike tour
Lots of little towns on our bike tour
Typical town & harbor near the sea
Typical town & harbor near the sea
Riding the dike on a bike
Riding the dike on a bike
Taking the ferry from Marken
Taking the ferry from Marken
Marken Harbor
Marken Harbor
Volendam
Volendam
Volendam Harbor & all of its tourist "attractions"
Volendam Harbor & all of its tourist “attractions”
Who likes to be pictured in oversized clogs?
Who likes to be pictured in oversized clogs?
Volendam harbor
Volendam harbor
Windmill near Volendam
Windmill near Volendam
Another small town
Another small town
Another big shoe!
Another big shoe!



It’s Not All Clogs, Cheese and Tulips

The Netherlands is famous for tulips, cheese, clogs and   .   .   .   ?   Why windmills, of course!   Windmills and the Netherlands go hand in hand.  We expected to step off the train in Amsterdam and immediately see all those iconic Dutch windmills as part of the landscape.  Not so!  Most of the windmills have come under the threat of urban development and have all but disappeared.   Not getting our “windmill fix” while we are in Amsterdam would be like going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel Tower or visiting New York City without seeing the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building.   On Saturday, we set out to bike to Zaanse Schans which has a display of working windmills and is one of the top tourist attractions in the entire country.

Rather than the most direct bike route to Zaanse Schans, which would take us about an hour, we took a far more circuitous route to capture more photo-ops of the lovely Dutch countryside.  Whether you are in the countryside or city,  just about every corner of this country has detailed bike signage with a fail-safe numbering system.(not for us!)   The arrows on the signs were not always clear as to the exact direction; so, we managed to get lost numerous times.   Thanks to the kind offers of directional help by the locals,  we finally arrived in Zaanse Schans 2 1/2 hours later.

Zaanse Schans is a totally Disneyesque “make-believe” Dutch village that is crowded with tourists.   It is truly the ultimate in cheesy tourist sites.   Needless to say, we were so disappointed; as, this place got rave reviews on the internet.  This staged village is dotted with little green houses.   Some houses have craftsmans workshops such as clog and cheese making; other houses are filled with kitschy souvenir shops.   Dutch cliches abound here.  Tulip motifs proliferate, pedestrians clutch their cones of French fries with mayo (yuk!) and the Asian tourist are ecstatic finding the perfect photo-op inside an oversized wooden shoe.  It is an ideal place to bring youngsters, not old ones like us.  Our mediocre lunch was also insanely overpriced, too.  What did we expect?
There are 8 windmills within the “park” that are lined up along the Zaan River.   These windmills have silly names like The Cat, The Spotted Hen, etc.  Not all of these windmills started out in Zaanse Schans.  Many of them were moved here from other regions within the Netherlands.  These 8 windmills are all working mills and perform various functions, including a saw mill, a paint mill and and oil mill.   Windmills were an integral part of Dutch life for centuries and were used for industrial purposes such as draining the lowlands of excess water.   We read that many years ago there were more than 10,000 windmills dotting the Dutch landscape.  Very few remain, and even fewer are operational today; as they have been replaced by those big,ugly wind turbines.

We took another “non-direct” route back to Amsterdam and once again got hopelessly lost several times.  By the time we got back into the city, we had ridden our bikes for about 6 hours straight with a half-hour break for lunch.  Lesley was exhausated, David was not.  I guess he is the “fittest” of the bunch!

On Sunday, we head to Helsinki for a couple of days before visiting Estonia & Lesley’s relatives.
Windmills at Zaane Schans
Windmills at Zaanse Schans
Another vendor at Zaans Schans
Another vendor at Zaans Schans
On the way back to Amsterdam
On the way back to Amsterdam
The windmill that was in our background
The windmill that was in our previous picture background



Bike Love

From tots to grannies, there is an intense level of bike love in Amsterdam.   Like Hanoi, it is not unusual to see a women with two children-maybe even three, on a single bike.  We were told that Dutch kids think it’s weird to be driven to school.  It was also mentioned to us that the Mayor of Amsterdam, who lives in the lovely Jordan section of Amsterdam, routinely rides his bike to work, donned in a suit & tie, waving to all he sees.   There are two free ferries in back of the central train station that transport people (with their bikes) over to the north side of Amsterdam.  In less than an hour of easy pedaling you can be freewheeling beside pristine farm land.  Just north of Amsterdam is an area know as the Waterlands.  These wetlands between the fields are protected nature reserves.  It is a large section of land that was recovered from the sea over the years.  It now is filled with farming, nine, small historical villages and a golf course. The course is located in an area that, in the event of flooding, would definitely be under water. As expected, all of the parks and other recreational properties are located in such areas.

