July 14, 2011 -- SIENNA, ITALY. We set off for Sienna today by way of the train. Sienna is about 1.5 hours from Francesco's house in near Follonica. The station was very small with only a ticket machine to help us. With the instructions in Italian, it took us -- and Francesco -- a few minutes to figure out how to get a ticket. But get one we did, and were able to board the train at around 9:45 this morning.

Once we got to the train station in Sienna, Linda and I found the Tourist Information desk, got a map, had a bit of coffee and then set off for the city. It's about a 30 minute walk up and over a sizable hill. The city is quite beautiful and very modern. There is a combination of little streets winding through the city as well as wider more modern boulevards. We decided to stick to the smaller streets to as to see the various shops and people.

We wandered into the city and finally found what I think is the main square, the Piazzo Del Campo. There is a beautiful fountain in the square which dates back to 1419,

but the square itself was, once, as an open market that was established before the 13th Century. Needless to say, the surrounding buildings were beautiful and the square itself is an imposing space of commerce and activity.

Part of the adventure was to continue into one of the side streets to the left of the square. We continued exploring away from the Piazza up a bit of a hill and into a more residential part of the Sienna. At one point, Linda spotted a sign to a "Sinagogue" and we ventured in that dir

ection. The sign invited to knock on the door and ask for a tour, but there was no reply. We stuck around for a few minutes, knocked a few more times, but to no avail. So, we continued walking farther into the city.

At one point we found a neat fountain and took a bit of a rest. Right around the corner was "Conad City" which turned out to be a super market, so we went inside for some yogurt, fruit and cold drinks.

We found our way back to the train station about an hour early and visited a "Galleria" across the street. Lots of neat shops. Once we were back in the station, we met a couple of "kids" who has just married in Palm Desert!! They live in Irvine and were on their honeymoon in Tuscany and the rest of Italy. Small world, isn't it??

When it was time to get onto the train back to Montepescali, we were surprised that the train

one "one car only"!! About a dozen people got onto the train and we enjoyed a quiet ride back to where Francesco picked us up. All in all, our impression of Sienna is that it a most beautiful, cosmopolitan and charming city. The combination of shops, streets, history and people make it a perfect place to be. I, for one, felt it would be easy to live in such a delightful city.

July 13, 2011 -- Today we were off to Pisa by train. Francesco and I spent the morning working on one of his telescopes and fooling around with one of his computers. The challenge is make his "wireless connection" work -- but we did succeed.

At around noon, we boarded a train for Pisa. It takes about an hour and a quarter. Once there, we found the Tourist Information Desk and got a map of the city. It was about a 35 minute walk to the Tower and Duomo area of the city. The construction took place over a period of 177 years and began in 1173! It's a beautiful structure made mostly of white marble. It is the bell tower for the Cathedral which is located nearby.

Pisa is a beautiful city with lots of nice shops and restaurants. The river Arno runs prominently through the center of town -- and it was busy with boat traffic and other forms of commerce.

On our way back to the train station, Linda and I stopped at a cyber cafe for a quick fix of email and Facebook. We also found a delightful falafel shop and enjoyed a bit of lunch. Tomorrow we "may" go to Sienna or Montealcino. In a couple of days we'll be off to Florence, Venice and points north -- but that's a blog entry for another day.....

More to come..

Wednesday, July 13, 2011. We arrived in Follonica around 3 p.m. and met my friend Francesco at the station. A short ride, about 10 KM, and we pull up to his home in the Tuscan mountain-side overlooking Follonica. It's a remote, quiet and beautiful setting. Like me, Francesco is an amateur astronomer and has several interesting telescopes. We have a number of other interests in common, including electronics, an old camera collection and technology in general.

Francesco's far covers quite a bit of acerage -- although I'm sure sure how much. But he does have an olive tree orchard with about 200 trees. The olives are harvested yearly and made in olive oil at a local "refinery". Francesco keeps some and sells the rest. He also has a substantial solar-power system that provides him with much of his electrical needs. The excess is sold to the city. Francesco tells me that his energy use is quite low and he will actually make some income from the effort. Pretty neat.

After a delightful dinner, we went into the small village Gavarrano on the top of the hill. The majority of the buildings are several hundred years old and the streets are narrow and winding. There is a working mine in the side of the hill that provides the area with income from pyrite. We got back to Francesco's placed around 10:30 p.m. and after an interesting discussion about some communications equipment he bought in the U.S., we hit the sack around 11:30 or so

.

Tomorrow we have train tickets for Pisa, so keep tuned..... More to come.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011. Since this was our last day in Rome, we decided to take a tour bus around the city. We thought we'd see all of it without having to walk too much. So, we decided to take one of those double-decker tour buses around the city. This was the way to go. We stopped at the Trevi Fountain again, this time to get a better picture of ourselves and had the fortune to meet a nice couple of folks from the U.K. on holiday for a few days.

