Monday, June 29

Monday is a day here in Holland that many shops are closed. But, we checked on the hours of the Delft china factory and it was open on Mondays. So, we decided to get on over there to pick up a vase that Heidi had had specially painted with a windmill on it instead of the normal bird. 

Its about an hour over to Delft and it was ready and looked good.

After that we decided to head down the road and drive to Gouda for lunch. 

After trying to park in one place but couldn't pay because we didn't have the correct credit card, a merchant showed us where to park around the corner for free. A short walk and we were in the town square. The center of town is usually identified by a church and a town hall or guild hall. Gouda has both.

We picked a cafe that looked good and Linda had a boulabaise and I had a charred fish. Both good and healthy.

Linda had a couple of unidentified fish in her dish, but they all tasted good. One was a razor shell fish. Reminded her of a shrimp. I thought I was getting fish and chips, but the cod was grilled, not deep fried, much more healthy and tasty.

We walked around a little and found this.

Linda really like this farming theme.

Just after we got back to the car and started driving out of town we found this. I wish we could have read the plaque that maybe explained it. Something completely different.

People live on the water just like they do in Amsterdam.

As we drive out of town we have a river on our left, a canal below us on our right and below that are homes. A little later are these buildings with the first floor actually in the water. What kind of humidity or dampness do they have? Yikes!!

We ran into some heavy traffic going back to the house and took a detour, but it didn't hold us back much.

Nice day and we accomplished something.

Sunday, June 28

Sunday - we slept in. 

Linda created a nice breakfast making non-gluten crepes and filling them with eggs, mushrooms, and sausage. Excellent.

After spending most of the day with me reading and writing the blog, she couldn't stand it any longer and went for a walk around town. Here are some of her pictures:

And, de Lindenhoff - a favorite restaurant on the main street, three blocks from the house and where we went to have coffee.

Dumb TV and a little reading to finish the day.

Saturday, June 27

We had to get out of bed a little sooner than we would have liked because today Duco was playing his last game of the season and we wanted to watch. Liesbeth picked us up at 9:15 and after calling a friend to tell her where the field was in Amersfoort, we were off. We arrived about 10 minutes before the game was to start. Actually, Duco was supposed to be there for warm-ups about an hour before. But, that would have meant we would have had to watch that. This timing was better.

We took a friend of Duco's (Gesse) with us whose English was very good. He watches American TV and Utube and last year travelled to Boston, Chicago, and New York with his family for a month. That must have helped. 

Duco at bat

Duco's team started with a 3 run lead but gave that up later. The kids have improved since last year.

The rest of the day was for resting. We walked downtown to the Proef for lunch and ate what we always eat there: its called "the Proef and its a roast beef sandwich on really good crispy non-gluten bread. It used to be served on white bread, but this new stuff is really good. You'd swear it was the real stuff. The picture is of Linda's fresh mint tea with honey and my espresso behind. Artsy, huh?

The rest of the day was for chilling.

Friday, June 26

Today was a travel day for all of us, but unlike many of its kind, there was no need to get out early. Heidi and Doug's flight wasn't until 2:00 and ours was at 7:40. So, we had a leisurely breakfast on the canal that consisted of bacon and eggs, yogurt and granola, sausage, and coffee. 

We walked back to the hotel and checked out. Heidi and Doug left in their taxi. We kissed and Linda cried. It had been a good 3 weeks together. Nice family trip.

Here is what we all contributed to and accomplished:

What do you see?

Linda and I stowed our bags in the hotel and set out to shop. We had goals: I wanted a dress shirt with either red or black buttons. I've seen these on men each year we've been in Europe but never in a store. Also, I wanted a white hat like the one I had been borrowing from Linda but one that fit my head.

We started down the main pedestrian street and after a few inquiries, went into Magazin's: a 5 story department store. We started looking in the men's department on one of the upper floors and only found shirts that were way too expensive and the wrong size. Even on sale they were over $60. However, we did find one we thought would fit Nicholas and wasn't too expensive.  Blue with orange buttons. But, Linda found a really nice lightweight scarf for me at a reasonable price. We have a friend named Carlos who is a very dapper dresser and he almost always wears a scarf. I like the look and have been looking for one that wasn't too heavy. This one was just right.

