June 26 – Our first hiking day dawned to the sound of thunder and the patter of raindrops. We’ll be using our rain gear today! Our walk is planned for 8.5 miles – an easy first day.
The Pieterpad, the Netherlands most famous trail, runs from Pieterboro in the north, to St. Pieter’s hill in the south, and can be walked in either direction. We are starting in the middle and walking south. There are different routes for hikers, cyclists and horses.
June 25 – Today Boris and his friend Simon picked us up in the morning for the 45 minute drive over the German border into the Netherlands. There is no border, of course, just a sign on the highway. We are heading to the town of Groesbeek, where we will start our Pieterpad hike tomorrow.
June 22 – This morning we took the metro back into Frankfurt, a long train to Duisburg and a short train to Xanten. We were met at the station by Jim’s dear friend Boris and his daughter Sofia. We are here for just a few days so that Jim and Boris can catch up. Then we will start our Pieterpad hike.
Boris and his wife Anke treated us to a wonderful barbecue with grilled eggplant and mushrooms, shish kebab, and all kinds of meat – steak, chicken and sausage. Their son Louis (17 and a student) speaks excellent English, as does Boris and Sofia (23 and a pediatric nurse). Little Emily (6 and just completed kindergarten) was cute as a button.
June 21 – For our final day in Frankfurt, we walked over to visit the historic Palmengarten, developed by architect Heinrich Siesmayer, and opened to the public in 1871. Most of the buildings were damaged or destroyed in WWII, but were refurbished starting in the 1960s. The gardens were reopened in 1992.
June 20 – Now it is Friday and Frankfurt is back to normal after yesterday’s holiday. The shops are open, and traffic is zipping along.
June 19 – After a rocky attempt at a night’s sleep, we thought a nice walk in the sunshine would help reset our internal clocks. We ate our breakfast of fruit, yogurt, brown bread and cheese, downed a few cups of strong coffee, and set out toward town.
The first thing we noticed was that the supermarket we visited yesterday was not open – unusual for a Thursday, don’t you think? As we walked along, the streets seemed very quiet. As we approached the center of town, we saw that all the stores were closed. What’s up? Time to consult Google!
It turns out that today is the state holiday of Corpus Christi (body of Christ), a celebration of the Eucharist by the Roman Catholics here since the year 1246; always falling on the tenth day after Pentecost.
We made our way toward the cathedral, figuring that is where the action would be, and we were right.
June 17, 2025 – You may remember that Jim and I had plans to hike the Pieterpad in the Netherlands back in the fall of 2023. Instead, we both got Covid and spent most of our vacation holed up in a motel, waiting to feel better.
Jim is not a person who can let a good trail go unhiked, so we are on our way back to Germany and the Netherlands to try again. Here’s to a healthy month!
June 18 – We flew from Norfolk to Newark, walking off one plane and directly onto the plane to Frankfurt with no incidents to report. We figured out the Frankfurt subway sufficiently to get to our hotel. Once we found the correct train, it was easy peasy, with stops displayed and spoken in both German and English.
We are staying at the Rioca, a Brazilian themed hotel with tropical furnishings and recorded bird calls in the hallways. We’ll be here a few days to get over our jet lag.
Feb 23 – So, for our last days in Puerto de la Cruz, we walked along the beach, browsed in the shops, visited churches, ate good food, and acted like the tourists that we are.
Feb 21 – This morning we fortified ourselves with an extra cup of coffee, and set out to find the Botanical Garden. It isn’t too far, but it’s uphill all the way.
Feb 19 – One more leisurely breakfast, then we packed up and walked to the bus stop for our ride to the bus station. We knew right where to find our next intercity bus, and hopped on a minute before it pulled away. 45 minutes later, we arrived in Puerto de la Cruz.
This city is the northernmost destination of our trip, and also the warmest, with daily highs around 72 – 75F. Puerto de la Cruz is all about the beaches. We walked to our new very modern apartment and settled in. We are one building away from the Atlantic, and the surf here is robust, with the soothing sound of breakers that will lull us to sleep at night.
Taking Our Time 