As we were leaving, we stopped at a neat little cafe called the News Cafe and struck up a conversation with the "bar tend". He was most enjoyable, and we exchanged pleasantries. His name is Chris. Chris and I decided we'd become "friends" on Facebook, so

I gave him my Facebook user name. Since it continues to pretty warm in Rome, Linda and I enjoyed a couple of beers while Chris put out a nice serving of patatoe chips as a snack.

We boarded the tour bus again and made our way back to the Termini and hotel area. After checking in with Francesco via email, we found we needed to leave the city in the morning and head into Tuscany. Francisco said that "Tuesday would be better for him". Linda and I had decided we need to sample "pasta" while in Rome, so we found our friend Riccardo and asked about a good restaurant. Luck would have it that his commendation was just around the corner just a couple of blocks away, so off we went. By now it was around 7:30 p.m. or so. Riccardo told us to ask for "Mario"...

We found "Fraginetto Restuarant" in short order and introduced ourselve

s to Mario the owner. After explaining we wanted authentic Italian food, Mario said "I'lla take care of you" and brought Linda and bowl of lasagna and me some linguine con mare (linguine with fish). The food was great and we enjoyed a nice bowl of fruit to end the meal.

So, tomorrow we'll be on our way to Follonica, stay tuned..

Rome, July 10. Linda and I started out the day with a nice breakfast in a nearby bistro. The food in Italy -- Rome at least -- is quite a bit different than at home. The eggs are similar but cooked differently. After going to the Roma Termini, we asked the folks where there was an English language movie house in the city. They found one for us, and we plan to take in a movie at 5:30 this evening. It should be cooler and comfortable.

We bought a day-pass on the bus/subway lines and made our way to the Vatican for a visit to the Pope. You may recall that last time I was in Rome, I met the Pope face-to-face. That didn't happen this time, but we did get to see much of the Vatican and wandered the grounds for a couple of hours. There was a nice shaded area where it was cooler and more comfortable in the heat.

At about 2 p.m. we wandered back into the Ottaviana section and I was able to locate the falafal shop I had found in 2008. The shop has been there for about 6 years and it was petty much the same. Linda and I had a neat falafal sandwich in pita bread and it was ju

st delicious. It's about the best falafal I've tasted anywhere. After we jumped the train for a ride to the Spagna station to try to find the movie theater.

As is the case, the maps are good but not great -- but after a bit we were able to find the theater and saw we were a bit early. No problem -- an hour at the local air conditioned cafe with a couple of beers hit the spot perfectly. At about 5:00 we found our way back to the movie house. A couple of minutes later, the line started to build up,

and we struck up conversations with all of those around us. One women was living in Rome working for the U.N. food program. Another couple had lived in Rome for 20 years

or so. Even though they maintained their U.S. citizenship, they found Rome a great place to live -- although, they said, it was a bit expensive. Still, they loved it in Italy.

After the movie (we saw The Conspirator with Robin Wright), we walked to Piazza Venezia and boarded a bus back to the Termini and hotel. Dinner was light but refreshing and we got to sleep around 10:30 after a very busy day. Tomorrow we plan to do our laundry and then enjoy the city from one of the many double-decker tour buses.

Today turned out to be very hot -- about 85 or 90-degrees. Since Linda and I were covering much of our day on foot, it made for a lot of "stops and hydration!!" -- in other words we sat and drank lotsa water...

Our first stop was the church at San Pietro in Vincoli to see the only Michaelangelo outside of the Vatican in Rome. It's the "horned Moses"and was, if I'm correct, completed in 1515. The sculpture is just beautiful -- it clearly understood why the Pope's of the day wanted Michaelangelo to complete a v

ariety of work -- including the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

We had tickets to gain entrance to the Coloseum at noon, so we made our way there and spent a hour or a bit more wandering the ancient structure. Lemme tell ya, there was a hugh crowd of people there, and by buying our tickets on-line, we didn't have to stand an hour or

more in line.

After looking at the map, we found that the Jewish section, the Synagogue and Hare Krisna Temple were a short walk, so we set off to find all three of these sights.

One thing about the tourist maps of Rome is they are incomplete! I figured it would be an easy walk to this section of town, but after a couple of twists and turns, we found ourselves lost in the neighborhood. We were "close", but couldn't find our way to the specific streets we needed. Luck would have it w

hen we saw an older man walking with groceries toward his home. A quick question or two -- with a complete explanation of where we needed to be was forthcoming. Of course, his instructions were in ITALIAN, but we pretended we understood him and finally found our way. It took three more questions, including one to a local traffic cop, for us to find our way.

All in all, it was worth the journey. The heat has been pretty oppressive over the past day or so, but by taking it slow, we're able to get along OK.

