June 29 – We had one more good breakfast at the Hotel de Kroon, then the dad of the owner drove us back to Vierlingsbeek so we could resume our hike right where we left off. 12.3 miles planned for today.
We were dropped off right at the church steps, and, as it is Sunday, we asked if there was a church service. Oh no, came the reply, perhaps if someone wants a wedding or a funeral the church can be rented, but otherwise no services.
This is the first day we will be walking in the sun, with no clouds expected. Today’s high is anticipated to be 82 F, which qualifies as a heat emergency in the Netherlands. As Virginians used to hot soupy weather, this made us chuckle. Our hiking app warned us not to hike in this extreme heat. I hope we make it!
We were very self assured after completing the previous day’s walk without taking any wrong turns. Perhaps we have figured out the Pieterpad? Nope!
We crossed on the ferry again to return to Vierlingsbeek, this time in a carLooks like it’s going to be a great day Out of the sun, into the woods On the other side of the woods, a little town with some roadside artClassic lawn decorations Guard ducksAfter the town, a very sandy area, although there is no beach nearbyA thatched roof cottage. Here we learned a lesson of the trail: just because others are walking in one direction, doesn’t mean you should follow them.This is a rose farm, with folks cultivating baby rose bushes. The Netherlands is one of the world’s biggest exporters of flowers of all kinds. Here we learned another lesson: don’t get so interested in your surroundings that you miss your turn!Moving waterMidafternoon, with no shade. We stopped at a bar, and Jim popped in to the outdoor restroom, just to refill a water bottle. As we left, the owner came out and chased after us, yelling that we were stealing his water. I guess he was the opposite of a Nice Person. Hope we don’t meet too many like him.Thanks to whoever took the time to decorate the roadside postsA little chapel in the middle of the woods The door was locked, but here’s what it looked like inside A picture worthy hollow log along the way – I would definitely plant some flowers hereLook in the distance- that must be Meerlo!Indeed it was Meerlo – we walked into the town …through the town, and out the other sideOur B&B was quite an extra hike, but we got there eventually. We had the place to ourselves, as our host said the other expected guests cancelled due to the heat. There were no restaurants nearby, so Jim made us a ramen noodle supper. A good day!
June 28 – Today is a planned zero mile rest day. The pretty little town of Gennep deserves to be seen in great detail.
The toy store sells a wooden jigsaw puzzle featuring the town, with customized puzzle pieces. If Icould fit this in my backpack, I would buy one.Good looking dogsLots of bikes, as throughout the Netherlands, but this is the first tricycle-built-for-two that we’ve seenThe town hall has a carillon of 25 bells that tinkle sweetly several times an hour – selections range from Ode to Joy to the Yellow Rose of Texas, with a lullaby the last song of the eveningA nice shopping streetWe learned as much of the town history as we could figure out out without English signageThis is the original water spigot that the townspeople used to draw their water, for a feeThe Protestant church was open – very plain inside. The man we spoke to said the church is of the Calvinist tradition, but not especially strictMosaics in the square commemorate the 22 Jews who “left” during WWII and never came homeThis tower is all that remains of the Roman Catholic Church that was bombed during WWII. We climbed to the top to see the viewThere are murals painted inside the tower – see the Pieterpad hiker?The murals were done by the same artist who painted the overpass on our way into town. I recognize the badger!The top of the tower didn’t provide a view, but a reminder of the American pilot who died here in WWII. He thought he had crossed the border into Germany and dropped his bombs too soon, then was shot down and died in the crash.This wall contains insets of some historical buildingsThe River Meuse runs along the old city wallThe Good Samaritan A lovely day in a pretty town – tomorrow, we walk!
June 27 – We heard rain early this morning, but it stopped by the time we finished breakfast. Twelve miles planned for this cool and cloudy day.
Programming my phone for today’s itineraryGood morning, masked horses! The masks help keep the flies out of their eyesThe way markers seem clearer today, or maybe we’re getting smarter? The Pieterpad marker is the red and white in the middle.A nice shady pathA bit of road walking, with a decorated overpass…painted on both sides!Take care – chicken crossing ahead! We did not see any chickens…A big field of wildflowers This was the only cafe we passed by today, but we had already eaten our lunch with a pot of Jim’s good coffee, so we didn’t stop in.Now, here’s a sign you don’t see every day! An unusual way to alert folks that there is a ferry crossing ahead.Sitting and waiting for the ferry – how often does it run?It runs about every five minutes, taking pedestrians, bicyclists and cars across the Meuse RiverThe ferryman collected one euro from each person, and before we knew it, we were on the other side.Some more good signage – don’t take this path!Look in the distance – that must be Vierlingsbeek!We walked into town and waited on the church steps for Nena from the Hotel de Kroon to come pick us up. The walk to Meerlo is too long for us old folks to complete in one go (24 miles and a bit) so our travel company split it into two 12 mile walking days with a rest day in between. This is the good life!
