Topic: Adventures in Europe
For anyone interested, here's a quick write-up of the trip George, Rocket and I took from Amsterdam to Vienna, and back.
We piled into the car on Friday the 29th and headed to Belgium to catch Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat at a small club with very enthusiastic patrons. SUCH a nice guy and what a great show. Jim has silver tipped boots. One of the tips was coming loose and I worried it would fly off into the crowd. After the show the band told us Jim had worn them the night before, then found the bag of screws in the boots after the show 
I told Jim he's no princess! My favorite thing was a bread machine across the street. The bakery would fill it at closing and we witnessed the sale of the final loaf. However, before we left, the day's bread making had begun, and man o man did it smell good! Of course we also had to have Belgian fries. Be forewarned. Their serving sizes are ginormous!! We could have fed the entire bar! After the show we stayed at the same B&B as the band. We had a nice gathering in the rear garden. What do you think they asked if we had brought with us? ICE!!! Yes, American's drug of choice! Sadly, ours had melted.
The next morning we headed to Nuremberg. As we passed Liege we saw all the commotion leading to the start of the Tour de France. Seeing this live has been on my bucket list for decades, but a 1p.m. start time was too late for us 
Then a quick trip into Luxembourg for "cheap" gas, and another country to add to our travels 
After getting stuck in a monumental traffic jam leaving Luxembourg, we saw a beautiful rainbow along the way, which proved to have hidden demons. We hit a hail storm so bad that we had to stop on the Autobahn. Then we'd run back into it again after it let up. Yikes. Many fears for damage to the rental, but luck was with us. Phew! It was also my first real Autobahn experience. Fast lane with four way flashers on , get out of the way!!! I can imagine how good it feels to drive your high end performance car at those speeds, but it scared me too much as a passenger. Thanks for patience G. lol We rolled into Guenter and Angela's house that evening. Sitting on the porch, looking out over the Bavarian countryside soothed the soul!
Saturday we headed to Vienna. First, we stopped at the ancient town of Regensburg, where G and Rocket got a history fix 
Then we drove into Austria, where G and Rocket went to Mauthausen concentration camp for more history before we headed along the Danube in the wine country. SO beautiful!! Vineyards had rows going up and down the hills as well as across?? There's a definite art to it! The area is a favorite vacation area, and I know why. Had we more time we may have taken one of many cruises available. Next time.lol
Vienna's been covered, so I'll jump to the day after the show. It was time to get away from the city! George and Rocket were so sweet about taking me south so I could see the mountains. I was thrilled. The goal was to see one that made me say "Now that's a #$%^*&@ mountain!" and we had success On the way to the mountains we stopped at the most beautiful imaginable service area overlooking Moon Lake, where we ate disgustingly wonderful Austrian cakes. Then, the sights and smells of the mountains, streams, and forests were welcomed Then we turned north and headed back to Nuremberg and the "safe house" lol. Since it was the 4th of July we were happy to see a bus of students from the States at various rest stops with flags waving, wearing their "colors". That made the 50-70 cent fee to use the toilet less painful!
The next day, after multiple espressos, we went with Eva into town for a walking tour and George's feast on the local sausages. lol Eva's mom, Angela, took the second shift, and we got to know their home town fairly well. Lovely place!! That evening we had a nice meal and we'll cherish many good memories from our stay with Guenter, Angela, and Eva.
Thursday we headed back to Amsterdam with the Rhine as our next target. OMG was that stunning!! We were coming along the road and we could see a wall of granite looming in the distance. When we reached it we were able to stop and look at the "Lorelei", which was our entry into storybook surroundings!! There it was. A REAL castle jutting out over the river, complete with flags!! Every curve revealed another castle, ruin, some sights that made us go "wow". Perfect final visions
My final jolting memory was lying across the back seat, looking at the setting sun at 10:15 at night!!! I've been to the Dam on numerous occasions, but I don't remember the days ever being so long. Maybe that's their reward for the dark, damp winters.
Many thanks to the Knoferls for their hospitality, as well as to my traveling partners. This will stay with me forever.
As for Amsterdam..what happens in the Dam, stays in the Dam Cathy
Rocket and G..feel free to correct me and add any thoughts. Rocket if you have any pics, please share
edited and corrected for detail (chronological order, places and days) by George.
