21 Comments

James, what a terrific experience that must have been. Thanks for sharing, enjoyed every bit of this. Fantastic. - Jim

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Hello, Jim! I wished it could have gone on longer, I liked everything about it. Thank you for commenting, I appreciate it very much.

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You bet. No problem.

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What an exciting adventure! You learned a new trade, got paid, and saw some interesting sites. I like all the little details you include in your stories. They make them come alive. I don't know that I would have had the guts to sign on with a stranger for a job I knew nothing about. Bravo for your adventurous nature.

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At the time, a trip up the Rhine was as good as any other plan I had in mind. Yes, I thought afterwards wondering what I was getting into, but little naivete goes a long way. Since then, I've harbored a real liking for river towboats and such. The ocean going vessels, not so much. Thank you very much, KC!

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Lovely adventure and beautiful photo, James. I was at the same spot a long time ago. Seems you and I have been in several same places, maybe we exchanged a chat once upon a time...:)

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I know, isn't that strange? Was there in fall '74. If not a chat, perhaps we did cross paths. : )

Thanks, Victor.

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What an adventure!! An amazing way for a young man to travel through Holland and Germany all the way down to Switzerland. No paperwork hassles either back in those simple times. You did have some prior boating experience, right?

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"No paperwork." You are right, I didn't think about that. On the train was different. Paperwork was checked often. I was familiar with ski boats. : ) Thanks, Jim.

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Awesome experience and great story. It reminded me of my best trip on a freighter when I was 15 but it was not hands-on as yours. For me it was access from the captain’s bridge to the engine room. I was very happy reading your post!

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Thanks, Barry! That freighter trip must have been great. You were young. I met a guy who traveled on a freighter across the North Atlantic and midway, at night, he said he saw giant octopi thrashing at the surface while UFOs darted in and out of the water at tremendous speeds. The captain said they see them all the time. Quite the story. He was absolutely serious about its truth. All I could say was "Okay."

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Oh, James Ron! I loved every minute of this adventure. You were so wise to jump on the opportunity! What good fortune! I, myself, took a smallish boat from Basel down to Cologne, in the 80s. It wasn't an oil barge, but nothing fancy either. Loved it! Thanks for bringing memories to me along with yours.

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Thank you, Sharron!! It was a serendipitous happening, that's for sure. You covered a lot of distance on the river. I bet you did enjoy it. The castles remain vivid in my memory. So long ago now.

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I've never had that experience. But I have been to Heidelberg, and watched the barges go up and down. Who knows, maybe you were piloting one of them.

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This was in the fall of '74. Were you there then? A half a century ago. Wow.

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Not that far back. My wife and I were in Heidelberg in 2004. But, yeah, I often think about memories and realize I'm thinking about half a century ago.

Here's something that occasionally plays in my mind: Just three of my lifetimes take me back to the civil war. Four of them take me back to the founding of the USA. Those events don't seem so ancient, when you think about them like that.

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Very cool. As is also, getting notions like yours that change perspective. Like another piece of the puzzle revealed.

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Loved Castles on the Rhine. I knew that u had done that but the details of it are so interesting! Ed

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Hi, Ed. It was fun and educational. Thanks!

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Wow! That took some serious courage to take that job on. What an adventure!

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It was an opportunity to see things from a different viewpoint, and it paid well. One of my very favorite trips. Thanks, Jim!

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