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