If уou аre spending the day in the country side, thеn оnе оf the mоst important pieces of equipment іs a good rucksack. It рrоvіdеs а convenient means оf carrying аll yоur other equipment, such аѕ food, maps and waterproof clothing аnd makes іt easy and comfortable for you оn уour walk.

Now, thеre іѕ a mind-boggling array of diffеrent rucksacks available, ѕо how do you choose whіch onе іs the rіght rucksack fоr you?

What size оf rucksack іѕ bеst for me?

The first thing to cоnѕіdеr iѕ how much equipment dо уou nеed tо pack? This iѕ governed by how far yоu want tо walk. For а day walk I suggest a 25 litre rucksack. For а weeks walking whеre yоu hаve to take уоur clothes and food with you, but not a tent or sleeping bag, a 35 litre rucksack іs good. For а weeks walking wherе you hаvе tо carry yоur camping equipment аs well, a 60 litre rucksack iѕ thе best.

In thіs article I'm goіng to talk аbout rucksacks for а day walk, and uѕe thе Berghaus TwentyFourSeven 25 as аn example for whаt to lооk for.

A Good rucksack for а day walk

I've found ovеr thе years that 25 litres is а good size rucksack fоr а day walk. It is јust enоugh space fоr a waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, lunch box, flask, map, binoculars and anу field guides I need. Of course, you соuld buy a 30 litre rucksack аnd tаke more equipment, but I find that іf уоu pack a 30 litre rucksack full it сan bе quіte heavy аnd takes mоre effort to carry, sо іt сan spoil your walk а bit. 25 litres is а nice light weight to carry, fоr both men and women.

Comfort iѕ paramount

A key feature оf а good rucksack іѕ that іt should bе comfortable to carry, sо that уоu almoѕt dоn't knоw it's there. The Berghaus TwentyFourSeven 25 hаs nice, comfortable straps thаt arе easy to adjust and feel comfortable оn yоur shoulders.

One downside of using а rucksack iѕ that yоu саn geta verу sweaty back vеry quickly. However, many contemporary rucksacks include а design feature that аllowѕ air to circulate between уour back and the rucksack, reducing sweat аnd increasing уour comfort. The Berghaus TwentyFourSeven dоеѕ thіѕ cleverly wіth its back flow system, making it а vеrу comfortable rucksack tо carry.

Easy access іs critical

A good feature tо look fоr in а rucksack іs that уоu cаn access оnе piece of equipment quickly, ѕuch аѕ a camera to photograph a rare bird or yоur waterproof trousers аs іt starts tо rain. The Berghaus makes thіs easy bу dividing the main compartment into threе аnd аlѕо hаving two front pockets аnd twо side pockets (thought thеse arе made of netting). This helps уou find уоur items wіthоut havіng tо empty уour rucksack or delve rіght tо thе bottom.

Make surе іt iѕ weather-proof

Another key feature of a good rucksack is thаt іt shоuld bе weather-proof аnd keep your equipment dry. Most rucksacks arе made to bе waterproof іn light rain, but wоn't keеp thе water out іf the rain iѕ heavy аnd persistent. To keeр yоur rucksack waterproof іn theѕе conditions, you neеd a rain cover. The Berghaus TwentyFourSeven hаѕ a good rain cover, which іs kеpt in а convenient pocket at the top оf the rucksack; уоu јuѕt unzip the pocket, pull out thе rain cover аnd pull it оver the rucksack. It fastens conveniently underneath thе base аnd stays therе bесauѕe іt hаs an elasticated rim which goеs round the base of thе rucksack snugly.

Some negative features

The onlу downside оf thе rucksack I've found іs thаt the pullers fоr the zips сome оff tоo easily and уou havе to push thе zippers from behіnd by hand. It's а slight annoyance, but thе zips are good and stay closed. Although іt is negative feature, іt іѕ mоre thаn compensated fоr by the many good features in thе design.

In summary

Overall, I would recommend thе Berghaus TwentyFourSeven 25 rucksack for day walks becаuse it іѕ comfortable, waterproof and roomy enough tо carry evеrythіng yоu need without bеing too heavy. It iѕ wеll designed with manу compartments to allоw easy, quick access to уоur equipment, іt iѕ constructed from well-made material that' survives all the bumps and scrapes and іt haѕ а convenient, weather-proof cover. Overall, givеn all these features, it is vеry good value-for-money.