As we returned to the ground floor, we noticed a display of hats and men's dress shirts. One of each for me and we were set: blue dress shirt with red buttons. Mission accomplished.

Back outside, we returned to the main square and to a cafe we had sat at yesterday with wicker couches to watch the crowd and drink espresso and mint tea (Linda's new, preferred drink). Linda decided she needed to find a dress and left for about an hour while I stayed and watched newly graduated high schoolers celebrate by running into the square and jumping into the fountain. About every 15 minutes, another group would come running in. Most of the time this was preceded by the group riding in a truck that looked like an old military transport. Yelling and blowing whistles, they paraded around the block in the vehicle and then ran into the square to the fountain. Girls dressed in white and most of the boys too; all with white naval looking caps on. 

One group had some boys who were a little more rowdy than the rest and took off all their clothes and jumped into the water. When one came out he was in no hurry to put his clothes back on. He just walked away with some of his friends with his hands covering his "jewels".

We were told that this kind of thing was going on all over the country. We wondered what was going to happen in the evening.

Part of the square without the kids

On the couch wearing my new hat and scarf

When Linda returned, with her new dress I eyed a good looking Cesar salad with chicken and bacon on it that the couple next to us had ordered. I asked them how it was and she said it was good. She also said that Cesar salads always come with a big piece of bacon in Denmark, chicken is optional. We decided to share one. Very nice.

Child labor

Now it was time to head for the airport. Back to the hotel, pick up our bags, call for a taxi, and get into Copenhagen rush hour traffic. Our driver cut through the royal palace courtyard to get around some of the traffic. It took awhile, but we arrived in plenty of time.

Same old thing: check your bags, go through security, find your gate and wait. The Copenhagen airport terminal is a gigantic shopping mall. There are so many shops that sometimes its hard to locate the airport specific information. Anyway, we found a pub-like restaurant named O'leary's and each of us had a burger.

Then an hour flight to Amsterdam, walk downstairs and catch the train and home at 11:15. A full day but no drama.

Thursday, June 25

Second day in Copenhagen and it was time to leave the ship. We had scheduled ourselves for a late disembarkation. We ate breakfast on the Lido deck and stalled until the last minute. This was an excellent plan, because when we finally did leave the ship, our bags were sitting all alone in the middle of the terminal floor. No sorting through everyone else's bags. Easy, easy, easy.

Outside, we climbed on our tour bus and took it into town. Of course, we had to transfer once and ride most of the route before we got close to our hotel. But, no extra cost, so that was good.

After checking in and stowing our bags, we walked virtually around the corner to the royal palace to watch the changing of the guard. 

Its not the most impressive performance, but they did a better job than we saw a few years ago. Nice uniforms with big hats. I'm sorry, I'm being catty. 

They move around to four stations and change each guard. After about two, we were done and walked over to Nyhavn (the new harbor) where all the tour photos are taken, to have lunch.

Lunch was burgers and schnitzel at one of the cafes bordering the canal. It was still a little cool but Heidi and Doug loved it. They're hot blooded. Boy, are they hot.

Once our bellies were full, we walked over to the boats and boarded one of the tour boats. The weather had improved from yesterday, just as we had hoped. Its a good thing, because the boat we chose had no shelter. 

One of the first stops was the Little Mermaid. The rest of the tour was of the harbor, the opera house, a concert hall, and some really low bridges. It worked out just fine.

You can see why Copenhagen ads always include this view of the colorful buildings. Its a beautiful city but expensive and, right now, there is a lot of construction all around the city.

Back to the hotel to regroup and then out to dinner at a lovely restaurant across the canal from the hotel. Doug had quail, Linda had pigs cheeks, Heidi had chicken and pasta, and I had veal. A little wine, no make that a lot of wine, and some vodka and a good time.

