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Debra Kooy
Debra Kooy

Debra Kooy

traveled in 13 countries Read more🇨🇦Abbotsford
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  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    1
    113Trying the pannekeok1Julia, our friendly local who invited us in to see her home1Julia's main living roomTheir beautiful garden space1The restaurant Bonnie chose with Anthony in mind🥰Dinner at the HangarKing's Day celebrations. This is how many people are in the canals

    Amsterdam, disembarkment from Fluvius

    April 27 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We had our final breakfast on the Fluvius and said our goodbyes to new friends and fellow passengers. As everyone said, you bond with people, extend sincere invites to come visit in Canada and really hope they take us up on it because they were really wonderful people. I had a tearful goodbye with Joanne & Andrew too as they head for their next few days of adventures. We took an uber to our hotel, dropped off our luggage and headed out to walk around Amsterdam with Shaun & Tom. We took the free ferry across the Harbour to Amsterdam Central Station and found a cafe for coffee. Tom went to watch the Dutch Ajax football game while Shaun, Anthony & I explored the canals and Nine streets district. Along our strolling we met Julia and we stopped to chat and see if we could help her carry her soil i to her home. She ended up inviting us in to see her beautiful home on the canal dating back to the 1600's. She was so kind and toured us through and showed us their artwork, gardens and lovely spaces. A similar experience happened the last time we were in Amsterdam with Jacob.
    We walked and ferried back to our hotel area, checked in and met back with Bonnie, Ewan, Andy & Susie ( friends from Scotland). We had appies all together, including Hoge & Paula, Brad & Annalisa. We said goodbyes to Hoge & Paula who leave for Italy early am and headed for dinner at a restaurant called the Hangar booked by Bon. It was an incredible meal and such a unique space made to look like an airplane hangar. We were all tired and headed to our rooms. A great first day in Amsterdam.    Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    The boat all decorated for Kings Day
    Tompouce cakeReady for our ride. We got our orange on🧡!!!First Breuklen Bridge!! It was thefirst drawbridge of the day. The operator lifted it just for us👌One of the beautiful mansionsThe cheese farmOur samples😋😋A garden grandma, no gnomes here!!The two Millars who look after/operate the windmillThe design and function of the windmillTompouce cake for the passengers for King's DayComing into Amsterdam Harbour1A picture with Hanni, our eldest rider at 83, one of our guides, Arendina, and moi!!Celebrating our crew on our final night2Lunch in the garden on the canalArchimedes' screw from the original windmill. It lifts the water up & out to protect the polder.Arendina took a video of us riding. Such a cool vantage point

    Vianen to Amsterdam on King's Day

    April 26 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Vianen – Breukelen | Breukelen – Amsterdam 35 km

    During breakfast the barge cruised to Breukelen where we disembarked and started our final day of cycling. It is the Kings birthday and we all adorned our bikes with orange balloons, lays and some wore orange. Our guide shared a special vanilla cake called tompouce with cream and/ or custard and orange icing made available on Kings Day. Many towns, homes and locals were decorated or dressed in orange. We rode along the Vecht River in an area famous for its beautiful mansions, small castles and beautiful houses with large gardens and parks all along the canals. Throughout the day we rode over several draw bridges. After cycling through the villages of Nieuwersluis, Loenen and Vreeland we arrived at Nigtevecht where we visited a traditional cheese farm. The owner toured us around the farm and explained the cheese making process. We had our lunch in their garden on the canal and purchased cheese. We Continued cycling and stopped at a windmill where we met the 2 millars who look after the windmills. One of them showed us pictures of the construction and told us the history of it. We rode on through the historical town of Muiden and on to the outskirts of Amsterdam to board the boat for the final time. We sat on the upper deck as the Captain took us into the Amsterdam Harbour for our last dinner, speeches from the crew, reminiscing about the week of cycling and final night on the boat. This has been a really fun group of people to tour with.Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    1Kinderdijk with the 19 windmills along beautiful canals
    12The Dutchman with the windmillsA presentation at an original and working mill which is Unesco recognized b/c a Millar still runs itThe son of the millar telling us the history, precess and his philosophy of using organic grainsThe site of the Avro Lancaster plane crashOur Canadian group in front of the bent propellor1Our guided tour groupOur guidesLunch stop along a canal in SchoonhovenThe competition site for ditch/canal vaultingCity Hall from 14252Shenanigans back at the boat with Joanne1Starting the Kings Day celebrations1Belgian🇧🇪 beers cheers🍻4Photo by Arendina, our guide.1Our entertainment for the evening!

