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Published: August 9th 2007
Amsterdam
Canals of AmsterdamA few days in Amsterdam and a few days in Barcelona and our time in Europe is up! We arrived in Europe on March 5 and are leaving it nearly 3 months later -- we almost feel like natives! We will miss it, but not the prices, that's for sure.
Amsterdam was quite the experience. Our hotel was about one block from the Red Light District and walking the streets are many colorful characters. We didn't do much walking around in the evenings, although Ted and Ty did venture into a "coffeeshop" to see what all the fuss was about. One visit was enough! We did a half day trip out to the Dutch countryside to a town called Zaanse Schans where there used to be 1,000 working windmills that took care of all the area's industrial needs. Today there are only 5 working windmills and we got to tour one of them. We also stopped in Edam, a quaint medieval town known best for its cheese of the same name. But the highlight of our time in Amsterdam was the Dominos Pizza Canal Cruise we took! We got on a boat, put in our pizza orders, cruised around the canals
Zaanes Schan, Netherlands
of Amsterdam for about an hour and then stopped along the canal to pick up the fresh pizzas from the Dominos delivery guy! Finally a tour and a dinner we could all agree on!
Next we flew to Barcelona where the weather has been sunny and warm. Ah, it feels nice after the cool weather in the north. Here in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, we have taken it pretty easy in anticipation of our big flight to South America tomorrow. Today Ted and I took a tour to Montserrat, the mountain, monastery and church about 45 minutes outside the city. We listened to the famous Escolania's boys choir sing in the church. But the highlight of our visit to Barcelona was visiting La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family) which is a very large Roman Catholic basilica which has been "under construction" since 1882. Antoni Gaudi, the famous Spanish architecture, worked on Sagrada Familia for 40 years until his death in 1926. The church is to take another 30 years to complete. It is already something to behold -- very different from any other church we have seen so far,
as you will
Plaza Catalunya, Barcelona
see by the pictures posted here.
So, on to our next continent, South America. We are excited and anxious to complete this last leg of our journey. Only 3 more weeks to go until we are home in our own beds!
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Carla
non-member comment
Cute
I see a boat, car, bike, motorscooter and I am assuming taxi....couldn't see the picture well!! I bet you can not wait to be back in YOUR beds!! Have fun on this last part of your journey!! Love ya, Carla