This was a lovely ending to Copenhagen. Our last night together with our daughter and her lovely finance.

Wednesday, June 24

We didn't dock in Copenhagen until 11:00, per schedule. Once we left the ship, there were 3 different hop-on/hop-off bus companies ready to take care of us. Since we didn't like the choice we made in Stockholm (Green seemed to be better and came more often than Red) we wanted to be careful. Each guy had a different price and their descriptions were not the best for clarity. One of the guys told us that the lowest priced guy was Pakistani and sent all of his money home to his family. So? But, we shied away from him because he didn't like all of our questions and told us to go away. So we moved on.

Using this kind of bus was a good deal, because the ship docked about 10 minutes from city center and the price also included a boat tour.

The weather looked iffy, so we decided to stay on the bus most of the time. Our bus was marked "Mermaid Tour" which, of course, took us to the famous mermaid that was in walking distance of our hotel that we would be staying at tomorrow. 

The four of us got off eventually and transferred to the Christiania Tour which took us by this famous neighborhood of aging hippies who are permitted by the city of Copenhagen to be somewhat self-governing. Soft drugs are ok, but they can't sell them openly like they used to.

The Tivoli amusement park was an inspiration to Walt Disney in planning Disneyland. In my parent's family album, there are pictures from 1949 and it looks much the same.

No heels on this pavement and it was everywhere.

There are various ways to get around the city. Linda and I thought we might hire a rickshaw bicycle to take us around a bit, but we didn't.

The tour buses stopped running around 5:00, so we returned to the ship. We were all tired and just went back to our cabins. Later, about 9:00, Heidi and Doug knocked on our door inviting us to join them in walking around and drinking somewhere. We decided it was too late and said goodnight.

Sunday, June 14

Our first stop is Kiel. This is where ship excursions take you to Hamburg, but we've already been to Hamburg so we explore Kiel on our own.

Its cold and dreary, so we wonder around on a Sunday morning when almost everything is closed and find this coffee shop with internet access. Yeah. We spend a bit of time there. Cute name.

We wondered around a little more and as mid-day arrived more stores opened and the sun came out. 

Back to the boat for dinner. 

Tuesday, June 23

Today we docked in Waenmunde, Germany, positioned to visit Berlin. I had found a private city tour separate from ship excursions and for a 1/3 the price. Up at 4:45 am and off the ship by 6:10. We  were met just outside the terminal area and we hopped on our bus. This plan for using a bus for both getting to Berlin and touring the city turned out to be a very good idea. As we got closer to the city (it's a 3 hour ride) the clouds rolled in and a steady

rain started. But, most of the tour was going to be on the bus.

It was a cold, cloudy day. Linda had brought Joke's yellow sweater and she can't imagine how she would have survived without it. 

Thank you, thank you.

We picked up our tour guide along a curb. Rob 

was from Norfolk, England and had been living inBerlin for about seven years. Great

guide with a dry sense of humor. We drove aroundsome of the historical sites including the 

Bradenburg Gate, the Reichstag, a 

couple of cathedrals, Hitler's bunker (just a 

parking lot - by design), and Checkpoint Charlie. Most of Berlin was destroyed during the war so everything is new 

or newly restored. We got out a couple of times in the rain and 

stood under trees or building overhangs.

Lunch was at a beer hall named the Lowenbrau. 

Just the right thing to do in Berlin. Linda had a half pork knuckle 

and I had jagerschnitizel and we both had a dark beer. Linda drank all of hers. Who would have guessed that? 

This is what 1/2 of a  pork knuckle looks like. Taste good.

One of the more interesting dishes was this 19 inch long sausage 

that Heidi ordered. She gave me a bite - very nice.

Sorry - I can't figure out how to orient it correctly.

One last
stop at the Jewish memorial to all who 

died in WW II. There are other 

memorials for other groups around town.This one takes up an entire city block 

and is composed of concrete blocks of 

different sizes. They range from almost 

flat to over 3 meters high. They are 

painted with a special black paint which allows graffiti to be easily washed off. 

