Blogs from North Holland, Netherlands, Europe - page 2

Theft and Survival in Amsterdam - Piprey on wheels Life brings unexpected surprises which is a test to your life skills and survival. My experience in Amsterdam opened up a new outlook to the meaning of safe travel. Are developed countries safe? I was travelling in Eurostar from London St Pancras to Amsterdam Central. At Brussels, there was an announcement that there were thefts in the train and to mind the bags. I kept an eye on the big suitcase specially when the train stopped at the four stations. The laptop bag was on the overhead shelf to my right, just across while I sat at the aisle. I had a window seat but a lady from Israel wanted to cherish the abundant waters and scenic beauty of Dutch landscape. I had offered her my window ... read more

Medemblik is a coastal town on the IJsselmeer just before it opens into the North Sea. Our Cruise Director arranged to stop here so we could experience, if for a brief time, a traditional North Holland village. (The municipality dates to the 13th century.) Docking in Medemblik was also a reminder of the intricate inland waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands. We had traveled from Amsterdam south down as far as Ghent and back up north through Dordrecht and Amsterdam out into the man-made Markereer and IJsselmeer, all via interconnected rivers and canals. The IJsselmeer is a freshwater lake created out of the saline Zuidersee by dike and drainage. Some passengers explored the town in the early evening drizzle while I stayed close. From my vantage point, I could see Sint-Bonifaciuskerk (1404), the Medemblik railway station, ... read more

Our overnight flight from Washington Dulles to Schiphol Airport arrived at 7:15 a.m. The weather was overcast all over the Atlantic, Ireland, and England. Not looking good. But upon our arrival, the sun was out. The Gate1 Travel representative met us in at arrival hall. One other couple who had also been on our flight was also present. The Gate 1 ground transfer took us directly to Monarch Empress, docked at the Amsterdam cruise ship terminal. There appeared to be an abundance of river cruise ships in port, as the cruise terminal, designed to accommodate ocean-going cruise ships, was overflowing. It was now nearly 9:00 a.m., and passengers from the previous cruise had yet to disembark. Gate 1 kindly allowed us to board and store our luggage. Most of the ... read more

We’re off again! On another epic trip to Africa. Now that I am resurrecting this travel blog, I believe you all deserve an update on the whole big picture of me and my family in 2022. I married Chelly Yes, the girl in the blogs from Thailand, India, and Kenya. The two of us were married in January, 2008, to the lamentations of many sad girls in the USA and disappointed boys in Kenya, I am sure. We moved to Kenya In the fall of 2009, we decided to relocate to Kenya. The Almighty had other plans. Things did not work out quite so well for us there, and we returned to Seattle in 2010. We had a son Our first son, Javan Ndaiya Nakis, was born in Seattle, WA on March 2nd, 2011. It was ... read more

It was an early start today. Our German cruise director is maniacal about punctuality. We headed out to Alkmaaar - a small town that was the center of the early Dutch cheese trade. First though, a stop at several windmills a bit north of our destination. I was surprised to learn that about 70% of windmills in the Netherlands were used for pumping water to reclaim land (30% for grinding grain or anything else that needs to be pulverized). Basically, dikes were built and, slowly over time, all the water was pumped out of lowlands and marshes to create farmland. Makes sense but I just never thought it through. It is remarkable that over 25% of the country was reclaimed from the sea in the last 800 years using this and, eventually, more modern methods, Alkmaar ... read more