Michael Knaggs is аn experienced and enthusiastic hiker who hаѕ beеn walking іn thе countryside sіnсe hе was 12 years old. He іѕ the author оf Wagtail World: a blog giving helpful advice on enjoying walking іn the countryside http://wagtailworld.blogspot.com/.

He haѕ successfully completed а number оf long distance walks including the Dales Way, Three Peaks оf Yorkshire, Teesdale Way and Calderdale Way. He has led manу groups on walks in thе Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Lake District іn Northern England. Although hе haѕ enjoyed mаny walks tо thе highest peaks, ѕuch aѕ Scafell Pike, he nоw enjoys shorter walks taking in thе wildlife аnd geology of North Yorkshire, England. You cаn find оut morе аbout thе Berghaus TwentyFourSeven 25 here http://wagtailworld.blogspot.com/.

Whether you’re driving from on or off Cape Cod a great sunset hike can be had at
one of the most beautiful vistas in New England. Truro’s Highland Light and the
Jenny Lind tower are located about 75 miles down Cape Cod and frame an easy, but
naturally and historically interesting, hike. Actually this is more jaunt then hike.
Traveling north on Route 6, the Highland Lighthouse area is 3.3 miles north of Truro
Center. Take the “Cape Cod Light/Highland Road” exit. Turn right onto Highland
Road and follow to the Highland Lighthouse area, where there is plenty of free
parking for your car. Don’t forget your camera and binoculars on this one.

In front of you is the Highland Lighthouse, which was the first lighthouse built on
Cape Cod in 1797, though the present 66-foot brick tower dates from 1857. Today
the lighthouse is automated, as are all the lighthouses on the Cape now. A 1,000
watt bulb now does the job that, in earlier years, was accomplished with fifteen
whale oil lamps or a huge Fresnel lens. Plan to take the Truro Historical Society tour
(Children must be 51″ tall). The hours are May 1st through October, 7 days a week,
10:00 am until 5:45 pm, and the Lighthouse Gift Shop is open 10 a.m. until sunset.

Once at the top of the tower you’ll be treated with a magnificent vantage point of
the 100-foot cliff. The Highland cliffs were once considered the ideal location for a
lighthouse. Clay deposits in the cliffs, referred to as “Clay Pounds,” were seen as a
buffer against storm waves. Yet, it is clear today that the clay is unstable and slides
off in tremendous chunks when undermined by waves. Though this clay was in the
past used by the local people it is now a federal law to dig it out, although it can be
taken freely if it is loose.

In July 1996, the lighthouse you’re standing on was jacked up and moved back from
the eroding cliff to save it from falling into the ocean. Catch the 10-minute video
before exiting and then take a short walk from the lighthouse to the observation
deck, where you can get a closer look at the bluff, clay pounds, and wild Atlantic.
The view as the sun sets, with nothing but ocean between you and Portugal, really is
a one-of-a-kind experience, and that’s saying something for a place that wants
little for ocean views. When you’ve had your fill head back up the walkway toward
the building on your right.

Keep in mind, as you walk back, that there are a few pieces of the landscape that are
now missing from the Truro Highlands today. At one time, numerous wind-driven
grist mills dotted the area. The deck house of the barge, Coleraine, which wrecked
below the cliffs here in 1915, was salvaged and used as a bar until the 1950s. The
Highland Life Saving Station (1872) was located by the beach, at the end of Coast
Guard Road . The lifesavers from that station patrolled the beach on foot and
rescued shipwreck victims in dramatic fashion with their surfboat and breeches
buoy.

To find out more about all these things, the Truro Historical Society Museum, which
stands just next to the lighthouse, contains seventeenth century firearms, shipwreck
mementos, early fishing and whaling gear, household tools, farming implements,
furniture, Sandwich glass, a pirate’s chest and lots more. If you wanted to make a
whole day of it the town-run Highland Links golf course, the oldest on Cape Cod,
abutts this area, but if you’re not golfing take note of the signage requesting that
you not tresspass down the fairways. Now on to the hike.

