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Vancouver Island
We enjoyed our biking adventure in western Canada this year. We flew into Victoria, a city in British Columbia on Vancouver Island. Before the trip, I did not know the difference between Vancouver and Vancouver Island; I had to ask a local. Vancouver is a major city in British Columbia. Vancouver Island is home to the city of Victoria and Victoria is the capital of British Columbia. Geographically, we were about 60 miles from both Vancouver and Seattle, Washington. We were in the southern portion of Canada, below the 49th parallel.
We began our journey, stopping in Montreal and arriving in Victoria after dark. A wonderful city, easy to walk and fun explore, was ready for us to see. To acclimate to the time change, being out west, we walked and enjoyed all Victoria had to offer for a full day prior to the beginning of our biking tour.
We had in mind prior to our visit to see the Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria. It was a bit of a long walk; we enjoyed the neighborhoods along the way. The “castle” was a good stop. The building itself had been a private residence and at one time a college.
The highlight of our first night on Vancouver Island was exploring the Butchart Gardens and seeing their final fireworks show at the garden for the season. Walking around the gardens at twilight and evening with lights on the pathways lent a different feeling to the gardens. We really enjoyed the experience and were glad to take part in it.
Pictures do not do justice to the grand fireworks show. It was unlike any I had seen. Sometimes it looked as if the fireworks were walking across the garden. I saw several YouTube videos filmed during one of the shows. Even they do not do justice to the amazing show set to music. They do provide some sense of the show.
At night the capital building is all lit up and looked terrific. We were staying in a hotel next to the capital building.
This is not the first adventure for our group of dedicated biking friends. VBT does a wonderful job arranging the trip and providing bikes. We show up, enjoy the tour and pedal.
Our biking group for Canada: Vancouver Island
We all started walking in downtown Victoria waiting for the bike adventure to begin. We had previously been on a bike tour to the Florida Keys and had our picture taken at Mile Zero in Florida. We were happy to have that landmark for us to walk to as we traveled around Victoria.
Our first ride was just around the streets of Victoria. It is a pretty city and we enjoyed the ride. We saw a giant totem pole, and we all stopped at the Mile Zero marker this time in our biking gear for a picture. We also pedaled though a park. They have beautiful gardens in Victoria.
On the second day we biked to the ferry and took it to Pender Island. We then rode across the island to our hotel.
Near the hotel, riding from the ferry, my wife and I could not resist stopping at the Enchanted Forest. You would have stopped as well. We took a hike to the forest after our biking adventure the next day. It was a fun place; we spotted several faerie doors hidden throughout the forest. If you find yourself on Pender Island, the view from the forest was worthwhile as is the path through the forest. It was a fun day.
I really enjoyed our time at Poets Cove Resort & Spa on Pedler Island. We could not get enough of the view from our room and the resort. The food was terrific and the accommodation was wonderful.
My wife loves kayaking. Part of this journey was a sea kayaking guided tour. We were treated to sweeping views of Boundary Pass, the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands, and Mount Baker. I did not bring my phone on the kayak. But I am happy some of our friends did.
After kayaking, we went for a quiet bike ride to Brooks Point Regional Park. It was the shortest day of biking for us. We did have wonderful views and took our bikes over to the Enchanted Forest.
We were almost sorry to leave Poets Cove Resort, but we were looking to ride more and explore. We rode our bikes back to the ferry and back to Vancouver Island. After leaving a small island for a larger one, we were back on the bikes. We went to the family owned Sea Cider Farm & Cider house. After a fun lunch, we pedaled to the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria. We enjoyed taking a dip in the hotel’s heated seaside mineral pool.
We had a fun breakfast with the group and a final briefing on our last day’s big ride.
We took our longest ride from Victoria to the Butchart Gardens. We enjoyed the scenic ride and managed to get a little lost on the way; we found our way back to the path with the help of our guides and fellow bikers. We started early so we could have plenty of time to explore the gardens.
We enjoyed our second visit to Butchart Gardens. It was all in the daylight and we were able to take our time and see some of the sights we missed on our first visit.
Some of the members of our group wanted to ride the Rose Carousel. The carousel is comprised of 30 hand-carved wooden animals and two chariots. The artwork was very pretty, and it was a fun diversion from biking and walking around the gardens.
The gardens are the main attraction, and you will have to visit. It is well worth it. A beautiful layout of flowers, trees and shrubs. Every garden just flowed and it was hard to put the camera down.