    Alblasserdam, Kinderdijk,Vianen

    April 25 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Dordrecht – Alblasserdam | Alblasserdam – Kinderdijk – Schoonhoven – Vianen (32 - 57 km)

    We took a quick ride to see part of Dortrecht, the oldest city in Holland before hopping on the fast ferry to Alblasserdam. From here we cycled to Kinderdijk, a village famous for its impressive row of 19 UNESCO cultural heritage-listed windmills. This was a highlight. There are 1100 windmills left and originally there were 9,000. The windmills were constructed in the 18th century to pump water out of the low Alblasserwaard polder (a polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments). They were also used to grind grain. We visited an original windmill from 1844 still using the original stones as well as an electric grinding motor. They follow traditional, organic milling to produce their grains. Today was my favorite cycle day. We had a sunny, but windy day. We wound our way through beautiful villages lining the canals. We saw immaculate homes and yards with a variety of styles. The thatched roofs are a favorite. We saw so many varieties of birds including huge white swans laying on their nests and so many hobby farms with horses, chickens & other animals. I would love to come back and stay in this beautiful area. We saw the site of an Avro Lancaster that crashed. This is the type of plane Andrew's dad flew in. We cycled via Schoonhoven, since the 17th century, nicknamed Silver City – is renowned for its talented silversmiths, though we oddly did not see a silver shop while walking around!! Our destination was Vianen, a small fortified town on the river Lek where we spent the evening, enjoying the sun, Belgian beers , debriefing the day, then another fantastic meal and live entertainment by a local accordian player and singer.Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    A photo from a boatmate of our guided group
    1Canadian War CemetarySo beautifulLunch break. Fun water break1The WatchtowerOur lunches we pack from the boat and always order a drink from the Cafe we stop at.Tholen City HallReady for Kings Day, April 27thLoved the bike!Very cool bike with a beautiful wood carriageReminded me of the houses in Halifax except these are pastel colorsBack to the boatThe crew and Captain line up our bikes on deckOur Captain ( in blue coveralls)pitches in each dayArendina & Joan debriefing our options for the evening and tomorrow's rideThe drawbridge we passed to dock for the nightThe last lock we passed through

    To Kreekkrak Locks, Tholen, Dortrecht

    April 24 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Antwerp – Kreekrak locks,| Kreekrak locks – Tholen | Tholen – Dordrecht  (20 - 45 km)

    This morning, the ship sailed along the Schelde-Rhine Canal and over the huge Kreekrak lock system prior to and as we were waking.. Our bicycle tour, 38 km,started through the beautiful “Wouwse Plantage” forest to Tholen, We really enjoyed the forested areas, farmlands and beautiful homes along the way, before a drink break. We visited a Canadian War Cemetary from WW Ii. It was beautifully kempt with flowers amongst the gravesites. The ages of many soldiers was on avg. 20 years. We were thankful to pay our respects. We rode through heavy winds today. We enjoyed seeing flocks of sheep and their babies, mares and their colts,& dogs in the cafes we visited! We had lunch at a unique Watchtower. Tholen once was an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many people fished for their living. Tholen today is connected to the mainland in various ways. It was decorated with orange flag streamers for the upcoming Kings Day celebrations. We visited the City Hall, town center and an old windmill. From Tholen we joined the ship again for a nice afternoon sail to Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in Holland. Halfway, the ship passed through the Volkerak lock system. We enjoy our conversations with our boatmates during the relax time before dinner.Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    Lady by the river statue1A castle we stopped atOur guides on the oldest iron bridge in Brussels or possibly the world!!De Waterbus we took into AntwerpeThe elevator down to the tunnel under the river from the 1930's1St Paul's ChurchOriginal paintings by Antoon Van Dyck1

    Bike&Boat: Dendermonde to Antwerpe

    April 23 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Dendermonde – Antwerp (50 - 55 km)