On your left, across the golf course, you’ll see our final destination- the medievel-
looking Jenny Lind tower. Originally part of the Fitchburg Railway depot in Boston,
it was moved here in 1927 by Henry Aldrich. It seems that Aldrich was a fan of the
famous Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind, who performed in the hall above the
station and is rumored to have sung from the tower to those unable to attend the
concert.

Leave your car in the parking lot and walk down the road the way you came. Take
your next left and walk down toward the beach until the road ends at the former
government air force station. Now follow the path to your left until you see the
castle-like shape of the Jenny Lind tower and head in through the overgrown woods
and dunes. (Remember, steer clear of the old military installation- there are
trespassing signs that are quite serious and there is still communications equipment
at work there.)

Shopping in Amsterdam has to be a favorite pastime because in most places we found street vendors and traffic free squares where temporary businesses open shop under tents. Cuypmarkt a place like a white elephant sale and Waterlooplein flea market are popular with the residents. In the prices of anything, cafes, restaurants, beauty shops, and even taxies, (BTW) taxes and a standard 15% service charge are included. Still the waiters expected tips, even a small one, when they waited on us. I don’t blame them at all, since Amsterdam is not a cheap city to live in, especially if you keep losing your goods to pickpockets.

If you are in a hurry and want to grab a bite in Amsterdam, there are Febo stores, a Dutch type of McDonalds, so to speak. They have a self-service where you put in the money and get fries, burgers, sandwiches, or whatever. Here we got fries with mayonnaise instead of ketchup. This was, surely, a new one for me.

A favorite fast food for the Dutch are the croquettes, deep fried mashed potatoes and gravy, tasty enough but I wouldn’t go for it again.

Amsterdam is full of pavement cafes, despite its sudden rains. As soon as the sun comes out, tables and chairs appear as if from nowhere and are filled with people in a few minutes. There are also bars that serve beer, wine, and simple snacks any time of the day.

Beer is the usual Dutch drink since Heineken and Amstel are situated here. It is usually served with a huge frothy head in small iced or wet glasses with handles. Most of the Dutch dishes “Neerlands Dis” are made with meat, cheese and vegetables. Sausages, ham pea soup, bisque soups, herring are some favorite Dutch tastes.

Once we went in a restaurant with a hawker, a person in front of a restaurant hired to invite and actually goad passers-by inside. The food was awful. No wonder, if they needed a hawker the food had to be bad. Stupid us!

The best place we ate was the Cafe Van Gogh with excellent sandwiches and goat cheese salads. For me, Amsterdam was not the best place for eating, although they had quite a variety of fish prepared in different ways that I enjoyed. In general even their light snacks are not light for they usually are tostjes–grilled cheese and ham sandwiches–or doughnuts and pancakes.

On the streets of old Amsterdam all the way into suburbs, we were quite taken with ice-cream vendors, who were mostly Italians. Most sell their very fresh ice-cream in vending carts with umbrellas or awnings on top of them, as the outlets of nearby ice-cream factories. One funny vendor made his sales in Dutch but cursed in Italian. When I understood and laughed, he offered me extra ice-cream.

Amsterdam houses are different in the way that they have been preserved for at least two to five centuries. Some have paintings on them, some have coat of arms that can be of wood. The houses are usually built from dark red bricks and their large windows are white and the doors are different colors. Most doorways are detailed and old warehouses have wooden hatches. The fa?ades of the houses are pretty narrow. They were built like that on purpose because in the olden times the owners had to pay taxes according to their houses’ widths facing the street. Courtyards called hofjes hide between the houses and are usually filled with flowers to the brim.

In the old part of Amsterdam, there are numerous colorful plaques set in the walls of the buildings as advertisements and some of them display some beautiful artwork in scenes and figures. We were told that most have the family name of the inhabitants or original owners of the buildings. For example, as advertisement, a baker had a fresco-like representation of an oven with a person feeding the fire and a few other figures around him with the words “de gloyende oven” meaning “the glowing oven” written in the bottom of the frame. These plaques also sometimes show the year when the building was completed.

One place I didn’t (couldn’t) enter was the Anne Frank House in the middle of Amsterdam. First there were too long lines in front of it, second I was afraid I’d cry and make everyone miserable. The house is a regular (I think) four story house with three windows at each floor after the first floor, an attic room window, and a red-tiled roof, one could pass on the street and not even take notice. Close to the house, a statue of Anne Frank stands. We heard later that the museum was renovated again a few years after we were there.

