Going home

Don and I are sitting at the airport waiting for our flight.



It's been a fabulous holiday but we've got lots to do at home so it's time to return.
Here's my last windmill, blurry as it is, taken from the car this morning.



Here are some parting shots:



Don on the promenade at dusk.



Don, Emma and I enjoying Guinness and Magners at a pub last night.



Two swans mooning us.



Don making sure the seagulls wouldn't attack our garbage before pickup day.

Bye for now!



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Location:Schipol Airport Amsterdam

Renting bikes

Two days left of our fabulous holiday!

Today Emma and I rented bikes and Kathleen took us on a 20 km trek through the sand dunes outside of town. There are dedicated bike lanes the entire route.



My impression is that Dutch people are quite fit in general. I put this down to all the cycling. There were hundreds of cyclists out today. I was passed on more than one occasion by women much older than me (which, I guess, could be explained by the poor shape I'm in as opposed to the good shape they're in!). Anyway, I kept up with Kathleen and Emma which is the important thing! It helped that I was able to stop for ice cream half way.



Emma liked the wild horses on the route.



Here's a view of The Hague and a tanker:






Tonight we're going out to dinner. Tomorrow: last golf day.

Did anyone guess that this...



...is a urinal?




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Location:The Hague

A trip to Utrecht

Today we headed to Utrecht, a gorgeous city about an hour from The Hague. The city centre was criss-crossed with canals and in between, lots of sidewalk cafes, shops, and historical buildings. There was a 15th century cathedral in the middle of the old city with a lovely cloister. Here are some pictures:


















Here are two unexpected sightings: the first is a restaurant named for my favourite movie, and the second Is--I'll leave it for you to guess what the black structure is. Answer in the next blog.






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Location:Utrecht

Gouda Cheese Market

Yes, this is where the cheese comes from! Make sure you pronounce it properly: "howda."

Thursday morning is the Cheese Market which opens at 10 a.m. with a cheese ceremony. Local cheese makers bring their Gouda cheese to the market and stamp it as authentic. Retailers bid on the batches. A deal is sealed by an elaborate hand slapping ceremony. Here are some pictures. Note the cheesie girls (including Kathleen):














Here's the lovely town hall in Gouda:




Here's Don's shot of two unsuspecting ladies:




Which reminds me, here's Don's shot from Kathleen's window of two unsuspecting ladies:




Here's the Gouda Express:



Of course, we had to buy some Gouda cheese before we left:



By the way, it was delicious!




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Location:Gouda

Don't tell Buster

Here's Buster's souvenir from The Hague. I'm relying on his foster parents, Doug and Marty, not to tell him:




On our way to the Gouda cheese market today. Will report back later.

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Location:The Hague

Slow news day

Don and I headed out at 6 a.m. for a 7 tee-time. We were almost ahead of the sun:



It was not an auspicious start: the GPS lady refused to speak and we encountered a road closure that stymied us. We drove around for about half an hour and ended up at the same road closure approximately four times.
Stupid road closures.

Finally we stumbled upon a detour and arrived at the golf course half an hour late.
Stupid GPS.

It was an excellent course with a lovely clubhouse:




Here's my birdie put. This time I got it:




I had a great round until the 18th when I landed in a fairway bunker. Once out of that, I faced a dyke between me and the hole. I lost two balls to that stupid dyke, and had to take an 8 on a par 4.
Stupid water hazards.

Since you have to use cash here (few places take Canadian credit cards), I gave Don all the cash I had for gasoline. When I tried to use the ATM just now, it refused to give me any money.
Stupid ATM.

Think I'll go to bed early tonight and start over again tomorrow.


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Location:The Hague

Sunday

Today we drove to Delft. This is the little town where they make that signature blue and white pottery. It's a quaint little town with, you guessed it, lots of canals! Kathleen was on the lookout for an elusive beer called Trooper, a limited edition brew inspired by the rock group Iron Maiden. Here are some photos:









When we returned to The Hague, we discovered a bustling street market on the main street:




This afternoon, Don and I are off to try a new golf course. Fore!


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Location:Delft

Exploring Amsterdam

Today we visited Amsterdam. Kathleen and I visited the Rijksmuseum where we saw some famous Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh paintings. Although impressive, none could hold a candle to the pieces we saw in the modernist collection. For example, here's a coffin made of faux-fur called the "Womb Tomb":




Then there was the Mondrian dress:




This holds a special place in my heart because my sister and I had matching ones in the late sixties.
Here are some oldies but goodies:








After the museum we went on a canal cruise.




This is the house (the one with the nine windows) where Ann Frank and her family hid during the war:



I guess I would be remiss if I didn't include me standing on the Amsterdam sign. I'm the dame near the dam.




Back at home, we had fish and chips from the boardwalk. Delicious!
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Location:Amsterdam

Man's best friend -- yah, right

So when I left Buster the beagle in the capable hands of my brother Doug, I warned Doug that my doggie would probably be sad and pining for his master for a few days. Apparently, I was wrong. Here he is doing his happy dance THE DAY AFTER WE LEFT!



Here he is the next day on Doug's sailboat!!



More like fair weather friend if you ask me.



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Location:The Hague

Golfing in Holland

Emma kicked us out of the apartment this morning so she could work on her Essay. We decided to search the countryside for a golf course. We found the perfect course about half an hour from Kathleen's place. They let us golf as soon as we arrived. The course, being in Holland, was flat and full of water. I hit about five bunkers and lost two balls in the ponds. However, here's a shot where I had a birdie putt on a par four. If you enlarge the photo, you'll see that we each have birdie putts of ten feet. Two pars later....


Here's one of Don teeing off in the distance.



After golf, we went across the street from Kathleen's apartment to an Italian restaurant.



We stuffed ourselves with thin-crust pizza (one each), wine, beer and Italian ice cream and tiramisu.

We're back at home looking forward to a good night's sleep. More adventures tomorrow!

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Location:Near Delft

First day in The Hague

We made it! The flight was great. I even slept for a couple hours thanks to Gravol, an eye mask, earplugs, a blanket, lots of wine, and a boring movie. Getting the rental car was a breeze, but finding parking near Kathleen's place was tricky. We could find the spots but we couldn't pay for them with our Canadian credit cards!

Kathleen's locale is great. Below are pictures from her window and of the beach a few steps away.






This little trains takes you along the beachfront--and it's a long beach!







Kathleen's living room and kitchen.



Don and I sleep here. Below are views from our window:



The church is getting a makeover!



Here's the view from the top of our street with the church that is opposite Kathleen's place in the far background.



We've been invited to a barbecue on the beach tonight for Kathleen's work. Should be fun!