Today was our first travel day, starting in the Netherlands and ending in Germany. We were introduced to Peter, our bus driver, who became just as much a part of our group as any tour member. Peter expertly drove our coach through mountain passes, crowded cities, and down winding roads.
Our home away from home for the next several days!
Our first stop of the day was the Netherlands Open Air Museum in Arnhem. While I have to admit this wasn't on my bucket list, I really enjoyed this museum. It was a beautiful day to wander the museum's lanes and poke into the various historic buildings. These buildings have come from all over the Netherlands. It was like seeing the country without leaving Arnhem. My roommate and I partnered up to explore the grounds. We ran into some friendly chickens (my favorite!), saw traditional architecture, and enjoyed some of the demonstrations provided by the museum staff. We followed up our visit with a group pancake lunch, which was very delicious and another great opportunity to get to know my tourmates.
Bacharach was today's final destination. Bacharach ended up being one of my favorite stops of the trip! We arrived shortly before dinner, so we had time to settle into our rooms. My roommate and I made our way upstairs, opened the window, and just like in a movie the church bells chimed the hour. Another pinch me moment!
Before we knew it dinner was ready, and we headed downstairs for group dinner. Each group dinner included a variety of choices. Tonight I chose the fish to go with a soup and salad. For dessert, there was ice cream with a type of egg liqueur poured over it (which was totally optional!)
It stayed light pretty late, so after dinner I took a solo walk around Bacharach. I also climbed up into the vineyards to the old watch tower. The view from the vineyard was the iconic, picture perfect view of Bacharach I was hoping to find. It was made all the more magical by the early sunset colors transforming the sky. I didn't find the entrance to the trail right away, but boy am I glad I stuck with it and found what I was looking for. After making some phone calls from my perch, I wandered back to the hotel for the night.
Today's Distance Count: 5,261 steps (2.10 miles, we had a dead watch situation!)