We decided to take a four-hour bike ride to explore the area.  In Holland, bikes are everywhere as are the hundreds of miles of well-signed bicycle paths throughout the countryside.  You simply cannot get too lost.  We passed by one of the few remaining windmills (7 in the area) that either would grind the grain or pump water out of the area and send it back to the sea.  Today, that job is performed by 80 powerful, but not large, electric pumping stations.  This picture-postcard scenery has cows and sheep placidly munching the green fields, ducks on canals, resident white swans, thousands of geese, little white bridges, church towers poking up out of distance villages and flat bike paths everywhere.  The farms look so prosperous, they couldn’t possibly be real farms.  Could they be country retreats owned by wealthy city folk?  Or, are the subsidies so generous that a farmer with ten cows can afford six horses?   It is so stunningly pretty here.  Idyllic.

We cycled to Ransdorp, a small village that once competed in the 1600’s with Amsterdam for the shipping trade.  Amsterdam won!  The unique landmark is a church with a tower about 75% complete.  It is missing a story and magnificent roof so often found on such structures. They ran out of money when it was being built.  It was never completed because it because a unique landmark.  We were informed that Rembrandt often visited Ransdorp as one of his mistresses lived in the village.  He wrote and spoke of this unfinished tower giving it great notoriety.

it was an absolutely delightful sunny Wednesday afternoon and seeing these traditional Dutch farming communities was fun. To return our rental bikes back in Amsterdam was hectic. The streets are filled with walking lanes, car lanes, tram tracks and bicycle lanes.  Absolute chaos.  You have to always look both ways as you glide into another lane. The short ride in the city center was more harrowing than the 3+ hours on the country bike lanes.

Depending upon the weather, we will be back on bikes a couple of times over the next several days. We probably have explored the city on foot enough.


Bicycles are everywhere - this is just a small portion of bicycle storage at the rail station
Bicycles are everywhere – this is just a small portion of bicycle storage at the rail station
One of 7 windmills left in Waterlands
One of 7 windmills left in Waterlands
Touring Pro
Touring Pro
I think that she was bored with the guide's description of dikes!
I think that she was bored with the guide’s description of dikes!
Flat fields forever
Flat fields forever
Village near the ocean
Village near the ocean
Lots of little towns on our bike tour
Lots of little towns on our bike tour

The City of Blue & White

On Tuesday, we took the hour train ride north of Amsterdam to the quaint village of Delft.  Delft’s most famous resident was Vermeer, the painter who did so much with light.

Delft is a lovely town with its small canals, cheese shops, traditional Dutch homes and a very leaning church.  The city has two grand churches aptly named the New Church and the Old Church which is the leaning one.  With all of the Netherlands built on swamp with the original foundations of massive logs laid in the mud, it is common to see tilting buildings.  All the homes lining the canals here are quite slanted.  The very tall church tower, which leans about 6 feet, just accentuates the phenomena.  One can climb up the New Church’s tower for dramatic views of Rotterdam and The Hague.  We opted not to do the climb due to the fog and rain.  The city is also home to the famous Delft Porcelain.  This pottery is a little “old school” for us but the showroom was packed with bussed in elderly tourists.  Even though Delft was the hometown of Vermeer, Delft earthenware is the most significant tourist attraction in town.  The town has been producing this blue and white pottery since the 16th century.

The Vameer museum was fascinating. It focused on his life and works throughout his brief 42 years. They did not have any Vameer originals at the museum but the story took us through his life and the majority of his paintings, which numbered fewer than 50.  The fascinating component of his works was his ability to highlight his subjects with various shades of light – whether direct sunlight, light through a window or curtain or reflections off a mirror.  It was quite interesting.  It should be noted that one can buy all kinds of items with a picture of a Vermeer painting.  There are also Vermeer sandwiches, chocolate and even beer here!  Of course these touristy items are quite tacky but overall the town exudes an excessive amount of charm.  This quaint medieval town is not a heavily touristic city, like Amsterdam.