    Today we followed the Schelde River further downstream through the Temse region and the small village of Baasrode to Antwerp. This part of the route is along a beautiful and winding section of the Schelde which over the centuries held strategic importance for the Romans, Vikings, Spanish and Napoleon. Today was colder and we had rain off and on. We stopped for a drink and had the best hot chocolate with Belgian chocolate chips mixed into hot milk. We had a quick stop at a local museum to see the weaved purse collection from around the world. Next was a stop to see a mechanical butterfly on a village building. We wound our way through villages onto the dyke to see the statue of the lady by the river. Her body is curvy and meant to mirror the flowing of the river. We rode to see a tidal mill, the only one of its kind in Belgium. Then it was a 40 minute, wet, windy ride to lunch. At a farm museum and pub. Antwerp, our destination for the day, is a harbor city situated on the river Schelde famous for handling up to 80% of the world’s rough diamonds and is the birthplace of the famous painter Sir Peter Paul Rubens. There are many highlights in the city to discover including: the City Hall, one of several majestic buildings constructed during the Renaissance period, the historical City Square Grote Market, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Cathedral and the medieval Steen Castle. We arrived on the Waterbus and rode to the oldest underground and under the river bike tunnel which is 33m below and a half mile long. We took the elevator down and rode across and back to experience it. We visited the St Paul's Church outdoor garden with its statues and had a look inside at the original paintings of Rubens and Antoon Van Dyck. We rode 10 floors on escalators to see the view of Antwerpe from the top floor of a local building. We had a nice dinner all together then rode back to the ship.Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    Quick drink break, love this treed area
    1Beautiful castleThe Leap of Faith Sculpture2We are all taking a leap of faith!11Interesting artwork, love the hat on the deer!A quaint little church in the middle of farmlandsAll-encompassing sign for this roadwayHeavy traffic in the sky!Our ferry to the other side. Took longer to load than the ride over1The hole where the bell fell after the German bomb hit it1Our relax beers at the end of our dayDendermonde history. The bottom photo looks like something from Monte Python!!1Love this in our rooms❤️The bells ring every quarter hour

    Bike&Boat: Ghent to Dendermonde

    April 22 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We cycled downstream for 34 km through a diverse landscape along the tidal Schelde River to Dendermonde, a quiet little town, located at the junction of Dender and Schelde Rivers. We enjoyed the ride today which had beautiful suburban tree-lined streets and paths with gorgeous country homes, a variety of animals ( goats, horses, dogs, alpacas), a small church, another beautiful castle, and lunch at a park on a lake. Dendermonde has a beautiful town hall located in the main square. It also has a church which has the hole from the top to the lower floor where a German bomb hit the bell and the bell fell to the lower floor. We enjoyed a beer to end our day😀👌Evenings are fun because we chat with everyone about the day. We try to sit with different people for meals. There are many countries represented onboard.Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    1This was a memorial to thank the Canadians for support in a battle liberating against the Germans.
    1Our boat going under the bridge we rode toBolles used for Rolle Bolle gameOur teacher and Pub owner1A castle now uninhibited. It was a fortress in the Middle Ages. It has been renovated many timesWe love the old windmillsCity of Ghent1The Medieval CastleThe Ghent nose candy. They have a jelly-like filling. They are very sweetThe moodiness of the skyline. It did not rain on us!!The beautiful vaulted ceilings in the church2My poor attempt at Rolle Bolle. I didn't know which side was weighted, obviously!!1The main square in Ghent

    Bike&Boat: 60 km Bruge, Ghent, Beremeke

    April 21 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Our day starts with coffee, breakfast at 7:45. We pack a lunch and then meet out at the bikes for 9am. Today was a 60 km ride through the Flemish countryside. We ride single file with our large group. Our guide is at the front and sometimes, if just one guide, one of our group becomes the sweep. We are a big group so they remind us often about safety and rules of the road. We stopped at a cafe and we ordered a drink, coffee or beer!! For lunch today we stopped at a pub and ate our lunch with our beer. The couple who runs the pub have been there for 50 years. The owner taught us a game called Rolle Bolle. In 2022 the Rolle Bolle Club celebrated its 100th year. There are two small wooden stakes stationary in the ground, one at each end. The bolle is a weighted disc on one side, so it can curve. Closest to the stake gets the point. We had a fresh strawberry farm stop to sample. They were so sweet and red all the way through. We enjoyed riding in the countryside with wide open spaces. We arrived in Ghent, which has medieval churches and a castle. It is now a University Center. We walked around to the castle, into one of the churches, enjoyed a waffle and took lots of photos before biking 8 km to where the ship was moored. Our dinner is served around 6:30 followed by a debriefing of the next day's ride.Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    2
    1Another fun sculpture we came acrossArriving at the Fluvius1Our cabin for the next weekThe skull on the left of the arch represents what they did to Traitors in Medieval timesOur group for the test rideTest ride. The ring rode around Bruge is shaped like an egg! Appropriate for Easter 🐣The windmills were used to grind the grainA replica of a crane. Children were used to turn the wheels like a hamster wheel!1

