June 5, 2014. Walking Amsterdam.

After breakfast at the hotel we set out to ride the hop on hop off bus to the city centre. We visited the Gassan Diamond Factory and took a 30 minute guided tour. We watched diamonds being polished and learned about the various cuts and colours of these precious stones. We saw diamonds worth up to €50,000 and our group of about 10 people got to handle diamond rings, watches and earrings. Of course, the exit was through the retail part of the factory. Since we were not interested in making a purchase we availed ourselves of their free coffee.

We walked to a shopping area, found a small grocery store and bought some fruit and Dutch licorice to take along for nourishment on our walk. Everything is more expensive here than it is at home.

Next we walked to the Red Light District to see the 800 year old Old Church (Oude Kerk), Amsterdam's oldest building. The area was very crowded today with lots of American high school groups around along with the many bicycles, scooters and cars. It amazes me that we haven't witnessed a single accident. Looking both ways has become looking all ways before crossing a street in Amsterdam.

Even though the city map looks easy to follow, we got lost walking to the Anne Frank House. In fact we walked about 2 kilometers in the wrong direction before we realized our mistake. After another 45 minutes of walking we arrived at the Anne Frank. Haus. Fortunately I had purchased tickets online and so we didn't have to wait in the very long line to get in.

                              

If you have ever read The Diary of Anne Frank you know the importance of this museum. Anne and her family lived in hiding in the annex of this house for two years before someone betrayed them and the Nazis came and took them away to Auschwitz. All perished in the prison camp except for Anne's father who later honored his daughter's memory by fulfilling her desire to be a published author. Needless to say, visiting this museum is a solemn occasion. 

Our next long walk was through several districts including The Jordaan, Liedesplein and the Museum and Fashion District. We strolled along canals, window shopped and made our way back to our hotel where we rested for a bit before heading out to The Seafood Bar for dinner.

We probably walked about 20 kilometers today. Tomorrow we will visit two museums in our neighbourhood; The Van Gogh and The Rijksmuseum.

June 4, 2014. Amsterdam.

Staying awake last night to compensate for the 5 hour time change was not as tough as I thought it would be. However, getting up this morning for breakfast was difficult. Breakfast is from 7 to 10 at our hotel and so waking up at 9:30 (4:30 am at home) meant jumping out of bed to get to the breakfast room before the doors closed. It was worth the rush as the great coffee, eggs, cheese, fruit and yogurt made for a great start to the day.

One of the things we like to do in a foreign, big city is buy tickets for a hop on, hop on bus as the audio tour, numerous stops and unlimited use for 24 hours makes for a great way to get an overview of the city. We caught the bus at around 10:30 and got off and on for the rest of the day, stopping at numerous locations and doing lots and lots of walking. 

We visited Dam square, walked along zillions of canals, found ourselves in the Red Light District where we saw women sitting in their windows, had coffee at one of the many coffee shops, saw other coffee shops where the aroma of marijuana wafted out of the doors, spent time in the ultra modern library, ate fish and chips (chips are served with mayonnaise here), walked through Vondelpark and returned to our hotel around 8:30

The sound of bike bells are everywhere. It is truly amazing to see a woman driving her bike with two kids on board; one in a kid car type seat, in front of the handlebars and one in another seat behind her, and no one is wearing a helmet. We learned today bike theft with over 60,000 stolen each year is the number one crime in Amsterdam.

Tomorrow: Anne Frank House for sure.

June 2 - 3, 2014. Off to Amsterdam.

I got so frustrated with the continuous rain last May and June that I swore that I would make plans to get away during Nova Scotia's rainy season this year. As I investigated places to go, The Netherlands became more and more appealing with lots to see and do not only in Amsterdam but in other areas of the country. In short, I booked an 8 day Highlights of Holland bike and barge tour along with 4 days in Amsterdam.

We flew to Amsterdam via Reykjavik and so got to see Iceland from the air and from the airport. The tourism information about Iceland makes it sound like a great place to visit....someday.

We took a shuttle from the airport in Amsterdam to our hotel. Our room is very small but oh so cool. For example, there are quotes on the walls, and the electricity only works when you are in the room. Everything in the room seems new, including the shower.

     

It was so tempting to just take a nap since we had been traveling for 10 overnight hours on very little sleep, but we needed to stay awake as long as possible to help adjust to crossing 5 hours worth of time zones. We went for a long walk, ate a good meal and walked some more. 

Bikes are everywhere in this city. Apparently there are four times as many bikes on the streets as there are cars. There are lanes designated for bikes but pedestrians have to keep a watchful eye on both car and bike traffic as the cyclists ride along at a good clip.

Our walk took us past several places we plan to visit over the next few days, including the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum and Vondelpark. We strolled along a canal, stopped to admire some artwork on display on the Museum Plein sat on a bench and people watch and then walked back to our funky hotel.

      

 

April 11 - 14, 2014. Driving home.

It is not easy to leave the sunny south when friends and family back home say, "don't hurry, the weather is terrible," but there comes a time when one has to go home. There are taxes to be done, appointments to keep and of course the weather can only improve.

All in all, it took about 30 hours, over 4 day to get home. My Pleasure Way, "Precious" can keep up with all vehicles on the interstate, and unlike "Westy"can make the trip without any interruptions due to breakdowns! 

Some of the highways are in need of repair, most notably those in Virginia, Massachusetts, and New Brunswick. The interstates through Alabama, Georgia and Maine were great. As for scenery, aside from the beautiful flowers and the greenery of the southern states, it is the rolling hills of Virginia that appeal to me. 