Delft
Delft
Looks like Amsterdam without all of the boats - this is Delft
Looks like Amsterdam without all of the boats – this is Delft
New Church Plaza (built after the Old Church started tilting)
New Church Plaza (built after the Old Church started tilting)
Delft Art in the Canal
Delft Art in the Canal
All Eyes are Upon You (the floating circles are eyes)
All Eyes are Upon You (the floating circles are eyes)
Note that her missing hand is grasping the necklace
Note that her missing hand is grasping the necklace
Another cheesy photo
Another cheesy photo
The angle is wrong - the tower is tilting - the buildings are straight
The angle is wrong – the tower is tilting – the buildings are straight
Porcelain model at the Delft Porcelain factory
Porcelain model at the Delft Porcelain factory



21 Straight hours . . .

of pouring rain in Amsterdam!  Even though our first introduction to the city was constant rain and gloomy weather, this city has really grown on us.  We did a 3+hour walking tour in the teaming rain on Monday.  With this type of weather, we were shocked that there were about 20 people on our city walking tour.  We both were totally decked out in rain gear from head to toe; however most people on the tour were not dressed for this type of downpour.

Amsterdam is a vibrant, colorful young-peoples city where getting high in a “coffee shop” is part of everyday life (for a few).  With its famed tolerance for soft drugs and now legal prostitution, Amsterdam’s hedonistic aspects have often eclipsed its captivating charm and cultural treasures.  Few cities that we have visited meld history with modern urban flair like Amsterdam.  From the old merchant houses tilting at impossible angles that align the city’s winding, endless canals to the picturesque, 1500 bridges and bobbing houseboats, this city has a different charm to it like no other European city we have visited.  No, it is not because of the sex and drug scene!  The cyclists, trams, pedestrians and cars all dance around each other in mindboggling complexity!  You have to see it to believe it.  (However, it is not nearly as crazy as Hanoi.)

Two wheeling is a way of life here.  There are literally thousands of bikes within this crowded city.  We have never seen such a sea of bikes parked outside the Amsterdam train station.  It is perplexing to us how anyone could even find their own bike.  We quickly discovered that bikes absolutely rule in this city.  Don’t even think of stepping in the bike lane because, nobody slows down for the walkers.  We were nearly run over by at least three bicycles within our first hour of wandering the city.  We were informed that Amsterdammers commute to work, shop and meet dates driving these cruiser-bikes.  You won’t see any high-speed fancy bikes here.

This scenic city was originally a fishing village, but quickly became the center of international trade starting in the 17th century due to its ports and canals.  It’s easy to image an era when boats unloaded spices in the waterways. The city is centered around the Canal Ring (Ho, hum. . . another UNESCO site) where three canals form a horseshoe shape around the old center.  We adored the now-upscale Jordaan area, a former working-class area, which is chock full of galleries, restaurants and boutiques.  It is simply the prettiest stretch of the canal.  The little gathering places and narrow streets add to the Lilliputian allure of this intimate city.  You can’t walk a kilometer within the city without bumping into one of the major art museums with the masterpieces of Vermeer, Rembrandt and Van Gogh inside.  Our guide told us that the city has the highest museum density in the world. (We were perplexed why Vienna would win that title)!

We found Amsterdam to be fabulous for rambling around due to its compact core which is laced by atmospheric lanes and quarters.  The entire city is man-made out of wooden piles that have been driven deep into the sandy soil.  (You see a lot of fabulous hydrangeas here due to the sandy soil conditions.)   We stopped by a local fish shack and bought a herring snack.  It was absolutely delicious!  We actually wandered over to the red-light district this afternoon.  What a surprise!  We were expecting it to look like Vegas; however, it looked like every other charming neighborhood except you had “ladies”-some quite large, others very pretty-all scantily dressed sitting in the windows.

Everyone speaks English here, in fact a lot of Dutch also speak German and French.  They really put us to shame in the language arena!  It is quite understandable why this city is filled with young people who want to live here; however, our tour guide told us that unless you speak both Dutch and English, you cannot get a job here.

The bottom line is that we think Amsterdam is one of those cities that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.  It is a city that we will consider coming back to for a 6 or 8 week stay; so, we can really feel like locals.