We made our way back to the hotel by bus at around 3 p.m. It's interesting to note that riding the bus in Rome is a test in endurance and patience. Today being Saturday, the buses were very crowded, so even though we bought a ticket, we didn't get close enough to the "validation" machine to have to use them. It seems that most bus riders in Rome don't pay, they just hop on and hop off!! Yet, the system seems to wok, the buses are on time, and if you can stick it out, you'll get where you want to go -- with a ticket to use another day!!

So, either tomorrow or Monday we'll head off to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. We plan to head up north to Follonica on Tuesday or Wednesday.

As always reader -- more to follow.....

Linda and I landed at the Rome Airport at around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday 7/8/11 and took the train to the Roma Termini. Our lodgings were 4 blocks from the Termini and we found them without too much trouble. It turns out the Roma Termini is a great location, central to lots of little shops and cafe's -- and all the transportation options one needs to get around Rome.

After a good night sleep (we hit the sack at around 5 p.m.!!) we got up around 9 on Friday and set out for a day of sightseeing. After finding a neat little "super market" and getting our lunch and snacks for the day, we headed over to the Trevi Fountain. Remember "Three Coins in a Fountain" and "Roman Holiday" -- well, it's the same really cool fountain. The fountain is +500 years old, founded and built for Pope Urban in 1629 or so. Neat. The water was clear and cool -- cold actually -- and with the ambient temperature around 85-degrees, it felt really great getting wet.

We spent about an hour there, threw some coins in the fountain met a couple of neat couples from Canada and Venice California. It's easy to meet people when you offer to "take a photo for them" so they can both be in the picture. We had a great time. It was off for a walk and found a neat cafe where we enjoyed some of Rome's finest coffee!!

Then it was off to the Pantheon. Now here's a rare and beautiful building -- built I am told -- in 27 B.C.E. The tourbook we bought describes it as the largest free standing masonry dome built. Inside it lighted by a huge central opening/window in the center top of the dome. We were able to sit for a while and enjoy the cool inside.

After wondering some more, we stopped and enjoyed some "thin crust pizza" cooked Roman style and a couple of beers. We sat outside and enjoyed people-watching as well as good conversation. After, we struck out on foot and intended to walk back to the Termini -- but,good sense urged us onto a bus and we made it back in style in one of Rome's many motor-coaches.

So, we're more or less done for the day. We'll go out this evening and explore the neighborhood around the hotel and Termini, maybe visit one of the neat cafe's for a beer or gelato flavors in the street-side vendors. Tomorrow we plan to hit the Colosseo and find the one Michelangelo that it "outside the Vaitcan".

More to come........

Some interesting new developments for our trip to Italy have occurred since my last posting. My friend Sam, manager of Scope City in San Francisco, introduced me to Francesco who lives near Grosetto and Follonica in Italy. Francesco is a retired physicist with an interest in astronomy and telescopes. On a recent trip to the United States, Francesco and his wife had occasion to stop in Scope City and was introduced to me via telephone. We exchanged a couple of emails, and a few days later he and his wife were able to stop by my place in Palm Desert. We had a great visit, talked about my telescope building efforts and amateur astronomy in general. Francesco went on to invite Linda and I to his home in Italy. He further offered to take us on a personal and guided tour of the Tuscany area!! Francesco offered us the use of one of his cars for a few days! What a treat this will prove to be...

As the trip to Italy gets closer, the itinerary is beginning to materialize. It's clear that we'll be travelling to Rome and then to the north. Switzerland is a short train ride away, so a trip there should be in the offing. Additionally, we've decided to make our way to Munich so we can take a side trip to Dachau. Dachau, for those of you who may not know, is the infamous "slave labor" camp run by the Nazi's during WWII. The camp was opened in 1933 and continued in operation until it was liberated by the Allies in 1945. The camp is now a museum located outside the city of Dachau.

More later.....

May 1, 2011: This will prove to be an interesting summer. During the month of July, I'll be travelling with my friend Linda to Italy for 30 days. We'll fly into Rome for a week then travel throughout the country. We'll visit Tuscany, Rome (of course), Solarno, Naples, Milan, Pisa, Florence, Venice and much more. It's possible we'll get into southern France and Germany, but that's up in the air right now.

As was the case with my last EU trip in 2008, I'll be carrying a computer with me. I'll post to this blog every day with comments about our travels and pictures. So, stay tuned. More to follow....

Now that I'm back in the United States, I've had a chance to think about the places I've visited over the last two months. It has been quite an adventure. I spent the first 10 days moving around England and much of France with my friend Roger Sims. I cannot express enough, my thanks to Roger and Helen for the kind hospitality. Their sons, Nickolas and Robert and delightful young men, and it was a pleasure getting to know them better.

