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Summer in Amsterdam
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  • Wandering Again

Summer in Amsterdam

Road trip. Graduation. Amsterdam. Canada. Wedding. Road trip. Whew! Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 7, 2018
  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    1'Hey big fella!'
    Bighorn Sheep in the BadlandsGood hike despite the climateWetNative American Taco

    More Badlands

    May 12, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Moved camp to near the Visitor's Center. Nice slippery hike through the eroded topography. Native American tacos for lunch. Archeological dig uncovered a precursor hippo to canines. Pretty cool.

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again

    La Crosse to O'Hare

    May 28, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    All packed up. Bikes boxed and ready. Camper in storage. Ready to go! O'Hare to Heathrow to Schiphol.

    The guys at Coolee Bicycles in Onalaska boxed up our bikes. Figuring out logistics for getting the boxes to O'Hare and putting our camper into storage were complex. A little too detailed planning led to it going without a hitch. Nancy waited with the bikes and luggage while I put away the camper at the storage place and took a Lyft back to the airport.Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    Made it to Amsterdam
    1Home for the summerHarrie and Birgitt and BillieArt exhibit Amsterdam style1Nice farm to table

    Amsterdam Intro

    May 30, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We made it. Easy flight. Quick through customs. Harrie picked us up. We set up a home swap on Home Exchange with Harrie and Birgitt. It's right in the center of Amsterdam near the Anne Frank museum. We were able to spend a couple of days before heading off to visit friends in Belgium. Our hosts took us to an exhibit opening by an artist friend. Very pleasant.Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    Bagged and ready
    Right here...Nancy loves cows!Terminator Flemish BovinesOn the train (too far to bike)

    Wannegem in the Flemish Ardennes

    June 6, 2018 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We packed up our bikes and took the train to Gent. From there we pedaled the 40 kilometers or so to a home we'd rented for a week in Wannegem Belgium. Our friends Manu and Katelijn secured the place for us. It belongs to friends of theirs Trees and Marcel who are on a 3 month odyssey travelling the Silk Road. (next year?)

    If you would like to experience cycling in the Flemish Ardennes go here:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/Sprvr6Zzyjp2inXZ7    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    Oer bier de Dolle Brewers
    The installationAt the Hostelrie Kemmelberg

    Side trips to West Flanders

    June 7, 2018 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    While relaxing in Wannegem has certainly been pleasant, Nancy and I felt the need to move. We took daily bike rides through the countryside and a couple of side trips to western Flanders.

    A couple of months ago we had dinner with our friend Alexander at the Avanti pizza place. They served a Belgian ale by de Dolle Brewers called Oerbier. It hit all the right notes for a good belgian, so I looked up the brewery and we visited. De Dolle means 'mad brewers'. The brewery was started by a few college friends back in 1980 and they've been brewing ever since. They still have no employees. Every few weeks the families gather to bottle and crate together. They now turn out 500,000 bottles per year with no plans for expansion. Chris showed me around the place and we were able to enjoy a great beer from the tap before heading back 'home'.

    Another day we accompanied Manu and Katelijn to the area around Ypres to visit a recent art installation located in a regional park that was once a notorious WW1 battlefield. The artist, Koen Vanmechelen, puts chickens at the center of most of his works. The eggs represent the lives of the soldiers lost in that conflict. The large egg at the center represents rebirth. Afterwards we dropped by our old haunt on the Kemmelberg for refreshment.    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    Mo and Hans relaxing
    Mo the Pirate and Nasi brought us a welcoming cakeNancy amd Nasi share a moment.Manu and Nancy. Not risk averse.Valle Hoeve farm to table ice cream.Another lovely meal by Katelijn

    Good friends, good food, and ice cream.

    June 8, 2018 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Good friends, good food, and ice cream!

    What more to say?

    Well, just a bit. At dinner the other night Manu was describing a novelist who had left the church as 'a failed priest' when a light went off in my head. Yes! I'd been trying to come up with a good answer describing my professional career and was at a loss. Social Services? Agency Administrator? Social Entrepreneur? Program Quality Assessor? Ne. None of those fit the bill. But 'Failed Priest'? Now that's a title to invite conversation!

    In the meantime Nancy has already tired of the conversation and has requested that I stop referring to her as 'a failed pastor's wife'. So please don't bring this up to her...