Sunday Puppet Show on the Dam Plaza
Sunday Puppet Show on the Dam Plaza
Note the tilting on these buildings on this large canal
Note the tilting on these buildings on this large canal
A little out of kilter
A little out of kilter
Everything is tilted!
Everything is tilted!
Amsterdam's Central Rail Station - a UNESCO site
Amsterdam’s Central Rail Station – a UNESCO site
Crowds on a sunny Sunday
Crowds on a sunny Sunday
Typical street & canal in Amsterdam
Typical street & canal in Amsterdam
One of the many churches
One of the many churches



Medieval on Steroids

Bruge, with its picture-perfect, fairytale looks, was like a medieval time warp for us.   It is a city of colorful bricks and mortar and is largely pedestrian with all the major attractions explored on foot.  We easily managed to continually get lost in the tangle of cobbled alleyways complemented by the Venice-type canals.  These canals link the two picturesque main market squares with their lofty towers, historic churches and pretty brick homes.  This mini-city is also known as “the Venice of the North” due to these canal system and bridges.  Today, this overcast, drizzly little enclave had a constant crush of tourists.  It felt like every tourist in the entire country was visiting Bruge today! ( It is only a one-hour train ride from Brussels.)  The city was also teaming with locals clad in yellow, red and black ready to celebrate an today’s soccer game against Ireland.

We had lunch at a fabulous fusion, health-food restaurant called #Food.  Yes, we know it wasn’t the typical Flemish food we should be eating; but, we were drawn to it’s upscale exterior and unique menu.  The food was superb and interesting.  The presentation was possibly the best we have ever seen-absolutely beautiful and really artistic. There were lots of amazing vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.  Both our dishes were fantastic.

Burg Square is the heart of the city.  For the architectural lover, this city is a treasure.  We were in total awe with all the exquisite buildings around the square, especially the Town Hall and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.  The Basilica is very famous because it holds a piece of Jesus Christ’s clothing with a blood stain.  The second major square is the “Markt” (yes, that is the correct spelling) which is surrounded by gabled medieval palaces and  the Belfry.  The Belfry is the city’s looming clock tower with its 365 steps.  We wanted to climb this tower for the great views but there was a 2 hour wait!  This square is lined with lots of Flemish eateries with seats under colorful awnings.  Bruge is certainly not a city of green spaces.  Bruge is, of course, known for it’s beer, along with diamonds, lace and what appears to be hundreds of chocolate shops throughout the city.  There is even a chocolate and friet (French fry) museum within the city!  It was a fun Saturday in Medieval-land.

Now, off to Amsterdam for a week.  It is hard to believe that we only have 3 weeks left in our 7 1/2 month journey!

 

One of Bruge's famous churches
One of Bruge’s famous churches
Bruge's Street Scene
Bruge’s Street Scene

 

 

 

Bruge's Clock Tower (Belfort Tower)
Bruge’s Clock Tower (Belfort Tower)
Crowds were extensive
Crowds were extensive
Bruge's varied architecture
Bruge’s varied architecture
"Venice of the North" is their tagline
“Venice of the North” is their tagline
360 Beers are Produced in Belgium
360 Beers are Produced in Belgium

 

 

Another city hall
Another city hall
Really unusual instrument - definitely medieval
Really unusual instrument – definitely medieval
Markt Square
Markt Square
Great old car
Great old car
Belgium vs. Ireland tonight - big rally & big screen on the plaza
Belgium vs. Ireland tonight – big rally & big screen on the plaza
Typical Bruge architecture - this dates back to 1669
Typical Bruge architecture – this dates back to 1669
Plaza art - nude lady with swan in carriage
Plaza art – nude lady with swan in carriage
Window art
Window art
Player piano - the guy in the hat is the tourist
Player piano – the guy in the hat is the tourist

 



Beer, Chocolate & Waffles

When you think of Belgium, you think of beer, chocolate and waffles.  This city can easily turn anyone into a roly-poly within a few days.  Brussels felt quite underwhelming to us but it might be because it is our 21st country (out of a total of 27) that we have visited in our 7+ months journey!  Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union (EU) and all its current challenges.  Fortunately, there are plenty of good restaurants and loads of pubs in the city, with 260+ Belgium beers, to wash away all the EU problems of the day.  Brussels has excellent food and the exceptional seafood is plentiful throughout the city.  Also known for their mussels, they were the biggest and most delicious mussels we have ever had – especially when you combine them with a hefty mug of cold, dark Belgium beer!  We were also very surprised at the very reasonable food & beverage prices throughout the city.  (We had a tasty, casual $10 lunch today which would have been $30 in Switzerland.)

