Nebraska to The Netherlands~ The Incredible Journey~ Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
What a journey we've had these last days! I can't believe we're in Amsterdam! I stayed up all night on Tuesday, doing all of my last minute stuff. I'm such a procrastinator. Tuesday was difficult because it finally hit Joey that I was leaving for a long time. He was clingy, whiny and crying. Kasey knew something was up too and was constantly underfoot.
Fast forward to the Lincoln airport. Tom, TJ and Edwin took us. My luggage was 7
pounds over-weight so K and I had to re-arrange and re-distribute our stuff to
make it work.
I didn't want to say good-bye to Tom.
Our plane to MN was tiny and hot. There was a problem with the cooling system. It was crampted and bumpy with mild turbulance much of the way, but was otherwise un-eventful. It was 105* in MN. The walkway was HOT!
In MN we stopped at the bathrooms then hopped a tram, then hoofed it to the opposite end of the airport. They were already boarding when we got there- so no time to grab snacks or magazines for the flight.
The plane was huge with a 2-4-2 configuration. Immediately you could tell how much roomier and comfy the seats were.
The flight was good. Had a few babies fussing off and on. We also had 2 loud teenaged girls behind us. They were constantly bumping and kicking the backs of our seats. A man and
woman in front of us were always up and down. Settle peeps!
We got peanuts and pretzels for our snack with pop. Later we had our choice of 3 suppers. I had chicken breast in sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, hard roll, cheese and crackers and a spiced brownie. K had vegeterian pasta with the same sides. In the morning we got mini sausage, egg and cheese muffins (spicy!), banana and juice all included in flight price.
Hardly slept for being restless. Lots of dozing, watched 1st half of two movies, "The Descendants" with George Clooney and "This Means War" with Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon. I couldn't focus enough to watch. K had a few naps propped on my shoulder. I dozed a few times,
once for a good hour. I got woke up by the loud girls behind me, who had their 3 rude friends come visit. They clogged he aisle and one of them 1/2 draped herself over K's seat. ALL of them were LOUD. I was sure the stewardess would shush them, but no. Who needs sleep?
Spent the last 2 hours of the flight tracking the plane. It was really cool to realize when we
were over Ireland. The light glow of dawn made it possible to look down and see the Island and the lights of a few cities. We flew over Dublin, but we had complete cloud cover so didn't see it. Most of England was clouded over too.
K and I commented that from the sky Holland could be any city, with patchwork land shapes and patterened neighborhoods. The landing at Schiphol (Skip-pole) Airport was uneventful. The airport is HUGE! We were told to head for customs and immigration. I stopped at a desk marked passports and asked if that was customs. He said "No", but wanted to see my passport. He asked how long we'd be in Holland and a couple of other questions- then let us go. We finally found our luggage. My new suitcase is busted at one wheel. Our new locks are gone. K and I struggled to find customs. We walked quite a while. Found it but nobody was there. The door opened and let us out to general population. I'm still not sure we're here legally!
I realized I didn't have Tenneke's (our houseboat landlord) printed directions to her place (by train). We were so tired and sweaty (me) that I finally splurged and took a cab. It cost 58E ($70) for the 25 minute ride. It might have been quicker to walk...
Once unloaded from the cab, I noticed Tenneke come out with her large brown poodle (name too Dutch to remember). She let us in and gave the tour and our key. Nice lady.
Fast forward to the Lincoln airport. Tom, TJ and Edwin took us. My luggage was 7
pounds over-weight so K and I had to re-arrange and re-distribute our stuff to
make it work.
I didn't want to say good-bye to Tom.
Our plane to MN was tiny and hot. There was a problem with the cooling system. It was crampted and bumpy with mild turbulance much of the way, but was otherwise un-eventful. It was 105* in MN. The walkway was HOT!
In MN we stopped at the bathrooms then hopped a tram, then hoofed it to the opposite end of the airport. They were already boarding when we got there- so no time to grab snacks or magazines for the flight.
The plane was huge with a 2-4-2 configuration. Immediately you could tell how much roomier and comfy the seats were.
The flight was good. Had a few babies fussing off and on. We also had 2 loud teenaged girls behind us. They were constantly bumping and kicking the backs of our seats. A man and
woman in front of us were always up and down. Settle peeps!
We got peanuts and pretzels for our snack with pop. Later we had our choice of 3 suppers. I had chicken breast in sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, hard roll, cheese and crackers and a spiced brownie. K had vegeterian pasta with the same sides. In the morning we got mini sausage, egg and cheese muffins (spicy!), banana and juice all included in flight price.
Hardly slept for being restless. Lots of dozing, watched 1st half of two movies, "The Descendants" with George Clooney and "This Means War" with Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon. I couldn't focus enough to watch. K had a few naps propped on my shoulder. I dozed a few times,
once for a good hour. I got woke up by the loud girls behind me, who had their 3 rude friends come visit. They clogged he aisle and one of them 1/2 draped herself over K's seat. ALL of them were LOUD. I was sure the stewardess would shush them, but no. Who needs sleep?
Spent the last 2 hours of the flight tracking the plane. It was really cool to realize when we
were over Ireland. The light glow of dawn made it possible to look down and see the Island and the lights of a few cities. We flew over Dublin, but we had complete cloud cover so didn't see it. Most of England was clouded over too.
K and I commented that from the sky Holland could be any city, with patchwork land shapes and patterened neighborhoods. The landing at Schiphol (Skip-pole) Airport was uneventful. The airport is HUGE! We were told to head for customs and immigration. I stopped at a desk marked passports and asked if that was customs. He said "No", but wanted to see my passport. He asked how long we'd be in Holland and a couple of other questions- then let us go. We finally found our luggage. My new suitcase is busted at one wheel. Our new locks are gone. K and I struggled to find customs. We walked quite a while. Found it but nobody was there. The door opened and let us out to general population. I'm still not sure we're here legally!
I realized I didn't have Tenneke's (our houseboat landlord) printed directions to her place (by train). We were so tired and sweaty (me) that I finally splurged and took a cab. It cost 58E ($70) for the 25 minute ride. It might have been quicker to walk...
Once unloaded from the cab, I noticed Tenneke come out with her large brown poodle (name too Dutch to remember). She let us in and gave the tour and our key. Nice lady.
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? What Day It Is?
Holland, Day One~ Amsterdam- Anne Frank, Canal Ride & Hard Rock Cafe~ Thursday, July 5th
First thing we did was change clothes. Then we walked 2 blocks to an Indian market (a little corner grocery). We bought some Belgian chocolate that looks like potato chips. We got pop, some fresh bread and cheese, dried fruit and nutella. We also tried some odd sort of pastry bites, puffy bread triangles with a taste of nuts, cinnamon, apple and honey. Yum! They had no milk :-( . The fellow was nice. We had one kind of bread, but he said, "No, not fresh." and suggested another bread. We took it.
Had a nice snack at the boat. K fell right to sleep. I laid down later and got a 2 hour nap. Then it was time to find transportation to our tours. Walking around the neighborhood, we looked and looked for some kind of bus/train/tickets sign or clue. Finally we stopped in a nearby baby store. They were very nice and told us that the Anne Frank House was very walkable. The lady took us outside and pointed to a church steeple in the distance. She explained that was the Ode Kirk (Old Church) which is next door to the Anne Frank House- very close. It was. Turns out to be a 10 minute walk. We were early for our boat ride (Which departs at the canal right in front of the AF house) so we bought a pop and walked around. I tried to find an Internet cafe but instead was shown a gift shop that has a computer available.
We've had awful luck with Internet/facebook. We have a great wi-fi signal at the boat, but dad's notebook will NOT let us connect. The thing freaks out when we type. I tried and tried.
The guy at the gift shop was nice- very funny. He said I could use the computer for 1/2E. I was
almost done with a lengthy, detailed FB post when the computer kicked me off. He said that very rarely happens. He re-started it and I tried again. I typed hard, hit submit and it was gone. Kicked off again. By then it was time for the Anne Frank tour. He didn't charge me. I said I'd be
back.
