European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 9, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bus travel continued from Page 3does to Mozart. But As Challenge free travel goes the enjoy Tours trip at least offered the basics for a reasonable Price. For $119 the company provided round trip bus transportation to Amsterdam from various Points in Germany a decent hotel room one breakfast Tours of a Small wooden shoe factory and a Diamond business and a couple of shuttle trips downtown. For $30 More customers could opt for a Quot luxury Quot hotel but some people who stayed there on the veterans Day weekend trip said it was t Worth the extra Money. The company also offered boat Tours a Quot special indonesian Rij Sztafel dinner Quot and a tour to a fishing Village a Windmill Vit age and a cheese farm All for an extra Price. This is not the trip we had intended to Tell you about by the Way. A three Day trip probably would have allowed More time to soak up the Amsterdam ambience but the sat travel office in Heidelberg said the company had scrubbed that offer that happens occasionally. Flexibility is in order when planning such a trip. Late the following Friday night buses from several German cities converged in a parking lot on the outskirts of Mannheim swapped passengers and droned off into the inky blackness. Our bus had arrived from Heidelberg at it 52. It left for Amsterdam at 12 42. A 50-minute wait is not bad some Veteran bus tourists said. Wolfgang our tour guide introduced himself and Paul the driven. The bus ride to Holland was quiet and uneventful except for a Brief 4 47 . Stop at the dutch Border that gave some travellers the Chance to change currency. Reveille was at 6 46 . Quot listen to the sound of the falling rain Quot a sprightly Singer s voice chirped Over the Public address system drowning out the bus motor s hypnotic purr. The intended audience about 35 groggy passengers probably would have preferred to listen to nothing at All let atone the sound of rain falling All Over their weekend excursion. They stirred from contorted sleeping postures and prepared for a breakfast Stop at the hotel ibis the one in the $119 offer. Before the group disembarked Wolfgang issued tourist advisories while in Amsterdam he said watch out for pickpockets. And avoid the druggies. And Don t take photos in the red Light District. Of and have a Nice 16-Guilder $8.50 breakfast. Inside the ibis our group competed for space with a Large but Well behaved group of teen agers who were in town for soccer and volleyball tournaments. The Buffet spread included hard boiled eggs cold cuts hot dogs baked Beans cheese bread Rolls and the usual drinks. Back on the bus Wolfgang collected Money for the optional Tours. He tried hard but always politely to convert those who had turned Down the $20 cheese windmills and fishing Village sojourn. Quot i Hope they change their minds in their own interest Quot he said. He also trumpeted the Quot special Quot 30-Guilder $15.95 indonesian dinner. Later some travellers who went said the food was quite Ordinary. Many lost their appetite after one woman found an unidentifiable insect in her meal f4ext Stop a wooden shoe factory in Amstelveen. A tall Young dutchman operating the 60-year-old lathe at the factory Klompen Akerib Ratterman extolled the Virtues of wooden shoes. They re healthy for your feet he said. He was wearing a pair at that very moment. Another Man working in the shop also wore some. The three women behind the sales counters did not Wear wooden shoes. Neither did anyone else we saw in greater Amsterdam that weekend. By 9 45 ., we had arrived downtown and most of us boarded a Glass topped boat for a 10-Guilder $5.30 sightseeing trip through the City s canals. Intended for tourists omy the boat bore the uninspired name Quot amstel tourist 6 Quot we bubbled off. The Pilot Wessel Hulshof had to turn sharply to navigate through the Waterways which form a Grid even on a drizzly night Mamrak a main Avenue near the a Central train station bustles with night life above. Wessel Hulshof pilots a canal boat through the City s murky Waters while tour guide Onno Van Der Lee uses a Public address system to provide commentary. The boat moves so slowly that Hulshof was Able to read an entire Magazine White working. Pattern Only slightly less extensive than the network of downtown streets. As we cruised our guide for the moment of no Van Der Lee pointed out architectural highlights. When we entered Brouwers Racht Brewers canal he noted that the breweries once located there used canal water to brew their Beer. Quot we Don t use the canal water anymore except for the Export Beer Quot he joked. If a map of the canals and Strep of reminds one of the facets of a polished Gem that s appropriate. The local 4-Century-old Diamond Trade is one of Amsterdam s most prominent businesses. After the boat trip we trooped through the hots Huissen Stoltie Diamond exhibition shop. The shop like Many old buildings in the City Center is High and narrow the result of efforts to avoid High taxes on land Amsterdam diamonds Are characterized by the four Quot is Quot we Learned Carat color clarity and Cut. To obtain one you Only need a lot of the fifth Quot a Quot a Cash that is. Some visitors took a few brochures and after a complimentary drink we moved on a typical november pall had imprisoned the morning and Many on the tour group were tired but everyone seemed eager to hit the streets when Wolfgang and path dropped us off at dam Square at 11 52 . For a few hours of shopping. This was an Opportunity for the perceptive visitor unleashed from the Milquetoast confines of group travel to learn Amsterdam s dirtiest Little secret. The secret is the fact that the Cit is Well not really very dutch. In fact it s not representative of anywhere in particular. Amsterdam Street life seems to have been scooped up from All Over the world and tossed into a cultural blender then left on High Speed at the Quot Puree Quot a setting. Continued on Page 5 the Petit cafe de Sluys wacht built in 1695, proves Pisa ten t the Only european City with Tilting structures. 4 stripes Magazine december 9, 1993