After arriving on Thursday afternoon, we headed out on Friday to take a walking tour of the City Center/Old Town section of the city.  With all the cobblestone streets in this city, it is clearly a no-no for stiletto-clad ladies.  Unfortunately, it started pouring rain like it has almost every day for the last two weeks.  We met our tour group at the magnificent Grand Place which is the crown-jewel of Old Town and a UNESCO Heritage Site.  The striking gothic Town Hall also sits majestically on the square.  We think it is the most magnificent plaza we have even seen .  .  .  .  even more spectacular than St. Mark’s Square in Venice.  This enormous square simply captures your attention with all the ornate baroque and gothic buildings & guild houses accented with gold-leafing on the facades. While the beautiful Galleries Royales Saint Hubert on the Grand Place square is one of the oldest shopping arcades in Europe, it does not rival the Strand Arcade in Sydney, Australia.

The walking tour was somewhat underwhelming, like the city.  Perhaps, it is because we covered quite a small area in 2 1/2 hours and didn’t really gain any insight about the city.  One of the most hyped “landmarks” in the city is the Manneken-Pis, the “tiny” fountain of a peeing boy known around the world as the symbol of Brussels – Really?  Yes, a real disappointment to see in person.  Even more ridiculous is that this little statue has a wardrobe of almost 900 costumes from around the world which are put on the little guy during certain holidays and celebrations throughout the year.  The tiny outfits are all approved by a special government commission!  Many of the outfits were given by heads of various countries when visiting Brussels to bring a miniature version of their national costume for the boy.

After our tour, we strolled around both the upper and lower sections Brussels.  The upper section of Brussels hosts numerous financial and international institutions and museums.  Belgium seems to have trouble keeping its northern and southern halves together.  Apparently, the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking regions are in constant battle with each other.  Brussels is bilingual; but, French is the main language and English is commonly spoken.  The Flemish region is north of Belgium.  As we looked around and confirmed by our tour guide, Belgium is indeed a melting pot of nationalities.  While the lower section of Brussels contains the fabulous Grand Place and a fairly charming Old Town, we thought upper Brussels had much more impressive buildings, up-scale shops and a real sophisticated Parisienne flavor to it.

Brussels City Hall
Brussels City Hall
Guild (trade unions) offices (only one is still a guild office)
Guild (trade unions) offices (only one is still a guild office)
Gold is king
Gold is king
Brussel's primary plaza
Brussel’s primary plaza
View into Brussel's Old Town - tower is City Hall
View into Brussel’s Old Town – tower is City Hall
Two hot cats
Two hot cats
Brussel's most infamous statue
Brussel’s most infamous statue
Gorgeous Clock
Gorgeous Clock
Street art is great
Street art is great
Everyone capitalizes on the city's most famous statue
Everyone capitalizes on the city’s most famous statue
War Memorial
War Memorial
Lower portion of war memorial
Lower portion of war memorial
Different building - Museum of Musical Instruments
Different building – Museum of Musical Instruments
More art
More art
Ballet shop
Ballet shop



Petite “Paris”

Luxembourg City is the capitol of Luxembourg.  It is perched on a rocky plateau and  protected by a deep ravine.   It is  a compact city with a breathtaking setting.  Upon stepping off the train, Luxembourg immediately reminded us of a “petite Paris”.   The train station, which is in baroque revival-style, is a marvel in itself.  This immaculate city, which was not ravaged by WWII, is filled with original, traditional, classic buildings.  Not surprisingly, Luxembourg is one of the world’s richest counties.  We have spent two delightful but rainy days walking around the historic old quarter of the city called Upper Town.  The city is so tiny and compact that it is truly a walking city.  There is a tremendous amount of construction underway, mostly rehabilitation versus new construction. The city center is divided into two components, old town which sits high and the Grund, a small neighborhood below old town on the Alzette River.

We were surprised to see the picturesque old town streets not overrun by tourists, especially since it is mid-June.  We have since read that Luxembourg is not a big tourist city.   Luxembourg is somewhat difficult to get to; as, we had to change trains 3 times and the Luxembourg hotels, in general, are limited.  We did see a couple of Chinese tours but not nearly the number that we have seen in other cities.  Most of the the tourists seemed to be French.  It is EU’s powerhouse with significant operations here.  Luxembourg is one of three “headquarter” cities.