    Day 3: Brugge & start of Bike&Boat Tour

    April 20 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Happy Easter 🐰🐣We woke and enjoyed a really nice Easter meal & Belgian chocolate treats with Joanne & Andrew, Paula & Hoge. A few of us walked to get supplies for the bike trip then we all met up at a cafe & patisserie for coffee and delicious baked goods. We collected our suitcases from our Airbnb and were able to thank our host in person before leaving to walk to our boat. We had a good long walk and reached the Fluvius for check-in. We are a large group of 12 from Abbotsford and our friends, Mary & Keith from the UK are here as well. We had a group briefing for boat safety and bike safety, then we prepped our bikes and did a test ride for 10 km. We practiced different road crossings and enjoyed riding along the outer canals passing old windmills & houseboats. On our return, we had a small break before dinner. They ring the bell to indicate the food is ready. We were introduced to the crew and Captain Niko. They are a culturally diverse crew from Tunisia, the Phillipines & Netherlands They encouraged us to sit with different people over the next week. We sat with Bon & Ewan, who we know, and a couple from Australia. After dinner our guides briefed us on our ride tomorrow, a bit of history of the area and the communication and photo sharing apps. We were back in our rooms by 9pm. We are excited for a long ride tomorrow to Ghent.Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    1Look how many steps on the upper red house....12Cute statue, very playful!1Nunnery1Lake Minnewater with Castle like building where we had beers on the patio1Hoge took a great group shot near our Airbnb1More steps, more wealth back in the day1Video credit to Andrew Snow, the lowest bridge we rode under1The Kissing Bridge

    Day 2 in Brugge, Belgium

    April 19 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today, we and the Snow's had a leisurely start to our day with a small breakfast "snack" & coffee then went to look for a breakfast Cafe. We meandered around the Market Square, Provincial Palace and the Kissing Bridge and then Burg Square before meeting up with the Windt's & Mackenzie's for a Canal Boat Tour. We had a 30 minute ride passing under many bridges and seeing the sites from the water. We learned that the greater the number of steps on the roofline of the houses indicated the wealth of the family. Next stop was Pur Chocolat, our new favorite Chocolate truffle spot, and on to see the white swans, then the Nunnery with the whitewashed dwellings and peaceful spaces.
    We took some photos by Minnewater Lake, walked around it to enjoy a beer on the Patio of the Restaurant on the Lake. We walked back to our Airbnb in time to meet Paula & Hoge, who just arrived in Belgium. We had some appetizers and drinks then walked for dinner where we tried traditional Flemish stew & shrimp croquettes. We ended our night with a walk to Market Square to see it lit up at night. Another fun day with friends🥰    Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    1Beautiful canals
    Medieval Belfry Tower11Oldest Pub in Brugge422Close call!!1They opened the Palace to the public & have everyday people 's photos amongst the Governors2Trying more Belgian beers2Unique facades141Old Fish Market3Market Square

    Brussels to Brugge

    April 18 in Belgium ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We took the train to Brugge today. Our lovely host, Catherine, picked us up from the station and drove us to her Airbnb. It is a beautiful 3 story home on the canal. We walked to the oldest pub in Brugge ( over 500 yrs) and had a quick bite. We then walked to the main Market Square and started a self-guided tour around the beautiful center. Brugge means bridge and there are many!! It dates back to 840-875. The building and facades are very old & charming. We met Shaun & Tom for dinner and tried more Belgian beers. We then walked to the old windmills on the canal then back to the Airbnb to greet Joanne & Andrew.Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    The Atomium, site of the Brussels 1958 World Expo
    1958!13Manneken Pis costume!!Just a few of the 1150 costumesStart of our self-guided Belgian Chocolate Tour😋1The first female chocolatier in Brussels and Royalty approved2Love the window display!1So many optionsThis kitty has great taste...see next pic1Wowza! So many Michelin Stars1We managed to find Jeanette Pis, cuter than Manneken!!The best Belgian Beer Bar in Brussels. So good 👍2We worked up a thirst eating all the chocolate🤣I had the Oompa Loompa beer. I'm not normally a beer drinker, but it was excellent👌2When in Belgium, eat waffles😋Riding up to the top observation bubble at the Atomium1So many beers to choose from and they serve in specific glasses for the beer