We eventually got back on our bikes and pedaled back to our hotel. It was a good day at the gardens, and we were happy to visit twice.
We managed another day of wayfaring around Victoria prior to our plane leaving in the evening. The parks and inlets are gems. We enjoyed taking in the sights in and around Victoria, including palm trees in the yards.
It was sad to say goodbye to Vancouver Island. It is a place to visit again. Fortunately for us, we have signed up for another bike tour in 2026.
Other fun:
I was able to go on a few runs in and around the area. One of my favorite runs was along the water in Victoria and crossing bridges.
I was also able to run on the other side of Victoria after our return from Pender Island.
Of course, we prioritized stopping for ice cream. Or was it dinner? It was good, especially after a fun day of biking.
Getting in shape for our ride, we took a few rides on our local bike path.
See you on the road.
Bike Riding in Full Bloom
Imagine a whole countryside of farmers’ fields planted with tulip bulbs and all the colors. We saw acres and acres of tulips in full bloom as we biked along the northern two provinces of the Netherlands.
Besides the pretty tulip blooms, we enjoyed spending time with four other couples we had met on other bike rides. Thank you, Cecilia, for getting us all together. It was a lot of fun.
We were in the Netherlands as part of a bike and barge tour organized by VBT. We say to our friends and family who ask, the weather was cool and rainy, and it was windy from the North Sea. And, we enjoyed biking and exploring this beautiful country.
We wanted to be acclimated when the bike and barge tour began, so we went early. Our trip began in Den Haag (The Hague); we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the city on bike, foot, and tram. We also got out to see a little of the area around Den Haag.
One of my running buddies asked about the trip; when I told him we were starting at The Hague, he asked “Who plans to go there?” Den Haag was a perfect introduction to the Netherlands, and this was a good place to begin our visit. That is part of the beauty of the arranged travel. We would not have set out to see The Hague, but we are glad we visited and explored this place. We were joined with our friends Bonnie and Adam in biking and walking in The Hague and learned a little more about the Netherlands.
The national legislature and the Prime Minister work out of a giant complex in The Hague called the Binnenhof. The Binnenhof is under re-construction so we toured The Hague’s Historic Museum and learned the history and saw great pictures and models of the legislature in action.
This picture typifies our visit to the Netherlands. We were at the beach, so sandals were appropriate. Next to the sandals for sale you will notice wool hats and scarves. The temperature changes often, and it is windy and cold near the North Sea.
We made a side trip to Delft. Delft is known for the blue pottery, and we did see it quite a lot. Delft is a quaint town, and to an American tourist it looked perfect. This was one of the places that we had ice cream.
Other fun in The Hague:
All over The Hague we saw the iconic image of the “Girl with the Pearl.” We spent several hours touring the Mauritshuis art museum and saw the actual painting of the “Girl with the Pearl Earring.” The museum has a lot to offer, including the building itself as well as the Rembrandts and Vermeers. My tip: bring your ear buds to hear the narration from the app—I wish I had brought mine. One of the paintings was actively being restored.
We were sad to leave The Hague, with more to experience, yet excited to begin our biking and barge tour from Amsterdam. Once on board we were given a quick tour of our boat, assigned a room and got settled in for a ride to our first stop. We did a warm up short ride to ensure the bikes were all working and we understood the rules of the road, keeping in mind that there are more bikes than people in the Netherlands.
Thinking of Holland (we were in the provinces of North and South Holland, in the country of the Netherlands) I thought about tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes. One of our memorable stops was biking into Zaanse Schans, a living history museum with working windmills. We experienced a guide making a pair of wooden shoes and explaining why they are still in use today (and not just sold to tourists). We spent the night moored outside a windmill, and at the beginning of our next day’s ride we explored a working windmill that saws lumber.
For the tour, our group of 10 friends met up with our traveling companions, 14 more riders who were in country to celebrate Sue’s 85th birthday. We also had two wonderful guides. We did have a great time with the group, and it was good to meet our fellow riders. The weather was cold, rainy, and sometimes very windy. Greg, one of our friends, told us that 100 bad days make for 100 good stories. Regardless of the weather, we had a fun time biking in the Netherlands.
I did see a windmill daily and I am pretty sure we also saw tulips blooming every day as well. However, we did not see too many people walking in wooden shoes.
