Geo: 48.8331, 2.3264Traffic was pretty awful getting to SeaTac this afternoon. There was construction around Montlake, and the freeway was just backed up like usual. I was getting a little worried, but we made it to the airport in plenty of time. And then I found out that my flight was delayed one hour. Sigh ... On the bright side, John knows a secretary at Byrnes & Keller who is married to a guy who works for British Airways. We were at a B&K party last week and got to talking to James. Found out after I was told about the delay that James got me into the Lounge, which was really nice of him and a pleasant place to sit, especially with the extra wait time. There were little sandwiches, a bar, salad fixings, soup ... read more

Geo: 52.3738, 4.89095Sometime during the night (just before 3:00, to be semi-precise) I woke up and wondered why someone was taking a shower at that ungodly hour. Turned out it was the wind making a tremendous racket. At 7:00, Schiphol had to alter the usual flight path for landing planes because of the winds, and that altered path was right over the hotel. Noisy? Yeah.We started the morning by taking a tram to Dam Square and then another tram to near the Westerkerk and walked to the Anne Frank House. I've been twice before and thought about sitting this one out because I'm sneezing and blowing my nose every few minutes. In the end, I decided to go on in because I figured it'd at least be warmer inside. That wind was still whipping hard enough ... read more

Geo: 52.3738, 4.89095It was a bit sad leaving Delft this morning because it would be our last day on the coach. The coach does actually become like a second home in a way, and you feel secure on it. And no one ever wants to see the driver go either.This tour is supposed to leave Delft and go to an open-air museum and the Aalsmeer Flower Auction before arriving in Amsterdam. However, the first three or four tour groups of the year go to Keukenhof instead of the auction and the museum. And since we are the second group this year, we went to the garden instead. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll remember that the tour I took in 2010 went to Keukenhof. It's someplace I never thought I'd see again, ... read more

Geo: 52.0119, 4.36026I think we were all a bit reluctant to leave the Hotel Adornes and Bruges this morning. I know I was: I barely even got to look at any of the shops, and the hotel was so nice. Unfortunately, Rik wasn't at the desk this morning; he looked after us over the weekend. He was what you might call "a hoot." You'd ask him one question and he'd answer it, but then he'd give you the answers to five other questions you didn't ask. Also, he loved to teach us Dutch phrases. He's a real gem for that hotel.Our first stop today was at the Watersnood Museum dedicated to the flood of 1953. In January of of that year there was a huge storm, and the dikes protecting South Holland failed. A huge swath ... read more

Geo: 51.2094, 3.22523Breakfast was a beautifully presented spread of cereals, several kinds of bread, hard-boiled eggs (still warm), meats and cheese, yogurt, and fruit, including yellow cherries. I sat with Heidi, and she told me about spending the month prior to the tour doing hotel research for the tours. It sounds exhausting!Our guide for the day, Danielle, turned out to be Christian's (from Brussels) wife. She was very fashionable with her red and orange scarf, red sweater, red leather jacket, and red Armani sunglasses. She showed us beautiful old buildings, including the oldest brick house in Bruges. Close to it was a house made of white stone, built at a time when pretty much everyone had a house made of wood. Obviously, whoever could afford a non-wooden house was very wealthy. Even today, the Belgians refer ... read more