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June 15, 2024

Recreating childhood memories (Netherlands)

Countless summers had been spent on the beaches of the North Sea. As kids we were roaming free all day without a care in the world. With mom's memory fading away slowly but permanently my siblings and I went on vacation with her one last time in order to reactivate some memories from the past. Indeed she was able to remember some of the carefree days of summer on the German, Danish or Dutch coast. 



With the Dutch coast being the nearest I rented a house on one of the several peninsulas close to Rotterdam. Our home for a week stood in the dunes, a foot's distance from the beach where we could enjoy walking in the sand, watching the surf and the kite surfers, talking, reading books, enjoying sea food or just relaxing in the sun.











Mom's mental state kept changing like the tide but she certainly appreciated being with her children and being taken care of. A bittersweet memory for us because for her it is already beginning to fade away again like footprints in the sand washed away by the sea.




May 31, 2024

Camping in "Bavarian Canada"


View from the campground

Finally we got some vacation days synchronised and took the opportunity to get away on a camper van trip. Roland hat booked a luxurious campground with a pool, a nice restaurant and brand-new facilities. Although a few miles away from the next village the infrastructure was well organised: We could get to town or trail heads, go shopping or buy groceries via bus transfer. So our VW Bulli could stay put while we were roaming, hiking and enjoying Bavarian cuisine and local brew.

1st day: A walk to the nearby village Bodenmais

Bodenmais

2nd day: A hike up to Silberberg (silver mountain)




Kaiserschmarrn & Schnitzel

3rd day: Sun and Rain and waterfalls


Rißloch falls




Hochfall




Typical Bavarian Cuisine

Rainbow by the pool

4th day: Arber Lake hike in the rain







Italian food for a change

5th day: Bavarian Canada nature reserve







6th day: A road trip from village to village

Regen

Weißenburg Castle

Roadside art

Village Zwiesel, famous for glass

Village Frauenau
Some more glass art

And more Bavarian food

Too soon our vacay came to its end but at least we had some quality time together in our little red and white camper van.