The potato is planted

Hi friends.  I should have gotten on and posted this yesterday, but I was just whipped out!   I didn't sleep well Friday night in anticipation of my travel day Saturday, then a long day of travel and a 6 hour time change all added up to one tired puppy on Sunday.  I finally got home about 11:00 pm local time, Saturday night, but to my body it felt like 5:00am Sunday.  I spent the day with Rhonda, showing her pictures and taking frequent naps.  Hoping that I am back on schedule now.  Talk to you all soon!

Paris...oui oui!

Just a quick post today...was too tired to post last night.  We left Beaune and traveled to Paris on the bus.  We had to say goodbye to our driver Hub, since we had reached our final destination of the trip...sad to see him go; such a nice guy.  He dropped us off almost at the doorstep of our hotel, which is no easy feat in this city!

After getting settled in we toured Saint Chappelle, which has stained glass windows dating back to the 1400s...unbelievable that they have endured all this time.  The second photo here is of the altar in the downstairs chapel...loved the arches and colors.  (The top photo is of the building where Napoleon is buried and is one I took while waiting for my hotel room to be readied.)

After Saint Chappelle, we walked over to Notre Dame Cathedral and did a walk through there.  They were saying mass while we were there, but we had thousands of others there for company as well, so it's not like we interrupted anything.

A stroll through the Latin Quarter rounded out our group activities for the day, so I went and got dinner, then got my camera and tripod and headed over to the green space in front of the Eiffel Tower.  I hung around there for over an hour waiting for full dark...took a bunch of pictures and was there when they finally lit it up at 11:00pm.  There was lighting already, but when they turned on the sparkler lights (my own description--looks like the flashing Christmas lights), it brought a loud cheer from all the onlookers.  It was a real party atmosphere, with locals and tourists all congregated together, having picnics and drinking.  There was a group of young locals behind me playing beer pong, but I didn't see any fights or any hostilities the wohoe time I was there.  We Americans should take a couple of lessons from that!

See ya soon friends!

y

France--the Final Country

Another early start for our merry band of travelers today, leaving Switzerland behind and heading into France.  We arrived in Beaune at about 1:30 and did a quick get oriented walk before going on a tour of Hotel Deux, a hospital from the 14th century.  Interesting and an example of philanthropy in the middle ages, as it was funded by a Duke to treat the poor.

A wine tasting followed and was interesting and tasted great!  We sampled several different wines, one being a 90 euro bottle!  Tasty!

Several of us went out to dinner afterwards, the pictures of which can be seen here.  I had a salad, followed by Escargot (done it, probably won't order them again), Beef Burgoinne with noodles, and a dessert of sorbet, merrangue, whipped cream and kassis wine--a syrup like liqeur that was very sweet and a good topping for an ice cream type treat.
 
The trip will be ending soon and I will be heading home Saturday.  I think I will be ready as 3 weeks seems to be about my threshold for time away from home.  We head for Paris in the morning for the final stop on our tour.

Goodnight friends.

Lauterbrunnen Valley

Another free day today, this time in the Lauterbrunnen valley of Switzerland, where back in 1969, a James Bond movie was filmed (In Her Majesty's Secret Service).  I will have to make a point of seeing it again when I get home since I have seen the scenic backdrops that were used.  They are spectacular, by the way.  The first 2 photos today are from my walk through the valley: there are spectacular waterfalls everywhere you look and the Alps are breathtaking.

I started my day off at 7:30 am, hoofing it to the gondola station about 15 minutes from my hotel.  I made the 2nd ride of the day, arriving at Schilthorn, elevation 9700 feet, at about 8:30 am, beating the clouds by about a half hour.  By 9:00 there wasn't much to see, except for the 007 stuff,which was cool, and by 10:15 or so I headed back down the mountain.  There were 4 separate gondola rides each way and on the way down I stopped off at all the stations to take different angles of the mountains.  Once at the bottom, I caught a bus into Lauterbrunnen where I had lunch followed by chocolate cake and hot chocolate and bought a new Swiss Army knife (with a green handle--the only place you can get them is here in Switzerland, and I had the handle of mine engraved with my name).

Afterwards I headed back to my hotel on foot, a walk of about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Arriving back here, hot sweaty and tired I rinsed off in the shower and took a welcome nap.  A wonderful dinner followed along with some drinks with the members of our group.  Hub (our driver) also had some Belgian beer he shared with a few of
us, so that was my nightcap.

