A log about those Silly Folks and their Escapades

On Saturday morning we visited the Saturday Market that is on Lindengracht. It is the “mother of all markets” and stretches for about 8 – 10  blocks and there is absolutely everything. From food and produce to housewares and personal needs, clothing of all styles and colours and ages, etc. etc. After the market it was time to leave the Eelhouse and head to our bike and barge tour.

The barge was parked at Veemkade which is an area where a lot of the cruise ships and other barge tours depart from. On our barge are a group of 19 from Rio Brazil  (they are a bike group that go on tours), there are a group of 8 ladies from Northeast USA, a couple from Newcastle England and us. 

The next two pictures show the route that we are going to cycle over the week and also the route that the barge will travel. The dotted lines is our cycle route and the solid blue line is the barge route.Once everyone was aboard the barge headed off down the Amsterdam – Rhine Canal and got to the village of Nigtevecht where we got on our bikes for the “shake down ride” of about 12 kilometres. We then arrived in Breukelen (it’s where Brooklyn N.Y. got it’s name) and cruised while we had dinner for our evening stop in Vianen.

Tomorrow is a ride of about 50 km and by the looks of it is is going to be a long one for some of our group.

Friday was our last full day in Amsterdam and tomorrow we head off on our Boat and Bike trip. This could be our last post for a few days as we are unsure of Internet connection capability of the boat; last time it was really spotty and we had to catch up with our posts in bunches and not day to day.

Today’s post is some of the sights of Amsterdam.

A park across from our B&B with all the standard playground equipment, however the really interesting thing they added is a ping pong table and people do bring their own paddles and balls and have a match.

A few pictures from the largest park in Amsterdam, it’s called Vondell Park and they have let it grow naturally with just a couple buildings and entertainment areas. However, lots of runners, walkers and bikes.

Bicycles, bicycles, bicycles! In front of every home, down every street and on every corner. Bicycles of every shape, size and description and people riding alone or with friends, children, texting, talking, etc. etc.

QUICK UPDATE

We are now on the Bike and Barge and the internet connection is very spotty. This morning it is good so we are letting everyone we will provide complete updates when we get a more secure connection.

Our 1st full day in Amsterdam we have spent sight seeing, walking around and trying to get our body clocks lined up with this side of the world.

There are lots of sights to see and Amsterdam is a beautiful city. The Eelhouse where we are staying is in the Jordaan district and is away from the real hustle and bustle of downtown Amsterdam. However it is still only about a 15 minute walk to Centraal Station, Amsterdam Centre Square and the Red Light District.

The buildings and architecture is amazing. The majority of the buildings are built with bricks and the facades and roofs are all unique. The residents finish off the windows with flower boxes, curtains or something to personalize their home; and always a bicycle out front.  Obviously many of the buildings have been here for years and are starting to show their age by the lean they have developed and as you would expect it also affects the doorways and windows. A few pictures are attached.

Of course there are all the canals and tour boats and no visit to Amsterdam would be complete without watching the tour boats navigate the many canals in the city.

It gets very busy at times and there is definitely lots for the canal boat operators to watch out for; like this afternoon there was a small flotilla in procession at a major canal junction.

Well after 3 different flights from Vancouver to Toronto to Munich and Amsterdam we made it. All the flights were a little delayed and we had to hustle (run like scared rabbits) in Toronto to get to our Munich flight, but once on board we settled in and enjoyed the luxury of Business Class on an Airbus A330 with pod style seats.  Once in Munich we headed off the plane to be met by a very nice lady who escorted us through the maze and mayhem of Munich airport in true German efficiency; this was all due to the delayed arrival and heavy air traffic on approach. When I say escorted this included ground transportation to a special security check station and then escort through passport control and then finally delivery by van right to the doors of the aircraft which was parked half a kilometre from the main airport.

Once at Schipol Amsterdam airport we cleared baggage claim and headed to catch the train to Amsterdam Centraal Station. From there we walked to our accommodation at the Eelhouse B&B.

