jd_gardens

In 1959 I led a group of six adults (diverse backgrounds: Montana, California, New York City, etc.) on a month long AYH (American Youth Hostels) tour of Central Europe. I tacked on an extra two weeks to travel on my own at the end of the group tour.  A young woman in my group was meeting a friend in Frankfurt, so the 3 of us decided to travel onward together.

On the final night at the Frankfurt hostel, we struck up a conversation which initiated the most unusual travel experience of my life.  A fellow hosteller claimed it was possible to hitch a free ride on a Rhine River barge.  “Just go to the harbor master’s office in Frankfurt and inquire.”

Deciding we had nothing to lose, by mid-morning we arrived at the gate, each lugging a bedroll and a single backpack.  We were given permission to walk along the quay and ask each captain if we could hitch a ride toward Amsterdam. After several turndowns, one captain said “yes”.  It was unbelievable this was happening.

We spoke no German and he, his Frau, and their nine-year-old son spoke no English.  Somehow we managed to agree we could ride with them, but we only had one hour before they would get underway.  Meanwhile, we must buy food supplies (anything not requiring cooking or refrigeration – cold cuts, breads, oranges) and return no later than 1 o’clock.  A mad scramble, but we made it.

Then we sat! Hour after creeping hour! It turned out that our barge had no engine, and their tugboat didn’t arrive that afternoon as expected. We didn’t get underway, hitched up to the tug, until dawn the next morning.

We lived and slept up in the small pilot house, sitting and laying on the wood floor, wrapped around the various pieces of equipment.  The captain and family had a compact, but larger cabin directly below, and the two-man crew had a tiny cabin of their own at the far-off rear of the long coal-filled barge.  There also was a small bathroom (sink and toilet) below our cabin, which was shared by all.

In most places, the riverbanks were filled with shrubbery, so we weren’t gazing into people’s backyards. This meant that during the daytime there was little to do except wave to other barges and boats and observe life on board: laundry drying on lines, perhaps a moped or bike on board for land excursions, children, and pets (dogs, cats, caged birds), potted plants, maybe a grille.

One afternoon the Frau invited us into their cabin for a bowl of homemade hot soup.  This was a rare and wonderful treat after unending dry sandwiches. Mostly using sign language and drawing pictures, we learned the family had an apartment in one of the river towns. There the Frau and son lived during the winter months while he went to school.  They also had an older daughter who was married to an American and lived in Georgia (perhaps the reason they said “yes” to taking us aboard in the first place).  In total, we spent three days going from Frankfurt to Bonn and learned the rhythms of river barging.  They anchored grouped together in a wider section of the river every night and moved on early each morning.

Evenings were a social time.  Barge families met and greeted old friends.  A small grocery boat wove in and out, pulling alongside to sell fresh food items like fruit, vegetables, milk, bread, and soda.  The young crew members went rowing off with their buddies.

All told it was a truly unique and memorable travel experience.

Carol moved from Florida to The Woodlands to be close to her family. She stays in touch with friends every week using zoom, Skype, email, and FaceTime. Carol enjoys The Woodlands relaxed lifestyle and treasures her time walking on The Woodlands trails and working in her garden plot which rewards her generously every year. She appreciates The Woodlands library which supplements her regularly scheduled trips to the local library. This fall, Carol is participating in the Senior Olympics in Rummikub with other residents.

Brigitte and Ulrich have been married 10 years and moved to The Woodlands from Oakton.  Ulrich was born in Bulgaria and grew up in the German part of Switzerland.  Brigitte was born in Switzerland and had a career as a schoolteacher, then social worker working with the blind.  They met at a party in St. Gallen when Ulrich, a widower, was visiting his brother.

Ulrich worked for a company that made and installed printing presses for newspapers. He speaks Bulgarian, Swiss, German, Spanish, Russian and Italian. As an outgoing and energetic young man, he was the installing/engineering supervisor for newspaper printing presses in many countries. From installing printing presses in Moscow for Pravda to Buenos Aires, and instructing the operators how to use them, he traveled the globe. The company eventually installed him as a Manager in the USA branch.

Ulrich and his wife moved into Oakton in 1978 and established themselves in the community.  Buying out the company, he successfully built a new printing supply company. Talking to him, I’d never thought about printing presses having used lead plates for printing in different languages, especially before offset plates were used and are still used for newspaper printing. Did you ever think about how Armstrong linoleum patterns are made? Ulrich’s company had the contracts for printing press color controls with many companies until he retired.

Brigitte still has a rental flat in Switzerland, where she lived and worked close to the family. Ulrich and Brigette had a favorite apartment in sunny Spain where they could see the beach and the mountains from the balcony, and they have cruised the world twice, both eastward and westward.  The two of them speak German when together. Brigitte speaks with her sister weekly and other friends in Switzerland.  Comfortable with computers, texts, and email, she rarely uses her excellent English. She orders our current best sellers in German.

Now that their Oakton house is sold, they have time to think about their new lifestyle at The Woodlands.  They wanted a neighborhood feel that was similar to their single-family home neighborhood in Oakland. They particularly liked that their apartment, which has beautiful park-like views from every window, and activities and eating area are together in one building. When they are not participating in activities with their friendly neighbors at The Woodlands, Brigitte and Ulrich enjoy the sunshine and beach at their condo In Pompano Beach, Florida in addition to trips home to Switzerland.