Once I was on my own, I made my way from place to place by rail. For those of you who plan any travel throughout Europe, I can highly recommend the Eurail pass. I was able to go to many of the European Union countries without any problems, never having to show my passport and only having to pay a small additional "fee" occasionally. Otherwise, all train travel was covered, which by the way included some of the underground (subway) systems in many of the cities. In every case, the people in the train stations, information bureaus and tourist bureaus were kind, courteous and helpful. If there was a "language problem", there was always someone who helped. I did my best at learning some of their language and the "locals" were always grateful and humorous.

In many ways, when something did go wrong, it was part of the adventure. For example, on my way to Pompeii, I missed the stop and went too far. The next stop was Solarno, a beautiful Italian city on the Mediterranean Sea. I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours there waiting for the next train back to Pompeii.

Importantly, one must not take themselves too seriously. Many times I laughed at myself for some reason or another. The second time I broke my camera, for example, it cost me a couple of $, but it was fun to seek out a store, find the camera department and explain what I wanted.

Many of the countries I visited were battlegrounds just a few years ago. Now their communities are thriving and prosperous. Many people are multi-lingual, educated and well traveled . Generally, the average workweek is 35 hours and most Europeans get 25 days or more vacation per year. Most of the countries I visited have universal health care systems, and while there are always "pros and cons" about subjects such as these, it seems better to have a health safety-net than nothing at all.

In my opinion, the most beautiful cities were Paris, Budapest, Vienna and Krakow. The most interesting was Rome. The most delightful was Amsterdam. The most friendly people were the English, French and Dutch. The cities I would visit again -- ALL of them. I can't think of one city that disappointed me.

Here's a list of the countries and cities I visited.

United Kingdom
Stroud
Gloucester
Stratford upon Avon
London
Portsmouth

France
Le Havre
Bayeux
Jonchery
Dijon
Paris

Italy
Pisa
Rome
Verona
Pompeii
Salerno
Florence
Venice
Murano

Germany
Munich
Mittenwald
Berlin
Dachau
Potsdam

Czech Republic
Prague
Terizen
Kunta Hora

Hungary
Budapest

Austria
Vienna
Innsbruck

Hungary
Krakow
Auschwitz
Warsaw

Holland
Amsterdam

Belgium
Brugge
Brussels
Antwerp

I've enjoyed keeping this blog. It's a reminder of my experiences along the way -- an experience I will not soon forget. So, until the next adventure -- Ciao... Dennis

Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam Holland. I awoke to a strange email saying that British Airways had canceled my flight. No more explanation, except it was an aircraft that could not be maintained. But, there were no suggestions, no telephone numbers, and the only hyperlink was broken!! So, needless to say, British Airways was on "my list" -- if you get my meaning!!

After trying a couple of things on the Internet, I called the travel insurance company, Access America. They bailed out on me by saying that, if the airline cancels a flight, it's not covered with their insurance. If I incurred any additional costs, it would be between me and the airline. So, for those of you who are planning a trip here or there, my suggestion is NOT to take the most expensive insurance. Just get the "health" section of the policy in case something hapens to you. Oh, they did offer to help for for an "additional charge", but after spending more than $500 on travel insurance, and thinking I was covered, I declined their offer. Thanks again Access America.

Jennifer and I went to the airport as planned. She went to find her flight (we traveled separate airlines) and I set out to find a British Airways agent. It didn't take long, although there was no signage for me to follow. The airport information desk was helpful and I found the ticket counter was nearby. To British Air's credit, they did offer me 2 flights -- one to Paris and then to LAX on Air France and one on KLM directly to LAX. Needless to say I took the KLM non-stop and will in LAX at the same time my canceled flight would have been there. So, what started out as a potental disaster turned out ok, and I'm pleased with the outcome.

The plane starts boarding at noon and it's around 11:40 a.m., so I'm at the gate. So, with boarding time close at hand, I'll sign off and continue this at a later time.

I arrived at LAX at 3:10 p.m. By the time I cleared customs it was 4 p.m. and our friend Dianne was there to pick me up. She suggested we wait around for Jennifer to arrive at 7 p.m., we went went to a local restaurant and enjoyed some soup and conversation.

Jennifer and I arrived home at 8:30 p.m. or so. We had left for the Amsterdam airport at 8:15 that morning, but the time difference is plus 9 hours. By the time we walked in the door we had been up and in transit for 19 or 20 hours. Ten minutes later, I was "out cold". As I reflect on my last 2 months of travel, it's hard to believe it has come to and end. At the beginning of the trip, it seemed like it would go on forever! Of course, all good things come to a close, and in many ways, I'll be glad to be getting back to the U.S. and the routine I've set for myself.

Ciao for now....