After that we headed off to explore and try to stay awake while working to get our body clocks adjusted to the 9 hour time difference.

So, we’re ready to go.

A couple days ago our suitcases and everything we were planning on taking on our trip was  laid out on the spare bed. It was generally organized chaos. However after much panicking and taking things out putting them back in we have finally finished packing. Anything we are missing we can buy somewhere along the way. In the end my suitcase ends up weighing more than Brenda’s, she is more concerned about getting on and off trains, buses, etc while traveling between and in the cities. I am just resorting to “brute strength and ignorance” 🙂

We have taken the pictures with our I-Pad just in case they go MIA along the way. That way can have really nice pictures of them as they travel from city to city. Just kidding, it’s in case we need pictures to identify them to the airlines or border security.

Well we are only a few days away from the start of our next big travel adventure.

We are headed to Holland, Belgium and France for almost 1 month. On Monday we drive to Vancouver where we stay for the night before flying to Toronto, Munich and finally into Amsterdam.

The first part of our trip we are doing another bike and barge similar to what we did in May 2010. This time we are going from Amsterdam down to Bruges in Belgium. So we have been busy training and getting time in the saddle for our posteriors and miles on the road.

Attached is a picture from today’s ride. From Bruges we are going to Ypres, Arras, Brussels and finally down to Paris.

So, stay tuned and keep watching for updates on our Weblog.

The past weekend was our Family Sun Peaks Ski Vacation.

Jeff, Lindsay, Zachary and Oliver arrived from Kelowna on Thursday night. So, on Friday afternoon we all headed up to Sun Peaks around 3 o’clock. Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad left Princeton a little later on Friday afternoon and they all arrived around 7:00 p.m.

After everyone got settled in and fed dinner it was time for the kids “Treasure Hunt”.

This year instead of one large treasure hunt for all the kids we made up 3 different ones.

The first treasure hunt was for Conrad and Zachary. We started by giving them each a set of keys and a picture of an item somewhere in the condo; the pictures (clues) were cut of newspaper ads. At the first hidden location they found a small box that was locked with two locks.

Each of them had to use the keys we gave them to open the boxes we had hid around the condo; the picture inside the box revealed the location of the next clue. The final box sent them to where we had hidden their “Treasure”.

For Oliver we hid his “Treasure” behind a chair and tied a long piece of wool to it and the rest of the kids helped him find his “Treasure”.

Sage’s treasure hunt was much more difficult.

Each clue had a mathematics question and the correct answer to the question told her where she had to go in the condo to find her next  clue.

This continued until the final clue lead her to where her “Treasure” was located.

On Saturday morning Kevin, Jeff and Lindsay hit the slopes and then after lunch Tamara and Sage headed off for ski lessons. Meanwhile Brenda and I took Conrad, Zach and Oliver for a walk and some time with the snow sleds. Then it was time for Zach and Oliver to have a nap while Conrad and I went sledding on some steeper slopes.

Sunday morning was time for family visiting, bonding and pictures.

It was definitely a weekend that included lots of laughs, lots of food and lots of love.

Very special family times.

The days are flying by, as the last few days always do on any vacation. I attended my final ukulele lesson on Thursday and we played Aloha Oe‘ for all those who are leaving the island. It is such a beautiful and at the same time sad song that was written by Queen Lydia Liliuokalani.

Last night from our room we were lucky enough to see two humpback whales swimming by Waikiki beach. The thing that caught our eye at first was the spouting of the water and then you could clearly see the humpback as they surfaced. A couple sunset cruise boats were pretty near by so those folks would have had good stories to tell of their evening cruise.

Attached are some sunset photos from our lanai.

Then a panorama shot from Waikiki Beach this morning.

Finally, one of us having a Kona Coffee on the beach at Waikiki.

Well the days have been busy, they’re flying by and it’s time for another update from Waikiki.

