CHRISTMAS ALONG THE RHINE

January 2, 2014

 

 

Happy New Year dear ones. I wish you a heart and soul-fulfilling 2014!! Michael and I ushered in the New Year with pizza and a great movie...of course, I can't remember what it was, though!!  :) But I DO remember our riverboat trip along the mighty Rhine River. Rising in Switzerland, it flows along the border of France, through the historic heart of Germany and into Holland where it empties into the North Sea. We sailed through it all  on a small riverboat with about 80 other travelers.

 

To my dismay, there was no snow! The little villages and cities in these countries are sooo storybook with snow, but it was most enjoyable even without the white blanket!

We started out in Amsterdam, Holland, city of canals and connecting bridges that crisscross the city, bicycles , and very beautiful, distinctive, gabled architecture. Two words come to mind when I think of Amsterdam...canals and sex. There are many, many sex shops, sex museums and of course, the infamous Red Light District.  (There are also many well known art museums and the Anne Frank House to visit...we had done those on previous trips.)

 

 

Our ship was docked until very late. When we woke up, we were  in the Dutch countryside of  historic Kinderdijk, famous for its mid-18th century collection of 19 windmills...a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Interesting to actually go inside a working windmill and see how the family who lives in it manages...many levels and roomier than you'd think!

The Diker...note his traditional wooden shoes. He really does wear them!

Again, we sailed through the night and woke up in Cologne, Germany. Boasting the largest Gothic Cathedral in northern Europe...it's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Construction on this cathedral started in 1248 and was completed in 1880... amazing! 

 

 

 Cologne is famous, too, for its Brauhaus tradition...cafes where the house brew (always a variety of the well-loved KOLSCH beer) is served. Even Michael and I enjoyed the cafes...and we're not beer drinkers!! 

One of the things we most enjoyed throughout this entire trip were the Christmas Markets or Christkindlmarket in each town and every country we visited. Here, you find local handicrafts and local food and drink. Our favorites were the potato pancakes, pork/beef foot long hot dogs, roasted chestnuts  and of course, the hot mulled wine. Cologne,   was no exception, but their markets were unbearably crowded!! Perhaps it was because we were there on the weekend.

 

 

We spent a good part of the next day sailing to Rudesheim, Germany,  on the beautiful Rhine, enjoying the sights along the way...

and a fun late afternoon, walking the cobblestone streets to Rudesheim's market and a  local restaurant for dinner. It was a rowdy evening...

 

Next stop...Heidelberg, Germany. We visited the majestic ruins of Heidelberg Castle. Built during the early 13th century, it was the setting for the opera, THE STUDENT PRINCE. A beautiful place... and the views from it were spectacular!



 

 

France...Strasbourg, specifically, was our next port of call. A large, multicultural city, we enjoyed walking and observing...and eating at the Christmas market!!

Strasbourg Cathedral and its amazing clock!

Note the street lights are chandeliers!!

Ultra-modern European Parliament building

Beautiful Renaissance housing along one of the many canals.

Place de la Republic...MOTHER STRASBOURG, mourning her losses

Whew! That's enough for this posting...lots to digest and lots of photos to see! I'll finish my trip report when we'll head to Germany's Black Forest, Colmar (the home of the sculptor of our Statue of Liberty,) and finally, Lucerne, Switzerland.

 

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you a fun-filled yet relaxing weekend. I hope to see you for the rest...

 

Hugs and love,

abbyj



 

 





ARTFUL READING CLUB

December 27, 2013

THE DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton

 

 

 

I'm sad to realize that this is my last "official" entry in Darcy's Art and Sole: Artful Reader's Club. It's been a year of reading, reviewing and producing  art pieces inspired by the books I've read. I, for one, plan to continue my monthly book review and inspired art whether or not Darcy continues to challenge us on her blog. I hope you'll continue to join me on my blog.

This month's book was a biggie, but worth the time. THE DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton started with a letter...one that had been lost for a very long time... received by Edie Burchill's mother, Meredith. This is the catalyst for a mystery that pulls Edie to Milderhurst Castle outside of London, in Kent. Her mother spent the summer at Milderhurst as an evacuee from the air raids in London during WWII, but is now reluctant to talk about the time. In this engrossing read full of family secrets and betrayal...equal parts mystery and historical fiction...the novel swings back and forth in time as a young woman living in the early 1990's, Edie Burchill, researches her mother's past experience and her stay at the Castle, a property literally mired in secrets.

The castle is still inhabited by the sisters Blythe...now very elderly ladies...twins Percy and Saffy and their younger sister, Juniper, who has never recovered from being abandoned by her fiancée during the war. The contemporary and historical narratives combine to aid Edie in unraveling the mysteries surrounding her mother's past and that of the eccentric sisters. But of course, there are many twists and turns before we learn the bitter truth.

Milderhurst Castle dominates this tale with its imposing architecture...it's a living, breathing creature filled with the echoes and voices of previous inhabitants from those distant hours...and it inevitably weaves a spell over those who enter its doors (literally and figuratively!) The characters are very well developed and engaging, plus we have all the usual Gothic elements of mystery, gloom and menace. For me, THE DISTANT HOURS was a perfect book...perhaps it will be for you, too.

 

Have a Happy New Year...wishing you the best of everything in 2014!

 

Until soon,

Hugs,

abbyj