Monday, June 30, 2008 Amsterdam Holland. Jennifer and I were up and out early today, around 9 a.m. After a continental breakfast at the hotel, we made our way over to the market area. I needed to have some laundry done, and there was a vendor there who would do the work for me. For a couple of extra Euros, my clothes were washed, dried and folded. We walked along the street-market for a bit, bought a gift or two and then decided to make our way to the Jewish Museum in downtown Amsterdam.

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to walk. I was surprised to find that, when walking straight along the street and not following the tram tracks, it only took us around 20 minutes to get to the museum. We paid our entry fee and each of us got an audio tour. The museum was originally a synagogue dating back to 1671. After the Second World War, the synagogue lay unattended and in disrepair, but in 1989 the building was renovated and the museum opened its doors. Although it is not the first Jewish museum that has been in Amsterdam, it is now the only one in the city. The collection is about Jewish life in Amsterdam from the late 17th century to present. Jennifer and I spent around 2 1/2 hours going through the collection thoroughly.

As we left the museum, we noticed the Amstel Diamond building across the canal. Jennifer recalled that there were tours given, so we took our chances and went to the front door. We gained entrance and, yes indeed, we were given an introduction to the cutting, polishing and setting of diamonds. We stayed around 45 minutes. On the way back into the center of town, we stopped at a coffee shop on Rembrandtplein for some coffee and conversation.

We thought it would be a good idea to get the train ticket for the journey to the airport tomorrow morning. We both need to be there early. I went ahead to the train station while Jennifer checked out one of the many beautiful stores along the canal. We met 45 minutes later and decided we'd take a tour of Amsterdam by canal. So, we found a canal boat to our liking and spent the next hour going around the city from that perspective. It was a warm and delightful day, and being on the water was just the perfect end a day of sightseeing.

By 6 p.m. we were back at the laundry, I picked up my clothes and we decided to go to our favorite tapas restaurant for dinner and drinks. The restaurant is called Pilsvogel, and we liked it so much that we've gone back 3 times now. This was our last evening in Amsterdam and we wanted to enjoy a good meal, talk about our experiences together and pursue one of our favorite passtimes -- people watching!!

So, tomorrow it's to the airport and back to reality. What a wonderful 9 days in Amsterdam. What an absolute wonderful 2 months in Europe. It's hard to believe it is coming to an end, but while these kind of trips always do -- there's always next year.

Bye for now....

Sunday June 29, 2008 Amsterdam Holland. Today was a most unusual day, as Jennifer and got up at around 1 p.m.!! After running around Amsterdam for the week and going off to Brugge then Brussels and Antwerp, we must've needed the sleep. As we were leaving the hotel, we rented 2 bicycles and set out to explore a bit. At first, we stayed in the immediate vicinity of the hotel to get used to riding a two-wheeler again! We zigged and zagged, but finally got our bearings.

We set off to find some breakfast and rode over to the marketplace, and weren't surprised to find the market closed as it was Sunday. But there was a restaurant or two open and we chose one we had seen over the past few days. We sat down outside and had some coffee to get started. As we enjoyed the morning, I struck up a conversation with a couple of young folks at the next table, and after a couple of minutes asked them if they'd like to join us. They did.

Daniel and Martine are delightful young folks from London. They had flown to Amsterdam for a weekend holiday and stopped at the restaurant for breakfast. We spent the next 3 hours laughing, exchanging stories, exploring ideas about travel, politics and the European Union. The food was good too. Toward the end of our visit together, we exchanged the promise to email each other, and I gave Daniel my blog and website information. Jennifer and I both hope they'll be in touch, and we feel we made some friends during our time here.

We jumped back on the bikes again and headed out of the city. At first we stayed on quiet streets and it didn't take long for us to get into more residential areas of the city. The homes were large and beautiful and we were sure we found the "high rent" district of Amsterdam. We continued along one of the canals for a good time and kept going away from the hotel for around 45 minutes or so. We decided to turn around and head back. Between Jennifer and I we were able to return directly to the hotel area without any problems.

As we were riding back to the hotel, it was around 6 p.m., we thought it'd be fun to check out the cinema and see "In Bruges" with Colin Ferrell and Ralph Finnes. We figured that, because we had been there, In Bruges would be a great film to see together. We locked the bicicyles near the tram and took the short ride into town. We bought tickets for the 19:15 (7:15 p.m.) showing and decided to find a coffee shop while waiting for the film to start. It wasn't a far walk to a nice shop on Rembrandtplein before Jennifer and I were enjoying a nice cup of coffee and enjoyed and some of Amsterdam's finest . . .

Back at the hotel we checked in the bicycles and then made our way back to our favorite "tapas" restaurant. It was the final game of the Euro2008 Cup with Germany and Spain as the finalists, so we sat outside to watch the game. There was about 20 minutes to go. A couple of beers and a dish of olives capped off a most enjoyable day. We both realized that tomorrow, June 30, is our last day in Amsterdam. The time has gone too quickly, but we agreed we've had a wonderful visit to this most wonderful city.

