Amsterdam

Paris may be the city of lights but Amsterdam is definitely the city of bikes.

From the time we stepped off the train from the airport we had to watch our step at intersections because of the rapid bike transit.

The other form of transit so often talked about of course is the canal taxi.The view is great in the boats on the economical hop-on-hop off boats in town IF you can catch them. We found that was pretty tricky after waiting through two missed pick-ups in the dark on the cold waterfront.

However, we did make up for it by dodging into the warm taverns. They look so inviting and we found it easy to strike up a conversation with people inside (in English).

Do be aware that while some bars have menus of small appetizers or deserts, “coffee bars” in the city feature a menu of a different sort. Yes, the stories are true, you can actually order up custom blends of various “cigarettes” from a laminated menu!

Just a short walk or float away is Rembrandt Square.

The whole area is absolutely beautiful and a very popular area for young professions--local or visiting.

In addition to the expectedly wonderful museums and art galleries, we also enjoyed learning about the cities “corner” on the diamond market with a tour of the Gassan diamond company and its patented 57-sided diamond.

Even the “just for you today” prices were over my head, but I will mention two affordable gems I found in Amsterdam--

*If you’ve gotten a late late start on dinner, do what we did and follow the locals into what looks like a street side auto-mat. It turns out that behind the machine windows are people frying up wonderful spicy meat and dough inventions. I have no idea what they were but you can’t go wrong by watching what everyone jumps forward to grab out of the windows!

*During Christmas time the famous floating flower market was not running but the Bloemenmarkt between Leidsestraat and Vijzelstraat t featured many open-air stores full of an amazing varieties of bulbs at bargain prices. But do ask which ones are exportable before you get your heart set on a bulb that can’t leave the border.

And on your next trip over the Netherlands border I hope you get a chance to fly on an Amsterdam airline. While our country’s airlines pass out a small bag of ten pretzel grids, their airline defines “snack” as a wonderful warm brown bread and cheese sandwich!

The Black Forest

The Black Forest is a great plan for a winter break vacation in Germany as the climate is pretty mild. My first tip is to hit the Internet for guest accommodations as many people rent out the bottom floor of their house to visitors. We stayed in a little apartment in a house in the middle of a neighborhood with steep hills. When you’re walking you notice features like this water trough and detached stone garages that made us feel like we were thrown back in time. Plus, we could walk to a store mixed right in with the houses that sold the famous black forest ham….great taste and a tad less salty than Kentucky ham from my hometown.

A short scenic drive away is my favorite find--the barefoot park in Dornstetten (http://www.barfusspark.info/parks/dornst.htm. As hiking goes it is not challenging but very interesting with it’s carved trees and various walking surfaces.

It even includes cut but highly polished glass!

And at the end you are rewarded with a stand that serves nice cold Weiss Beer…ahhh the Germans known how to hike!

If you prefer city walking, we enjoyed the nearby town of Freundenstadt. During the weekends this beautiful area in the center of town is filled with stalls selling nice soaps and local vegetables, foods and crafts.

Don’t miss the black forest cake in bakeries… a little less sweet than the American version but richer I think!

Another good one-day road trip I recommend is the glass blowing shop in Wolfbach (http://www.dorotheenhuette.de/). You can watch or help make your own creation!

The prices are very good--around fourteen dollars for most of the simple pieces.

And if you’re looking for souvenirs there are also several wonderful cuckoo clock shops with prices ranging from twenty dollars to the thousands for the ornately carved dark woods.

Looking back on the trip I have to say one of the best parts was actually the drives between these stops. The roads chosen by our Garmin navigator took us along wide open fields then right through the center of neighborhoods on hill tops where you could actually ask directions from someone hanging clothes out on their lines.

We often forget till later that one of the best treasurers of traveling is being allowed to really think about what it would be like to live a different life in a different place.

Happy travels!

Pam and Nguyen

Tupelo!

Tupelo, Mississippi serves as the home to the birthplace of the KING, Elvis Presley. Presley was born and raised in Tupelo, until he was 13, when he and his family moved to Memphis in search of a better life. Little did they know that one day their young son would take they city- and the world – by storm. The Elvis Presley Birthplace is an attraction that commemorates the singer’s roots by showcasing the most important aspects of his life.

Upon parking, visitors are captivated by a 1939 Plymouth, the car that the Presley family fled in to make the journey to Memphis. The car is not the original, but is the same make and model that the family used. Inside the visitor’s center, there is a museum and gift shop. Visitors can purchase admission to the birth home ($4.00), the museum ($8.00) and the church that the Presleys attended. ($6.00) However, you can experience much of the essence just by visiting the Memorial fountain.

The fountain is walled with quotes and anecdotes from those who knew Presley, as well as a specially designed fountain that has thirteen spouts (one for each year that Presley lived in Tupelo). The shotgun house and chapel are all in very close proximity.

In between these attractions has been placed the newest addition to the site: the 5’5” “Elvis at age 13” statue, dedicated in 2002.
The birthplace has had a lot of work put into it to give Elvis fans and tourists alike the full experience of the essence of the King. Seeing where it all began gives tourists an idea of where Presley was coming from – and where he was destined to go.

Driving I-65 in Alabama

Due to personal reasons, I’ve been traveling up and down Interstate 65 for the past 14 months or so. Along the way, you begin to notice certain landmarks. For instance, the giant peach water tower in Clanton; the big, the inescapable confederate flag flapping in the wind; and the sign that forewarns us if we don’t go to church the devil is going to get us! However, lately, I’ve noticed something else that I have not normally taken note of along that long stretch of highway: deer carcasses.

The first time I noticed one was by chance. I was driving along when I noticed the proverbial blue lights from the car of a highway patrolman. That’s a very common sight – nothing unusual there. My first notion was he had pulled over a speeding driver. I’m no light foot, but some people think you should drive at least 90 mph when traveling either direction on 65. That wasn’t the case, however. For, you see, as soon as I moved over from the right lane to place distance between my vehicle and what I perceived to be a soon-to-be-ticketed driver, I noticed a huge deer lying on the left shoulder of the roadway, which caused me to glance back over to the right. And, that’s when I saw it – the driver’s front bumper on his SUV had been almost totally ripped off!

Well, since that day in August, I’ve taken that trip numerous times again – just as recently as last weekend, as a matter-of-fact. I saw no less than four either fresh or repeatedly trampled over deer carcasses. I felt fear. It was broad daylight on an extremely fast-paced and busy interstate – would one leap out of the woods in front of my car? It’s difficult to continue to drive at a decent speed and watch out for darting deer at the same time. So, I guess I say all of that to say this: if you’re traveling Interstate 65, north or south, watch out for our bountiful, bouncing friends. Apparently they have not been taught the rules of the road: look both ways before crossing the interstate.

Pat Sanders