Tulip fields and bulb growing was everywhere. Imagine driving through Nebraska, Illinois, or Indiana, and instead of corn and wheat fields there are fields of red, pink, purple, and yellow flowers. As far as the eye could see, sometimes on both sides of the road, were fields of blooming tulips. What a site! We learned that the farmers were bulb farmers and cut off the flowers to help the bulbs grow. Still, these fields were part of the reason to come, and they did not disappoint.
One of the bike ride tours was to the Hortus Bulborum, a historic garden with thousands of varieties. We learned that the lovely two-color tulips have a virus. The growers now know how to eliminate that virus. But the multi-colored varieties were once highly prized in the tulip mania.
A highlight for us was biking to the Keukenhof gardens and seeing the annual two-month exhibit with more than 7 million bulbs on display. It was a terrific presentation; this was a showcase event for growers and distribution companies. It was not a museum. We were at the Keukenhof about 4 hours; it rained off and on. The crowd did not diminish. We heard they average about 10,000 visitors a day, rain, or shine, and we believe it. It was a spectacular view all of the colors.
Other Experiences:
Our barge tour ended in Amsterdam and we spent a few days after the barge tour walking around Old Amsterdam. We saw the highlights, and missed some as well. We had a fun time and enjoyed the beer at the Heineken experience.
We were fortunate to experience the Anne Frank house. It was a very moving tour, not to be missed. It can happen anywhere. Thank goodness that good people helped hide these families for as long as they could.
We did a cruise on the Amsterdam canals. We enjoyed them as a scenic backdrop on our walks though the old city. Amsterdam apparently has more canals than Venice.
We saw several museums, and could have visited several more. Each one was well done. You can find any interest and it likely has a museum somewhere in the Netherlands.
Lessons learned:
- I can ride at less than 55 degrees F, provided I have the proper clothing. We had packed appropriately for the biking experience.
- Traveling on a barge with a small group of dedicated bikers is fun. Riding in a hailstorm and a strong wind is not fun, and I do not have to continue riding after reaching a natural resting point.
- A biking tour and a walking tour after arriving off the plane is a good way to be acclimated to the new city.
- Ferry crossings are a good way to cross the water. The Netherlands is full of water. It is amazing the amount of land reclaimed from the water. We began several bike rides at less than sea level.
- We took more than one ferry across a canal or river, always, it seemed, bringing us back to tulip fields.
A country with a tradition of biking everywhere is a good place to share the road. Land is at a premium. The bike lanes were sometimes marked. We rode on some bike paths. There are more bikes than people in the Netherlands, so the country knows about biking. This is an example of a typical two-way road. Some have canals on both sides. As you can see, there is not a lot of room.
We were sad to leave the Netherlands. All good things eventually have an end. Seeing Amsterdam at the end of our travel was a good way for us to say goodbye to the Netherlands.
See you on the road.
New Zealand—land of the long white cloud—Part 2
Part one of this two-part blog describes our adventure on New Zealand’s North Island. This blog tells the story of our South Island biking and hiking tour. We began by flying from Auckland to Christchurch. It is so much easier to fly within a country than into a country.
For part of my adventure, I got in a few rounds of disc golf in between the hiking and biking and managed to play four courses on the South Island. I also ran in a few of our locations enjoying areas that we explored biking or hiking. The planned tour took us to great hotels and showed us wonderful sights on the South Island.
We could have stayed longer at each location we visited on the South Island. Because it stays lighter later in the day in summer (AKA January!), we were able to visit attractions later in the evening. We biked though the Mona Vale Garden Park on our bike ride around Christchurch, and it was near our hotel. So, after dinner (it was light until after 9:30!) we walked over to the Mona Vale Garden Park. Wow! The following group of pictures was taken at about 9 PM local time, when the park closes to vehicle traffic.
We took advantage of our outdoor time in Christchurch and enjoyed the city. We were impressed with Hagley Park, one of the largest city parks in the world. I thought it needed a disc golf course. We did enjoy the Botanical gardens in the park.
Some of the tour members were going back to Christchurch after the tour to stay there for a month. We were envious of their extra time in this beautiful city. From Christchurch we took an open train ride to the mountains on the TranzAlpine Kiwi Rail to Arthur’s Pass. I had never been on one of these trains with large windows and a glass ceiling. The views on the train ride were breathtaking; we are happy to have taken this route to get our first experience in the Southern Alps. We got off the train at Arthur’s Pass and were driven to the west coast to begin biking.
We enjoyed biking and hiking in the west country of the South Island.
We were introduced to the beach town of Hokitika, and we were able to enjoy the Tasman Sea waves from our room.