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.
Leaving the hotelInstead of a map, our tour company gave us the GUIBO app, containing turn by turn directions of our customized itinerary. We learned early in the day that a nice path straight ahead is not necessarily the right way to go. After taking a wrong turn, we got a text informing us that we had left the trail, but not telling us where, or how to get back on track. So, we turned around and walked back until the app said we were, once again, on the route. After that, we checked our phones every few minutes for the rest of the day, like teenagers scrolling for new TikToks.My trail umbrella attaches nicely to my daypack (under my jacket) so I can use both hands for my trekking poles. If I had a third hand to hold my phone, life would be ideal!Pretty berries Wait for me, Jim!So still and tranquil Cows in the rainA horse looks like she’s wearing a raincoat too!An old icehouse, used to store food in the hot summer A gnarly treeHave we reached Troy? We walked through the little town of Milsbeek, home of another WWII cemetery filled with foreign soldiersLocks of love!Almost thereAnd now we are in the lovely town of Gennep, (pronounced Chhhhennep like you are clearing your throat), and the rain has stopped. A fine first hiking day!
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.
We bid adieu to Simon and Boris We checked into the lovely de Wolfsberg Hotel, then walked into town to see what there were to see.Groesbeek is best known for the Museum of Freedom, or Vrijheidsmuseum, shaped like a parachute, and dedicated to the WWII participants in Operation Market Garden in 1944There were so many thought-provoking displays in this museum, including examples of Dutch citizens during the Occupation. If it were you, would you work for the Germans to feed your family, lay low and wait for it all to be over, or join the Resistance? Good questions for us to ponder today.One of Dr Seuss’ many wartime cartoons encouraging the U.S. to actively join the AlliesA different version of Rosie the Riveter, by Norman RockwellThis chart was depicted in 3D in the final room of the museum. I had always thought about the war being about Germans, Japanese, Brits and Americans, and was astounded to see the number of Soviet and Chinese dead. Very sobering…A sculpture of souls rising up from the many local cemeteries after the war, to see how it all turned out. This museum blew my mind. If you ever get the opportunity, please go!
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.
Boris and JimXanten is is pretty little town with interesting shops…a pedestrian shopping street…stately buildings …historical buildings…an old church …kitschy house decorations …and wall art!Beautiful flowersWe had a wonderful time visiting with Boris and his family!
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.
Shady hostaBee still, my heart?Lush tropical flora indoorsThere was a tiny subterranean aquarium with colorful fishA little pond with paddle boats and ducksDaylilies in many colors Even a waterfall!OrchidsHibiscus These begonia leaves are my favorites!Beautiful rosesA lovely day!
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.
Lots of folks ride bicycles here, and we see all sorts of contraptions to enable families to ride together. There are clearly marked bike lanes, and e-scooters for rent on every corner.We headed back downtown with the idea to look inside the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, which was off-limits yesterdayA friendly face at the altar Medieval bas reliefs on the wallsA strange last supper – looks like poor John was overserved A blond curly haired JesusEvery cathedral visit must include a climb up to the top of the bell tower for a view of the cityThe beautiful Main RiverThis statue is of David and the remains of GoliathWe wondered who this protest was for: Palestinians perhaps? Nope – poor chickens and pigs that are eaten against their willWhere to eat lunch? We are surprised to see so many signs in English. This place is not sure if it has the best falafel…A lovely day in the city!
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.
The entire square was filled with folks participating in an outdoor mass, with dozens of priests handing out communion wafers.Parades of priests, acolytes and musicians worked their way through the crowdsLots of nuns in different colors The shops were closed, but the buskers were out to entertain This guy was whistling behind his happy mask They have wall art here!Happy monksYou may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one… We had enough excitement for one day, so went back to relax at our tropical hotel. More tomorrow!
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.
Feels like we’re in Rio!The sign outside our hotel door, in case we forget where we are stayingThe hotel has a rooftop restaurant with a lovely view of the city We ventured out to find a grocery store. Fields of wildflowers are planted along the walkway to attract birds and insects. With only two hours of sleep last night, we tumbled gratefully into bed. Tomorrow we will explore!
Taking Our Time 