“An airplane”, replied the bar tender with a straight face. I suppose in a tiny town called Grimmelwald that mostly just hosts the over flow of skiers from Murren in the winter, one would get sick of answering that question. Turns out he is from Australia, lived in London and got a job in the Swiss Alps.

“Rick Steves’ recommendation!” replied a family of four from Philadelphia riding the Gondola up the hill…erm…mountain with us. Funny, that’s what brought us as well! This fellow American however, knew someone who had actually run into Rick Steves in his home town Seattle, Washington. As a professional traveler, I think you’d have better chances of running into him in India or something.

I discovered a crazy coincidence the other day. A friend from high school that I had lost touch with happened to be in the same part of Switzerland as I was in at the same time. I found this out because of pictures on facebook, so I started conversation; “What brings you here?!” He is traveling before his semester abroad as well. What a perfect way to reconnect and bizarre serendipity.

This is one view of the three main mountains from the top of the Shilthorn. I’m pointing to where my friend Cameron is touring.

Wear sunscreen.

Or. Else.

Don’t step on round pinecones on a downhill slope and before frolicking in fields, check for stinging nettles. Also keep both eyes open while hiking, for safety and scenery reward.

One of the several hikes we did through the breathtaking (literally) area!

These are a few of the lessons I learned, or rather, re-learned during my time in an adorable mountain apartment hiking around at cardio-testing elevation levels.

We stayed in the upstairs of this cute little place. The view (to the left in this pic) was amazing. Huge mountains over a deep valley!

I enjoyed a large, rotating, double-oh-seven breakfast on the top of the Shilthorn, watching para-gliders enviously, and adventuring down the mountain cliffs, as well as a home cooked-very Swiss-meal and staring at the bright milkyway. We explored hillsides, meadows, towns and a waterfall. Visited with local cows, people and tourists, and got caught in a thunder, lightning and rain storm. I’d say our three nights in the glorious Alps were a success!

This is now on my bucket list. They were all over and it looked SO fun! 

Now, the medieval times may just be history books, castles in ruins and museums, but a knight in shining armor carried my suitcase up the stairs in a train station and it made my day. We were headed North by the Rhine river to an old….OLD town called Bacharach, Germany. This was a long, hot day of travel with a zillion train connections. I was exhausted and grumpy from getting up early and hauling all my bags from one type of crowded public transportation to the next and one large staircase was about to defeat me. A nice young man walked up beside me (pathetic and struggling) and said something politely in German. I replied that I speak English and he looked flustered and thought for a moment and then just sort of gently took my suitcase from me. At the top I thanked him (probably for the third or so time) and he went on his way as I just stood there feeling so much less grumpy.

It was evening when we finally arrived in the cute little Snow White Village.

An overly helpful woman showed us to our room in the Pension where we gratefully settled before dinner and wandering.

My bed. Picture taken thought little door way into parents room and door by pillow into bathroom. Left of that, mini porch thing.

Travel oops: Tried to go to a recommended restaurant but sat at the wrong outdoor table. I cautiously ordered from the limited menu and did not end up with what I expected. I surprised myself by eating the whole thing.  The entire situation was made better by having a very good glass of wine and by how interesting every building was to look at and learn about as well.

It was actually pretty good, once I got over the surprise.

The following morning we went to the provided and hearty breakfast and met the other guests. Where are you from? What brings you here? Where are you going? The usual conversation. One family from Seattle and one from San Francisco! Together we had the west coast covered!  We all had the same travel book recommending that little bed and breakfast and we were all following the suggested tour to a castle in St. Goar. So at 10:15 we caught the boat. There is an ipod guided tour of the castles along that stretch of the Rhine and every few kilometers or less I learned another fun fact or myth about yet another tower!

This castle was build in the middle of the river for best taxing abilities! (Picture taken from boat as we passes by)

A Burg is a defense fortress.

I cannot possibly remember which castle was which among my hundreds of pictures and thoughts mixed with the blur of a tour!

But a Schloss is more of a showy palace.
Also, apparently there is a roman god of wine

Attention all little boys, grown men that aren’t really grown up and girls like me that preferred plastic cars and dinosaurs while camping over Barbie’s tea set in the living room, add Rheinfels castle to your list of places to vacation – coolest ruins (thanks Napoleon) of a once powerful and important fortress that I have ever run across! It was basically free reign to run around and explore what is left using the map and information provided.

There were lots of hallways,

nooks and crannies, spiral staircases,

Not spiral, but those are hard to photograph!

and underground tunnels to investigate.

Down in the mine tunnel with a candle!

Along with running into the other two American families, we met a family from Vancouver B.C. (more west coasters!) who were interested in joining us for an English tour that turned out to not exist. So I pulled out the written tour, donned my tour guide hat and read aloud. The young boys in that family were as enthusiastic about investigating as I was and together we looked down wells, around corners, inspected old cannon balls and tried out the prison stalks. I enjoyed having English speaking kids around; as I felt like one the entire time I was there. Other kids climbed into a loft with me and one informative little boy helpfully explained to my dad and I how to not get lost in the mine tunnels with our flashlight and candle.

It was also fun to be here because the novel i’m reading right now is set back in time and gives a clear picture castle life!                                               (Note my gift from the alps and lesson learned on left thigh)

It’s hard to wrap my head around the idea that real people once lived and worked there doing real things. Battles, seizes, river taxing…it all seemed so fairytale- the herb garden, cellars, slaughterhouse and dungeon prison, it must have been a Hollywood set not a real abandoned castle!

Needless to say I really enjoyed my time here and left regretfully without my own horse and suit of armor. I did however enjoy floating further down the river regarding more, old castles before returning to Bacharach for dinner and bed. As well as all the people we’ve met along the way. Though many are other tourists and not locals (aside from an occasional conversation with a restaurant owner or employee of a tourist tap) I find their stories fascinating.

What takes you there?

These people are tall. I was warned about the Netherlands but I was am surprised at just how tall and just how noticeable this is!
We’ve arrived in Arnhem, land of my father’s ancestors! Our motives for choosing this spot to tour have been questioned multiple times but it’s simple, this is where the Aalbers came from. I’ve always wanted to visit and it hasn’t quite sunk in that I’m here, where my family and the wooden shoes came from!

A most typical image of the Netherlands!

Our home base is an old house that is the typical Netherlands style. Tall and skinny! The houses and buildings all look squished together and have the narrowest, steepest stair cases of anywhere! There is a parrot downstairs in the breakfast room and he livens up the place! All in all, it was a nice and unique little place for a night.

The front of the house. The first window to the right of the front door was ours.

However when we first arrived, the first bit of excitement was finding the Open Air Museum and seeing how my ancestors really would have lived….!

I shall report that experience and my time in Amsterdam next!

Emily