    H    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again

    The Flemish Ardennes to Gent

    June 10, 2018 in Belgium ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Nancy and I have returned to Gent for the weekend. We had coffee with Manu and Katelijn before cycling up the Schelde River into Gent/Gand/Ghent.
    If you would like to experience cycling along a canal in Flanders go here:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/mNgk7J19JYpbNKkw9

    If you would like to experience cycling into Gent (and right up to our apartment go here:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/9SEWY61BFK24KYBE7

    This was the city we spent three month in last year. We had a great time and had to return before kicking off our summer in Amsterdam.

    The crafts fair was happening this morning at the Vrigemarkt around the corner from our place on Baudelostraat. A market has been held here continually each Friday since the ninth century.

    Mo and Nasi had us over for a Persian dinner of lamb and rice last night. Tonight we'll go out to dinner with them.    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    Rest stop near Morebeke Waas
    Café Duikeldam near Sint-Gillis-WaasThe Tunnel under the river at AntwerpChinese tourists posingAntwerp Centraal Train Station

    Cycling Gent to Antwerp/IC to Amsterdam

    June 11, 2018 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We set off cycling from Ghent to Amsterdam at 8:30 this morning. Stopped for a bite at a canalside café and made it to Antwerp by 3:00pm. 76km is currently our record for a fully loaded ride. We were a bit sore, but could have kept going for awhile. The cycle pedestrian tunnel under the river Scheldt was a highlight. Check out the video footage here:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/QbcDsHKzqKyH2izq8

    Right now we're on the train to Amsterdam and in a couple of hours we'll be set up in our home for the summer. Had a bit of a setback an hour ago. The train we'd loaded ourselves on was cancelled and we had to rush to catch the next train. Turned out they suggested track 24 which took us the wrong way toward Brussels. We sorted it at the next station, but it was quite a chore loading and unloading both bikes and all the gear. All sorted now in any case.    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again

    Amsterdam Arrival

    June 12, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We arrived at our new digs, and what a nice place to have landed! Harry and Birgitt are happily ensconced in our house in Santa Cruz thanks in large part to Augie's steadfast and thoughtful assistance.

    Spent our first day chasing down a haircut and doing some grocery shopping. The haircut was extremely precise and included a clipper, mini trimmer, scissors, and a straight razor. All done by a gentleman who spoke less English than I speak Arabic. We made it through in limited Dutch. On the walk back I asked a local beer shop to carry Oerbier from de Dolle in Belgium and they will call when it comes in. We spent a bit of time been planning some great cycle routes for the coming weeks/months. Also found kwakersstraat which reminded us to look for they Quaker Meeting in town.

    Transportation figured in as we located Harrie and Birgitt's city bikes for using around town. We'll also be using their early 90s Volvo wagon a bit. It runs in gasoline and natural gas. Should be interesting! I'll post on those details later...

    The day ended with a successful effort to get the Roku connected so that we can watch Netflix when we're too fatigued to head out on a walk around the Jordaan in the evening.

    All in all a good day getting settled.    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again

    First Ride to the Polders

    June 13, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Our first ride! A 50 kilometer loop to the polders south of the city. It took us about 20 minutes to thread our way through the city throngs to find some solitude and nature. We made our way through Vondelpark where the Riksmuseum and van Gogh museums reside. A few kilometers later we entered Het Amsterdamse Bos (forest park). Further south we entered the agrarian polders where we zigzagged over to the Amstel River from which Amsterdam takes its name. The return loop included a ferry ride and drawbridge, not to mention a few old windmills.

    Nancy took a slow speed fall heading back through Ouderkerk when a small boy darted into her path on a narrow street. Not too bad a fall and a small band aid fixed her up. A good reminder to wear our goofy helmets on these longer rides.

    Riding in Amsterdam proper is quite an experience. I've ridden motorcycles in Asia, driven cars in Spain, and pedalled bicycles pretty much all over the planet, but I haven't run across the combination of speed and numbers that I experience on the cycle routes here. As icing on the cake they generally allow motorscooters on most of the bike paths here. This seems like adding a whole other level of madness to me. On tge llus side, they are very good at riding bicycles here! Still, I'd better adopt the Dutch attitude of 'ride fast, be normaal, and get out my way' pretty quickly. Ding ding, ding ding.    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    50k with all of the wandering we did in the villages
    Ferry NorthPostal Carrier with friendIn Holland there are rules and no rules1MonnickendamSomewhere along the coast

    First Ride Nord

    June 15, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Our first ride north. Everyone kept telling us to ride north from Amsterdam to quickly get to the agrarian settings, canals, and little villages. Boy were they steering us right. One kilometer north of our place we took a ferry to cross the main canal which separates Amsterdam from Amsterdam Nord. Within 15 minutes we were riding in the countryside along another canal.