    Brussels Day 3: Atomium & faves😋

    April 17 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Today we took the metro to meet Tom & Shaun and started the day by boarding the Tram to Heysel to see the Atomium and grounds from the Brussels 1958 World Expo. It was very interesting with displays. Laser shows, the observation deck. We enjoyed a nice Thai lunch then trammed back to the Grand Palace area where we started our self-guided chocolate tour. We started off with 2 favorites, Neuhaus & Mary and several others along the way.
    We found the Jeanette Pis which our Day 1 tour guide told us about and our self-guided tour blog gave the directions to, which just happened to be beside the Delirium, the best beer bar in Brussels. So we enjoyed a Belgium beer 🍺 We followed that with Frites then waffles 🧇 😋 Today was a good day😀🥰    Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    Grand Palace Square w City Hall Tower
    Asymmetrical which we didn't notice until our guide pointed all the imperfections out11St. Hubert Galleries built in 1840's1The King, Queen & Prince each have a Gallery and contain high end shops1Standard building designs in the main center5Manneken Pis1The Pissing boy is represented everywhere2Fun with the bikes1Part of our tour group1A unique candy to Brussels4He found it!!3This shop makes tiny model figurines of all types3Touring with Tom & Shaun2Easter eggs5Belgian waffles😋😋31Frites come in the cones and many different, unique sauces1There are lots of parksThe bell bike!1Grand Palace SquarePissing Boy or Manneken Pis

    Brussels Day 2

    April 16 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Today we started our day with a free ( for tips) Tour of Central Brussels around the Grand Palace. Our tour guide was originally from Edmonton, AB. Our tour started in the main square which was a marketplace in the 18th Century. It houses the City Hall, which is quite asymmetrical ( longer on left side, diff. Windows, the arch below the tower doesn't line up) because it was built in 3 phases, the ancient guild houses such as the Beer and Butcher Guilds and the Brussels Museum. The Butcher Guild is the location where Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto before he was ousted from Brussels! We saw the 60 cm tall statue of the "peeing boy" or Manneken Pis. He has 1150 different costumes for different occasions. The most plausible story for its origin is that there was a leather factory in the center and pee has ammonia which is needed for leather tanning! Brussels is very divisive because of the 2 main religions of the Dutch and French in the 1600's being Catholic & Protestant. Now it's more divisive because of their 2 main languages of French and Dutch. It's bilingual, and the Dutch speak both, but the French don't necessarily speak Dutch and don't have to learn it. Brussels has a history of brutal Colonization where millions were killed and the money made from it was used to build the Royal Palace and fund the city. We tried the Belgian waffles, frites ( double fried in beef tallow😆😋) and the Belgian chocolate👌 It is some of the best because they have strict quality controls and use a higher quality of cocoa. These standards attract talented chocolatiers.
    We met up with S & T late afternoon and walked around the center. A great day exploring.    Read more

  • Debra KooyEuropean Vacation 2025Traveler
    1Our vacation has begun
    Layover cheers in Montreal3Oh, another cheers, why not! Amsterdam bound1At Rotterdam and all smiles before we got manhandled by crowds getting on the train2Beautiful door and color2Scan in on this photo. Such a cool building with so many windows framed in1Cinqantenaire Park7Tribute to Jaida on her 23rd birthday🩷🌷, Surrounded by love of family & friends 🧡😘3Gorgeous cherry blossoms2One last cheers to Jaida2Charcuterie to the max😆White swan in Leopold ParkCute baby1Rudder up!!The black baby swan popped up from under the white swan just chattering away