The Anne Frank tour was so interesting. It was weird to be in the rooms where so much history happened. The rooms were empty of furniture and had quotes and pictures on the wall depicting the original rooms. The stairs are incredibly steep! Their bathroom had the most beautiful toilet! It was a blue and white delft ceramic. The main room/kitchen was most poignant for me. I touched the counter tops and faucet handle saying to myself, "She fought with her mom here. She touched this handle while making potatoes." I was sad. It was strange. The diary and her writings are no longer on display. They are in the process of being preserved. Realistic replicas are on display.
I bought 2 books and a postcard in the gift shop. K and I took pictures outside, then went back to the Internet shop. Got kicked off again. The guy said Facebook was difficult, even though it's
supposedly high speed internet there. It's slow. FB bogs it down. K suggested posting just a few lines to let all know we're safe. I did. Finally! I was worried about worrying people with no communication! Guy charged me .50E.
We then walked to the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a nice jaunt. We had to wait a bit, they were busy. But our pre-paid tickets gave us priority seating so we only waited 10-15 minutes instead of the 25-30 with everybody else. Kaylie and I both had bacon cheeseburgers and fries, pop for me coffee for her. For dessert we had funny ice-cream. It tasted half like ice cream, half like whipped cream. It was light, good and only 100 calories. Poor K kept drifting off during the meal.
The walk home seemed long as we were both dragging. K tried to get FB on Gpa's tablet again. It comes up- but as soon as you try to post it freaks out and won't. We did discover it lets you reply to other's posts ok. So I replied to my earlier post and gave a few details.
I took a shower and it felt so goooood! K fell to sleep, lol.
Oh- I forgot to tell about our canal cruise before Anne Frank! We met outside the AF house.
The boat was the Michaelangelo. We found a nice booth inside with an open window. The cruise was nice, so relaxing! Poor Kaylie fell to sleep twice, slept thru most of the cruise. The jet lag has gotten to her badly. I loved seeing all of the interesting archecture of the buildings and learning interesting facts about Amsterdam. More and more folks are living on canal boats because of the serious housing shortages. Also, all of the old houses have big hooks off of the top gables. The houses are so skinny and stairs so narrow and steep that furniture goes in thru the windows! The tour was an hour and a half and very enjoyable.
After my shower I noticed I have a funky, angry welty rash on the insides of both calves. My ankles and calves are pretty swollen from the flying. Hopefully the rash goes away soon. No pain. I'm also coughing and my jaw hurts. Either I'm dying or all of the unusual exercise and new allergins are getting the best of me!
It's after 12:30AM now. Alarm is set for 6:30AM. I've basically been up for 56 hours. Time to
sleep.
Had a nice snack at the boat. K fell right to sleep. I laid down later and got a 2 hour nap. Then it was time to find transportation to our tours. Walking around the neighborhood, we looked and looked for some kind of bus/train/tickets sign or clue. Finally we stopped in a nearby baby store. They were very nice and told us that the Anne Frank House was very walkable. The lady took us outside and pointed to a church steeple in the distance. She explained that was the Ode Kirk (Old Church) which is next door to the Anne Frank House- very close. It was. Turns out to be a 10 minute walk. We were early for our boat ride (Which departs at the canal right in front of the AF house) so we bought a pop and walked around. I tried to find an Internet cafe but instead was shown a gift shop that has a computer available.
We've had awful luck with Internet/facebook. We have a great wi-fi signal at the boat, but dad's notebook will NOT let us connect. The thing freaks out when we type. I tried and tried.
The guy at the gift shop was nice- very funny. He said I could use the computer for 1/2E. I was
almost done with a lengthy, detailed FB post when the computer kicked me off. He said that very rarely happens. He re-started it and I tried again. I typed hard, hit submit and it was gone. Kicked off again. By then it was time for the Anne Frank tour. He didn't charge me. I said I'd be
back.
The Anne Frank tour was so interesting. It was weird to be in the rooms where so much history happened. The rooms were empty of furniture and had quotes and pictures on the wall depicting the original rooms. The stairs are incredibly steep! Their bathroom had the most beautiful toilet! It was a blue and white delft ceramic. The main room/kitchen was most poignant for me. I touched the counter tops and faucet handle saying to myself, "She fought with her mom here. She touched this handle while making potatoes." I was sad. It was strange. The diary and her writings are no longer on display. They are in the process of being preserved. Realistic replicas are on display.
I bought 2 books and a postcard in the gift shop. K and I took pictures outside, then went back to the Internet shop. Got kicked off again. The guy said Facebook was difficult, even though it's
supposedly high speed internet there. It's slow. FB bogs it down. K suggested posting just a few lines to let all know we're safe. I did. Finally! I was worried about worrying people with no communication! Guy charged me .50E.
We then walked to the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a nice jaunt. We had to wait a bit, they were busy. But our pre-paid tickets gave us priority seating so we only waited 10-15 minutes instead of the 25-30 with everybody else. Kaylie and I both had bacon cheeseburgers and fries, pop for me coffee for her. For dessert we had funny ice-cream. It tasted half like ice cream, half like whipped cream. It was light, good and only 100 calories. Poor K kept drifting off during the meal.
The walk home seemed long as we were both dragging. K tried to get FB on Gpa's tablet again. It comes up- but as soon as you try to post it freaks out and won't. We did discover it lets you reply to other's posts ok. So I replied to my earlier post and gave a few details.
I took a shower and it felt so goooood! K fell to sleep, lol.
Oh- I forgot to tell about our canal cruise before Anne Frank! We met outside the AF house.
The boat was the Michaelangelo. We found a nice booth inside with an open window. The cruise was nice, so relaxing! Poor Kaylie fell to sleep twice, slept thru most of the cruise. The jet lag has gotten to her badly. I loved seeing all of the interesting archecture of the buildings and learning interesting facts about Amsterdam. More and more folks are living on canal boats because of the serious housing shortages. Also, all of the old houses have big hooks off of the top gables. The houses are so skinny and stairs so narrow and steep that furniture goes in thru the windows! The tour was an hour and a half and very enjoyable.
After my shower I noticed I have a funky, angry welty rash on the insides of both calves. My ankles and calves are pretty swollen from the flying. Hopefully the rash goes away soon. No pain. I'm also coughing and my jaw hurts. Either I'm dying or all of the unusual exercise and new allergins are getting the best of me!
It's after 12:30AM now. Alarm is set for 6:30AM. I've basically been up for 56 hours. Time to
sleep.
Facebook Post from Holland
7/5/012
We're safe and loving Holland! Terrible internet luck. Sorry this is short, I give up with trying to write! This is 20th try! More when we can.
Hugs and Love to tom, TJ and Joe!
We're safe and loving Holland! Terrible internet luck. Sorry this is short, I give up with trying to write! This is 20th try! More when we can.
Hugs and Love to tom, TJ and Joe!
Facebook Post from Amsterdam
7/6/12
We had a long day today. It started around 8:30 ths morning and lasted until now- 10 1/2 hours
later! We toured the North and South of Holland and saw soooo many things!
Chatted with some nice folks from Mexico and Canada and some young men from
Israel. An interesting thing to see this morning was all of the people on their
bikes, heading to work and school. It was nothing to see parents with two young kids on their bike, no special seats, no protective headgear (whhhaaaaaat?!). They have special modified bikes with wooden ""baskets"" to hold their babies and sometimes their dogs. Fascinating.
There are a bizillian bikes going a gazillion miles per hour. They have special
lanes for the bikes. People are good at signalling and ringing their little
bells, but watch out if you don't listen for them! One lady in our tour nearly
got ran over for ignoring a biker. She was very in the wrong, becauase the bell
was clear and she was on the path and not moving. This is how I learned my
first Dutch cuss word! ;-) (Kiker~ meaning cancer)
This is an amazing place. You'd be a fool not to love something here. The tourists themselves are usually the black spot on the page. Tonight a bunch of drunken Brits (college age boys) made me the obvious butt of their joke. Asses are asses all over the world I guess, lol!