Incidentally, the three peaks you see in the picture above are Eiger (ogre), Munch (monk), and Jongfrau (young maiden).  According to folklore, the monk is guarding the young maiden from the ogre.  Anyway, that's all for tonight.  Gutten nacht.

Switzerland!

It was an early start for our band of travelers today.  We had to be at the train station in Monterosso al Mare to catch the 8:25 train back to where the bus was parked.  The drive was long and at times difficult, but Hub did a masterful job of negotiating narrow mountain roads, complete with switchbacks and lots of other drivers, some of whom really didn't seem to know what they were doing.

As we crossed the border from Italy into Switzerland, the scenery began to show dramatic changes.  The Alps were looming, with snow
capped peaks and sheer rock walls.  Stephanie and Hub had put their heads together yesterday and decided on a route that took us through Susten Pass, at about  6700 feet above sea level.  It was sunny and gorgeous when we stopped and about 65-70 degrees; that's when the snowballs started flying!  Our break was short though and everyone soon went to use the restrooms or get snacks.  Within about 10 minutes the sun was gone and the clouds had engulfed us...a few more minutes and some small hail started to fall.  Go figure!

We made it down off the mountaintop safe and sound and got to our hotel in time for a wonderful dinner of cheese fondue, pork roast with mashed potatoes and carrots, cauliflower and green beans, followed up with a custard dessert.  We do eat well on this trip!

I'm going to sign off now so I can be up early to start tomorrow's adventure.  Bye folks!

The Cinque Terre!!!

Day 15: A free day in Italy's Cinque Terre

s  region.   This is one of the main reasons I booked this particular trip.  I have many times gone to art fairs and seen pictures of this area and thought to myself, "I want to be the guy taking those shots."  Well, today, I was the guy.  The weather was beautiful and I started out the day with Dean and Sandy as hiking partners.  We set out about 9:30am to hike from Monterossa al Mare to Vernazza.  The going was tough, with a lot of stairs to climb along the way, but we got to Vernazza right about noon and found a restaurant that was both in the guide book and recommended by Stephanie.  More stairs to climb to the Ristorante el Castillo, but well worth
the effort.  The second photo here is of my lunch,
spaghetti al pesto and it was deliciousioso!  The
owners were extremely nice, especially when we
mentioned Stephanie and Rick Steves Tours.  The matriarch of the family even sent over a complimentary bottle of wine when we didn't have any yet to join her in a toast.  Delphina is a real sweetheart and obviously Stephanie is very well thought of as well!

After lunch I parted ways with Dean and Sandy,
taking the train from town to town and finding the
vantage points from which to take the photos I
wanted to get, then taking the boat back aftewards.
What a day!  I am absolutely exhausted, but happy
that I had good weather today.   Tomorrow it's on to Switzerland and the Alps.  Goodnight all, Ciao!

Day 2 in Rome

 Once again, I am going to make my post short and let the photos speak for themselves.  The day began with a trip on the Metro to the Vatican museum.  Once again we had a local guide to help bring the exhibits to life for us.  The pictures I am posting are of paintings by Raphael.  The use of the vivid colors and the awesome detail were really something to behold.  Even after centuries, the colors really stood out.  The other photo is of the outside of St. Peter's Basillica which is where we ended our guided tour.  We also toured the Sistine Chapel, but unfortunately I couldn't take pictures there.   It was another awe-inspiring sight.  The prospect of making such a large "canvas" come to life the way Michelangelo did just astounds me.  Everything was so proportionally correct that I couldn't help but wonder "how did he do that"?  I have a reborn respect for the ancient Romans and their art and culture as a result of this trip.

Signing off now because I need to be up early for the journey to the Cinque Terre (Italian Riviera). The bus ride is supposed to be about 7 hours, and I hope to recuperate a bit from a couple of tough days of lots of walking and steps.  I have big plans for the day after tomorrow, hiking and photography in the Cinque Terre.  Arrivederci!

Roma!

This post is going to be relatively short...I was too tired to post last night, as I usually do, and am just taking a break in today's schedule.  Yesterday, July 4th (Happy Birthday USA!), we got up and left Venice and traveled to Rome.  Traffic and drivers here are nuts, so am glad I wasn't the one behind the wheel of the bus.

After checking into our hotel we had a quick orientation walk around the immediate neighborhood, then hopped on the Metro to go meet our local guide, Franchesca, who gave us a tour of the Colliseum, the Forum (ruins), and the Pantheon.  She really gave a lot of  information that made history come alive for us and lots of insights into the way things were back then.  Rick Steves Tours really found themselves a keeper with Franchesca.