Saturday, June 28, Amsterdam Holland with day trips to Brussels and Antwerp. We were up early again this morning so as to make an 8:59 a.m. train to Brussels. Unlike the train to Brugge yesterday, this one did not require a train change, and we rode straight through. We got to Brussels around noon and found our way to the tourist information center. As it turns out, the tourist office was outside the train station in a large square. It was a 5 minute walk there.

Our initial impression of Brussels is that it is beautiful European city with lots of little streets that wind themselves here and there. Brussels is a large city with more than one million people living there. It is the administrative heart of the European Union. Brussels is considered the "defacto" capital of Belgium. It is also the home of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

After our stop at the tourist information office, we were armed with a map of the city and learned that much of what we wanted to see was nearby. We went deeper into the city, following cute little streets with lots of shops and restaurants. Earlier in the day, it was obvious that it had rained, but now the sky started to clear and the sun began to warm us. We explored for about an hour before taking some time for a quick snack of won-ton soup and some tea.

As we continued our explorations, we happened onto the formation of a parade. We asked what the occasion was, and were told that it was a parade in celebration of "Meyboom". Meyboom is a Belgian holiday celebrating a "feat of arms" in the 14th Century. Meyboom means "tree of joy" and the celebration takes place with the planting of a tree on the 9th of August. The parade is complete with brass bands and giant puppets. Jennifer and I watched the parade, with the giant puppets and all, and were told it was a "pre-planting celebration". We followed the parade back into the heart of the city.

By now it was around 3:30 and we decided to take the train back to Antwerp for a look around there too. We boarded the train and we arrived in Antwerp after an hour journey. There was an orchestra playing some delightful music at the train station, so we stopped and listened until they packed up their instruments and left.

As we left the train station and started walking along one of the main streets, we noticed a cinema and decided to take a look. We enjoyed a showing of "Made of Honor" and then continued exploring the city for the next hour or so. Antwerp is a beautiful city, as well, and has a population of around 470,000 people. We were limited in our time and stayed on the main streets most of the time. Unlike Brussels, Antwerp didn't seem to have the many twisty streets, but we may have missed those sections altogether.

Jennifer and I headed back to the train station so as to make the 7:59 train to Amsterdam and got back into the city around 10:30. It was just getting dark and we were tired, so we made our way back to the hotel for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we plan to rent some bicycles, visit the Jewish Museum and explore more of the city. We also want to take a boat ride on the canals before we have to leave on Tuesday.

Ciao for now.....

Friday, June 27, 2008, Amsterdam Holland. After such a long day yesterday, Jennifer and I got a late state this morning and left the hotel at 10:30 a.m. I needed to buy a sweatshirt, so went went to the outdoor market not far from the hotel. The market is called the Albert Cuypmarkt and is the best known and busiest in Amsterdam. It's around 4 or 5 blocks long along a nice section of town. After an hour or so, I was the owner of a new sweat-shirt with a hood. Perfect for the cool evenings in the city.

We decided we'd see the Old Portuguese Synagogue, or "Esnoga", near the center of the city and took the tram in that direction. This is a truly old building dating back to its construction in 1671. The Synagogue is named for the fact that the Jewish community was expelled from Spain. They went to Portugual and finally Amsterdam in the early 17th century. As Spain and Holland were friendly countries, the Jews called themselves "the Portuguese Jews" to eliminate their immigration problems. Before 1940 there were approximitly 200,000 Jews living in Holland. Now there are around 20-25,000 Jews still in the country.

Jennifer and I went across the street to the Jewish Museum, but since it was going to close in 1 hour, we decided to see it on Sunday. We're also planning to rent bicycles from the hotel on Sunday as well, so that should be lots of fun. Amsterdam is a big city, geographically, but all of the sights are in a relatively small area, so bicycles will be a great mode of transportation for the day.

We headed back to our "favorate" tapas restaurant for a touch of dinner at around 6 p.m. and thought we'd see if there was a cinema we could see. A short tram ride back into the city center and we were at the Pathe Cinema looking for a film. We decided to see It Happened in Las Vegas with Ashton Kushner and Cameran Diaz. It was a thoughly delightful romantic comedy and we had a great time.

So, as reported, tomorrow we're on to Brussells.

Ciao...

Thursday, June 26, 2008, Amsterdam, Holland day trip to Brugge Belgium. Today we were up early in order to get an 8:59 train to Brugge. The train took us to Antwerp where we changed trains and arrived in Brugge Centraal at 12:25 p.m. (the train station in Antwerp was especially beautiful, particularly the old station).