Kaylie and I are well. She's still wrestling with jetlag and I'm
still wrestling with swollen ankles and a nasty rash on my legs. We are walking
everywhere, and while it's wonderful on many levels, it's not helping the lag or
the swells.
We're doing this post from an Internet Cafe. We're
still struggling at the boathouse- so no pictures once again. We're having a
wonderful time and can't wait to post pics and tell all the stories!
Tomorrow we take the train to Haarlem to visit the Corrie Ten Boom house and Het
Dolhuis (The Nuthouse) Museum. Red Light Tour in the evening.
Love to you all!
Tommy, I miss you! Joe and Teej, miss you too- give hugs to Fluffy
and Curly from us!
We had a long day today. It started around 8:30 ths morning and lasted until now- 10 1/2 hours
later! We toured the North and South of Holland and saw soooo many things!
Chatted with some nice folks from Mexico and Canada and some young men from
Israel. An interesting thing to see this morning was all of the people on their
bikes, heading to work and school. It was nothing to see parents with two young kids on their bike, no special seats, no protective headgear (whhhaaaaaat?!). They have special modified bikes with wooden ""baskets"" to hold their babies and sometimes their dogs. Fascinating.
There are a bizillian bikes going a gazillion miles per hour. They have special
lanes for the bikes. People are good at signalling and ringing their little
bells, but watch out if you don't listen for them! One lady in our tour nearly
got ran over for ignoring a biker. She was very in the wrong, becauase the bell
was clear and she was on the path and not moving. This is how I learned my
first Dutch cuss word! ;-) (Kiker~ meaning cancer)
This is an amazing place. You'd be a fool not to love something here. The tourists themselves are usually the black spot on the page. Tonight a bunch of drunken Brits (college age boys) made me the obvious butt of their joke. Asses are asses all over the world I guess, lol!
Kaylie and I are well. She's still wrestling with jetlag and I'm
still wrestling with swollen ankles and a nasty rash on my legs. We are walking
everywhere, and while it's wonderful on many levels, it's not helping the lag or
the swells.
We're doing this post from an Internet Cafe. We're
still struggling at the boathouse- so no pictures once again. We're having a
wonderful time and can't wait to post pics and tell all the stories!
Tomorrow we take the train to Haarlem to visit the Corrie Ten Boom house and Het
Dolhuis (The Nuthouse) Museum. Red Light Tour in the evening.
Love to you all!
Tommy, I miss you! Joe and Teej, miss you too- give hugs to Fluffy
and Curly from us!
Windmills Keep On Turnin', Proud Lisa Keeps On Burnin'!
Holland, Day 2~ Zaanse Schans, Marken, Volendam, Delft & Madurodam- Windmills and Wooden Shoes
~ Friday, July 6th
What a day! I woke up on my own around 5:30AM. I was surprised to see that dawn was already breaking. I'd only had 4-5 hours of sleep, but I was wide awake.
I woke up Kaylie at 6:30 so she could shower and relax. While she showered, I tidied up our room- it needed it! K and I ate a breakfast of bread (home-made) with Nutella and cheese and washed it down with pop. I sure was craving milk!
Morning revealed my rash is not better. It's weird and ugly. My ankles are still swollen too.
We left our room at 8:30 to walk to Damrack Station for our tour. It's not bad at all, maybe a mile. Our route let us observe the busy morning of a Hollander. The bikes were out in full force! They go fast and furious and woe to the fool who gets in the way!
Parents bicycle their kids to daycare and school. Tiny babies are worn in Snuggli carriers. Babies old enough
to sit up (and sometimes doggies) are placed in wooden crates fit onto customized bikes. Toddlers are strapped into bike safety seats. Preschool age sit on the bike side-saddle. There are rarely helmets or
safety gear- in spite of the high rates of speed they travel! The kids have their little backpacks - not like ours with Transformers or the Princesses of Disney broadcast all over them. These are simple, functional pieces as opposed to commercial status symbols. Older kids- around 8
or so have their own little bikes and travel with mom/dad. They have their conversations, they use their hand signals, they warn with their bells.
The adults often bike with friends, sharing gossip and laughter. Singles talk on their phones- some one hand to the ear second hand on the bars and others on blue tooth devices. They listen to their headphones and sing along. Most appear very relaxed. Fascinating.
Kaylie and I arrived at our travel office and were given our tickets and sent to a double decker bus with a slidng glass roof. It had been raining off and on all morning- mostly on since I woke up. K and I both had our duck shoes on and raincoats in our backpack. Fortunately the rain was kind
enough to let us walk in peace.
The bus was nice and comfy. We plugged in our tour headsets and selected our language (the buses all had places where you could plug the headsets into the speaker system) and settled in. Once the bus started moving, Kaylie fell to sleep. The jetlag is kicking her hard.
Our first stop was Zaanse Shanse. I was immediately disappointed to discover that we had been sent into a tourist trap. The lovely fishing village with the green paint was there- beautifully and artistically perched across the river- away from us. To the right of us were the promised
windmills, surrounded by lovely buildings and shops- each one catering to the tourists. We were posed for a picture and then sent off to explore for about an hour.
My disappointment was short lived. The area is so pretty and charming that the camera begs for use there. I took a ton of pictures as we walked around. Then we went to the cheese house to enjoy many samples- cheese and chocolate too! Then we parted with some money and bought cheese and chocolate to take home. When we went outside it was pouring rain. We shimmied into our jackets and I bagged my camera- literally put it into a gallon ziplock baggie with a hole cut into it for the lens. I used a ponytail holder to secure the baggie around the lens without interfering with the lens action. As we left, we looked at our waiting souvenir package: pictures, keychains, and calendar (all quickly made and packaged up while we toured) ready for us to buy at 20E each. We resisted the purchase. Everybody on the bus was soggy and drippy.
Our next stop was Marken. This is another fishing village. We were marched through town and to the water. There we were given 45 minutes to get lunch and/or explore. Kaylie and I went into the restaurant and
enjoyed our meal. My order was messed up due to the language barrier, but no big deal. I had a soyburger and fries and a Coke Light, served in a mini glass bottle. Kaylie had a shrimp sandwich.
After lunch we all met at the pier and were escorted to the shore and onto a tourboat. We tried to sit outside on the upper deck, but only lasted few minutes. It was VERY cold and wet! Inside the upper lounge was full. Downstairs, we joined a small group at a large table. Soon we were chatting. It was nice to meet... oh dear... I think it was Clarence, his wife___, and her sisters Vera and Edith. They were all from Mexico and Edith lately of Canada. They are all retired and active travellers. Once a year they all travel together. They were going on a Baltic Cruise and enjoying Amersterdam pre-cruise.
Our tour boat took us to the former Island- now penninsula of Volendam. We were walked to town and thru town and taken to a wooden shoe factory. We
were shown how the shoes are made and still used by locals. Then we shopped. You can buy shoes for about 37E ($50ish). Kaylie was all set to get a pair, but I reminded her of the cost issues as well as space issues
vs. practicality. She reconsidered and got a cute pair of clog slippers for about $20. We got some inexpensive and cute (small) clog souvenirs for home.
Back on the bus I dozed as we drove back to Amsterdam. End of tour one. At Damrack those of us continuing were sent to the new double decker bus. It wasn't as nice. The guide was also not as nice- very
abrupt. Instead of earphones for tour commentary in your own language, he did all the commentary- first in Dutch, then English, Spanish and French. In other words- constant talking! On top of that, he was sick or something. He kept coughing and clearing his
throat.
On this tour we had a French family in front of us- mom, dad and cute little boy of 3 or 4. Mom and dad sat together in the two seats in front of us and left the boy
alone with a stranger in a row across and behind (across the aisle from us). Boy was fairly well behaved, but mom especially, wasn't going to be bothered to attend or check on him. They were nice when speaking, but rude and inconsiderate in actions.