Along the way driving through town we saw this sign:

Love, Sex, and Dreams

After about 2/3 of the way back to the ship, the sky got brighter andthe sun came out. Linda and I hit the jacuzzi and even though the 

ship was serving a special German-themed dinner none of us were
hungry because of our large lunch. We watched a movie in our 

room.

Monday, June 22

Our second and last day at sea. 

Being an "at sea" day worked out great because Linda felt
terrible . She woke with a terrible headache and a full head. Linda 

stayed in the room most of the day. A few needles from the 

acupunturer on board and a few hours later she was back in the 

groove and we went to dinner. 

I didn't do much of anything. Moved about the ship trying to find 

the best place to read. It was cool, so outside was not the best.

We watched some movies.

No pictures.

Sunday, June 21

Today was Father's Day and I was treated very well. Heidi had brought a card from Maryland and balloons showed up at our cabin door later in the day. They said "Happy Birthday", but no matter. I think that may be the only special balloons the ship has.

We had to be back on the ship by 3:30 to leave Stockholm, so we needed to get going. Our objective was to visit the royal palace and see the changing of the guards. The weather had improved. The hop-on/hop-off boat ticket we purchased yesterday was still good for today.

A nice boat ride took us to the palace. As we approached the tour entrance we passed this sign.

Stables?

We started with the Treasury which contained crowns and swords but not much else. It certainly was not the Tower of London. Sounds snobby, doesn't it. Sorry.

Back up several flights and we were in the Grand Hall and the Queen's throne.

And nice looking floors and the requisite statues.

We finished our tour just 15 minutes or so before the changing of the guards. Outside we went.

Regular soldiers making sure everything was ok.

The procession began with horses and a band. 

Then there was some marching and saluting. There was a large crowd trying to squeeze into a smallish courtyard and we couldn't get in. Heidi and Doug had stacked out their positions before us and had a pretty good place to stand. But, people can get ugly and Heidi got elbowed. Not fun. Doug was upset, so we didn't want to hang around for anymore abuse. You need to take into account that we were in a very multi-cultured mob and many people around the world don't have the same sense of personal space that we Americans do. Later we thought about the Asians. They regularly live in crowded conditions and probably don't think anything of standing close and touching. Still, we didn't like it.

Doug wanted to find the ice bar in downtown. Doug felt comfortable to ask directions from a couple of guards. To get there, we walked through "old town" and across one of many bridges. We had a map but it seemed we kept needing to go one more block. Before we found it, we were getting hungry and running out of time. I asked one young man who was standing outside of a shop for directions, but he turned out to be a tourist and said it sounded good to him but he didn't know where it was.

We found a small cafe and each couple shared a salad and off we went back to our hop-on/hop-off boat. We cut the time close and arrived at the ship 15 minutes late. I think we were the last to board. I heard one guard's walkie talkie announce that "they're Americans". Who could he have been talking about?

Back to our room and a steward delivered chocolate covered strawberries. From you know who. Superior idea.

Stockholm is at the end of a long inlet and it takes the ship several hours to get out to sea. I sat on our veranda with my vodka and Kindle and watched part of Sweden go by. Small picturesque houses along small inlets and lots of docks and boats. I think many of these homes are summer and weekend places. Stockholm is one of the prettiest cities to go in and out of by boat. 

Heidi had made reservations for dinner at the main dining room and we had a lovely Father's Day meal near a window. I had a shrimp cocktail and then Alaskan king crab legs. The meat had already been separated from the shell so all you had to do was pull it out with your fork and put it into your mouth. Excellent. Heidi had a pork tenderloin with mushroom gravy and it looked really good. I decided I needed one of those too. That's one of the advantages of cruising - you can have as much as you want.

After eating, we got together in our cabin and ate the strawberries. 

A perfect ending to a perfect day. There have not been many years where I was together with Heidi on Father's Day and this one was a really good one and will always be remembered.