Near Hokitika we began a bike ride from Lake Kaniere. The lake was a great backdrop as we got our riding instructions and options for the day ahead.
We enjoyed the quaint town of Franz Josef (population about 300 with over 2,000 rooms for rent) to see the Franz Josef Glacier. The scenery here was lovely and we got some great views of the Southern Alps on the western part of the South Island. We hiked, played their 9-hole disc golf course, and ran. I also took a helicopter ride to walk on the glacier.
When you are in a helicopter for the first time, like I was, you do not have a perspective on size. The pilot pointed out to us our landing area and all the people already out. In the picture I took, you must look closely to see where we are going to land and the other tiny helicopters in the distance.
Two helicopters here
Look closely for the two helicopters just over the “O” and “S”
I was happy to get out and walk on Fox Glacier. After walking around, I thought to myself, I have done kata on the beach, so why not try it on the glacier. It was not pretty, as the ice made it slippery and the marks from others’ feet made the surface uneven. Still, this was my first-time doing kata on a glacier, and it was fun.
Near the Southern Alps we took in the Lake Matheson hiking trail. We had a wonderful lunch after our hike. At one point on the hike, they displayed a postcard of New Zealand and it was exactly our view. This was a great spot for a bike ride and then a hike. My phone camera does not do justice to the view of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman reflecting off the water.
I did not think about rain forests or wilderness in New Zealand. We appreciated that our tour took us to the Wilderness Lodge at Lake Moeraki on the west coast of the South Island. We enjoyed the penguin signs. Because it was summer, we did not see any penguins.
We learned about some of the plants in the wilderness and were excited to see Koru, the Māori word for a loop or coil, a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. We were introduced to this symbol by our walking tour guide in Auckland. We saw it in several places as we hiked the countryside.
After saying a fond farewell to the Wilderness Lodge, we made our way back into civilization. One of our first stops was the breathtaking Mount Aspiring National Park. The park is named for Mt. Aspiring, one of New Zealand’s highest peaks, which we were able to see on our hike. We were taking the Haast Pass back to the east side of the South Island and stopped to hike.
We enjoyed our hike to see the Blue Pools on the Makarora River. We laughed at the signs that limited the number of people on the bridges over the pools and marveled at how many people were using the pools and even jumping off bridges into the pools. The two-mile hike was beautiful; we were happy that our guides took us to see this amazing site.
We noticed along our journey that just stopping along the road provided a wonderful view of the surrounding area. Here we are looking at the top of Lake Wanaka from the highway leading into Wanaka prior to our bike ride—just outside of Mount Aspiring National Park.
After enjoying a day at Lake Wanaka, we hiked to Lismore Park for some disc golf and enjoyed ice cream on our way to play. It was twilight as we strolled back to our hotel along Lake Wanaka from Lismore Park. Such a pretty area! It is nice that it is light so late here in summer. January and late nights are a new concept for us.
Our last big hike in New Zealand was almost eight miles from Lake Wanaka with the tour group to Glenduh Bay. The hike is along Lake Wanaka. We had great views of the lake all along the route. We were also passed a few times by experienced mountain bikers on the trail. I would not have been comfortable biking on this hiking path.
Other Fun:
Our group leaders taught us to sing a Māori song. The tour group leaders brought in a Māori warrior. He greeted us with the traditional Haka performance and we were able to respond (apparently appropriately as friend) with our Māori song.
We visited Arrowtown and enjoyed walking in and around this historic town. It was good to get out and see the town. We did not stop and pan for gold. We did find some great merino wool items to take back with us. I also had another cup of the flat white coffee.
Prior to getting on our 14-hour flight home, I was able to get in one last disc golf round at the Queenstown Gardens. What a lovely setting for a public disc golf course. The Lake Wakatipu in the background was delightful. We would have liked to have spent a few more hours of viewing the gardens prior to our flight.
Lessons Learned:
Looking back on our travels, I learned that a smaller island, like New Zealand was the just right size for us. We left a lot of area in New Zealand unexplored. We loved the places we visited and the people we met.
We would like to come back to New Zealand. January was a good time to travel to this side of the world.
New Zealand—land of the long white cloud
In my thoughts about big travel, I have dreamed about going to Australia with no idea why or what I would do when I got there. On our last bike travel to the Golden Isles of Georgia, another couple in the group mentioned going to New Zealand and how much fun they had. When we got home, we looked it up and we booked the VBT biking and hiking tour of New Zealand.
Was traveling to New Zealand the trip of my lifetime? I am not sure, but it was a great time. I do know for sure I would like to go back.