The strange man next to the boy was a big middle aged fella with missing teeth. He was from California. He often talked our ears off. Very nice man, if a bit strange. Then we met two young men (early 20's) from Israel who were friendly and spoke English. Very nice. Pony tail guy said
he wanted to find a wife with a passport, lol. He loved Amsterdam.
Our first stop was the town of Delft and the Delft Pottery factory. We saw how the pottery was made and then it was time to shop! It was very expensive but Kaylie and I found a neckace (for her) and earrings (for me) for about $12 each.
After the tour we were taken to the city square and turned loose. Kaylie and I went for drinks and a shared slice of pie at an open air restaurant. That lemon pie was TO DIE FOR!
Our rude family missed the bus. Our guide was adament that we be back on time. They were nowhere to be seen. Mom had left her purse on the bus. California guy was nice enough to find the guide and let him know the family was missing. The bus turned around and came back. We waited another 15 minutes for them. They were barely apologetic. I would have left them. Every stop, they are practically running people over in order to be first on and first off the bus. RUDE!
Back on the bus we drove next to the Hague- which is actually a small city as well as the government seat and a building. We had a 10 minute photo stop at the building. The rest was a panoramic bus tour.
Lastly was Madurodam, a scale miniature version of Amsterdam with lots of interaction. Very neat, but I wasn't too into it. Fatigue was getting to me. It would have been more enjoyable with younger kids and their fresh energy.
We were dropped off at Damrak around 8:30PM. K and I happily went next door to FEBO- the Automat wall of food! I had a cheese fritter and fries- good. Kaylie had a beef, noodle and veggie roll.
It was outside of FEBO as we ate, that a drunken, LOUD group of British dudes (about 10ish of them) in their 20's, in matching bright yellow t-shirts with 3 "F" words on them: Fooseball, Friends and F^*king , walked by. One of the guys spotted me and started yelling to his friend, "I found you one! There she is!" He laughed and pointed at me as his friend came over looking confused. "There she is! I found you your new girlfriend!" He cracked himself up as he made a public display of me, laughing and pointing. I was so shocked and hurt! I had several nasty comebacks on the tip of my tongue, but forced myself to hold them in. If he's that much of an ASS, a drunken ASS, who knew what he'd do if I challenged him? I finally said, "Pull your pants up!" or something like that, as 1/2 of his undy covered butt was showing. I don't know if he heard me, he was already on to the next thing. It's hard not to let such an intentional insult bother you. People can be so cruel.
The Jordaan was alive with all of the partiers as we walked back home. I kept waiting for the next ASS to target me, but gladly, none did. One handsome young fellow started to approach me but then saw Kaylie and approached her instead, speaking Dutch. Kaylie shook her head at him and he aplogized to her in broken English, "Never mind, I thought you were Dutch". Kaylie was very flattered to be mistaken for a local!
We made a quick stop at an Internet store and bought 30 minutes for 3E so we could update Facebook. The connection at this shop was much better than the other place and we posted quickly. We stopped at the 3rd or 4th store so I could find a notebook/diary. Finally- success! We also bought milk. :-)
Our canal is the party spot! There was a loud music and skate boarding at the intersection, but I was too tired and brokenhearted to explore. We got to our room. I had a few bites of chocolate and was fast to sleep before 10PM. I woke up in a startled manner, wide awake at midnight. That's when I saw 2 beautiful swans outside our windows! I watched them for a good 1/2 hour, taking pictures and movies. Then I decided to write. Kaylie is in and out of sleep.
It's 3:15AM now. Time for me to try to sleep again.
I woke up Kaylie at 6:30 so she could shower and relax. While she showered, I tidied up our room- it needed it! K and I ate a breakfast of bread (home-made) with Nutella and cheese and washed it down with pop. I sure was craving milk!
Morning revealed my rash is not better. It's weird and ugly. My ankles are still swollen too.
We left our room at 8:30 to walk to Damrack Station for our tour. It's not bad at all, maybe a mile. Our route let us observe the busy morning of a Hollander. The bikes were out in full force! They go fast and furious and woe to the fool who gets in the way!
Parents bicycle their kids to daycare and school. Tiny babies are worn in Snuggli carriers. Babies old enough
to sit up (and sometimes doggies) are placed in wooden crates fit onto customized bikes. Toddlers are strapped into bike safety seats. Preschool age sit on the bike side-saddle. There are rarely helmets or
safety gear- in spite of the high rates of speed they travel! The kids have their little backpacks - not like ours with Transformers or the Princesses of Disney broadcast all over them. These are simple, functional pieces as opposed to commercial status symbols. Older kids- around 8
or so have their own little bikes and travel with mom/dad. They have their conversations, they use their hand signals, they warn with their bells.
The adults often bike with friends, sharing gossip and laughter. Singles talk on their phones- some one hand to the ear second hand on the bars and others on blue tooth devices. They listen to their headphones and sing along. Most appear very relaxed. Fascinating.
Kaylie and I arrived at our travel office and were given our tickets and sent to a double decker bus with a slidng glass roof. It had been raining off and on all morning- mostly on since I woke up. K and I both had our duck shoes on and raincoats in our backpack. Fortunately the rain was kind
enough to let us walk in peace.
The bus was nice and comfy. We plugged in our tour headsets and selected our language (the buses all had places where you could plug the headsets into the speaker system) and settled in. Once the bus started moving, Kaylie fell to sleep. The jetlag is kicking her hard.
Our first stop was Zaanse Shanse. I was immediately disappointed to discover that we had been sent into a tourist trap. The lovely fishing village with the green paint was there- beautifully and artistically perched across the river- away from us. To the right of us were the promised
windmills, surrounded by lovely buildings and shops- each one catering to the tourists. We were posed for a picture and then sent off to explore for about an hour.
My disappointment was short lived. The area is so pretty and charming that the camera begs for use there. I took a ton of pictures as we walked around. Then we went to the cheese house to enjoy many samples- cheese and chocolate too! Then we parted with some money and bought cheese and chocolate to take home. When we went outside it was pouring rain. We shimmied into our jackets and I bagged my camera- literally put it into a gallon ziplock baggie with a hole cut into it for the lens. I used a ponytail holder to secure the baggie around the lens without interfering with the lens action. As we left, we looked at our waiting souvenir package: pictures, keychains, and calendar (all quickly made and packaged up while we toured) ready for us to buy at 20E each. We resisted the purchase. Everybody on the bus was soggy and drippy.
Our next stop was Marken. This is another fishing village. We were marched through town and to the water. There we were given 45 minutes to get lunch and/or explore. Kaylie and I went into the restaurant and
enjoyed our meal. My order was messed up due to the language barrier, but no big deal. I had a soyburger and fries and a Coke Light, served in a mini glass bottle. Kaylie had a shrimp sandwich.
After lunch we all met at the pier and were escorted to the shore and onto a tourboat. We tried to sit outside on the upper deck, but only lasted few minutes. It was VERY cold and wet! Inside the upper lounge was full. Downstairs, we joined a small group at a large table. Soon we were chatting. It was nice to meet... oh dear... I think it was Clarence, his wife___, and her sisters Vera and Edith. They were all from Mexico and Edith lately of Canada. They are all retired and active travellers. Once a year they all travel together. They were going on a Baltic Cruise and enjoying Amersterdam pre-cruise.
Our tour boat took us to the former Island- now penninsula of Volendam. We were walked to town and thru town and taken to a wooden shoe factory. We
were shown how the shoes are made and still used by locals. Then we shopped. You can buy shoes for about 37E ($50ish). Kaylie was all set to get a pair, but I reminded her of the cost issues as well as space issues
vs. practicality. She reconsidered and got a cute pair of clog slippers for about $20. We got some inexpensive and cute (small) clog souvenirs for home.
Back on the bus I dozed as we drove back to Amsterdam. End of tour one. At Damrack those of us continuing were sent to the new double decker bus. It wasn't as nice. The guide was also not as nice- very
abrupt. Instead of earphones for tour commentary in your own language, he did all the commentary- first in Dutch, then English, Spanish and French. In other words- constant talking! On top of that, he was sick or something. He kept coughing and clearing his
throat.
