Amsterdam and Cologne with Granddaughter Alli

Alli loves Amsterdam! At Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh; around the Dam, the town center; walking the neighborhoods; having pancakes and great food, with Andy and with Kaaren, Jeff and Parks, our fabulous hosts, having the time of our lives. 

What a special trip this was!  Alli's first trip to Europe, beginning in the beautiful cities of Amsterdam and Cologne.  A college graduation gift, to open her eyes to the world. And she was ready. "The advance team for your next trip, and many trips thereafter," I said to her as she jumped with joy in front of the Rijksmuseum. "I'm ready to go back, Nana!" she exclaimed, after a few days in Amsterdam and a train trip to Cologne. She was already thinking about an itinerary.

The Concertgebouw, the famous concert hall, near the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh.

Our base was the modern urban home of my niece Kaaren and Jeff, creative geniuses both of them, and their precious son Parks, right on Saphatipark. Up several flights of stairs, way up, like almost all Amsterdam houses, unless you live on a houseboat on a canal. It's a lovely part of town.

From there we walked or took a tram wherever we wanted to go, seeing the sites and the highlights, experiencing the spirit of the Netherlands, absorbing the culture, avoiding determined bikers, the major mode of transportation in this bustling city. I love the canals, the Museumplein area, and the Dam, the center of town where the Royal Palace and the Nieuwe Kerk dominate. I went to a wonderful exhibit at the church, "We Have a Dream," featuring the lives and messages of Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, Jr., so needed once again in our times. The exhibit seemed to come alive in the spiritual glow of the church, with its vaulted gothic ceilings and stained glass windows.

We also took a train to Cologne to spend a few days in Germany, a small but tantalizing taste of this diverse country. Getting off at Central Station, after an interesting ride through German countryside and small towns, we were immediately greeted by the enormous, towering 13th-century gothic Cologne Cathedral with its intricately carved weathered facade and twin spires reaching to the heavens.  We went inside the next day to see its fabulous craftsmanship, art and architecture. It's the tallest Cathedral in Europe, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It inspires awe and hope.

In Cologne, we stayed in a small but nice hotel, the Mauritius Komforthotel. From there we strolled to a nearby square in search of adventure and dinner. That's how we happened upon Heumarket Square and the historic Malzmuhle restaurant, famous for brewing the Cologne beer known as Kolsch since the 1800s.  We enjoyed an authentic German meal of wiener schnitzel and bratwurst, along with many glasses of Kolsch, of course.

We were happy campers by the time we left the Inn, conversing with a group of guys who were as jolly as we were! They were happy to meet Americans and joked about Trump. Actually, just about everyone we met joked about him. "How could this happen? What a buffoon! What an embarrassment!"  Yep, the USA is now the butt of lots of European jokes. But people to people? No problem at all. Wonderful as ever.

So we walked leisurely through Heumarketplein, relaxed at one of the many colorful and lively cafes around it, and people watched. The night sky was cloudy, but we were filled with wonder and joy.  Alli liked the German beer, and even my sister Andy and I, not usually beer drinkers, joined her to salute Cologne, the largest city on the Rhine river. The next day we took one of those City Bus Tours, getting off and on to explore the sights, including the Chocolate Museum where we had espresso and rich dark chocolate cake. Yum. We also took an enjoyable and relaxing boat tour on the Rhine, the river that starts in the Swiss Alps and ends in the North Sea in the Netherlands. It all seemed connected. I have lovely visions of strolling the promenade along the river.

Bikes and public art near Kaaren's neighborhood.

Full harvest moon over Amsterdam
October 5, 2017

Then it was back to Amsterdam to explore more of the Netherland's capital city. Alli spent more time with Kaaren and Jeff, taking long walks along the canals and enjoying the special places around the town that is now their home. Andy and I went at a more leisurely pace, stopping often to have a drink, sit at a corner cafe, enjoy good coffee and sisterly talks.

On our last day, Alli and I went to the large Amsterdam Market (one of the largest in Europe we were told) to browse and shop and enjoy. We walked between the rain drops and rejoiced when the sun broke through. We bought souvenirs, scarves, hats, tee shirts, whatever caught our fancy. Alli was practical and wise in choosing gifts, while I went for the magnets, shot glasses, and trinkets. I could see she was thoughtful and open to learning new things, to having new experiences. My lovely Millennial granddaughter, confident, tolerant, upbeat, a pragmatic idealist, optimistic about the future. Every once in a while she'd give me a big hug and a big smile. "I love it. So Awesome. I love it!"

It was thrilling to watch Alli on her first European tour, to see my granddaughter absorb the adventure of a lifetime, knowing in my heart that she will cherish the memory and that there will be many more travels to come.

Sister Andy, granddaughter Alli, and niece Kaaren