View from canal cruise.

Bought some old Amsterdam cheese, bread sticks, apple chutney and bottle of wine for dinner in our room.

Dinner in our room.

Standing in front of one of the many canals.

Very quiet in the morning as the locals don't seem to start their day until 9:00 am. 

John in Amsterdam classic picture.

Had waffles, coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast from a street vendor, while waiting for museums to open.

Breakfast at museum square.

Wonderful tour guide, Monique, for the day.  First through the Rijksmuseum with its huge collection of Rembrandt paintings.  Monique's love of art and enthusiastic telling of stories, and explanations of how Rembrandt used light and shadows in his paintings made for a special morning.  Lunch as group, followed by a canal tour, then off to the Van Gogh museum. Again, fantastic storytelling from Monique about how Van Gogh lived a life of "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll" and sold only one painting during his lifetime due to his difficult personality.  Apparently he suffered from mental illness, perhaps bipolar, although exact diagnosis is unclear.  Wonderful museum as it is organized chronologically so one can see how his painting style changed over the years, as he lived in different places and was inspired by other artists.  He only painted for 10 years from age 27 until his death at age 37. A very prolific 10 years - 140 paintings in one year. 

Finished the day with a tour of the Red Light District.

Canal in Jordaan Neighbourhood.

Self-guided walking tour of the Jordaan, which is reputed to be one of Amsterdam's most interesting neighborhoods, where many of the city's most successful artists, intellectuals, and slightly older yuppies reside. It turns out that there are courtyards behind some of the tall thin homes - the guidebook told us which gates we could push open for a look.

Entrance to a Courtyard of an Almshouse.

Shopping is still done at standalone butcher shops, bakeries, vegetable/ fruit stores, etc. No supermarkets, let alone Costco's, have set up here;  although there is a Hudson's Bay near the National Monument.   Lunch at Singel 404, which is supposed to have the best sandwiches in Amsterdam -- they were very good. Back to the hotel for a jet lag recovery nap; then off to The Heineken Experience.

The Heineken Experience.

Dinner at sidewalk Thai restaurant then back to the hotel for an early bedtime -- we're bushed!

Windmill Registered in April 1676 (play video).

We toured an oil windmill that was built in 1672, which is still operating with mostly original parts.  The Miller explained and demonstrated how he ground linseed into powder; cooked the powder to loosen the oil; then pressed the ground seeds to extract the linseed oil, which was needed in paint and varnish and as material in linoleum. Fascinating.  Next door there was a wind-powered sawmill.  Wind blows pretty much constantly across the very flat Netherlands (highest point is 300 m above sea level) - it is big sky country like Montana. 

Our next stop was Edam which was founded in 1357 when a river was dammed.   Edam has been a cheese export center since that time. We watched cheese being unloaded from a river barge (see video), then did a walking tour of the village (pop. 7000).

Unloading Cheese in Edam (play video).

Canal Homes in Edam.

Shorter homes on smaller canals than Amsterdam, gives it kind of a rural feel.  Although just 15 km outside Amsterdam, Edam is in the country.  Feels like a nice place to live.

Oldest Home in Edam - Built in the 16th Century.

In nearby Volendam, we walked down the lakeshore, tasted cheese over a glass of wine, and attended a biscuit making demonstration. These were successful marketing gambits as we bought a few different cheeses, a cheese knife, caramel-filled biscuits and some chocolate. 

Next, we took a ferry across the IJsselmeer to the traditional fishing village of Marken where we had a lovely lunch, went on a walking tour and saw wooden shoes being milled from fresh cut Poplar blocks. 

Small Canal & Church in Traditional Fishing Village, Marken.

Back to Amsterdam, freshened up at the hotel, then out for what turned out to be our best meal so far, at an Italian restaurant,  Mappa. Our university student waitress, Star, was so cute that we told her that if she ever came to Vancouver that she could stay at our house for a few days.

Bike Racks at Amsterdam Centraal Railway Station.

The 3 of us walked past the central rail station, where bikes are parked on multiple levels, then around the Jordaan neighborhood where one can buy a nice 5-story, 2500 sq.ft. home for $3 to $5 million.

Noriko and Peggy Walking in Jordaan.

We finished the day with a wonderful Italian dinner at a sidewalk table at Assagi.

Dinner with Noriko in Jordaan.

Train from Kolp to Koblenz.

Doug met us at the train station and walked us back to his and Penny's hotel, which is in the center of Picturesque Cochem, a small town/village.  Hotels line both sides of the Mosel River; then very steep banks covered with vineyards.  We are in Germany's wine region. As it turns out this is the weekend of the Cochem wine festival so there are amusement rides, outdoor bands, thousands of tourists and every inn is full. 

