This Is Really Happening

On the 29th of September I fly from SFO to Munich to begin my river cruise from Berlin to Amsterdam. Prior to leaving for the river cruise, I will spend time with my nephew Matt and his wife my niece Michelle and their three children in Garmisch Partenkirchen in Bavaria. There will be some sentiment on this part of the trip as Garmisch Partenkirchen is the last place in Europe that Dianne and I visited together in 2018, but I look forward to being with family in such beautiful surroundings prior to leaving for Berlin and the cruise. I have chosen a European company for this trip, CroisiEurope, because if I am traveling in Europe, why not travel with Europeans rather than Americans? At the end of the cruise, which is an 11 day cruise, I will extend in Amsterdam for two nights and then will be in The Hague for four nights before returning to San Francisco. I have been able to get tickets to the Anne Frank House and Museum in Amsterdam and will also take a walking tour of the neighborhood where Anne Frank and her family were in hiding. I would feel cheated if I could not visit the Anne Frank House.

As is the case with traveling, especially international travel, there are lots of items to prepare prior to departure. My passport is in order, accommodations in Berlin, Amsterdam, The Hague, and by the Amsterdam Airport have been arranged. I have ordered a couple of items from Travel Smith and still need to get to my bank to order some Euros before I leave, but I am confident I will get everything done and be ready to go on the 29th. If I am true to form, I will forget something in the non-essential category and may get to try to buy items in Bavaria trying to use my fractured German. I have been using the Babbel App to try to learn some German, but need to step up my game prior to leaving in the hope that my German won't be fractured beyond repair. We shall see.

As the trip progresses, I will try to keep this blog up to date to keep you in the loop.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Winding Down

Image
 My stay in Europe is winding down and, much as I love to travel, I am ready to go back home. It is Sunday morning and here in The Hague, we may have unsettled weather today. My trip has been blessed with good weather. The first two days were rainy, but since then most days have been sunny and pleasant.* *by my standards which are possibly different (definitely different according to some people I know) from the standards of others. Often while other passengers were bundled up as if heading to Antarctica I was in short sleeves.    On Friday I took the short 12 minute train ride from The Hague to Delft, home of Delft Blue Ceramics. With the help of Greta Google, I made my way from the train station to the old town center with its large market square. The square is book ended by the old Town Hall and the New Church. The square is lined on both sides with restaurants and shops. I am sure if the residents from centuries past could see their present market square, they would o...
Read more

From The Hague

Image
   This morning I faced the monumental task of getting my luggage down 4 flights of very narrow, very steep stairs from the attic to the ground floor of the VRBO in which I stayed in Amsterdam. I succeeded without breaking a leg, arm, my neck, or my ass, so I felt quite accomplished, ate breakfast next door at the little brasserie and UBERed to Amsterdam Centraal for my train to The Hague. I was quite early but found that my ticket was good for any train headed to The Hague, so I boarded, switched at the airport, and had a smooth uneventful train trip to the Hague. Where I am staying in the Hague is an aparthotel that is literally multiple steps down from my attic accommodations in Amsterdam as I am on the ground floor, but since it has a small kitchen, table, private toilet and shower, and a separate bedroom, it is quite a step up for me. I have dubbed it the James Bond Suite since, you guessed it, I am in apartment 007. I have not really gotten a feel for The Hague yet as I ...
Read more

Apologies To Peter, Paul, And Mary: My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go, And Here Are Some Random Thoughts

Image
My flight from Amsterdam to San Francisco leaves today at 2:50. I am at a hotel close to a train station that will get me to the airport in 4 minutes. It will take me longer to walk to the station than it will for the train to get me to the airport.  Checkin for my flight at the airport won't be available until 11:50, so I have some time. I will leave myself plenty of time since I'd rather have time on my hands at the airport rather than rushing to get there to make my flight. Random thoughts: For beautiful scenery and warm hospitality, put a visit to Garmisch-Partenkirchen on your list of places to see and stay. This trip was my second visit there and it will not be my last. German and Dutch trains are convenient, affordable, and efficient as well as smooth riding. You can get  many places by rail or bus, and if you miss one train, another will be along soon. It is very easy for English speakers to communicate in both Germany and The Netherlands. Like many Europeans, German a...
Read more