Click HERE to see where Brugge is located. Brugge is the Dutch spelling. Sometimes, it can be spelled "Bruges"

Jennifer and I found the tourist office easily and we were armed with a map of the city and a good idea about what to do next. We decided to take the 15 minute walk into the center of town. The weather in Belgium was as elsewhere, sunny, cheerful and promised us a delightful day.

As we walked into the city, we could see that Brugge is a beautiful place. The clean streets and charming buildings were all around us. The center of the city is dominated by a large cathedral, so it was easy to make our way there. As we got closer into the center of town, we saw horse-drawn carriages and a canal boat or two filled with tourists enjoying the view and commentary from their respective guides. After spending some time here, it is clear that the tourist industry is a major part of Brugge's economy. It seemed that most of the shops, hotels and other attractions are clearly serving the tourist trade. We found the "belfry" (clock tower) in the center of the Grote Markt. Á large outdoor market was set up all around and was surrounded by restaurants and shops of every kind. At one point, Jennifer and I found the "Rodeo Drive" of the city exhibiting every high-end name in fashion and hotels.

Brugge is called the "Venice of the North", with its canals and adjacent waters used for transportation and commerce. The city was chartered in 1178 and the historic city center is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After looking into a few shops, and sampling some delicious Belgian chocolate, Jennnifer and I decided we'd take a canal tour. The tour boats are easy to find, and we chose one we liked, making sure there would be an English speaking guide. He spoke good English, as well as French and Spanish. During the tour we learned that a Belgian beer brewery was nearby, so we decided to go there after the boat ride.

We also wanted to see Michelangelo's "Madonna and Child" which is part of the art decoration in the "Church of Our Lady" and is believed to be the only the only Michelangelo sculpture to have left Italy during his lifetime. The church itself is a beautiful building with spires measuring 122 meters high. It is considered one of the tallest "brick" buildings in Europe. After viewing the sculpture, Jennifer and I sat in the serenity of the church for a short while.

As we left the church, we inquired about the brewery and found it was a short 2 streets away. We walked there and found we were just in time for a 4 p.m. tour of the old brewery and beer tasting. This is the last active brewery in Brugge, the Huisbrouwerij de Halve Maan (Half Moon) and was founded in 1856. While the beer is now brewed in a new facility outside the city, the old brewery is a museum, used for tours and a delightful pub. Our guide had a great sense of humor, clearly enjoyed her city and wound us up and down over 200 stairs of the old building. At one point, we were on the roof with a beautiful view of Brugge and its many historic buildings. As promised, the end of the tour included a glass of their beer.

By now is was getting a bit late, so Jennifer and I decided to make our way back to the train station for the 6:20 p.m. train back to Antwerp and then Amsterdam. We boarded the train on time, but due to a delay along the track, we missed our 7:59 connection and had to wait until 8:59 to board our train for Amsterdam. We got back into town at 11:30 p.m., just in time to make one of the last trams back to our hotel. We were tired and ready for a good nights sleep, but happy that we had enjoyed such a wonderful day exploring a part of Europe many people never see.

Tomorrow, Friday, we'll be enjoying Amsterdam. Saturday, we'll be off to Brussels for another day trip.

Ciao.....

Wednesday, June 25, 2008, Amsterdam, Holland. Jennifer and I were up at around 9:30 this morning and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before venturing out. We had decided yesterday to visit the Rijksmuseum (this is the National Museum of Holland). The museum houses the "Dutch Masters", including Rembrandt and Vermeer. It is located in the same "Museum Plein", or square, as the Van Gogh Museum and was an easy walk from the hotel. We purchased the "audio tour" and spent around 2 hours walking through the collection. Obviously, the artwork, silver work and other parts of the collection were very beautiful. The museum was built in 1885.

We then wandered into the city center, exploring the streets as they wound through delightful shops, across the canals and finally had a delightful Thai dinner in a small family-owned restaurant. At one point during the day we found ourselves outside the Heineken Brewery and expected to enjoy a tour. We were told that the tour included a beer-sampling session at the bar. Our luck ran out when we found that the brewery was closed for renovation and is expected to open later this sumer. Another good reason to return to Amsterdam.

We walked back to the hotel at around 9:30 p.m. It was still daylight, of course, and we stopped at another small coffee shop to enjoy a last cup of coffee before calling it a day.

Tomorrow we are on a day trip to Brugge in Belgium. It is around 3 hours by train, and from what we've heard Brugge is a most beautiful city. So, stayed tuned, and I'll report on that outing tomorrow evening.

'Til Later...

June 23/24, Monday/Tuesday, Amsterdam, Holland. It's been a quick couple of days! Jennifer arrived on Monday and after a bit of jet-lag napping, we were out and about for an exploratory walk around the city. Yesterday, though, we had a plan. After looking at the map, we decided we'd go to the Van Gogh Museum and then see what happened next. As it turns out, the museum isn't too far from the hotel, so we decided upon walking there.

