Remagen/Bonn Germany to Nijmegen, Netherlands

Bonn is the the second city of the German Government.  It was  the capital of Germany during the Cold War to 1990 and that heritage still remains in the form of six German Federal ministries that call the city home.  It is the birth home of composer Ludwig van Beethoven who was here until age 21 and moved to Vienna where he accomplished most of his great works. His home in Bonn houses 150 authentic documents. 

We only had a short time in city so unable to tour the house.

Bonn is the home to jellied Gummy Bears Haribo. 

A step inside to a blaze of color with pungent smells practically knocks you off your feet. And the array of choices was mind boggling. Who knew there could be so many types of gummy bears. Reminded me of the M & M shop in New York City. 

While all these places were interesting I did find some lesser points that captured my interest. In front of this gorgeous court house (where John F. Kennedy spoke in 1963 to show US support  for western Germany) 

there is a circular paved area

which is a memorial tribute to those authors. poets and writers whose books were burned during a mass book burning in the square ordered by the Germans. Their names are inscribed throughout the pavement. A similar scene was found in the book The Book Thief.
Near the Bonn University stands this telephone booth. It was a gift from Oxford University to Bonn students to be used as a Little Free Lending Library. 

This may look like your ordinary recycling bins but they are not. This area must really like their wines as one recycle container is for wine bottles from Mosel ( brown bottles) and the other container Rhine (green bottles) and the third bin is regular for clear (white bottles).  

I wish this church had been open but it is closed for renovation. The exterior architecture was so interesting.

This may look like an ordinary pile of leaves and we saw them everywhere in France and Germany.

I thought they were just giant maple leaves but found out they come from the strangest looking  tree, the sycamore. When the leaves fall the trees look like this.

 

From Bonn we sailed to the Netherlands (a 12 hour trip) passing by the Cologne Cathedral at night which was quite spectacular.  

Nijmegen, Netherlands (on the Rhine) 

A city of historical importance that dates to about 8 BC. when the Romans built a fortification to protect and control the land around the confluence of the Rhine and the Waal (a tributary of the Rhine). It was  important as a highway for trade. During World War II  the Nijmegen railway bridge, a truss bridge, that connected the city of Nijmegen to the town of Lent in the Netherlands, was involved in Operation Market Garden and was intended to be a key objective for the Allies to hold.  

one of the world's smallest car- Canta

marijuana shop (it's legal here) 

Be sure to mind your step walking in the Netherlands as there are bikes everywhere and they do NOT STOP for anyone!  

The Netherlands are famous for their cheese with many varieties.

Stroopwafels, a caramel cookie wafers filled chewy centers.

Dutch Licorice called "drop" with dozens of types, sweet, salty and honey flavored.

Dutch Windmill Cookies (Speculaas), a kind of short crust biscuit) traditionally baked on St. Nicholas Eve. Spices used are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamon and white pepper. 

Kinderdijk, Netherlands (Home of the iconic 19 windmills)