        

The weather was warm and sunny right through to Maine and we were able to wear shorts up until our last day on the road. Our first glimpse of snow came in Maine, while in New Brunswick we saw snow, ice and encountered fog. The fog lifted as we passed Amherst and it got brighter and warmer as we approached home.

The bikes are unloaded, the van's  fridge and closets are emptied and I am getting reacquainted with my house. This series of blog entries ends here. I will no doubt start blogging again in June when we head to Amsterdam.

April 10, 2014. Alabama Museum of Wonder and Desdamona: A Play About a Handkerchief.

On Poorhouse Road in Seale, Alabama, about an hour from Auburn, there lives a man named Butch Anthony.  At the age of 14 he found dinosaur bones in a creek near his home and since he was already a collector of things and a maker of stuff, he decided to open a museum and named it the Alabama Museum of Wonder. His collecting and making was put on hold while he did a degree in anatomy and zoology at Auburn, where those dinosaur bones are now housed, but he soon went back to his craft and has become a well respected artist of some renown.

You need the exact address and a gps or a good map to find his place as there are no signs to guide you there. I had emailed him to see if he would be around on Thursday and the reply I got was simply, "yes, thanks".  We drove up the long curved driveway and honked the horn, which I learned from his website, is the way to let him know that you have arrived. We were greeted by three dogs and two peacock...all friendly. 

First of all, he invited us into his home where he showed us the paintings he was working on. He answered our questions, said that we could take pictures of anything we saw there and then led us to the museum. Wow! What stuff....wall to wall pieces of art. Much of it looks like folk art, while others are curiosities. He paints over existing pieces, mostly outlining people's bones, and adds text. He puts, what I would call random prices together to from pieces of art. For example I saw a piece that included a globe, toy dinosaur, yellow chick, bottle containing a turnip root, an animal skull much more. 

             

All of his work is for sale, ranging in price from $125.00 to $500.00 or more. We didn't purchase anything but did leave a donation in the wooden box provided. There was certainly no pressure to do so, no was there any indication that we were interrupting, although he was at work when we arrived. Butch is a very humble man. However, I did find out that he is on a TV show called "American Pickers" and that PBS was coming by the next day to do a special on him. 

       

As if all that wasn't enough, as we were leaving he suggested we visit his drive through museum up the road. Of course we stopped and not only drove through, but got out of the car to look more closely at this one of a kind museum, made of five containers; the kind you see on big trucks and at container piers. There were some very cool things here too.

          

On the drive home we couldn't stop talking about this unique man and his art. I am so glad we visited Butch Anthony and his Alabama Museum of Wonder. You should go!

We got back to Auburn in time to grab a bite to eat and take Jackie for a short walk before it was time to go to the Telfair B. Peet Theatre at Auburn University to see Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief. From the playbill: "This play is a raucous reimagining of Desdemona's (Othello's wife) last days. Vogel upends the simple caricatures given the three female leads and gives each a fully formed character - complete with opinions on sex, power and class." 

The play was exactly as described...lots of humour amid serious topics, all relevant today. 

Wow...what a full day. Thanks Jessica!

April 2-8, 2014. Auburn.

Since arriving in Auburn about one week ago we have been enjoying our visit with Jessica, Nolan and Jackie. Jessica and Nolan are busy people; Nolan is a full time student, while Jessica is a full time professor.

Jackie is a dog who loves going for walks, checking the kitchen floor for crumbs and lots of attention. We have enjoyed our daily walks with her and although she likes to bark at other dogs it seems to be a "let's play" request rather than anything malicious. Jackie responds to a few commands including sit, down, stay, and what does a good girl do? (lie down and roll over). The power of a small dog biscuit is amazing.

        

Auburn is a true university town. The school colors of orange and navy blue are everywhere: buses, stores, restaurants, cars, and particularly on people. The Auburn campus is very pretty, particularly at this time of year when so much is in bloom. 

University sports are very much a part of life in this town. We had hoped to go to a ball game but both teams are playing out of town. We did attend a track meet where we saw the 100, 200, and 400 meters. We also saw some pole vaulting and high jumping. The event was an invitational and so we saw some great athletes from all over the US. 

We played golf at Indian Pines, went to a movie and had dinner with some of Jessica and Nolan's friends. One of the best pars of this visit was visiting the site where Jessica and Nolan are building a house.

         

March 30 -April 1, 2014. Weeki Wachee, Rainbow Springs and Auburn.

Leaving Florida to head north is what snowbirds do at the end of March. We are no different except that our north, until sometime in April is Auburn, Alabama where Spring is warm and sunny. 

We wanted to make two stops en route to Alabama; both state parks: Weeki Wachee and Rainbow Springs. Weeki Wachee originally belonged to a movie studio with its main attraction being a mermaid show. Apparently the girls used to stand out by the highway in their bathing suits to try attract people to the show. Today, you need to line up at least 45 minutes before show time in order to get a seat for the  30 minute show. 

                                  

             

We experienced just about everything Weeki Wachee had to offer. We took the 30 minute boat ride where we saw manatees and an enormous eagle's nest; watched the 30 minute reptile show (two snakes, two turtles and one alligator) and saw the mermaid show. All well worth the $13 admission fee. It is not a large park so we were glad to have gotten there early and left before it got too crowded and the lines too long.

         

Rainbow Springs State Park is a relatively new park and so the campsites and the facilities are very modern. There are several hiking trails with one in particular that leads to the Withlacoochee River which is a 141 mile long stretch of water. We did a bit of biking and although we enjoyed the park, the absence of Wifi is a strike against it.

On Monday we continued on north through Georgia, enjoying the countryside once we left the Interstate. Horses, cows, peanut and pecan farms along with gorgeous spring blooms made for a pleasant drive to sunny Auburn, Alabama.