On this tour we had a French family in front of us- mom, dad and cute little boy of 3 or 4. Mom and dad sat together in the two seats in front of us and left the boy
alone with a stranger in a row across and behind (across the aisle from us). Boy was fairly well behaved, but mom especially, wasn't going to be bothered to attend or check on him. They were nice when speaking, but rude and inconsiderate in actions.
The strange man next to the boy was a big middle aged fella with missing teeth. He was from California. He often talked our ears off. Very nice man, if a bit strange. Then we met two young men (early 20's) from Israel who were friendly and spoke English. Very nice. Pony tail guy said
he wanted to find a wife with a passport, lol. He loved Amsterdam.
Our first stop was the town of Delft and the Delft Pottery factory. We saw how the pottery was made and then it was time to shop! It was very expensive but Kaylie and I found a neckace (for her) and earrings (for me) for about $12 each.
After the tour we were taken to the city square and turned loose. Kaylie and I went for drinks and a shared slice of pie at an open air restaurant. That lemon pie was TO DIE FOR!
Our rude family missed the bus. Our guide was adament that we be back on time. They were nowhere to be seen. Mom had left her purse on the bus. California guy was nice enough to find the guide and let him know the family was missing. The bus turned around and came back. We waited another 15 minutes for them. They were barely apologetic. I would have left them. Every stop, they are practically running people over in order to be first on and first off the bus. RUDE!
Back on the bus we drove next to the Hague- which is actually a small city as well as the government seat and a building. We had a 10 minute photo stop at the building. The rest was a panoramic bus tour.
Lastly was Madurodam, a scale miniature version of Amsterdam with lots of interaction. Very neat, but I wasn't too into it. Fatigue was getting to me. It would have been more enjoyable with younger kids and their fresh energy.
We were dropped off at Damrak around 8:30PM. K and I happily went next door to FEBO- the Automat wall of food! I had a cheese fritter and fries- good. Kaylie had a beef, noodle and veggie roll.
It was outside of FEBO as we ate, that a drunken, LOUD group of British dudes (about 10ish of them) in their 20's, in matching bright yellow t-shirts with 3 "F" words on them: Fooseball, Friends and F^*king , walked by. One of the guys spotted me and started yelling to his friend, "I found you one! There she is!" He laughed and pointed at me as his friend came over looking confused. "There she is! I found you your new girlfriend!" He cracked himself up as he made a public display of me, laughing and pointing. I was so shocked and hurt! I had several nasty comebacks on the tip of my tongue, but forced myself to hold them in. If he's that much of an ASS, a drunken ASS, who knew what he'd do if I challenged him? I finally said, "Pull your pants up!" or something like that, as 1/2 of his undy covered butt was showing. I don't know if he heard me, he was already on to the next thing. It's hard not to let such an intentional insult bother you. People can be so cruel.
The Jordaan was alive with all of the partiers as we walked back home. I kept waiting for the next ASS to target me, but gladly, none did. One handsome young fellow started to approach me but then saw Kaylie and approached her instead, speaking Dutch. Kaylie shook her head at him and he aplogized to her in broken English, "Never mind, I thought you were Dutch". Kaylie was very flattered to be mistaken for a local!
We made a quick stop at an Internet store and bought 30 minutes for 3E so we could update Facebook. The connection at this shop was much better than the other place and we posted quickly. We stopped at the 3rd or 4th store so I could find a notebook/diary. Finally- success! We also bought milk. :-)
Our canal is the party spot! There was a loud music and skate boarding at the intersection, but I was too tired and brokenhearted to explore. We got to our room. I had a few bites of chocolate and was fast to sleep before 10PM. I woke up in a startled manner, wide awake at midnight. That's when I saw 2 beautiful swans outside our windows! I watched them for a good 1/2 hour, taking pictures and movies. Then I decided to write. Kaylie is in and out of sleep.
It's 3:15AM now. Time for me to try to sleep again.
We'll Have a Gay Ole Time!
Holland, Day Three~ Haarlem and The Museum of Psychiatry ~ Saturday, July 7th
It's obvious our body clocks are stubborn. Kaylie and I were both up in the middle of the night, chatting away. Then we slept in until 9:30. Actually I was up around 7:30 and I woke Kaylie up at 9:30.
She woke up grouchy having pinched her sciatic nerve somehow. I woke up thrilled because after some intense and worried prayer last night, my ankles are nearly normal sized and my rash almost gone.
We munched bread with Nutella and had milk- yay! It was nice, even though it tasted funny. Before long we were out the door to begin our walk to Centraal Station. It was a gorgeous morning and I love people watching here- though the crowds get a bit overwhelming. It quickly became evident that my feet/shoes would be the first issue of the day. Knowing my new shoes still rub- I put bandaids on my ankles. They rubbed off in a minute.
Centraal Station was a madhouse! We wandered about, trying to navigate on our own to no avail. I found an ATM and withdrew 100E. Then I asked for directions for our train tickets. The train was there, but we waited about 20 minutes before it left.
It's about a 15 minute ride to the town of Haarlem. The station was packed and right away I saw lots of people in pink. At the station doors, girls in t-shirts reading: "Got Gay?" were handing out water bottles. Soon K and I were outside and making our way to the Corrie Ten Boom house. As we walked down the main street, we could see that the town was swarming in people and pink! Large pink balloons were tied to posts and multi shaded pink knitted "socks" covered all of the street posts and canal railings. Stores had mannekins on the streets painted pink and wearing pink clothes and feather boas. We arrived on Gay Pride Day! It was a big, wild, pink party in Haarlem! Families were out participating in activities and lining up for the parade.
Turns out that Corrie's Beje (the nic-name for the Ten Boom house on the Barteljoriistraat (street name)) is smack in the thick of things and it's neighbor across the street is a shop called "Sissy Boy" with metro-sexual styles.
The Beje sign said the next tour was at 2. It was only noon so I suggested we get lunch. A block away was Subway where Kaylie and I shared a footlong meatball sub. The young lady there spoke excellent English. She did look at me funny when I asked for "shredded" cheddar cheese- had no idea what I meant, ha ha! So this sandwhich was with American cheese slices. The meat tasted different but it was good- and familiar!
Back at the Beje alley we saw a young man with a toddling baby chatting in English with a wildly dressed girl. I asked where in America they were from. The girl wandered off with the running baby. The guy said he was from Orlando. He was with a group of about a dozen young adults travelling all through Europe all summer doing missionary work. They had just come from London. Soon others from his group arrived and he introduced us to Charles, a fellow Nebraskan! He whooped and high- fived me, ha ha. He is from Maxwell, a small town near N. Platte. He has family in York too!
I chatted with several of the group- as they were VERY friendly. When they heard we were headed to London, they told us all about their experiences and showed us pictures on their phones. They warned us that the city was already crowded with people for the Olympics and lines everywhere were long and predicted to get much longer!
Speaking of crowds, as the clock crept closer to 2, the alley started filling with people for the tour. Several of us were nervous because they said they'd only take 25 people at a time and we were more than that! After waiting for hours, we didn't want to be left out!
When the guide came to the door, she was surprised at the numbers, but took us all in.
I almost forgot! The pride parade began around 1:30. I wanted to see a bit of this wild event, but didn't dare leave the alley and lose our place! So I put the camera on zoom and tried to get some pictures. Suddenly Kaylie said, "Now ya did it, mom- he's posing!" A colorfully dressed and wigged man posed and then started running down the alley at me! I thought he was going to hug me as he was running and smiling with open arms. At the last second he detoured and held out a container asking for money for a childrens charity in Africa.
Inside the Beje it became clear that we wouldn't see the whole place. 1/2 the rooms are now office space. The watch shop is rented out and closed off from the tour. We were hearded into the upstairs parlor. I took a couple of pictures and then my battery died. I felt ill. For years I'd dreamed of this place and now- no battery?
Most of the "tour" was sitting in the parlor while the guide gave the condensed history of the Ten Booms (pronounced Ten Bome- like dome) (Boom means tree in Dutch). She told us that because of our large crowd it was easier to talk in the parlor. Then she'd divide us up and send one group to the hiding place while the other group looked at the pictures and things in the other rooms.