We really liked the tour and believe we received the experiences we were looking for when we signed up. The scenery was even better than I could have imagined and the pictures do not do them justice. Also, we had a fun group, good guides, and wonderful accommodations. It did rain, and it did not dampen our experiences one bit!
Here are a few things I learned about New Zealand.
- It is a big country, but it was just right for a few weeks of exploring. We saw the Pacific Ocean on the east coast and the Tasman Sea on the west coast.
- New Zealand has rain forests, tall mountains, friendly people, and beautiful scenery of almost all descriptions.
- In January, summer in the southern hemisphere was in full force. We picked a good time to visit. However, we did discover that from late December (Christmas) until almost mid-January the country is on holiday. We were fortunate enough to arrive as the country was getting back into the new year.
- Not too many bugs, but sand flies or fleas can sometimes be bad near the water. Fortunately, the wind kept them mostly away from us.
- With flightless birds, natural predators were non-existent before the introduction of small animals intended for food or companionship, including cats and dogs. Dogs are discouraged on trails that may have flightless birds (like Kiwis) on them.
- I cannot wait to go back and enjoy another trip during summer in New Zealand.
There was a lot I did not know about New Zealand, prior to signing up for our travel. New Zealand is an island country consisting of two main landmasses—the North Island and the South Island. We knew that in New Zealand they drive on the “other side” of the road. We did not know that New Zealand has three official languages, English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language. We knew about English. Māori is from the native Polynesian roots and is being re-introduced. We learned a few phrases on our journey as well as song taught to us by our guides.
What I did know prior to signing up for the journey is that it is summer in the southern hemisphere when it is winter where I live. I wanted to go to an English-speaking country where my language skills would help me get along on the travels just fine.
In hindsight, I had on my “bucket list” going to Australia. I am glad we instead chose New Zealand. Australia sounds like an exotic, yet still English-speaking destination. New Zealand fit this thought as well with a bonus bike tour and the Lord of the Rings dramatic scenery within a limited amount of geography.
New Zealand has a lush countryside due to the frequency and amounts of rainfall it receives. We rock bright yellow rain or wind jackets (they look the same in the pictures) because we were on a bike tour and the color is visible. We did not take that much luggage and are seen in the same outfits for most of our pictures.
We landed on New Zealand’s North Island and spent our first few days in Auckland. We did our best to see all of Auckland and could have spent a little longer exploring this city.
We did an e-bike ride in Auckland on our first day in town. It was a good way to defeat jet lag from our 16-hour flight. The leader of the Power to the Pedal! gave us a GPS animation of our ride: https://www.relive.cc/view/vdvm3YxK8N6. We really enjoyed the ride, and as Auckland has several hills, the e-bikes were a good call.
We enjoyed walking around Auckland and hiked over 10 miles on a guided hike from Domain Park. What an enjoyable garden and path from Domain Park back to the city center. I was encouraged by our guide to try, and I enjoyed, the “flat white” hot coffee. If you get to New Zealand, and you like coffee, you should give it a try.
We satisfied my need to see the Shire in the middle of the North Island. I knew that parts of the movies (The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit) were filmed in New Zealand. I can see why the site we visited was selected for representing Hobbiton. As part of my journey, I re-read the Hobbit; after our visit to the Hobbiton movie set, I can see it come to life. If you are a fan of the books or the movies, or have never given them a thought, the visit to the Hobbiton movie set was wonderful. As part of our tour, we had lunch, just outside of the Green Dragon Inn. It was very festive and tasty. We took advantage of our visit to the Shire in the middle of New Zealand.
I did get a few runs in while in Auckland. I appreciated the rainbow after the morning rain. Also, I did a run in the mist and enjoyed the downtown overhanging protection while I ran.
We liked the many parks in Auckland. I was able to “play” disc golf in Domain Park. The only disc golf courses nearby were object courses. So, just playing in the park was the same as playing on an object course where you aim for trees, rocks, or other features of the area.
It was still just after Christmas in mid-January when we visited Auckland. We were surprised that the boxing day (December 26) sales were still on almost 3 weeks later.
We really enjoyed our visit to the North Island and Auckland. We concluded this part of the journey with a trip to the airport to start our biking and hiking tour of the South Island. That is part two of the blog.
