There are cities like Vegas where you can say there no other like it in the world. Amsterdam fits that category. Beautiful, gritty, historic, eye-popping, insane. Here are one of the canals. The red light district is hard to explain. Still trying to figure it all out.

Hard to describe the Oktoberfest festival in any other way than pure joyl! I met people from all corners: Japan, Spain, Brazil, Argentina. The group with us in this photo are exchange students studying in Munich for the year. They are from Finland, Ireland, Belgium , the girls are from Italy and the guy in the beard from good ole Nashville!

More later but here is one of tents at Oktoberfest

A beautiful day in the Rhine Valley on the way to the historical town of Speyer

A wonderful start to the trip! A long but uneventful 15 hours has brought me to Germany ! Our friend Christoph took us to a great brewery, Fuchsen, where we had a wonderful breakfast, Mett brotchen I believe it is called, with the main item consisting of raw pork with onions spread on a roll. Doesn't sound appetizing but it was delicious! Very cool city with a great mixture of modern and historical. Taking a 3 hour siesta (it's 4 am body clock time) before we do ...