On 1 February 1999, at 0930 PST, I left Vancouver International Airport, destination: Frankfurt (a.M.), Germany. Eleven hours later, sometime in the early morning of 2 February, I arrived disoriented, jetlagged, sleepy, and very, very excited. Now the fun started... .

Here's a map of where I went

Frankfurt, 2-6 February 1999

It was about +2°C, overcast and drizzly in Frankfurt on 4 February 1999. If you look at the office towers, you'd almost think you were back in North America. But the functional and efficient transit system, low crime rate (OK there are a few junkies), churches and bridges remind you: "You ain't in Kans--- ..er, Canada anymore!"

"Wo ist der Jugendherberge?" This was my first experience with another language that wasn't French. German and English are related. But they are not mutually intelligible! Notes: this "ß" is NOT a funky letter 'B'. It is a combination of the letters 's' and 'z'... "straße" (street) is pronounced "strasser." The railway is the "Bahn." A "Bahnhof" is a train station; the "Hauptbahnhof" is the main station... "Schweinefleisch" is pork! Berlitz® is such fun!
Other Frankfurt observations:

Alt Sachsenhausen, the "old" town, is the bar district. For some reason it seems to have almost as many Irish pubs as Temple Bar in Dublin!
The museums are free on Wednesdays... but it really helps if you can read some German.
The area around the Hauptbahnhof, while seedy, is not nearly as scary as some would lead you to believe.

Amsterdam, 6-14 February 1999

Well "tolerance" doesn't exist everywhere in Amsterdam! This is the sign on the door of the HI (Hostelling International) Hostel "Vondelpark."

Vignettes of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a visual experience. These photos describe my time there as good as anything. (Sorry, kids, no photos in the Red Light District. I'll leave that to your dirty little minds...)


The #1 tram traverses the Leidsestraat		Iguanas in the snow at sunset

Our server at the old Heineken Bouwerij
takes a well-deserved break

A reminder of home (note the BC license
plate on the bike) in the Vondelpark

...and, of course, the requisite canal scene.

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