German Heartland.

From Hamburg, we caught another exquisitely scenic train-ride deeper into the German heartland to a small town called Schwebheim and the home of Hans and Ute, uncle and aunt to Samantha Jane. Schwebheim still has a small contingent of U.S forces that have occupied the area since the end of the second world war. Yet the town has long since forgotten the troubles of history and remains a quiet, sincere place where German families, young and old, adhere to a simpler existence characterized by weekends spent at the lake, bikes rides to neighbouring villages and daily trips to the local bakery. Hans has personally built his home adjacent to the home of his father-in-law, an elderly insightful man who still resides next door and who treated us to schnitzel and beer at the restaurant he has frequented each week for over two decades. Our time in Schwebheim was filled with an thrice daily indulgence of local breads, pastries, meats and hefeweizen beer; the likes of which we had never experienced before. Our only respite from Ute's feeding came in the form of bike rides through the countryside, wine tasting excursions and daily visits to castles, residences, monasteries, post-war restored towns and medieval villages. It was history lesson of German culture and we savoured it like the tourists we were.

Overlooking Wurtzburg which was entirely destroyed by an Allied bomb raid in 1944 before being fully restored.

Hans, Sam and Ute; all smiles in Rotenberg

Hefeweizen is the beer of choice in the German hinterland.

Ancient German architecture; seemingly not as thorough as modern times.

Waiting for the ferry.

White wine tasting in the Riesling vineyards

Our German home for 8 days.

Residence staircase

Hamburg

After 10 days in the countryside, we caught the 'fast' train East toward Hamburg to stay a few days with Sam's cousin Chris and his girlfriend Sonya. Hamburg, although nearly a hundred miles inland is a port town first and foremost with cargo and cruise ships lining her dockside. But perhaps the first thing you notice when entering Hamburg is the amount of cranes dominating the skyline. Re-development is evident across the city with new buildings and restorations of older ones seemingly high up on the council's agenda. When staying with local residents, it is refreshing to be spared the generic tourist lure prevalent in every main city. By bike once again - with Chris and Sonya as guides - we were able to explore the city as one of her own. We dabbled in markets, partied into the early morning hours and watched football on the street with friends. On the surface Hamburg is a bustling metro yet at it's heart it remains charmingly small and flat enough enough to ride through in a day, spend time feeding the ducks in the park or stroll the 'beaches' and bars that litter the canals and waterways.

Tea and cake in the flat garden.

Hamburg Rathaus

Chris and Sonya

Watching Euro 2012 football streetside with Chris's friends

En route via train to Hamburg

One of many German villages en route to Hamburg

Ferry face.

Waiting for the ship that never came.

Two Hamburg locals

Hamburg Marketplace lunch option

Deutschland

From Amsterdam, we were met by Franz, one of Sam's four uncles residing in Germany, who drove us back across the imaginary border into Germany to a small town called Werlte in the Upper Northwest part of the country. This conservative hamlet, which owes it's quaint development to regional subsistence farming and a nearby truck manufacturing factory, is an interesting mix of Germany both old and new. Russian and Polish immigrants mingle with middle class German families, most of whom have lived and owned homes in this area for generations. Indeed this is the case for Franz, who has built himself a large home on the land his mother and father once lived on, and at the site where him and his four brothers were born and raised. Franz has recently - on the back of his African Sky hotel chain here in South Africa - built a luxury hotel in Werlte, run now by his daughter and son-in-law. So while it was at his lavish home that we slept and rested, the newly built hotel was to be where we dined and after our budget-tailored diet of the past few weeks, we reveled in the daily feasting of imported red meats, seafood's, salads, red wines and the selection of specialty brewed German beers. In between these daily banquets, we explored the countryside on bike marveling at the tranquility and emptiness of the German landscape. We visited an empty field of deserted world war two tanks, were humbled by a visit former Nazi concentration camp, consumed tea and strudel in equally charming neighboring towns and toured a German cruise-shipyard. It was a week or two of rest and fulfillment where we could unpack our bags, re-awaken our appetites, trim our scraggly beards whilst sampling our first taste of Germania; our European home for the next month.

Sam and her cousin Sarah and husband Mark - the mangers of African Sky Hotel in Werlte.

Daily bike stroll between villages

scale model of German concentration camp.

Don't act like you're not impressed.

Mid-morning tea spread.

The hotel; a dining room, if you will, for our first week in Germany

The home of Franz and Margaret van Helt; our hosts.

Sam on tour with her two aunts; Christa and Margaret

Germany has advocated the removal of all her nuclear power plants within the next few years and is subsequently leading the way in alternative energy sources. These wind turbines number in the thousands across the Northern part of the county.

Standing tall in Deutchsland

The Dutch

After a sleepless early morning flight from JFK, we landed in wet and drizzly Amsterdam. A train and tram later and we found ourselves outside our hostel in Vondelpark. However, with check in only at midday, our first taste of this beautiful city was a jet-lagged stumble around decidedly empty streets. That said, once we'd checked in and managed to sneak a few hours rest in our bunk beds, we hired some bicycles and spent the rest of the day and evening taking in the now bustling streets and canals of Holland's finest. Resturants, cheese tasting, museums, and the infamous 'coffee shops' were all frequented as well as a late night escapade through the red light district. Alas, only one night was afforded in this picturesque city as we had a rendezvous with Germany and family to uphold. Little did we know, or think, that one month later, we'd be back in Holland, but more on that later perhaps...

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