http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/JoeandLen/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from JoeandLen en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:39:20 +0000 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:39:20 +0000 This entry is a reflective one about the prevalence of English in Europe these days. Our trip began in the Netherlands where essentially everyone speaks English. As one older Dutch gentleman said to Lenora when she complemented him on his English well we have no choice. I recall saying to Lenora that we were spoiled by being in the Netherlands first and that once we arrived in Hungary and http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Dalmatia/Tucepi/blog-424692.html We have spent the last week between Cobourg and Toronto. After arriving in Cobourg we let down and really needed a few days of sleep and rest and little else. 3 days later though on Tuesday we took the train into Toronto met with Adele for lunch with Peter and his girlfriend Sammie for supper went to Adele's opening night and went out with Adele and a friend for drinks after the show It http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-424688.html There has been a serious delay in posting this entry. This was due to lack of highspeed access for the last few days and a busy schedule to Toronto and back and to Toronto again to see Adele's final show at Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts and to attend her graduation ceremony. More about that later.First though the flight home. Our flight from Amsterdam to Frankfurt was short and swe http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Hessen/Frankfurt/blog-424684.html What a difference a 2 hour flight from Budapest can make We left scorching heat and sunshine to arrive in 16 degrees and wind and rain in Amsterdam this morning. I was looking forward to about 20 degrees and sunshine but I was looking at Saturday's forecast not today's On a positive note our hotel was ready when we arrived at 11 am so we were able to check in shower and get some rest. We the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-421813.html Yesterday was a scorching day in Budapest. We enjoyed the morning toured the Great Market Hall and had a nice lunch before heading back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and move on to our new hotel close to the airport. We decided to take the subway since the hotel directions said it was an easy 5 minute walk from the last subway station. We had written detailed directions but sometimes t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/Pest/blog-421613.html We left Zagreb this morning on what was supposed to be a 1st class ticket and a 5 hour train ride to Budapest. Well that didn't exactly work out. We were in a car that was labelled 1st class but I was a little apprehensive upon entry since all the 2nd class cars looked newer and shinier than ours and didn't have windows that were dirty with grime built up over the years It started badly and g http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/Pest/blog-421127.html We left Tucepi at around 915 this morning and after about 40 minutes on the scariest road I have ever been on through the Croatian mountainside with hairpin turns and 90 degree rock faces looking straight down at the water we reached the A1 highway a most welcome sight. With a speed limit of 130 we were in Zagreb in no time once my nuckles recovered from the climb up the mountain. This is http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Central-Croatia/Zagreb/blog-420703.html Since the last post we have basically been beach bums mainly here at Tucepi but we did vist Makarska beach on Sunday hard to find a spot to lie down A beautiful vista though with the water and mountains right in front of you. For our last day Monday we decided to take a cruise. At Tucepi every evening around 645 a converted fishing boat came by with a crowd of waving dancing tou http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Dalmatia/Tucepi/blog-420681.html The drive along the coastal road from Sukosan to Tucepi was quite the experience The scenery was breathtaking and the drivers a little crazy on a road that kind of resembles the Cabot Trail. There were a few spots to stop to take pics and I managed to get a few good ones. Along the way we stopped at Trogir a small town designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. It was like so many places http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Dalmatia/Makarska/blog-419746.html I am sitting on our balcony at the Villa Anton in Sukosan as I write this. It is a beautiful sunny morning and at 6 am the air actually feels cool We arrived here yesterday afternoon once we finally got our rental car. For some reason the agency wasnrsquot able to get our credit cards to accept a preauthorization for damages. After an hour or more we were told that we couldnrsquot have http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Dalmatia/Zadar/blog-419740.html Today started out as hot or hotter than yesterday but the trick was to get going early. We were out by 830 and had 5 good hours of touring done before the sweltering midday sun got to a point where us mere mortals couldn't handle it. People here are dressed in jeans and leggings and even long sleeve shirts believe it or not The temperature in the main square at 9 pm read 28 degrees so I can http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Central-Croatia/Zagreb/blog-418972.html We arrived in Zagreb today on schedule at 12 noon and stepped out of our train to an unbelievable heat I couldnrsquot get internet at the hotel so I donrsquot know what the temperature was but it felt like 40 celsius. After a fairly long and steamy tram ride we arrived at our hotel area. Trams here come in two flavours the new modern airconditioned variety and the old somewhat beat http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Central-Croatia/blog-418969.html I'm a bit late publishing this entry we were without internet for a couple of days Irsquoll start by talking about dinner on Sunday night in Budapest. We decided on a restaurant just off Vaci utca the main shopping and tourist street of Budapest that was suggested in our guidebook. It turned out to be a great choice. A violinist and xylophonist were playing outside on the patio where w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/Buda/blog-418964.html What a difference a 1 hour 40 minute plan ride can make From the flatlands and canals and bicycles of the Netherlands to the hills the Danube and majestic buildings of a bustling former communist city. Budapest is impressive we arrived on a Sunday and at first I thought that that might have been a bad idea. It turned out to be a very good one. The main bridge spanning Buda and Pest acros http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/Buda/blog-418065.html A very nice day here today ... a few pics of the ancient Utrecht canal system. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Province-of-Utrecht/Utrecht/blog-417494.html Well we woke up this morning to beautiful sunshine for our last day in Utrecht. We plan to squeeze in a cruise on the old canal between conference sessions some time today since it is our last chance to do so. i will hopefully come back with some interesting pics later. Karla and I did our conference presentation yesterday afternoon and it was very well received. Nice to have it over now and t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Province-of-Utrecht/Utrecht/blog-417332.html This entry is more of a reflection on the bicycle situation here. I know it is a cliche but honestly the number of bicycles on the roads and in the parking stalls is amazing. I've attached a picture of a bike parking lot at the station in Amsterdam unbelievalbe. Also one has to be very careful walking to watch out not so much for the cars and trams but the bikes they are silent but deadly http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Province-of-Utrecht/Utrecht/blog-416841.html Today started out with torrential rain but things cleared up nicely around midmorning allowing us to do a 3 hour walking tour of Utrecht. I tried to pick out the best of the pics it really is quite a beautiful old city. We came back to the hotel to rest and do a little work for the conference. The hotel only has 7 rooms and is really very nice. I've attached a pic of the garden out back t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Province-of-Utrecht/Utrecht/blog-416508.html Lenora and I left Amsterdam this morning and 30 minutes later after a comfortable train ride found ourselves in Utrecht a very nice city of about 300000 about Ottawa size. Still rainy but sunny breaks here and there. We walked a lot today about 30 mins into the town centre from our hotel did that there and back twice. Hopefully it will balance out the food and drink We plan to do s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Province-of-Utrecht/Utrecht/blog-416245.html Well day 2 in Amsterdam began with a walk from our apartment to the Centraal train station where we took a cruise of the harbour and canals. It turned out to be a beautiful day as the pics show. Afterward we walked back to our apartment and along the way stopped for a beer and and a snack fries and mayonnaise a local delicacy It started to rain so we and another couple with two small child http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-416239.html