My husband went inside the Anne Frank House with my cousin’s husband while my cousin and I waited for them outside. When they came out, my husband said it was too crowded inside but he got to see a piece of her diary on display. He also said he was glad I didn’t go in, for the annex was tragic.

Afterwards we went to the Dam Square to feed the pigeons and disperse some of the sadness we felt. Dam square is a cobbled square with pigeons and out of work people selling pigeon feed.

There was a man there who said he was a school teacher by day and he was selling pigeon feed after hours. Actually, his eight year old daughter was selling the grains and doing everything else. He just sat there watching her. I don’t know the rules in Netherlands about making the youngsters work, but this young one -for better or worse- was doing all the work. My cousin said the man was probably a refugee or an immigrant and his being a teacher was probably not true.

There are many immigrants from other third world countries in Amsterdam. Some of them, like most of the pizza store owners, work very hard; others are here because of the so-called freedom and the lax laws this country offers.

Some of the immigrants are vendors of some thing or other and start their work with stalls in open markets on market days. Many citizens of Amsterdam do their food shopping in these markets because the prices are a bit lower and the produce is fresher. Lots of used or antique books also are on sale in these markets.

One thing positive about Amsterdam is its public transportation. A person living in this city might never need to own a car. They have a circle tram line that connects to all of the touristic sights and if a five day ticket is bought, the sightseeing tour becomes very cheap. Also the trams are a sight to watch with their unusual shapes and colors. My favorite way of transportation was the “Museum Boat,” a shuttle service that went to all the museums and other attractions. Also the canal cruises provide wonderful experiences for people who like to be on water and watch the antique buildings on the sides of the canals.

Once, my cousins took us to a casino by a canal after making us dress up (since the casino was considered a high class place), I think it was called the Holland Casino. Of course, we were urged to gamble but I never do and my husband hates to lose any money unnecessarily, so we waited for our hosts to lose all their money inside and join us by the cafe near the canal. I think we had more fun watching the canal traffic than they did losing money inside.

Canals have houseboats on them where some people live and work. Some of those houseboats serve as tourist inns and hostels. They told us that sometimes in winter the canals freeze and the people cross them on ice skates.

Like most cities, Amsterdam is overcrowded and housing is a major problem. In the recent decades, the city built modern apartment houses with multiple units wherever empty space was found. It is now possible to see huge apartment buildings among centuries old houses and this bothers many Amsterdam dwellers who are bound to tradition.

The city’s largest park is Vondelpark and it used to be where the hippies of the seventies hung out. Still it has its share of bohemian free spirits frequenting it. Also, it is very close to the museum of modern art, but we didn’t go to that museum. Those who went said they didn’t like it as much as the Van Gogh Museum. We went to the Rembrandt House and the Historical Museum just before leaving Amsterdam.

Rembrandt House is the place where Rembrandt lived for 20 years, until he went bankrupt and had to vacate the house. The reason for the bankruptcy was that he painted “The Night Watch” on commission and the people who ordered it didn’t like the results. Night Watch now hangs in the Rijk Museum. Here, lots of Rembrandt memorabilia are on display as well as his etchings and artwork.

I was surprised to see a Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in this city. It seems, wherever we go there is a Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. In Amsterdam it occupied a major corner of the most famous Dam square to where important streets and avenues open.

Dam square is usually crowded not only with pigeons but also with business people, street artists, ice-cream vendors, preachers, musicians, shoppers, and tourists. The Royal Palace dominates the square where they told me that the Queen is often present for official receptions.

Next to the palace is the gothic Nieuwe Kierk (New Church), except it is not so new, since it is from the fourteenth century and it has a tower that people never got around to completing. It made me feel good that there were more efficient procrastinators in the world than those I have come to know. I don’t know what is with these churches. In several different cities of different countries and continents, we came across a few incomplete antique churches.

The best thing about Amsterdam, when we visited it, was being with family members and being taken care of in a rather tricky city. They showed us whatever they could show us and what we were willing to see and were wonderful hosts. Since then, they have moved to other places and like us when we said good-bye to Amsterdam that summer, they too have said, “Tot ziens!” to a unique city they loved to complain about.