While we were having dinner on a veranda with Doug, Penny, John and Sue a local parade crosses the bridge from the other side of the river towards us. Very colorful period costumes and lots enthusiastic bands.

Cochem Wine Festival Parade (play video).

Cochem has a castle high on a knoll, which was built in 1000 AD. Canons were fired from the castle at the conclusion of the parade.

Cochem Castle, Built in 1000 AD (play video).

e took a cab 4 km up the river to our hotel, booked through Avion RBC Rewards, the Filla Andre. Very picturesque. But no record of our fully paid in advance reservation. They're full.  The Chef calls around: All area hotels and inns are full - it is wine festival. The mother of a friend of the chef has room at her BnB that she doesn't operate anymore because she is too old. The friend drives us to the house (more of a villa) and helps Mom make up the room. Wonderful hospitality. The locals would not let a visitor go without a bed.

Cochem Bed ‘n Breakfast that Took us in on No Notice.

View of Mosel River from Cochem Castle.

Met Doug, Penny et al for a wander around the wine festival, lunch, then boarding the Iris, our river barge home for the next week.  We received a briefing and got our bikes fitted.  Found out that we would be hiking up to the castle again, this time to receive an excellent guided tour.

Street Performance at Cochem Wine Festival.

I stopped to examine an intriguing group of street performers; then rushed to catch up with the group only to get to the locked tour gate making me think that I had missed the tour.  As I'm discussing this with the cashier, the rest of the group arrived, having taken an unknown to me easier switch-back route. Sigh. Oh well, the exercise may position me for success on a bicycle. 

The castle was built in 1000; destroyed by Louis XIV the Sun King in the late 1600's; then purchased and rebuilt by a German steel magnet in the 1860's. Lots of antiques and period pieces. 

View from the Balcony of Cochem Castle to the Mosel River, 300 Feet Below.

Back to the Iris for dinner, some wine, then bed.

End of Day Emails and Facebook Posts.

Angie and Peggy at Beilstein, with Klosterburg Castle in the Background.

Apparently the first settlement pre-dated Roman times.  Biked from Beilstein to Edinger, where we stopped for coffee, overlooking the river.  It was difficult to find an open restaurant as it was Sunday morning.

Coffee Stop in Ediger, with Guide Gijsbert photobombing on the Right.

Then biked to Zell, where we ate lunch by the river.  Beautiful scenery all along the way.

Our Biking Group, Just South of Zell, Germany (play video).

Lot's of "campers" by the river.  Not BC-type camping with tents and campfires; German-type camping with RV's, lawn chairs and satellite TV dishes. Then biked to Traben-Tranbach, where we visited a hotel decorated in the art deco style, complete with a large nude mural in the men's bathroom.

John and Peter at the End of the Day’s Ride in Traben-Tranbach.

Sailed from Traben-Tranbach to Bernkastel. 50 km on the bikes today - Peggy and I are both feeling fine.
A lot of the towns have 2 names because before there was a bridge, there was a town on each side of the river, which had little interaction with each other.  After the bridge was erected, the towns amalgamated.

Dinner on Iris.

Farmland Near Daun.

Followed an abandoned railway, which was paved over with asphalt uphill for 5 km through the rain forest - nice shade on a sunny day. Foliage and undergrowth reminded me of Capilano Canyon, except with a deciduous canopy, rather than evergreens. Then on to
encircle the Eiffel volcano (named after the builder of the Eiffel Tower, who was from the area).

Standing in the Eiffel Crater with Schalkenmarkren and Lake in the Background.

The volcano crater is Now a swimmable volcanic lake at
Schalkenmakren where we stopped for coffee.

Swimmable Volcanic Lake at Schalkenmakren

We followed the abandoned
railway down to Hofchen, past dairy herds and corn 🌽 fields.
Stopped for lunch at Hofchen - soup and a refreshing beverage of Bitburger Fass Brause.

Lunch at Hofchen.

Next we coasted Downhill for 10 km to Wittlich.
Finally back to Bernkastel
for dinner. We rode 58 km today, which will be our longest ride. In the evening, Peggy and the group went wine 🍷 tasting at a local
winery.  I wasn't feeling well so stayed on the barge; all better in the morning.

Roadside Discussion of Vineyards.

Pre-engineered Posts To Rapidly Build a Dike in Case of River Flooding.

Lunch stop was near a replica of a Roman Wineship that could be powered by wind and/or oars, which would have traded between here and up-river to Trier and Metz.

Replica of Roman Wine Ship.

Lunch on a Bench Overlooking Mosel River.

Iris at Bottom of Lock.

Iris at Top of Lock.

After lunch, we continued along the river valley, through vineyards to Schweich.  Peggy's favorite day of cycling so far.  We sailed into Trier, which dates back to Roman times.

Entrance to Ancient Trier, Built by the Romans in 200 AD.