Unfortunately, it was so tiny and crowded that I couldn't enjoy it properly- plus no camera...
I did manage to get one other picture from the battery. I had Kaylie take my picture by the Hiding Place- the knocked out hole to reveal the space between walls where Jews were hidden during the war. It was a powerful moment- but shortlived because it was so crowded.
I said goodbye to the missionary kids and Kaylie and I took off for Het Dolhuis.
I'd hoped to visit St Bavos Church and the Market Square. But we were running short on time. Plus my feet were a mess. The shoes had rubbed blisters on both heels which had burst and were now bleeding.
Fortunately, Het Dolhuis (The nuthouse, or more directly, the crazy house) is by Centraal Station. We had to ask directions a couple of times, but found it. The museum is dedicated to raising awareness of mental health through the ages and promoting understanding. Everything is in Dutch, but they had an English guidebook for us. Unfortunately, after the 1st page, the book didn't make much sense. It could have been my pain clouding the works.
The museum is meant to be interactive, but again, lots of audio stuff in Dutch- so no comprende'. Most of the rooms have a very Avante Garde, artsy approach to the exhibits and displays, adding a creepy factor to things. I manipulated one more picture of a display from my camera. I rushed Kaylie at the end, feeling miserable knowing there was a mile walk ahead of me in Amsterdam as well as the Red Light District walking tour that evening.
As we walked towards home, Kaylie noticed, "Mom, you're dripping blood..." Yep.
I suggested we hit the market for supper items, as we were still short on time. Kaylie agreed. Near the alley way we found Billy Bob. Billy is a Great Heron, a giant bird. We noticed him on Day One, standing on top of a tiny silver car, watching. At first I thought he was a weird statue- then he moved! Each time we walk by, he's on the car. Same with today.
At the market we grabbed pop. a box of mac and cheese, bananas and other goodies. At the counter I asked the guy if the butter I'd grabbed was indeed butter. (It looked like butter sticks wrapped in foil, found in the fridge, but it was very soft-spongy, giving me pause) He nodded and then said it was "raw". He stumbled with his English. The woman behind us kindly asked me, "What is your question?". I asked her about the butter. She and the man exchanged Dutch words. Then she explained that yes, it was butter, but fresh from the farm that day. I thanked her for the assistance.
Back at our place I dropped to the bed in pain and drifted in and out of sleep. It was reluctantly decided to skip our tour of the Red Light District- very reluctant. The tour was pre-paid and non-refundable, but my ankles were/are bloody and I have blisters on the balls of each foot. I wasn't sure I could handle the mile back to Damraak followed by a 2 1/2 hour walking tour AND the mile back again! I left it up to Kaylie. I said my feet were bad, but I'd give it a go if she REALLY wanted to go. She admitted that as much as she wanted to go- she also wanted to stay. Her back was killing her and shooting pains down her legs.
We stayed home.
The canal was crazy active with boats, so I took my newly charged battery and began video taping the traffic followed by a video tour of our room. Then I decided to do a quick video of our street. THEN I decided I must see if Billy Bob is on his car! So barefoot and carefully, I walked down the street, making commentary as I walked. A nice looking young man walking by saw me. I smiled and waved and he started talking to me in Dutch. "I'm sorry, I don't understand!" I was excited because Billy Bob was standing in the street!
The young man switched to English and we had a nice, brief chat about the bird. We wished each other a good evening and I zoomed in on Billy Bob. I got close, but not too close. I didn't want to scare him into flight- or attack.
Back in the room I made mac and cheese. It was very bland. We added some of our store cheese. It helped a bit. The rest of the night was mellow dishes, TV, books and Facebook for Kaylie (we can read but not post).
It's after 3:30AM and the alarm is set for 7:30. I'd better try to sleep. It's only 9:30PM in Nebraska!
She woke up grouchy having pinched her sciatic nerve somehow. I woke up thrilled because after some intense and worried prayer last night, my ankles are nearly normal sized and my rash almost gone.
We munched bread with Nutella and had milk- yay! It was nice, even though it tasted funny. Before long we were out the door to begin our walk to Centraal Station. It was a gorgeous morning and I love people watching here- though the crowds get a bit overwhelming. It quickly became evident that my feet/shoes would be the first issue of the day. Knowing my new shoes still rub- I put bandaids on my ankles. They rubbed off in a minute.
Centraal Station was a madhouse! We wandered about, trying to navigate on our own to no avail. I found an ATM and withdrew 100E. Then I asked for directions for our train tickets. The train was there, but we waited about 20 minutes before it left.
It's about a 15 minute ride to the town of Haarlem. The station was packed and right away I saw lots of people in pink. At the station doors, girls in t-shirts reading: "Got Gay?" were handing out water bottles. Soon K and I were outside and making our way to the Corrie Ten Boom house. As we walked down the main street, we could see that the town was swarming in people and pink! Large pink balloons were tied to posts and multi shaded pink knitted "socks" covered all of the street posts and canal railings. Stores had mannekins on the streets painted pink and wearing pink clothes and feather boas. We arrived on Gay Pride Day! It was a big, wild, pink party in Haarlem! Families were out participating in activities and lining up for the parade.
Turns out that Corrie's Beje (the nic-name for the Ten Boom house on the Barteljoriistraat (street name)) is smack in the thick of things and it's neighbor across the street is a shop called "Sissy Boy" with metro-sexual styles.
The Beje sign said the next tour was at 2. It was only noon so I suggested we get lunch. A block away was Subway where Kaylie and I shared a footlong meatball sub. The young lady there spoke excellent English. She did look at me funny when I asked for "shredded" cheddar cheese- had no idea what I meant, ha ha! So this sandwhich was with American cheese slices. The meat tasted different but it was good- and familiar!
Back at the Beje alley we saw a young man with a toddling baby chatting in English with a wildly dressed girl. I asked where in America they were from. The girl wandered off with the running baby. The guy said he was from Orlando. He was with a group of about a dozen young adults travelling all through Europe all summer doing missionary work. They had just come from London. Soon others from his group arrived and he introduced us to Charles, a fellow Nebraskan! He whooped and high- fived me, ha ha. He is from Maxwell, a small town near N. Platte. He has family in York too!
I chatted with several of the group- as they were VERY friendly. When they heard we were headed to London, they told us all about their experiences and showed us pictures on their phones. They warned us that the city was already crowded with people for the Olympics and lines everywhere were long and predicted to get much longer!
Speaking of crowds, as the clock crept closer to 2, the alley started filling with people for the tour. Several of us were nervous because they said they'd only take 25 people at a time and we were more than that! After waiting for hours, we didn't want to be left out!
When the guide came to the door, she was surprised at the numbers, but took us all in.
I almost forgot! The pride parade began around 1:30. I wanted to see a bit of this wild event, but didn't dare leave the alley and lose our place! So I put the camera on zoom and tried to get some pictures. Suddenly Kaylie said, "Now ya did it, mom- he's posing!" A colorfully dressed and wigged man posed and then started running down the alley at me! I thought he was going to hug me as he was running and smiling with open arms. At the last second he detoured and held out a container asking for money for a childrens charity in Africa.
Inside the Beje it became clear that we wouldn't see the whole place. 1/2 the rooms are now office space. The watch shop is rented out and closed off from the tour. We were hearded into the upstairs parlor. I took a couple of pictures and then my battery died. I felt ill. For years I'd dreamed of this place and now- no battery?
Most of the "tour" was sitting in the parlor while the guide gave the condensed history of the Ten Booms (pronounced Ten Bome- like dome) (Boom means tree in Dutch). She told us that because of our large crowd it was easier to talk in the parlor. Then she'd divide us up and send one group to the hiding place while the other group looked at the pictures and things in the other rooms.
Unfortunately, it was so tiny and crowded that I couldn't enjoy it properly- plus no camera...