    We stopped a few times long our route. In Ilpendam we stopped for coffee and tea and met a friendly couple who are also a couple of years into retirement. They have been driving all over Europe cycling and camping out of a converted step van. We also sighted a cycling postal carrier who brings his dog along to work.

    Along the way we noted an instance of a location specific phenomenon Birgitt described by saying 'In Holland there are rules, but there are no rules'. We even shot a photo of a Dutch couple as proof positive.

    The route today swung through several small towns and villages. Monnickendam was especially picturesque. We stopped for a bite there and took a shot of a beautiful sailing rig. We'll be returning with our guests this summer for fish and chips. There's also a Bach concert this Sunday, so we'll probably head up for that too.

    Most of the route followed the dikes along the coastline.

    Lovely.    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    60km loop to the southeast
    Naarden-Old Fortress CityFailed Priest with Ian Amos ComeniusAt the locksPicturesque subject with Windmill.

    Loop to Naarden

    June 19, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Nancy and I rode a nice 60k loop to the southeast of the city today. We wound our way through the polders to Naarden, an old fortress city. The city was on of three that we passed through that defended land north of Utrecht. Naarden is set up much like Hulst, the fortress city that we visited last year northeast of Gent. Ive included a map of the city and a photo of Nancy taking a photo of the fortifications.

    Naarden is also the final resting place of the great theologian, philosopher, founder of modern education and moldavian brethren member Ian Amos Comenius. He was one of the first thinkers to put forward the idea of universal education. He was also once recruited to be President of Harvard College. Spent a lot of his time working with Bacon on a compendium of then current knowledge.

    The route followed smaller canals most of the way. Had a chance to watch a lock in action and took a video which can be seen here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vhKCHpdB3UL6LK5Z9

    We also passed by several quite picturesque windmills and a drone harassing a nesting stork. I shot a video for my friend Alexander who sometimes writes letters to editors decrying their proliferation in neighborhoods and natural areas. It can be viewed here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FppzugNEyLebUHru6

    Augie arrives tomorrow! Harrie and Birgitt drove him to the airport in his old car, which they will use for the summer. He has a 9 hour layover in Oslo with plans to go into the city for a few hours. We're excited. I've already bought a couple of Belgian beers to share for tomorrow evening.

    Nancy got in touch with our friend Nancy Russell's good friend who lives just north of us in the city. We'll be setting up a meet for coffee soon.    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    Bubbles in Dam Square
    On the way to the trainAcross the main canalAugie arrives!Annual news photojournalism awardsTree of Life Keren DeVreede

    We Settle in and Augie Arrives

    June 23, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We made it to Quaker Meeting last Sunday. A quiet affair with eight in attendance. Most were Nederlanders, one was from Ohio via San Francisco. This was quite different from Meeting in Brussels where most in attendance were British. There was no fidgeting during Meeting here. Everyone sat perfectly still for the whole hour with the exception of both Nancy and I. The Meeting also publish an annual compendium of collected works in writing and the arts penned by the Meeting. Quite a creative bunch.

    Augie arrived on Wednesday evening. We wandered over to the central train station playing with our cameras and shooting photos the whole way. The sun finally set sometime after 10:30 so we sat down to wait for his train from Schiphol. We found one another and he accompanied us back to the house on Tuinstraat.

    I've been a bit under the weather so we've spent the last couple of days wandering around the neighborhoods hitting cafés, open air markets, and dining out. We also made it to an exhibit in the Niewkerk of the annual award for outstanding photojournalism. It was pretty hard hitting covering contemporary issues such as gun violence, war, and environmental degradation. On the walk back Nancy and I dropped into the Keren DeVreede gallery to take in something a bit more uplifting.    Read more

  • Wandering AgainSummer in AmsterdamWandering Again
    Map of the day

    One Fun Morning...

    June 25, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We heard the weather was changing from cold and gray to sunny and warm so we hit the road. Augie rode my bike and I got a spin on Harrie's city bike. We rode north through the area above Amsterdam called Waterland. First leg took us to Broek in Waterland. Over the past two centuries this was the quintessential Holland village. Anyone who visited Holland toured this village. Often they'd take a canal boat and spend the day. Napoleon even paid a visit. Mary Mapes Dodge also had this town in mind when she penned Hans Brinker. Next leg took us to the village of Waterland, and the last leg took us home.

    A Google Video can be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MXJH6uxRouHWfgML8

    We, of course, stopped for treats along the way.

    Off to the market for the afternoon. We are getting ready for Sophie and Jacob's visit tomorrow!    Read more

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