Walking tour of the town followed by dinner in town.  Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded in 50 BC when Julius Caesar conquered local tribes.  The city was the Roman capital for the region.  Constantine ruled from Trier prior to moving the seat of power to Constantinople.

Outside of Constantine’s Reception Hall, Prior to Moving his Seat of Power to Constantinople.

Karl Marx was born and raised in Trier - the house he grew up in is now a currency exchange.  Hah! He must be rolling over in his grave. 

Peggy and I had a delicious pizza at a small Italian restaurant, then back to the barge for bed.

Exhausted due to the heat of the day.

Tomb of St. Matthias, in Crypt at Trier.

Then we road up river to Saarburg.

Peggy Riding into Saarburg.

Saar Castle (and goats) in background behind Iris.

Saarburg had a bell-making industry that provided bells to cathedrals.  Now winemaking and tourism to see the local castle and the creek that runs through the city.

View of Saarburg from Castle.

Waterfall in the Centre of Saarburg.

Dinner on Iris.

Two well-fed bikers.

Aug 31 Route - South from Saarburg to the Middle of Blue Box, then West to Remich. 50 km.

We were rewarded by a tree top walk and panoramic views for a 100 km in all directions.

Treetop Viewing Platform from Where We Could See 100 km in Every Direction.

View Down 350 m to Saar River Doubling Back on Itself. \240Note Castle in the Centre.

On the ride down the other side we went Down a steep slope with large sharp gravel - one tire puncture. \240We stopped at a replica Roman Villa - life was pretty good for those at the top of the Roman food chain with baths, massage rooms and large reception halls.

Reconstructed Roman Villa on Historical Site.

Lavish Mosaic Floor of 3rd Century Roman Villa in Nenning.

Roman Villa Floor Near Nenning.

View from Duke of Lorraine’s Castle in Sierch-Les-Bain’s.

Then cycled through the countryside to Thionville.  France 🇫🇷 is notably different from Germany 🇩🇪, even though they are separated only by a narrow river.  German homes and buildings are impeccably maintained; French ones look run down and in disrepair.  Northern France is economically depressed and the people were big supporters of Marine Le Pen in the last election. 

We got off the bikes for the last time at Thionville.

Canadian Contingent Completes Biking Portion of Tour.

Doug Redden and Penny Quinlan, Victoria, BC.

Peter Bishop and Angela Bujold, Red Lake, Ontario.

Sue and John Harper, Ottawa.

We took a train from Thionville to Metz.  The Germans occupied Metz in 1870; France got it back at the conclusion of WW I; Hitler grabbed it in 1940; General Patton liberated it in WW II; and France regained it at the end of WW II.  Due to being a contested area there are large ramparts build by the medieval warlords, French and Germans over a millennium.  Interesting walking tour through the ramparts.  Then to the cathedral, which had its entrance removed by the Germans, so that they could put a more gothic, German-looking facade on it in the late 1800's.

Metz Cathedral.

Metz Cathedral Interior.

They also build an impressive train station 🚂 in the German, not French style.

German Built Train Station at Metz.

Cocktails in the city while waiting for the Iris to arrive.  Although the infrastructure seems more run down than Germany, France feels more alive and vibrant. On the way to the barge we stopped by Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, which bears two thousand years of history.  It started as a palestra in Roman times, became an abbey from the early ages and a store for carriages from the 16th century.  Here the 8th century Bishop of Metz developed the Metz chant, better known as Gregorian, which spread throughout Europe then dominated by Charlemagne.

Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnaines Exterior.

Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnaines Interior.

When I read The Da Vinci Code years ago I thought that the Knights of Templar were a fiction.  Turns out they were real Catholic military order, and very successful at raising money and accumulating power.  King Philip of France became deeply indebted to the Templars, then pressured Pope Clement V to disband them in 1312. A Templar Chapel, Circa 1140 survives in Metz.

Knights of Templar Chapel, Circa 1147.

Dome - Knights of Templar Chapel.

Knights of Templar Chapel Interior.

Our last stop was outside the palatial Mayor's house which was built under German administration in around 1890.

Gregor eat your heart out. This is the mayor’s house in Metz. Circa 1890.

We had a 4-course farewell dinner tonight, then packed for the train rides back to Amsterdam. The chef and the quality of the dinners was one of the highlights. 

Farewell to our companions:

Peter and Leanne Ockerby, Tasmania, Australia.

Ashley and Nikki Dickerson, South Africa.

Nicky and Murray Thompson, South Africa.

Bob and Caroline Jones-Davis, South Africa. (With Peter Bishop).

Ken and Tessan Tissiman, South Africa.

Angie and Rahoul Kaplan, South Africa.

Carol and Stuart Peterman, USA; Beth Tripp and Bob Schalk, Tucson Arizona, USA.