    YVR- Montreal, Amsterdam, Brussels

    April 15 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    It was so great to start this vacation after all the planning. We had smooth flights through to Amsterdam. We quickly found the trains to find out that Belgium is having train strikes April 14 & 15. We heard from many that the strike days have been pretty regular They told us to get on the train to Rotterdam Central then on to Brussels from there using our existing tickets. We had one minute to get down the escalator and on to the train...we made it!! Next train from Rotterdam was a different story. We had to get elbows up as the crowds were all trying to get on the train within 5 minutes. Everyone pushes, so not pleasant, but we managed to get seats. We had one more unexpected change outside of Antwerpe to get to Brussels Central quicker. We arrived and decided to walk the 25 minutes to our hotel to get some fresh air and stretch our legs. We didn't anticipate the cobblestone streets all the way! Our wheels made it!! We had a short break then went to explore our area and look for restaurants. The parks are beautiful here, with tulips, cherry blossoms and the greenery of Spring. The buildings have so much charm. We had our last cheers of the day to Jaida for her 23rd birthday🩷🧡Read more

  • Debra KooySan DiegoTraveler
    We loved this yoga art installation at a local elementary school
    A great message to start the day🥰

    So long San Diego🌞

    Dec 1–6, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We walked the dogs at the same time but separately this morning for the first time. Chester was really good for Anthony. He was not herding with me along too and was more relaxed. I took Mikey and went the opposite way.
    We said our goodbyes to the dogs and headed for the airport. We have our fingers and toes crossed we can both get on as we are standby on Anthony's passes. Success, we are on the first flight.    Read more

  • Debra KooySan DiegoTraveler
    Checking out the book nookThose eyes, such a sweet dogChester sits and looks at us like this, then barks for us to play fetch. Who can resist!Christmas lights. We like how some neighborhoods have the poles of lights along the streetHe lay like this for awhile, silly boyAnd that's a wrap and a lick!!

    Day 4 House/Pet Sit

    November 30, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We woke up to a very sunny, beautiful morning. We walked the dogs then enjoyed our breakfast and coffee routine. We had a relaxed day of reading and playing fetch. After evening walks we went for dinner to a bbque restaurant up the street. We had such a fun time with the dogs.Read more

  • Debra KooySan DiegoTraveler
    We have these Rudolph characters in a toy set from when our kids were little
    Another poinsettia shrubHalloween to Christmas!!This is our game of fetch we take turns playing with ChesterMikey just sniffs around and is quiet as a mouseHeellooo, some attention here please!!!Exploring South ParkConnecting with these colors🩷🧡Koi fish in a huge pond in a front yardMore positivety 😊First cat we've seen! Tons of dogsHe is a love ❤️Signs of FallBeautiful skies tonight22Chester's fetch routine several times a day. He barks when he's ready to play2Mikey is so calm, meanders around the yard then picks a spot to lay down

    Day 3 House/pet sit

    November 29, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We are doing well with the dogs and getting to know their habits on walks. Chester is go-go and walks us, but does heel well. He is a herding dog so he is always looking around every direction!! We are always on the lookout for other dogs or bikes and ready to distract him. Mikey is stop and go, smelling all the smells along the way!! We continue to explore the different streets around us and really enjoy looking at the different styles of homes and how they have set up their low maintenance yards. We walked to the South Park area and explored more of the shops and enjoyed a coffee and cookie before heading back. Our evening walk was spectacular with a beautiful sunset.Read more

  • Debra KooySan DiegoTraveler
    The dogs chillin'
    I pet Mikey and Chester brings his toy and drops it on Mikey so I pay attention to him!!!Relax timeHis ball and his tongue 👅😁Favorite spot when it's hot

    Day 2 of House/pet sit

    November 28, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Today is the US Thanksgiving. As we walked the dogs this morning, everyone we came across wished us a Happy Thanksgiving. One family stopped and chatted with us & Chester and asked us our names, introduced their family members and asked our names a second time! We saw them again and waved when we had Mikey out walking. Super friendly neighborhood. We decided to take Mikey for a walk into a ravine nearby. As we got down to the bottom a coyote ran out ahead of us, then turned and stared at us. We ran back the way we came and got out of there😥
    Everything is closed today so we are having a relaxed day with the dogs.    Read more

  • Debra KooySan DiegoTraveler
    Mikey's first walk with us
    1These dedications tell a story of selflessness and kindness😍Love this neighborhoodThe red balls look like Christmas ornamentsLove this🥰3Pomegranates- they're huge😮1Hey Mikey, he likes us!!!Chester is a love ❤️12He's hard to stop, then I get laughing😂1Great sign, but not enough to get them elected1Mikey taking in the sunshine

