European Vacation 2021

 I should first mention that Thursday, the 9th, when we arrived in Amsterdam we walked to our hotel about 1.5 kilometers. Upon arrival we found that the person who booked it didn't take into account the steep narrow steps to reception followed by many many many additional steps to our fourth floor rooms. I don't want to embarrass anyone so I will keep the name of the person who booked it private, but his first name begins Ch. It really looked great in the pictures and it was actually fine for our two nights in Amsterdam. Friday the 10th started out with a light breakfast in the room then a leisurely walk to the Van Gogh Museum. It was time for the second visit of the vacation to the q-tip dispensary where a lovely lady thoroughly examined or noses so we could fly home Saturday. While we gratefully passed our exams Lieven and Marian went to the modern art museum, they passed on this test. We grabbed a bite to eat at a sidewalk café on one of the canal bridges treating ourselves ...

We had talked about a whirlwind 30 hours or so in Paris, Lieven was obliged to make it happen. Nancy and Steff elected to stay in Belgium, do a little shopping, visit Marian and Lievens family.  Following breakfast we caught the train to Brussels then the high speed to Paris. Here is a copy of Lieven's day one schedule.  That was what 20,000 steps on the ole step counter looked like. I wish it measured stairs. My knees are saying you can replace me but "WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS" (Bogart-Casablanca). It was actually incredible, friendly people, lots of traffic, everywhere a building you recognize. From the sad ruins of Notre Dame. To incredible sites. Ended the day with a wonderful dinner at an incredible sidewalk café. After an aperitif it was time to head to the Residence du Pre' for a shower and some sleep. Started our second day with a schedule just slightly less than day one. The view from the highest point was somewhat obscured by clouds but we still made it!  ...

 First a quick background on who Marian and Lieven are and why are we staying with them in their home in Oostkamp.. About 50 years ago Marian was a foreign exchange student with Krys in high school.. After Marian's year in Phoenix she and Krys kept in touch through the years and they visited us about 18 years ago. Once Krys and Marian saw each other it was like they had been best friends since the 1970's. We soon learned that's the way they treat everyone!  Touring the medieval city of Brugge (local spelling), known as the egg, with someone who actually grew up there and can trace family back several generations was incredible. We walked for hours learning the history and political significance of the town. Map of Brugge  click here . All that walking required a break. Followed by an excellent dinner! (l to r) Nancy, Steffen, Lieven, Marian

  I apologize to those who are actually reading this but I got way behind due to the extreme fun we were having.   After breakfast it was time to finish packing and set the luggage in the hall.  Once that was done and we sat down for a drink and awaited the arrival of our car. About 9:30 our ride arrived and we found it had six leather seats, three facing forward and three back, for the four of us.  Our driver was taking us to Burges, Belguim to spend time with an old friend of Krys'. Along the way we stopped for a few hours at De Haar Castle. This was a place for the Rothchilds to spend a month in the summer. Then it was on to Belgium to visit and eat with friends who had kindly opened their home to us for a few days.

 I'm a little behind with posting, this lifestyle of the rich and famous doesn't leave much time for sitting down at the computer to type. The morning of day 6 of our cruise found us with a small group taking a walking tour of old Cologne ending with a trip to the cathedral. We arrived at the cathedral too late to enter as they had just started a private service. It is after all the local parish church. Most of Cologne was destroyed by the allies during WWII as it was a heavy manufacturing city. The cathedral was not destroyed although the entire town around it was. The competing schools of thought is either divine intervention or the fact that it was reference point for the bombers. Spent time in the main square for a pastry and some people watching. Then it was back on board for the final day of cruising. Day 7 found us in Amsterdam with a full day of activities! After our usual great breakfast headed out for a short ride to the Rijksmuseum. Our wonderful guide was extremely ...

 Woke in the morning to find ourselves in exactly the same place we docked the evening before! Started the day with an uninteresting breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt to try to offset the amazingly rich dinners the chef has been preparing. Koblenz is a very picturesque city dating back almost 2000 years, since it was not of any military importance it remained intact through both world wars. We boarded a cable car to explore Ehrenbreitstein Fortress which lies on a hill overlooking the river and town. A wonderful older German gentleman with a remarkable knowledge of the area gave us a tour and after led us back to town on a walking tour. The entire old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We stayed in the vibrant downtown for lunch and a local beer before walking back to the boat for a much needed period of r and r. Nancy had arranged for a private dinner served in such a manner as to be shared of very diverse selection of different specialties.   Followed with a short walking t...