I did manage to get one other picture from the battery. I had Kaylie take my picture by the Hiding Place- the knocked out hole to reveal the space between walls where Jews were hidden during the war. It was a powerful moment- but shortlived because it was so crowded.
I said goodbye to the missionary kids and Kaylie and I took off for Het Dolhuis.
I'd hoped to visit St Bavos Church and the Market Square. But we were running short on time. Plus my feet were a mess. The shoes had rubbed blisters on both heels which had burst and were now bleeding.
Fortunately, Het Dolhuis (The nuthouse, or more directly, the crazy house) is by Centraal Station. We had to ask directions a couple of times, but found it. The museum is dedicated to raising awareness of mental health through the ages and promoting understanding. Everything is in Dutch, but they had an English guidebook for us. Unfortunately, after the 1st page, the book didn't make much sense. It could have been my pain clouding the works.
The museum is meant to be interactive, but again, lots of audio stuff in Dutch- so no comprende'. Most of the rooms have a very Avante Garde, artsy approach to the exhibits and displays, adding a creepy factor to things. I manipulated one more picture of a display from my camera. I rushed Kaylie at the end, feeling miserable knowing there was a mile walk ahead of me in Amsterdam as well as the Red Light District walking tour that evening.
As we walked towards home, Kaylie noticed, "Mom, you're dripping blood..." Yep.
I suggested we hit the market for supper items, as we were still short on time. Kaylie agreed. Near the alley way we found Billy Bob. Billy is a Great Heron, a giant bird. We noticed him on Day One, standing on top of a tiny silver car, watching. At first I thought he was a weird statue- then he moved! Each time we walk by, he's on the car. Same with today.
At the market we grabbed pop. a box of mac and cheese, bananas and other goodies. At the counter I asked the guy if the butter I'd grabbed was indeed butter. (It looked like butter sticks wrapped in foil, found in the fridge, but it was very soft-spongy, giving me pause) He nodded and then said it was "raw". He stumbled with his English. The woman behind us kindly asked me, "What is your question?". I asked her about the butter. She and the man exchanged Dutch words. Then she explained that yes, it was butter, but fresh from the farm that day. I thanked her for the assistance.
Back at our place I dropped to the bed in pain and drifted in and out of sleep. It was reluctantly decided to skip our tour of the Red Light District- very reluctant. The tour was pre-paid and non-refundable, but my ankles were/are bloody and I have blisters on the balls of each foot. I wasn't sure I could handle the mile back to Damraak followed by a 2 1/2 hour walking tour AND the mile back again! I left it up to Kaylie. I said my feet were bad, but I'd give it a go if she REALLY wanted to go. She admitted that as much as she wanted to go- she also wanted to stay. Her back was killing her and shooting pains down her legs.
We stayed home.
The canal was crazy active with boats, so I took my newly charged battery and began video taping the traffic followed by a video tour of our room. Then I decided to do a quick video of our street. THEN I decided I must see if Billy Bob is on his car! So barefoot and carefully, I walked down the street, making commentary as I walked. A nice looking young man walking by saw me. I smiled and waved and he started talking to me in Dutch. "I'm sorry, I don't understand!" I was excited because Billy Bob was standing in the street!
The young man switched to English and we had a nice, brief chat about the bird. We wished each other a good evening and I zoomed in on Billy Bob. I got close, but not too close. I didn't want to scare him into flight- or attack.
Back in the room I made mac and cheese. It was very bland. We added some of our store cheese. It helped a bit. The rest of the night was mellow dishes, TV, books and Facebook for Kaylie (we can read but not post).
It's after 3:30AM and the alarm is set for 7:30. I'd better try to sleep. It's only 9:30PM in Nebraska!
Old Cheese- If You Please!
Holland, Day Four~ Relaxing in Amsterdam~ Sunday, July 8th
Once again we deviated from the schedule. The alarm went off at 7:30AM for our ferry ride to Muiderslot Castle. I woke Kaylie and told her we needed to get moving so we could leave by 8:30. We needed to walk to Centraal Station and then wait for the train to take us to the pier and then walk to the ferry office by 9:45. I told her it was gonna be a long walk as my feet are a mess and on top of that it was pouring rain. Kaylie said she disliked the train a LOT and wasn't so thrilled with the rain either. That prompted me to ask- just how badly did she want to see the castle? Like me, it all sounded great, but she wasn't married to the idea. I asked which she'd like more- to go to the castle, or to chill in our room a while. relax and see if the rain passes- and then go out and shop and explore?
That's when Kaylie said she'd really like a canal ride since she slept thru the 1st one. And she'd love to shop and not be so bound by time. The decision was made to wait out the rain. The bankbook was glad as well, since it was going to cost around $100 for the ferry ride and castle tour. I figured we could shop, eat and take the canal tour for about half of that- and that's just what we did!
First, I went back to sleep! I slept hard for about 2 1/2 hours. It was noonish when we left our room- and still raining. So we wrapped the camera, put on our raincoats and packpack and took off. I gave K her choice of areas and she picked the Princengracht, by Anne Frank's house. We said "Hi" to Billy Bob on our way.
It was painful walking- even with Kaylie's borrowed socks. We stumbled across a drugstore (thank goodness!) and bought a pack of bandaids. I sat down to put them on and Kaylie said, "My sock is all bloody!". Yep. We also enjoyed the shop keepers dog- not an unusual sight to see in the little shops.
Feeling immediate relief, we made our way to the Anne Frank House. We walked about for a bit and decided it was lunchtime. We chose the Kalkhoven Cafe and Pub. It's a charming place dating to the 1600's located on the corner down the street one block (from AF). Immediately we noticed the resident cat snoozing on the bench one table over. We tried to coax him to come and visit us, but he was too busy napping! We both had toasted ham and cheese sandwiches- mine with "old" cheese and Kaylie's with "new" (we had a choice). It was good- but not served with any sides. No wonder the Dutch are fit- with their tiny sandwiches with see thru slivers of meat, no sides of chips or fries and all of that bicycling!
Kaylie had her first legally served alcoholic beverage. She ordered an "Italian Coffee" which is coffee with Ameretto.
Next on our list was the Internet shop where Kaylie and I usually visited. The guy there is very nice with a cocky sense of humor. Kaylie sat with him watching TV- the Tour de France- while I Facebooked the latest news to back home. Shop guy was fairly flirty with Kaylie, which she loved, even though he's much too old for her. I finished and chose some souvenirs while K Facebooked.
He didn't charge us for the Internet time- very nice. He also talked us out of our airport transfer- which I was planning to book on the computer there. He was appalled when I told him it woud cost us 56E ($70) for the transfer. He said that the bus and train would cost less than 1/2 of that. It made me nervous to think about navigating unfamiliar territory with our huge luggage.
Next we took a canal ride (again). The boat wasn't as nice as the 1st one, but Kaylie stayed awake! After that we bought a few souvenirs. It was nearly 7PM and we had agreed to meet Tenneke so we made our way "home" via Willemstraat. On the way we stopped at the local market (we also explored one down from the Kalkhoven earlier). We bought Pringles and pop and Ramen noodles for Kaylie.
At the boat we tidied up a bit and then Tenneke stopped over. She'd been out of town for the weekend and wanted to see how we were. When I told her about our computer problems she immediately invited us over to her side and let me use hers to post some pictures. Kaylie enjoyed playing with her Labradoodle, "Pom" (short for something long and unpronouncible). She agreed that luggage on a bus would be challenging at best. Tenneke herself called and arranged a cab for us for only 30E ($40)(sure helps to be a local when making arrangements- the tourists get price gouged!) Kaylie and I called home at 1:30AM (6:30PM in Nebraska). We talked to Tom and Joey. Joe is missing us badly but hanging in. Kasey is a mess, didn't eat until yesterday and hides under Joey's bed, coming out only to eat or go outside to do his business. :-( It's now 3AM and we have to get up at 6AM. Goodnight!