We left the hotel, took a right turn and discovered a charming neighborhood of shops and activity. There was a large open market we found, as well, as walked through there slowly. Jennifer bought a pair of sun-glasses which promptly broke. We thought 'we'd go back today and change them for another pair.

It was around a 30 minute walk to the Van Gogh Museum and we paid our 10 Euros to get inside. It's a new and brightly lit building, and we took our time going through all 5 floors of artwork. There is art from a variety of artists, as well as Van Gogh. By the time we finished the Museum, we were determined to find a cup of coffee and headed toward a street across the "plein" from the museum. We enjoyed a tasty cup of coffee an Jennifer enjoyed a 30 minute shopping excursion to a couple of nearby stores.

We decided to find our way to the Anne Frank House, so we boarded a tram and headed toward the center of town. As we walked along one of the many canals in the city, we decided we needed to take a canal boat before we left Amsterdam. We plan to do that on Friday if not today. When we reached the Anne Frank House, we found there would be a 45 minute wait to gain entrance. We stood in line and was able to tour the house at around 4 p.m. The Anne Frank House is, of course, that which has been made famous by the book Diary of Anne Frank, the story of the Frank family's attempt to hide from the Nazi's in 1942. The family was later betrayed and was deported to various death camps in 1944. Otto Frank, the father, was the only survivor.

Later in the evening, we ventured back to the neighborhood by the hotel and found a great "tapas" restaurant for dinner. We liked it so well that we both thought having dinner there again was a good idea. We got back to the hotel round 10 p.m., after a completely delightful day in Amsterdam.

Bye for now.....

Monday, June 23, 2008, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I arrived yesterday by train and found my way to the hotel without any problems. I spent a couple of hours in the evening exploring a bit of Amsterdam. I set the alarm for 6 a.m. and got some sleep. Jennifer's plane was arriving at 7 a.m. and I wanted to meet her at the airport.

So, early this morning I boarded a tram for the central train station and then journeyed on to the airport. Jennifer's plane arrived at 7:30 and we said our first "hello" at 8 a.m. or so. We found our way back to the hotel and enjoyed the hotel's continental breakfast together. At around 11 a.m. we went back into central Amsterdam and explored a bit of the city. At one point, we went into the train station and arranged for train tickets to Brugge and Brussels. We will be going to these cities on Thursday and Saturday respectively.

We both faded around 3 p.m. but an hour nap helped that considerably. We were off again, this time exploring the neighborhood round the hotel. There are canals in each direction and we found a number of cute shops to visit. We made our way into central Amsterdam again. We found a great little Italian restaurant for dinner, enjoyed a coffee and cappuchino at one of the many coffee houses and returned to the hotel at around 10 p.m. Amsterdam is far enough north so that it doesn't get dark untl around 11 p.m. at this time of year. More daylight for enjoying the city and its many attractions.

Tomorrow we'll do more of the "tourist" kind of things, including a visit to the Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum.

Saturday, June 21, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Amsterdam is HERE.

OK, so when did I complain last? Never, right? Oh sure, I broke a couple of cameras, but so what!! Anyway, that's expected. I boarded the train at 12:48 p.m. from Berlin to Amsterdam and had a great ride. When we reached the German/Holland border, we were told there would be a 15 minute stop-over. If we'd like to stretch our legs, feel free. I got off the train and took a breather.

It turns out that, at the border, the train locomotive changes from a German engine to a Dutch one. So, what the heck, I walked over and watched. It was neat to watch the huge locomotive uncouple and the new one attach to the train. Meanwhile, the engineer was leaning out of the big cab, so I asked him if he'd take a picture of the inside with my camera. "Come on in," he said. "Take a picture, it'll be fine". So, I did. Then, the conductor blows his whistle and we're ready to leave. The engineer says "you'd better get back to your compartment". So, I put my camera away climb down the 3 steep steps to the platform. I'm feeling a bit rushed, so I jump the last step, land on just fine, and my right calf muscle decides to cramp!!

I'm still not complaining, am I?? I hobbled back to the first car, got into my compartment, rubbed my calf muscle and 2 hours later we're in Amsterdam Central Train Station. Except now, I'm limping!! Geeez. I've gone almost seven weeks of walking everywhere without one incident, and now I'm a gimp!! So, after I checked into the hotel in Amsterdam, I went back out and walked and then, walked some more. Oh I limp a little, but I am getting around, and I've decided nothing will stop me!! I may slow down a bit, but I ain't gonna stop.

Period!!!

Sunday morning update. A good nights sleep will do one wonders. I awoke this morning feeling pretty good -- and the muscle eased up considerably. So, maybe I ain't a "gimp" after-all!!