Fun in Germany and Austria
Our visit to Germany and Austria took us from Frankfurt to Munich (and a side visit to Shloss (castle) Neuschwanstein) and then to Austria visiting Salzburg and Vienna. We had our travel expertly organized and managed to stay in the center of the old town in all of our city visits. Thank you Kayla! That was a real plus in seeing the cities on foot. We did take part in walking tours in every city except Salzburg, where we took a bus tour.
We expected the countryside in Germany and Austria to look like farmland and the towns and cities only to have old historic buildings.
We did not expect sand and surfing. We now think that parts of Germany and Austria want to live on a tropical island. In Frankfurt we visited the Palm tree (Palmen Garten) garden; in Vienna we noticed several biergartens along the Danube Canal had sand and beach chairs for their guests. In Munich we watched kids surf in the English Garden.
Frankfurt or as it calls itself, Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt Germany was the first and last stop on our travels. We arrived early for our bike boat adventure and got acclimated to the time zone and the culture prior to the bike ride. We really enjoyed walking along the Main River and noticed that the people of Frankfurt do as well.
Our walking tour guide shared that apple cider was the drink of Frankfurt; the ones we tried were very good. I also had beer; it was Germany!
We were surprised to learn that many of the “old” buildings in Frankfurt were rebuilt in the 1980’s in the old style, replacing buildings destroyed in WWII. The buildings did not look new and we were happy they were rebuilt to look as we expected. Of course some of the buildings were modern; Frankfurt had many skyscrapers, in contrast to many of the cities we visited. Frankfurt is the financial capital of Germany so it was nice that as a part of the walking tour we stopped by the stock exchange, one of the largest in the world.
When we visited the Palmen Garten we were surprised to see an extensive palm garden inside the city known mostly for banking. We did not know that you could grow palm trees in Germany, let alone all of the uses for palm trees we learned about on our tour. We enjoyed the variety of trees and flowers in addition to the palm trees. It is worth a visit if you are in Frankfurt.
Munich or München
After our bike tour we took the train to Munich. For us, Munich had a “big city feel.” Of course we had just spent a week biking through small towns. We recalled our visit to Frankfurt, and the city of Munich appeared to us as a more urban setting. We loved the statues and the plazas. A lot of history in a small area.
We spent several hours walking around Munich and discovered the English Garden and did see people surfing. On our walk we visited the place where the Octoberfest takes place as well as taking in several great looking buildings and local scenery.
A big part of our being in Munich was the proximity (about 110 KM) to Schloss (castle) Neuschwanstein. Our bus included Neuschwanstein, a visit to the town of Oberammergau, and Linderhof Palace where King Ludwig II lived prior to moving into Neuschwanstein.
The view from a nearby footbridge on the way to the castle does not begin to tell of the beauty of castle Neuschwanstein. We enjoyed the hike up to the grounds, and even with scaffolding on the main entrance the castle was breathtaking.
Neuschwanstein was impressive on the inside as well. Of course the castle only housed the king, and he lived there for less than one year. The inside was impressive and well worth the visit. No photography was allowed inside the castle. I guess it takes a king to build a fairytale castle.
We enjoyed the surrounding property of the castle and had great views from the walk up as well as from inside the castle itself. The “old” castle that the king grew up at is also on the grounds.
We enjoyed the stop at Oberammergau. They have been putting on a Passion play for almost 400 years, with the next one coming in 2020. You can buy tickets now. The town began the plays in 1634. All of the actors and actresses are members of the town. The town puts on the play as a result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village when they were spared from the effects of the plague. We had fun visiting this town and trying on some traditional head wear and, of course, eating some ice cream. We were pleased to walk around the theater. I am sure the Passion play will be a great production in 2020.
Linderhof Palace was our third stop on the tour. This was a smaller place than Neuschwanstein and almost as impressive. I am really glad we stopped here for a visit. I especially liked the magic table and the fountains outside. You will have to see it for yourselves. No photography was allowed inside; take my word for it, the inside was impressive.
Our international travel from Munich to Salzburg was just another train ride. There was no pre-check of passports prior to boarding or a checkpoint along the way. The Europen Union has no restrictions on travel between countries once you are in one of the countries. One of the tenets of the EU is people traveling freely throughout most of the continent.
We learned that Mozart was not Austrian; he was from Salzburg, which was an independent (non-EU member…) country when he was born. We enjoyed eating chocolate here; Mozart balls are a favorite. We also enjoyed staying in a 700-year-old hotel in old town Salzburg.
Yes, we did take the Sound of Music tour. We sang, we laughed and we loved it! Now that we are back home, we are watching the movie and excited to see the places we visited on our tour. We also noted that our tour guide in Austria was in one of the anniversary shots about the tour groups in Salzburg.