    House/pet sitting Day 1, part 2

    November 27, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We took another afternoon walk to get enough groceries for our 5 days. We found a massive lime on the sidewalk that had fallen off someones tree and then same on the way back, we found an orange but it was very sour yet! Good in our beer though! We have two more evening walks with the dogs. We can see why they don't walk the dogs together. They get on each other and Chester overpowers Mikey. Day 1 has been fun 😁Read more

  • Debra KooySan DiegoTraveler
    Chester
    MikeyFast friendsChester likes to say hello and lick❤️Out for our first walkHe heels wellLoving the low maintenance yardsHeritage home1Could not believe it, a poinsettia! Its huge2Heritage home, love the verandaHeritage HomeWe are finding this neighborhood to be very inclusive1Our house sit home for 5 daysNice to see people standing up for others rights and freedoms

    Chester & Mikey,Trusted Housesitter pets

    November 27, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We arrived to our house/pet sit here in San Diego. Chester and Mikey are the hosts dogs. We got settled, had breakfast and played fetch with Chester then took him for a walk. He has tons of energy, but trots along nicely, but we discovered just how much he reacts to bikers and/or motorized scooters. We have to hang onto him so hard because he lunges and barks. If we saw one coming, we would distract him and it seemed to work. We had a nice walk through the streets around with the landmark heritage homes. We got Chester home then took Mikey out for his walk. We went to find the markets and local restaurants and found some more book nooks ( we have come across at least 5 on our walks so far)and some very positive gems and signs in the surrounding neighborhood. I had a very nice conversation with a lady at a book nook and she recommended some books. She too was a teacher🥰 The local grocery gave Anthony a treat for Mikey. Mikey is such a calm dog compared to Chester. He likes to leave his mark and pees everywhere! The temperature, 20-25 C, has been very pleasant☀️Read more

  • Debra KooySan DiegoTraveler
    2A Christmas display on the way to our house sitThe owners friend said this tree was donated by a family teaching their kids about diversity👌2A very unique flowering shrub.Loved the patterns.on the leavesHistorical Landmark near our House sit22Many yards have cacti or succulents for low maintenance1Some unique cactiBeautiful looking oranges2Lots of lemons 🍋2Beautiful colorsChristmassy looking shrub

    San Diego Walkabout

    November 25, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We had a rather bizarre start to our trip. Going through the border security at the airport we were asked where and what we were going for. We said we were going down to house/pet sit for 5 days. He asked if we knew the people and we said no. He pulled us in to Secondary Security where we sat and waited for over an hour. When they finally called us up the agent asked what we were doing. We explained about Trusted Housesitters. He said he needed to do a bit more research so we sat some more! He called us up again and explained that this is considered exchange for free room and board and goes against immigration/visa laws in the US. He said he was letting us into the US because we are doing a short house/pet sit but if we continued to use Trusted Housesitter in future, we were flagged and would not be allowed entry into the US.
    It was intense and needless to say, we won't continue with Trusted Housesitter if this is going to happen. We got an uber to our airbnb neighborhood and had a coffee and walked to Balboa Park to read and enjoy the sunshine then found a really nice restaurant for a.late lunch while we waited for check-in. Tuesday morning, we walked 40 minutes to the Hillcrest LGBTQ District for breakfast and had a look around some vintage clothing shops, which is what it is known for. We then walked over an hour to meet our host and their dogs we are housesitting starting tomorrow. Chester is very large and energetic and Mikey is smaller and quiet, exact opposite. They live in a nice, quaint area with houses nearby marked as Historic Landmarks. We walked to a very trendy neighborhood called Southpark and looked around in a few shops and had coffee before hopping a city bus downtown for dinner. We covered close to 15 km and over 20,000 steps on our adventures today.    Read more

  • Debra KooyNepal 2024 via LA & SingaporeTraveler
    2Happy Birthday Anthony❤️❤️🧡🩷
    Sleep chairs in SingaporeSculptures in the downtown coreBeautiful carvingMerlion and hotel2Made from a special type of wood that when carved takes on a golden hue1Entering the Cloud Forest3My favorite word carving. Find all the animals in it.The Supertrees1Birthday boy and his special cake