On our first day, we took several self-guided walking tours of the city.   Luxembourg is full of stunning buildings and vistas.  We peaked inside the stark but grand Notre Dame Cathedral, strolled pass the Grand Ducal Palace, Cornishe Monument of Rememberance, Constitution Square and the main square called Place Guillaume I.  We were overwhelmed by the magnificence of this place.

After a wonderful seafood lunch, we took the Wenzel Walking Tour of the “Grund” on our own.  The Grund quarter is one of the oldest parts of Luxembourg City; and, it can only be accessed by foot or via a lift which descends through the cliff.  Here you will find the old city walls, defense casements, and towers.  In one area during our walking tour, the city incorporated these walls & towers into a significant senior living facility. The architecture worked quite well.  This itty-bitty adorable hamlet is popular for its bars and nightlife; however, everything appeared very, very quiet during out stroll through the hamlet.    One interesting fact we learned is that the population of the Grund is only 784 people, of which only 33% are Luxembourgers!   And, of course, it has a UNESCO World Heritage designation.  We are not sure that this designation means much anymore since it seems like every place and/or area on our World Tour is a UNESCO site.

You don’t visit Luxembourg for the sights, there are not many.  We think the magic of Luxembourg is in the scenery and lush green landscape.  We loved exploring all the enchanting side streets, pretty hidden parks and spectacular views from the old fortification walls.  The city has an amazing diversity; as, we were told that there are people from over 150 nationalities living here.  One other note we might add is that the Luxembourg women are very fashion conscious just like French women.  We were taken back by their impeccable tailored style with a subtle, very tasteful flamboyance.  We haven’t seen a lot of pink, green or purple hair here!


City Hall
City Hall
Grand Ducal Palace
Grand Ducal Palace
The towers of Notre Dame
The towers of Notre Dame
Largest Plaza in Luxembourg
Largest Plaza in Luxembourg
Restaurants along the Plaza
Restaurants along the Plaza
WWI Memorial
WWI Memorial
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
6 Big Mouths
6 Big Mouths
Memorial to Queen Charlotte
Memorial to Queen Charlotte
The Grund
The Grund
Grund
Grund
What does this store do?
What does this store do?
Great musicians!
Great musicians!
Above a door
Above a door
Senior Living facility
Senior Living facility
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Grund

Mountain Heaven

The dreary weather forecast for today, Sunday, was rain for the entire day.    It was our last day in Switzerland, so we just had to take an Alps hike in the Lauterbrunnen Valley despite any inclement weather.   The valley is part of the spectacular Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland.   The Lauterbrunnen Valley is like no place we have ever seen; as it has some of the most awe-inspiring scenery in Europe.    For moutain scenery supreme, Lauterbrunnen and the surrounding towns cannot be topped.   It is truly mountain heaven for us.  We love the natural beauty of the Alps with its steep slopes, distance snow-covered peaks and small, tidy towns of weathered chalets.   Cows, sheep, goats, numerous hang-gliders and an occasional helicopter are all part of the Lauterbrunnen Valley scenery.   This place is truly a cinematic masterpiece:  the sun and clouds are constantly changing, the light highlights one ridge or peak, then fog or mist rolls in.  This pictorial mountain paradise changes within minutes.   What really sets this area apart are the more than 70 striking waterfall that line the length of the 2-mile valley.   These waterfalls are not like any we have ever seen before as they forcefully cascade out of cliff-face crevasses and power down the mountain with massive spraying.   It is truly a magical wonder.

As soon as we arrived, it started raining;  but, we had our rain pants and jackets, so why not climb?   We trekked the Panorama Spazierweg (trail) which connects Lauterbrunnen with the high mountain-top car-free town of Wengen.  Wengen is only accessible by cog train or foot.  It is an active ski/hiking town overlooking Lauterbrunnen and has access to numerous ski runs via a cable car.  The climb to Wengen is an almost 2-hour, continuous  uphill, switchback trail through forest and fields.   The views back into the valley are stupendous.  You see many of the waterfalls from a completely different perspective.   The town of Wengen is another Swiss stunner with lots of attractive chalets and small hotels.  Summer rentals posted on the real estate offices were very inexpensive.  (We are quite certain that is not the case for winter rentals.)   We spoke to a friendly lady in town and she said that the winter season is the busiest time of the year.  It’s hard to believe that summertime isn’t very busy due to the wonderful hiking available.  Today, Wengen was very quiet and sleepy with many hotels and restaurants closed.   Perhaps, these establishments open during July & August?  The hike down the steep trail was much quicker but hard on a different set of muscles.