That's when Kaylie said she'd really like a canal ride since she slept thru the 1st one. And she'd love to shop and not be so bound by time. The decision was made to wait out the rain. The bankbook was glad as well, since it was going to cost around $100 for the ferry ride and castle tour. I figured we could shop, eat and take the canal tour for about half of that- and that's just what we did!
First, I went back to sleep! I slept hard for about 2 1/2 hours. It was noonish when we left our room- and still raining. So we wrapped the camera, put on our raincoats and packpack and took off. I gave K her choice of areas and she picked the Princengracht, by Anne Frank's house. We said "Hi" to Billy Bob on our way.
It was painful walking- even with Kaylie's borrowed socks. We stumbled across a drugstore (thank goodness!) and bought a pack of bandaids. I sat down to put them on and Kaylie said, "My sock is all bloody!". Yep. We also enjoyed the shop keepers dog- not an unusual sight to see in the little shops.
Feeling immediate relief, we made our way to the Anne Frank House. We walked about for a bit and decided it was lunchtime. We chose the Kalkhoven Cafe and Pub. It's a charming place dating to the 1600's located on the corner down the street one block (from AF). Immediately we noticed the resident cat snoozing on the bench one table over. We tried to coax him to come and visit us, but he was too busy napping! We both had toasted ham and cheese sandwiches- mine with "old" cheese and Kaylie's with "new" (we had a choice). It was good- but not served with any sides. No wonder the Dutch are fit- with their tiny sandwiches with see thru slivers of meat, no sides of chips or fries and all of that bicycling!
Kaylie had her first legally served alcoholic beverage. She ordered an "Italian Coffee" which is coffee with Ameretto.
Next on our list was the Internet shop where Kaylie and I usually visited. The guy there is very nice with a cocky sense of humor. Kaylie sat with him watching TV- the Tour de France- while I Facebooked the latest news to back home. Shop guy was fairly flirty with Kaylie, which she loved, even though he's much too old for her. I finished and chose some souvenirs while K Facebooked.
He didn't charge us for the Internet time- very nice. He also talked us out of our airport transfer- which I was planning to book on the computer there. He was appalled when I told him it woud cost us 56E ($70) for the transfer. He said that the bus and train would cost less than 1/2 of that. It made me nervous to think about navigating unfamiliar territory with our huge luggage.
Next we took a canal ride (again). The boat wasn't as nice as the 1st one, but Kaylie stayed awake! After that we bought a few souvenirs. It was nearly 7PM and we had agreed to meet Tenneke so we made our way "home" via Willemstraat. On the way we stopped at the local market (we also explored one down from the Kalkhoven earlier). We bought Pringles and pop and Ramen noodles for Kaylie.
At the boat we tidied up a bit and then Tenneke stopped over. She'd been out of town for the weekend and wanted to see how we were. When I told her about our computer problems she immediately invited us over to her side and let me use hers to post some pictures. Kaylie enjoyed playing with her Labradoodle, "Pom" (short for something long and unpronouncible). She agreed that luggage on a bus would be challenging at best. Tenneke herself called and arranged a cab for us for only 30E ($40)(sure helps to be a local when making arrangements- the tourists get price gouged!) Kaylie and I called home at 1:30AM (6:30PM in Nebraska). We talked to Tom and Joey. Joe is missing us badly but hanging in. Kasey is a mess, didn't eat until yesterday and hides under Joey's bed, coming out only to eat or go outside to do his business. :-( It's now 3AM and we have to get up at 6AM. Goodnight!
Facebook Post~ July 8th, 2012
Today is our last day in Amsterdam. Yesterday we took the train to Haarlem to see the Corrie
Ten Boom house and museum. We had quite a welcome to realize we'd arrived in
the city in time to see the Gay Pride parade! The town was literally colored
pink with balloons and knitted multi colored pink "socks" around all of the
light posts and canal hand rails. It was a festive, party atmosphere and ...
people from all walks of life were there to enjoy
the festivities. We only saw a small part of the parade because we were waiting
for the tour. It was a "Toto~ we're not in Kansas anymore" moment! It was
fun!
The Corrie Ten Boom house was amazing, but so crowded that I
couldn't fully enjoy it. Computer is slowing so I'm gonna make another
post.
At the Corrie Ten Boom house we met a wonderful group of
young adults on a summer missions trip from the US. We even managed to meet a
Nebraskan! Charles is from Maxwell, near North Platte. We chatted with this
group for about an hour while waiting for the tour.........................
Finally we went to Het Dolhuis~ literal translation, the crazy house, which
is a museum of the history of psy...
chiatry thru the ages in Holland. The museum was
all in Dutch, with lots of audio support, so we didn't get much out of the
audio. The presentation of the displays was very Avante Garde. My camera died,
but I managed one odd picture there.
SAdly, my feet died in Haarlem!
The shoes I wore rubbed blisters on the back of each heel and on the ball of
each foot. The ankle blisters popped and bled into my shoe. I was walking like
a crippled woman- and still am! Unfortunately, we had to miss our Red Light
district walking tiour. I just couldn;t do it. More-
Today is very rainy and I'm not walking well. We changed
our mind about the castle tour and instead decided to walk back to the Anne
Frank house area where there are lots of shops and interesting places to
explore......... We ate in an old pub dating back to the 1600's. We're gonna
take another canal boat ride, and Kaylie has vowed to stay awake for this one!
Then we're gonna pop into some shop...
s and just have a leisurely rest of the
afternoon. Tonight we pack and tomorrow we're off to Moscow!
Love to
Tom and my boys, and our furry boys! We miss you!
I hope I can access
a computer with a memory card reader one of these days so I can post a picture
or two. I have so much to show and tell!
Be well my friends. I can't
believe we're here. What an adventure!
God bless Tenneke, our landlord for letting me
use her computer to show you a few pictures! They're slow to load, so this is
it for Holland. Hopefully we can connect in Moscow! Enjoy!
Ten Boom house and museum. We had quite a welcome to realize we'd arrived in
the city in time to see the Gay Pride parade! The town was literally colored
pink with balloons and knitted multi colored pink "socks" around all of the
light posts and canal hand rails. It was a festive, party atmosphere and ...
people from all walks of life were there to enjoy
the festivities. We only saw a small part of the parade because we were waiting
for the tour. It was a "Toto~ we're not in Kansas anymore" moment! It was
fun!
The Corrie Ten Boom house was amazing, but so crowded that I
couldn't fully enjoy it. Computer is slowing so I'm gonna make another
post.
At the Corrie Ten Boom house we met a wonderful group of
young adults on a summer missions trip from the US. We even managed to meet a
Nebraskan! Charles is from Maxwell, near North Platte. We chatted with this
group for about an hour while waiting for the tour.........................
Finally we went to Het Dolhuis~ literal translation, the crazy house, which
is a museum of the history of psy...
chiatry thru the ages in Holland. The museum was
all in Dutch, with lots of audio support, so we didn't get much out of the
audio. The presentation of the displays was very Avante Garde. My camera died,
but I managed one odd picture there.
SAdly, my feet died in Haarlem!
The shoes I wore rubbed blisters on the back of each heel and on the ball of
each foot. The ankle blisters popped and bled into my shoe. I was walking like
a crippled woman- and still am! Unfortunately, we had to miss our Red Light
district walking tiour. I just couldn;t do it. More-
Today is very rainy and I'm not walking well. We changed
our mind about the castle tour and instead decided to walk back to the Anne
Frank house area where there are lots of shops and interesting places to
explore......... We ate in an old pub dating back to the 1600's. We're gonna
take another canal boat ride, and Kaylie has vowed to stay awake for this one!
Then we're gonna pop into some shop...
s and just have a leisurely rest of the
afternoon. Tonight we pack and tomorrow we're off to Moscow!
Love to
Tom and my boys, and our furry boys! We miss you!
I hope I can access
a computer with a memory card reader one of these days so I can post a picture
or two. I have so much to show and tell!
Be well my friends. I can't
believe we're here. What an adventure!
God bless Tenneke, our landlord for letting me
use her computer to show you a few pictures! They're slow to load, so this is
it for Holland. Hopefully we can connect in Moscow! Enjoy!