Since the last post we have seen the Royal Hawaiian Band perform once again, this time at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in the performance grove, what a great location for a concert.

Of course there has been the Tuesday and Thursday ukulele lessons, many walks and morning coffee on the beach.

Friday we did a walk right around the base of Diamond Head, we have done this walk in past years and it was always just the two of us walking for most of it, however it was definitely busier this year with a lot more people out hiking.

We have always gone clockwise around the base as you get the nicest views of the ocean coming around the back side of Diamond Head starting towards the west. The first part of the hike is through a residential and business district, then you walk through some park area, past the Diamond Head Park entrance, then past the Military Reserve Center, past some more residential areas on the hillside of Diamond Head and then the cliffs of the ocean heading back to Waikiki. Some pretty amazing views and homes. You definitely get a different view of Diamond  Head from walking around it and from all angles than the traditional one most folks see in he pictures from Waikiki Beach.

Many forget that during WWII Diamond Head Crater was a military observation post and so on both sides of the only road that goes around the crater are the two original stone guard houses.

It’s pretty good hike and with a couple stops for water and a snack it takes the better part of 2 1/2 hrs and at one point there is a sign warning of “Fallen Rocks”. Now, this got us to thinking, if the rocks had already fallen why did we need to be warned…….. shouldn’t the sign saying “Falling Rocks”????

Later that night there were the weekly Friday night fireworks at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

On Saturday we attended a free Concert/Jam Session in the International Market Food Court. The main performer was a lady by the name of Melveen Leed who was a back up singer to Frank Sinatra years ago. Accompanying her was Tito Bernibos on rhythm guitar. This lady is a professional and what a performer and a talent. She played and sang and the place was packed. we will definitely go back next Saturday.

At points throughout the show she has guests come up from the audience to jam with her and she accompanies them on her keyboard. One Japanese gentleman, who we met through ukulele lessons was a guest performer this week. He was hilarious and actually quite talented. He started by playing a Japanese Mandolin, then moved on to his Harmonica and finally played a song with his Ukulele. He wasn’t the strongest musician, but he was energetic and he was having fun; plus he had the audience in stitches with his facial expressions as did Melveen when he would change key in he middle of a song and she would have to adapt.

Finally we headed over to the Hyatt Regency Courtyard fountain area where they were wrapping up a 3 hr. Ukulele Contest. Performers of all ages and from a number of countries were in attendance. The second to last performers were a couple of local kids about age 12 and  15 years old and they were fantastic. They took Ukulele playing to a whole new level. Their final number was the theme song to Hawaii 5-0, it was amazing. What a great setting and a great crowd, pictures don’t do it justice.

So, lots of fun here and lots more fun to have.

Sunday morning we walked over to Kapiolani Park to see the Royal Hawaiian Band perform.

The band was formed in 1836 by King Kamehameha III and is the longest serving community band in the United States and they perform at 300 concerts, parades, etc. each year. The band consists of about 40 musicians and singers.

They opened the show with conch players and a traditional Hawaiian anthem. However, today’s performance was part of the Vietnamese New Year Celebration that is going on throughout Waikiki. This included an all day celebration in Kapiolani Park with food vendors, kids activities and entertainment.

Today’s band performance included a number of traditional Hawaiian songs, some newer age popular Hawaiian tourist type songs and then some Vietnamese traditional military songs or anthems. In fact the band claimed they were the only band in the United States who practiced and performed Vietnamese music.

As part of the show number of gentlemen from the audience came on stage to sing. Well let’s just say they would have trouble “carrying a tune in a paper bag”. In fact the Vietnamese Master of Ceremonies admitted that they had not practiced with the band prior to today; but they gave it their best and they tried. Definitely proud Vietnamese people.

The celebration also included a Lion Dance. Vietnamese custom and tradition is to give the Lion a gift and in return it will bring you good luck for the next year. The gift was a $1 from every person that was watching and I think the good luck today went to the Lion 😉