It's an Orange thing! The prevalent color, symbolizing Dutch national and royal pride, stems from the royal family name - The Family Nassau, House of Orange. Wandering through Amsterdam on Queensday can give the impression that it is in honor of the many gay queens who converge on the city for this giant out in the open street party when it is in fact the official celebration of the Dutch sovereign's birthday. Queensday was introduced originally by Queen Wilhelmina since 1902. Her daughter Queen Juliana was born on April 30, which made this day a national holiday in The Netherlands when [View Full Entry]

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Today, we'll take a bike ride through the Tulip Fields of Holland, just a few miles from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam. This trip was organized by Frederik from Let's Go Bike Tours. We experienced the magnificent flowering bulb fields with thousands of hyacinths, narcissus and tulips in countless colors on a bike, very exhilerating and picturesque! The scenery is beautiful and very Dutch. The bike lanes are almost completely flat. We saw the tulip fields and modern, as well as centuries old country houses, small towns, villages and a visit to the Pannenkoekenhuis (pancake house) and [View Full Entry]

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Au revoir to Luxembourg, and Hallo Amsterdam. We checked into the Brouwer Hotel, a woody and very homey old-time place with a fantastic staff and a 'we're family' atmosphere. The Brouwer Hotel is the place to stay when in Amsterdam. Located centrally on the peaceful Singel Canal between the Central Train Station and Dam Square near Lijnbaanssteeg at #83 Singel. This was the second time we stayed at the Brouwer, first in the Fall of 2003 and again in Spring 2005. We like the canal views from the Breitner and Bosch Rooms. The hotel has a small evelator, or Lift, as [View Full Entry]

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It was raining the day we arrived in Luxembourg City, and as any semi-professional world traveler would do (tongue-in-cheek, of course), we had our rain gear and made ready use of it. The city’s history dates back to the year 963, when Siegfried, Count of the Ardennes, had a castle named "Lucilinburhuc" built on a rock overlooking the River Alzette. It was the famous French fortress builder Vauban who, at the service of Louis XIV, later turned Luxembourg into one of his masterpieces, suitably known as the ‘Gibraltar of the North’ Luxembourg is the World's Only Grand Duc [View Full Entry]

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From the Brugge train station, we took a bus to our home base - The Hotel Patritius, our hosts Garret and Elvi Spaey were kind, friendly and full of information on the local history and sights. We were given an upgraded suite (see photo's) due to an earlier cancellation; boy, we felt like royalty. This splendid medieval city is one of Belgium's crown jewels. Also known as the "Venice of the North". No other European city has the feel and the look of medieval times as does Brugge, a city close to the North Sea. It ranks, even today, among the [View Full Entry]

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Well, our time in England has run out. We will miss England, and all the fine people that have made our visit here, one to remember. We met family, we've made new friends, and the memories we bring back home will last a lifetime. Cheerie-O to all, we have every intention of returning in the future. To paraphrase the great Frank Sinatra; Thanks for the memories, Of things we can’t forget, Journeys on a jet, Tea with clotted cream and A ride on Eurostar, How lucky we are. We are very lucky indeed, to have such wonderful family and friends. We're [View Full Entry]

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This morning we went to The National Gallery which houses one of the finest collections of Western European paintings in the world. Just viewing the Highlights of the collection can take most of the day and certainly more than we could absorb. Then, that afternoon, a Thames River boat ride from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge and back. We also took some photos of various sights in and around London, enjoy. [View Full Entry]

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We were unable to meet with Sarah (a relative of Holly) during our last London visit in 2003, so we were determined to connect this time around. After a couple of phone calls we were able to arrange a meeting in London. We agreed to meet with Sarah at Trafalgar Square during the evening, 7pm if I recall, or was it half seven? As we approached each other, I immediately recognized Sarah from a photograph we had received earlier from her parents, Elgar and Julia. Sarah is an attractive and delightful woman. After a quick introduction and some small chat, we [View Full Entry]

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The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London England were laid out in 1759 and extended in 1772 when Sir Joseph Banks returned from his voyage around the world with Captain Cook and became the unofficial director. Under his guidance collections of plants from many parts of the world were carefully built up, and by the time of his death in 1820, the garden had become internationally famous. With its established library and laboratory for plant research, it is now recognized as one of the world’s most beautiful botanical gardens, synonymous with all that is best in botanical research. Ju [View Full Entry]

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From Woodstock, we made our way to London. After seeing a good number of the major attractions during our 2003 trip, this time we took a more relaxed leisure approach this time. Our first day in London we took a stroll through Hayde Park and around Kensington Palace. Then we got ready for dinner at the Taverna Aphrodite Greek Restaurant, also recommended by Maria, just down the street from our hotel. It just so happens that Maria's nephew Rodrigo works there and he was so friendly and accommodating - a really nice fellow. And the food was scrumptious!! - Thanks Rodrigo! [View Full Entry]

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