We then decided to visit another of the three towns in the area, Grindelweld.  This is a much larger town than tiny Wengen & Lauterbrunnen.   It is teaming with cosy timber homes, flower-rimmed guest houses dotted on the lush green snow-capped mountains along with a number of enchanting hotels within the town center.   This remote town has the Jungfrau and Aletsch mountains looming over it.  We can’t even imagine how magnificent this place is during the winter!   From our perspective, this town should have been where we stayed if we were focused solely on hiking.  The access to trails, cog trains & cable cars is outstanding.  We are thinking of returning here for Lesley’s 65th next year in the fall.  Yes, this is mountain heaven.  .  .  .or should we say paradise?


One of the 70+ falls that shoot off the top of the cliffs
One of the 70+ falls that shoot off the top of the cliffs
Great mountain scapes
Great mountain scapes
Typical town - this is Lauterbrunnen
Typical town – this is Lauterbrunnen
Train, falls & fields - couldn't get any better - this is from our hike up the hill
Train, falls & fields – couldn’t get any better – this is from our hike up the hill
The falls initially explode into mist clouds
The falls initially explode into mist clouds
What can we say?
What can we say?
Valley floor
Valley floor
Only partially up the hill (we are still smiling!)
Only partially up the hill (we are still smiling!)
Across the valley from our hike
Across the valley from our hike
Town of Wengen
Town of Wengen
This one spreads out.
This one spreads out.

Feelin’ the Bern

Saturday had more rain; but,  we were hopeful that luck might come our way with a few breaks in the weather.  Off we went for the 1 1/2 hour drive to Bern, the nation’s capital, and supposedly one of the most beautiful towns in Switzerland. (Although Bern is properly Swiss, we are not sure we totally agree with its “most beautiful town” reputation).   We arrived and it was pouring down buckets; but, we still had hope!  After a very bad lunch (so far we are batting pretty poorly on Swiss restaurants), we finally found the flag-bedecked “Old Town” (aka Alstadt).   Bern is indeed very crowded and very touristy; but still retains that wonderful Swiss charm and character.  The city is noted for its fondue and Toblerone chocolate (our favorite) was created in Bern.  Bern’s name has been historically linked to “bears” and it is the symbol of the city.  We read that one existing legend says that the city’s founder, a duke, named Bern after the first animal hunted and killed in the area.  (There does exist a bear pit in the city which we did not visit.)

The perfectly preserved medieval street plan, with it numerous and famous protected, 2.6 miles of covered walkways (arcades), street fountains and doughty towers persuaded UNESCO to deem Bern a World Heritage Site.  The views, both of the Old Town’s clustered roofs and the majestic Alps on the horizon are simply lovely.  The area is delightful with many small shops (& H&M!), some of which are very specialized (antique books, buttons, etc.).   On many of the cobblestone streets, the only intruder is an occasional bus or tram.  Both of these vehicles are electric and very quiet.  They snuck up on us a few times before they sounded their horns-yikes!

In the afternoon, the rain finally subsided and it became sunny and quite warm.  The Albania vs. Switzerland soccer game was playing so the bars were hopping and loud.  The streets contain a number of interesting statues and are loaded with fountains.  These adorable old statues with their fountains are very colorful and unique to the city.  There is actually a statue of a man eating babies-very weird.   Apparently, the statue represents a figure who is supposed to scare disobedient children!   At the Old Town gate, there is the Zytglogge Tower-the city’s clock tower.  We watched this very attractive clock performing its “modest” show hourly with barely moving figures.  The tower opens up to the Kramgasse which is the main street in Old Town and is mostly a walking street that goes down to the river.  Bern is one of the few cities in Switzerland that doesn’t have a lake but it does have the impossibly blue Aare River.



OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Valley village on the way to Bern
Eating babies?
Eating babies?
Feeling' the Bern
Feeling’ the Bern
A bear ready for battle
A bear ready for battle
One of many fountains
One of many fountains
These Swiss statues are gorgeous
These Swiss statues are gorgeous
Bern's primary clock
Bern’s primary clock
The Aare river was key to Bern's development
The Aare river was key to Bern’s development
Lovely church
Lovely church
Colorful!
Colorful!
Love this art
Love this art