Vienna, Austria
We left Salzburg all too quickly and headed by rail to Vienna.
As Vienna is so much bigger than Salzburg, with about 25% of the population of Austria in its borders, we rented bikes to explore more of the city. It did rain on us on the way back to the bike rental location, but we had a great time riding the streets anyway. There are over 1000 KM of bike trails in Vienna; as a result, it was easy to ride in the city. The highlight for me was riding along the Danube Canal and seeing the Danube River.
We enjoyed the music of Vienna, the churches, the palaces and the monuments. We enjoyed running across Mozart references as well as statutes of other composers.
Our hotel was centrally located in the heart of Vienna’s district 1 on the Stephansplatz. We could view the church and square during our breakfast. I miss that view.
We enjoyed walking around the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn as well as the public parks and gardens.
We managed to walk to the Riesenrad (German for Giant Wheel), the 212 foot tall Ferris wheel at the entrance of the Prater amusement park in Leopoldstadt. We saw that it is one of Vienna’s most popular tourist attractions. It symbolises the second district in Vienna as well as the city for many people who live there. We did not take a ride on the Ferris wheel, although it looked like fun. When we walked by we noted several people riding in the wheel.
Other highlights:
- I received my MBA from Webster University, way back when…seeing a Webster University building in Vienna was fun and not expected.
- We were impressed by the trains and the speeds. We noticed the one from Salzburg to Vienna went almost 200 KPH (124 MPH). Trains were a great way to get around.
Lessons learned
- Learn to linger over dinner or any meal, especially when you are with someone. We enjoyed the Vienna coffee house and lingered as long as we could. This was the only spot we found you could get a “free water and refills.”
- Beer in Germany and Austria is less expensive than soda or water … lesson: drink beer with meals!
- When we went to Vienna we learned a lot about the ruling families. The one lesson that struck me was that the Habsburg dynasty won territory by winning hearts through intermarrying its family across Europe and not wars. A marriage to Napoleon was also accomplished by the dynasty. Unfortunately, they took more care with the Lipizzan stallion’s blood lines then their own. A visit to the stables housing the stallions was interesting as well.
- The city of Vienna earns money by renting rose bushes to inhabitants for five years in their beautiful Volksgarten (Peoples’ Garden). This sounded to me like a cool idea raising money for the city as well as keeping the gardens beautiful.
- Try the local favorites. I loved the Schnitzel.
- Pay attention to the train numbers and not the destination city. On one of our first train trips, we sat by the area that had the city of our final destination listed on the board. We discovered when the train left an “hour early,” that we needed to re-think what we focused on in order to board the correct train. All of the information we needed was on our tickets and the signboards, once we knew what information was important.
- Ask locals where to eat. Our walking tour guide in Vienna suggested we try Manner chocolate. We found it to be delicious. We also enjoyed eating the rich Demel chocolate.
Vienna chocolate
We found the best place to have a sausage was at the “ Bitzinger Wurstelstand Albertina.” The sausage was awesome. We enjoyed the Käsekrainer sausage, which they assured us was the most popular and we agreed after we tasted it! We are thankful for our guide steering us to places we may have otherwise passed over.
Our travel followed these three simple rules:
- Move and exercise. Each day we hiked in the cities.
- Find peaceful, beautiful surroundings. We stopped and smelled the roses, admired artwork, enjoyed singing and watching the river flow by.
- Meet different, interesting people. We enjoyed all of the people we met and were amazed at how similar and different we all are. Singing with a group of strangers on the Sound of Music tour was a highlight.
Activity statistics:
- We rented bikes one afternoon. It was a great way to see more of Vienna. We rode about 11 miles.
- Hiking/walking totaled about 7-10 miles on most days around town. We managed over 25 in two days of walking in Vienna.
Germany River Cruise and Bike Ride
We biked along the Rhine and Neckar Rivers in June on a Bike and Boat Tour, and it was an unforgettable experience. The tour we decided to join was a beautiful cycling and cruise tour which explored the famous valleys of the German Rhine and Neckar Rivers. I have heard that on a cruise ship you gain about 10 pounds in a week. I get it; the food was great! If you are able to combine the cruising with bike riding in Germany, you may stay about the same weight, although it will be a close run thing.
