Cycling Along the Ahr River...

That afternoon, us four adults set off for a bike ride. The cycle ride to the train station wasn’t far, but the walk up and down the stairs while carrying a bike was further than it should have been, especially for poor Jimmy who carried both our bikes.

We took the train to Dernau, a small village next to the Ahr River which is famous for its wines. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the two wine stores were already closed. Here we are at the start of our route.

The hills were full of grapevines.

I was nervous that the route would be very hilly, but it was actually flat. The scenery was lovely and I loved the entire journey.

Exploring Bonn...

Bonn, a city of nearly 320,000, was the birthplace of Beethoven in 1770.

We didn’t make it inside the impressive Bonn Minster, a Roman Catholic church built in the 13th century.

Out front are sculptures depicting the heads of two saints who were beheaded for their religious beliefs. Julia likely didn’t know that gruesome story when she climbed up for a photo.

After a delicious burrito lunch, we went to Haribo, which was founded in Bonn in 1920 and is now one of the world’s largest manufacturers of gummies. Most gummies have gelatin, made from collagen of animals, and thus are not vegetarian. While there were lots of gelatin-free options, there were only a few vegan varieties, but I still managed to bring Ashlynn home a big bag of candy.

Jimmy and Jim stopped to pose in front of the UN building where Jim was just recently working until his department was restructured. He’s quite disappointed to have to move as while he didn’t love his job, he loved living in Bonn.

A Weekend in Bonn...

Cisa and Hrvoje were very sweet to look after Kati for the weekend so we could go down to Bonn, Germany to spend a weekend with Jim and Nina before they moved back to Virginia. On our drive down that Friday night, we got a surprise WhatsApp call from Veronica while she sat on a beach in Mozambique photographing the Milky Way. Jim greeted us with margaritas at midnight.

Saturday morning we took a walk around their neighborhood, which was originally built as housing for US troops after World War II, and down to the Rhine River.

We’d brought our bikes in the rental car, so we cycled into the city center to explore and get some lunch.

It was cool to see this reconstruction built in 1900 of a medieval city gate and fortification incorporated into this modern city.

Love Those Leiden Canals...

As usual, I took this opportunity to take lots of photos of my favorite Dutch city.

Boating in Leiden...

A few days later, Jimmy and Hrvoje rented an electric boat for an evening on the canals of Leiden. Once again, Legolas enjoyed being at the helm. Not only was it great that Jimmy could join us...

...but it was awesome that Kati got to come along. This was her first time on a motor boat and she seemed to like it.

The rest of us liked it, too.

The weather was perfect!

One Happy Pirate...

Legolas was one happy pirate when he was allowed to take over driving the boat. For such a youngster, he was a really good driver. 

The canals connected to a large lake which the map instructed us to cross and look for another canal. We couldn’t find the proper canal, which gave us extra time to head back into the village and take a break for ice cream.

After our boat ride, we walked into the village to pop into a few shops before the long ride home, during which both Legolas and I fell asleep.

Off to Giethoorn...

Also just before Ashlynn left for Africa, Hrvoje and Cisa, our friends from Croatia, arrived for an extended visit. I was so impressed with how much English their seven-year-old son Legolas understood and how much he’d say once he warmed up to us. Many days they went sightseeing on their own, but I joined them for a day trip to Giethoorn. After lunch, we rented a boat for a two-hour journey around the village.

Cars aren’t allowed throughout most of the historic center. There are walking paths, but the best way to explore Giethoorn is definitely by boat.

With more than 180 bridges over its many canals, it is known as the Venice of the North. It actually reminded me more of Florida than of Venice because of all the trees.