Five Brothers and a War

Vacation to Germany—1936

The picturesque town of Gerolstein, Germany.

van Pelt

On one of their early morning discovery excursions, Jan and Kees ran into a group of young locals, dressed in short leather pants, held up by an H frame in front and back. They also had greasy-looking round leather caps. They pointed out the tonic water, and loaned Jan and Kees their caps to let them scoop up the Sprudel from the creek, so they could drink it. Early in the mornings, they would sneak out of the hotel and climb the rocks behind it. Then, together with their parents’ friends, who had come on their own by train, they hiked endlessly. There were various routes they could take by using wayfinding signs along the way. Those signs listed hiking choice routes by distances, to accommodate any hiker, whatever shape he or she was in. They went through some of the most beautiful areas they had ever seen.

Five Brothers and a War

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