We left the boat each morning on our seven-day cruise for a ride up the river bike paths. The boat then sailed upstream to meet us at the next planned stop. The boat was a floating hotel where we slept, had breakfast and dinner as well ask some fun. The boat did not travel on the river at night as we were at a dock. Being docked at night allowed us to explore the quaint towns and villages after dinner. The barge, or cruise ship, had 61 bike riders and was pretty full (seven open riding spots) as we went on our way. The boat was clean and comfortable; we enjoyed our time on board.
Highlights:
Castle Watching—don’t blink and miss one along the river…
We began our first riding day with a two-hour boat ride from Koblenz along the Rhine passing through the beginning of one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We then rode on the trail and saw more than 40 castles and fortresses and many wine villages along the way. There were too many castles for me to even attempt to photograph.
You have to see it in person to understand just how impressive each view is as you stop or ride by. We did walk up to a few castles and explore the ruins. 
Being on top of the castles, we realized why they looked so imposing from the river as we had a great views from the top and could easily make out people, cars and boats along the river.
Vineyards on the Rhine River—we passed several vineyards and took an evening tour.
This was much different than our trip to Napa Valley and biking. The vines are on a hill from the top to the river. We learned that the wine that comes from the plantings at the bottom is the cheapest in quality and the wine at the top is the best. Makes sense! We enjoyed magnificent views. The wine was excellent, along with the grape juice that they began our tour with.
Nierstein vineyard tour
Quaint Towns and Villages
Each town reminded us of why we wanted to come to Germany. We took advantage of walking tours and our stay at all of the towns along the way.
One of our fun stops was spending the night at Heidelberg. In Heidelberg we managed to climb to the top of the Heidelberg Castle and walk along the Old Bridge. We also walked the end-to-end mile long pedestrian shopping street. The university dominates the old town and was fascinating to view and experience.
The variety of flowers, shops and museums was fun to experience. Like the castles, it is too much to show here, you need to go see it for yourselves.
Each town along the way had several characteristics that made them unique as well as part of what we expected to see along the river. We saw a variety of architectural styles of churches; most were massive and ornate, and we wondered how the local people could afford such a building or buildings as well as build them so long ago.
We ate at several ice cream shops, and spent time looking at the souvenirs (crafts) along with sampling some of the local food and beer. We even went by the Dr. Carl Benz Museum.
Rivers and Locks
With its many castles lined up on the hill tops, our tour along the river was full of Rhine romanticism. Our guide told us the story of the river bend and how it inspired the famous poem “Lorelei.” Kim tested the waters at the point mentioned in the poem.
We enjoyed the peaceful river and views from the banks of the rivers and the towns. These made for great spots for a break or to eat a picnic lunch. Next time we will bring a blanket or rug with us. 
The Neckar River had several locks; we rode over some and saw ships, including our barge, go through the locks. It was a fun experience. The locks have apparently prevented some of the flooding that was prevalent in the area along the Neckar River.
Lessons learned:
- Stop and enjoy the scenery.
- We were not in a race, and with a seven-speed bike we were not breaking any speed records.
- The initial part of our journey from Koblenz on the Rhine was loaded with castles; almost every bend or turn on the river had one and sometimes two. I do not know about you, but I do not see castles daily on my normal bike rides.
- At each stop we would walk and explore the town where we were parked for the night. Dinner ended on board about 8 PM and it was light until about 10 PM. We needed the walk after so many good dinners.
- Anyone can ride along the Rhine. Of the 61 riders, we were on the young end age wise. The route was mostly flat, with some inclines that were easily overtaken with the e-bikes. The e-bikes were a popular option with the travelers on the barge. We did not ride e-bikes.
- Trail riding is a good way to get outside and see the countryside. Some of the views were hidden from the road and others were a short bike ride into town for an Eis (ice cream) or a Bier (no translation needed).
- Make friends. We sat each evening with the same group — a couple from Argentina and a couple from Australia. We enjoyed the conversation with our table companions as well as those from the group that we met on board and along the way.
Other highlights:
We ran across a new WWII monument noting the American army crossing the Rhine River—just put up in 2017.
Activity statistics:
- We rode for six days, about 150 miles total. The planned mileage for the bike tour was less, as we explored and enjoyed the area.
- In the towns at night we walked between 5-7 miles and enjoyed exploring the towns.
I have been asked if we would do the bike tour again. Of course, yes! We would likely pick another tour to explore a new area. We really enjoyed the support and the tour. Thank you to Lyn and John who shared their bike adventure in Europe with us prior to our booking the trip in December.
Retirement Travel with Glen 