    Singapore layover & Anthony's Birthday

    October 28, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We had a rather tough flight to Singapore. Neither of us could sleep and arrived in Singapore so tired at 4:45 am Singapore time. We slept for a few hours then got ready to take the MRT train downtown for breakfast and coffee and an explore of the Gardens By The Bay. We walked by the merlion, the "boat" hotel and/or apartments and the big ferris wheel. We bought tickets to see the Cloud Forest and Supertree Observatory. The temperature today is 37 with the extremely high humidity. The air conditioning is so welcome when we are in it🥵 We trained back to the airport and sat by the pool for a few hours before showering and waiting for our flight. Moe and Chloe surprised Anthony with a beautiful birthday cake called a Singapore Sunset, designed specially for the Gardens by the Bay. Anthony gets a do-over birthday in LA tomorrow when we land. It will be the 28th for us again!!Read more

  • Debra KooyNepal 2024 via LA & SingaporeTraveler
    1
    1We made our last donation of clothing items, shoes & sandals that we don't want to see again🤣4Vimal presented us with beautiful framed certificates for completing the eco trek3Our special lunch guest and new friend, Vimal

    Kathmandu final day

    October 27, 2024 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We enjoyed a nice rooftop breakfast with our remaining group of 6. Mr. Budddhi has been a wonderful host. We went to have lunch with our trek guide, Vimal, and take our last walk through the chaotic streets of Thamel before taxiing to the airport at 5pm.
    This has been a trip of a lifetime and we are returning home with new friends and lasting memories.    Read more

  • Debra KooyNepal 2024 via LA & SingaporeTraveler
    3Kathmandu traffic1ThamelOfferings in the mouthThe Golden Temple for practice of BuddhismPrayer wheels11A very large prayer wheelPretty straight forward😝Arriving at Pashupatinath TempleWomen are inside temples, men give their final blessings, later women walk through streetsCovering their loved one with marigoldsCremation of deceased43 families were going through the final blessings and preparing their loved ones for cremationSharmila singing for us before we left for Thamel

    Thamel, back to where our trip started

    October 26, 2024 in Nepal ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    We arrived back at our Blue Mountain Homestay in Thamel, khathmandu. We packed our bags to get ready to head home in 2 days. We had to walk the extremely busy, chaotic streets to get to dinner and back. We have to be so aware of traffic and not getting hit. The pollution from the cars and motorcycles is awful. Tomorrow we are touring a few Stupas ( temples):

    Hiraṇyavarṇa Mahāvihāra (Nepali: हिरण्यवर्ण महाविहार), also Kwa Baha: (Nepali: क्वबहा:) informally called The Golden Temple with literal meaning "Gold-colored Great Monastery", is a historical vihara (Buddhist monastery) situated in Patan, Nepal. There are 3 types of Buddhism and this temple is considered to have higher enlightenment .

    The Pashupatinath Temple (Nepali: पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, a form of Shiva. It is located in Kathmandu, Nepal near the Bagmati River. The temple was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river", and is one of seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley.[1] The temple, considered one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Hindus, is built on an area of 246 hectares (2,460,000 m2)[2] and includes 518 mini-temples and a main pagoda house.
    Nepal?
    Pashupatinath Temple, on the banks of Kathmandu's Bagmati River, is the holiest Hindu temple in Nepal. Many Indian, as well as local Nepali pilgrims, visit. Devout Hindus come here to die and be cremated on the banks of the holy river (which is, unfortunately, very highly polluted).

    Boudha Stupa (Nepali: is a stupa and major spiritual landmark seen as the embodiment of the enlightened mind of all the Buddhas,located in Boudhanath, within the city of Kathmandu, Nepal. Built in the northeast of Kathmandu Valley in a Tamang village surrounded by rice paddies, the stupa gave birth to the origins of Tibetan Buddhism. It is filled with consecrated substances, and its massive mandala makes it the largest spherical stupa in Nepal and one of the largest in the world. In 1979 the Boudha Stupa became one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in Nepal.

    Pashupatinath Temple was a really interesting experience and overwhelming on so many levels.. On one side of the river there were families gathered with their deceased loved one to say their goodbyes and final blessings. They wrap then cover the body with marigold wreaths before burning/cremating their loved one further down the river on beds of wood and straw. On the other side of the river are the families gathering on the one year anniversary of their loved ones cremation. People gather to watch the blessings and cremations. Amongst all this are 100's of monkeys, extremely poor people, some with leprosy, begging. It was an intense, eye opening experience.    Read more

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