Guten Tag
We zipped through most of Germany yesterday, going upwards of 150 kilometres per hour in our rented silver French car. How fast is that in mph? About 95, and we were still being left in the dust by various Mercedes and BMWs on Germany’s smooth highways.
We are staying with a young lady we met through the Hospitality Club, a novel program for connecting travelers from around the world. Yvonne has gone out of her way to make us at home here in Regensburg, even driving 30 minutes to pick us up and escort us into the city. She is putting us up for free, and tonight we’ll take her out to dinner and learn more about her culture. We’ll be here for two days, then it’s on to Prague, in the Czech Republic.
Some highlights from the past few days …
- Visiting our friends Karin and Leonard in Utrecht, Netherlands was a blast! Leonard gave us a tour of the city center, showing us how the city evolved over the past thousand years. We rode bicycles around town, which gave us a good sense of what it’s like to live there, because everyone, and I mean everyone, rides a bike. Cars aren’t even allowed downtown. The next morning, Karin shared with us the traditional Dutch breakfast of a chocolate sandwich. Yep, chocolate and bread, with a little butter for good measure.
- On Tuesday night, we were back in Brussels for a concert by the pop band The Cardigans. The venue was filled to capacity with young Belgians, who gave the band a hearty show of affection. Though I was hoping The Cardigans would play more of their older material, it was still a lively show. Later, Sarah and I had a few Grimbergen beers to celebrate (again) the Pulitzer Prize news from across the ocean.
- Wednesday found us on the road again. In Luxembourg, an ancient castle atop a mountain gave us a stunning view of the surrounding countryside. We had a lot of fun climbing up the old bricks, but finding our way back to civilization took us hours in the car.
- As we pored over maps and tried to find our way back, we stopped in the town of Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, where an outdoor cafe was the perfect spot for people-watching.
