CHAPTER 18: WIESBADEN, GERMANY | |
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Skip has written almost everything on our trip so far. While I know that you've enjoyed his stories, I thought you all would enjoy some of my thoughts on our trip from a woman's perspective. I have to bribe him to get time on our laptop computer, and that has fast become a pain in the butt. Even worse, we can't always use it when we want to because the battery only has so much life and we are now on our third power converter because every country has a different electrical plug. Holland was fun. The cottage we stayed in was not quite as small as Skip stated, but it was indeed small. It was like living in a Girl Scout camp with all these cute little cottages in the woods. It took us two days before we realized that the tub could be made into a quasi-Jacuzzi with the push of a button. We then had a discussion about what constitutes a Jacuzzi vs. a whirlpool, with no real conclusion. The fireplace was so cute, but it put out a tremendous amount of heat for our small living area, and thus I've had an attack of very dry skin in patches. I'm feeling better over the last few days due to slapping moisturizer all over my body. Our bed was in a cabinet as Skip stated and was very comfortable. It had a down comforter that helped keep us warm, since we had to turn the fireplace off at night and there was no other heat source, so the bed being situated as it was helped keep us warm. We even used the stove to reheat pizza and make toast, as there was no oven. We also warmed up the bath towels on it...what a luxury to have toasty towels! Amsterdam was so picturesque. They had an annual marathon and half marathon on the Sunday we were there. The people in Amsterdam as a whole are not as attractive to me as the British are. I guess, like everyone else, I expected to see lots of blondes, but the truth is that the majority of people I saw had very dark hair. They don't seem to be as sophisticated in dress as the British, but at least they weren't dressed all in black. The sex business is still thriving but you have to go to a certain part of town to find it. Marijuana is sold all over, but you have to stay in the "cafes" to smoke it (probably so you can share the fumes with everyone else). Wooden shoes are in all the stores for us tourists, I guess, and I would have bought a pair if mailing stuff home wasn't such a hassle. The big item at this time of year is flowers. All the fields are getting ready to plant with next year's tulips. Dolls are everywhere as well. We went to an art gallery in a little town called Oss that was close to where we stayed. Skip found a picture he loved (actually I saw it and called his attention to it) and we bought it for his "military retirement" gift. We never saw anything else that he liked in the bigger galleries in Amsterdam. The real kicker is that I bought ourselves an anniversary present (6 years of wedded bliss) which is a bronze sculpture of a "Geisha" by a Dutch artist. It's one of a kind and very abstract, but so simple and elegant. I really loved the work of another artist who made bronze sculptures hung on wires from the ceiling. Among other works, there was a girl on a swing and a ballerina holding on to a wire, all of which were very beautiful and so creative. Also, very $$$$$$$$. In Amsterdam, we happened upon a store full of Delft china. I don't particularly like it, but appreciate it just the same. Our boat tour of the canals was fabulous. We walked through a number of cozy neighborhoods, some of which were full of small boutiques. As it was Sunday, most were closed. (Skip must have been saying his prayers.) I found two more Lalique fish for my collection. They were cheaper in Amsterdam than in England, and then I found two more in Brussels that were even cheaper. Going to Brussels was my idea. I felt that we were so close, we would feel sorry later if we didn't go. The first square we came upon was one of the most beautiful squares I have ever seen. There were very large, ornate buildings on all four sides with gold leaf all over them. The square was made up of bricks, as are most of the streets. I can attest to how nice it looks, but it is a bitch to walk on. Most brick streets and sidewalks are uneven and by the time I've been walking a while, they hurt the bottoms of my feet. I imagine bricks hold up well to extreme temperatures and usage, which is why they use them, but give me something level, please! Lace and chocolate are all over Brussels and they also have a thriving antique business. Antique stores are all in one small area and most have some very large pieces in them (as opposed to most of the antique shops in Britain, which sell small things). Many stores had nice oriental items and I saw one of the most beautiful tansus I have ever seen. It was big. The rug stores sell Gabbeh carpets at much more reasonable prices than in Japan, but we had no way to get one into the States. We saw many galleries that dealt in works of art from Africa and had some gorgeous stuff. We only spent one day in Brussels, so that was my take on it. The people are pretty nondescript and plain. We did find out that in Brussels they speak both Flemish and French. On the coast they speak only Flemish and in the other areas only French. I don't really know why. There are lots of bakeries that look like they came straight out of "Country Living" magazine and are so homey and comfy looking. I had a "Belgian" something that was essentially a French churro and it was delicious. Well, actually, I had three. The drive to Germany was nice as all the trees are changing. It was an easy drive but the Mercedes/BMW/Porsches really do scare you when they pass by. They come out of nowhere like a bat out of hell. Everywhere we've been, we've had to pay to use the bathroom. I figure it this way: I am on a boat so I am a captive audience and they should pay me not to soil the boat. But no, they still charge to use the facilities on board. In America there would be a revolt, but not here. The toilet paper in Europe is the worst. Gray paper towels on a roll would best describe it, I think. Every country has a different way to flush the toilets and most sinks have two spigots for water rather than one. It's all a little inconvenient at times. If you want to wash you face, you have to fill the sink, unless you want to use just hot or just cold water. The showers are tiny and most have hand-held devices. However, we have never run out of hot water over here, which is nice. Changing money is getting to be a pain. Nobody wants your coins, but hell, a British pound is $1.60 and by the time you have a few of those coins you have a $10 in your pocket that you can't change. We do try to use all the coins prior to our leaving a country, but sometimes it's just not feasible. Our vacation park in Holland didn't take credit cards, nor did the art dealer, so we had to get cash. The best way to do it is go to an AMEX office and cash a check. There is no charge to cash a check in person at an AMEX office. ATM's generally have a limit as to how much you can pull out, and charge you every time you use one, so if you are planning a trip I would say to get an AMEX card. We got gas today and the gas station didn't accept credit cards. This was the first time that had happened. It took all our Deutsch Marks. Gas is expensive here. It's not as expensive as in England, but still costly. However, it is nice to be driving on the "right" side of the road again. I haven't shopped much in Germany yet. On our first day in Wiesbaden we just went downtown, and yesterday was the Rhine trip. Today was a slow day, but we took a walk tonight around Wiesbaden and I'm tellin' ya, there must be a lot of money here because many of the houses here are something else. They are BIG and so gorgeous. Some are old, some not. We just were astounded as these were obviously one-family homes, yet so huge. There were lots of stained glass windows in the homes, as well as crystal chandeliers and magnificent bookcases. Now I know why German antiques are so big: they have so much room to fill! |
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