We finished up at the Pantheon and a number of us headed up the hill to a restaurant that Stephanie suggested.  We no sooner got there and the skies opened up giving us a rain shower that really cooled things down--a welcome relief!  By the time we were done eating, the rain had stopped and most of us went on a night walk of the city, featuring Trevi Fountain and a hike to the top of a hill for a great view of St. Peter's Basillica lit up in the night sky.

Take a look at the photos...they say it better than I can.  Ciao!

A Busy Day in Florence

Today was a busy day from start to finish.  An early breakfast was followed by a climb top the top of the Duomo...463 stairs if you believe the writings about it.  I went  with a very nice couple from Washington state, Dean and Sandy, and a woman from near home, in Oxford, MI, Barbara.  We made it to the top of the dome in about 20 minutes, sweaty and out of breath, but the view was great!  It's the highest man made structure in Florence, and even though it was hazy, the views out over the city were tremendous.

 The second picture was taken inside the dome on the way back down.  The structure is actually built with a dome inside a dome, and all those stairs are in between the two.  What's shown here is actually the inner dome that is the roof of the cathedral, and the light area in the center is the cupola where we actually climbed up to and were able to walk all the way around the outside.

After climbing down I went with Dean and Sandy on a hike to the other side of the river to check out a
church there we had been told had  some great views as well as being spectacular structures in their own right.  The views there looked out over the whole city, not just from the city center looking out, as the ones from the Duomo did.  The rounded structure on the right is the Duomo I've been referring to, and we were at the very top, walking around the cupola.  Sandy didn't like it very much when I wiggled the rail as we were getting our picture taken up there; I wonder why!

The last picture is of me next to the Arno River.  It's a very picturesque place and the still water and calm
breezes made it even more so, the reflections really
showing up in the water.

In the afternoon we got together with the group for a trip to the Uffizi.  Once a city building,it became a private art gallery and home to the Medici family in centuries gone by, but is now a museum.  No pictures were allowed there, but we saw all the masters and had a great local guide to tell us all about what was going on in the paintings, the circumstance surrounding them when they were painted, etc., and generally keeping things interesting for us.  Many props to Cindy for her work.

Well it's late and I'm tired from climbing about a thousand (really!) steps today.  It's up early and on to Rome tomorrow.  Ciao!

Left venice...on to Florence

I'm posting this a day late.  Yesterday (Tuesday) morning we left Venice to travel on to Florence.  After breakfast I took a walk before we left to see the city before it filled up with tourists from the cruise ships.  the morning is when the work gets done.  The stores and restaurants get supplies, the garbage gets picked up, and the street vendors all come out of the woodwork to start setting up again for a new day.  One thing I found surprising was the number of unleashed dogs in Venice.  Many were just allowed to roam free and seemed to stay out of trouble and everybody's way for the most part.  I saw one that was lying by a pile of trash that had not yet been picked up having himself a nice snack--a very cute dog and had a collar and tags.  I would be afraid Buddy would get dog-napped in similar circumstances.  I guess they just look at things differently here.

Anyway, the bus ride to Florence was nice, but also different than what we'd experienced so far.  Our driver, Hub (pronounced hoob), had to be more aggressive than previously.  The truck and bus drivers play a kind of cat and mouse game, jockeying for position in the heavy traffic.  Sure makes me glad I don't have to drive here!  Hub makes it look very easy and it seems like he knows every road in Europe; if he's gotten lost at all during this trip, none of us know it.

The Tuscan region is semi hilly and reminds me a bit of the Smoky Mountains at home, or maybe the Adirondaks.  The hills are large enough to be imposing, but not exactly awe-inspiring.  Overall it's a very pretty area and I can understand why people want to come back here for a longer stay.  There are a LOT of people in Florence, though, and bikes, scooters, cars, etc., which all adds up to a lot of chaos.  Somehow it all seems to work though.

Yesterday after a get-oriented walk, we went to the Academia and saw Michelangelo's David.   It is really a large statue--I had always envisioned it as a life-sized piece, but it must be 10 or 11 feet tall.  Our time at the Academia was very limited and we followed it up by a group dinner not too far from our hotel.  We started with a salad, then a pasta course (spinach ravioli in marinara sauce and nyokes in a white sauce with zuccini flowers), then beefsteak topped with lightly steamed arugula and rosemary roasted potatoes, finally followed by a dessert cart with about 8 choices on it.  I took the strawberry Teramisu (delicious) and finally managed to roll myself out and get back to the hotel.  I skipped out on a night walk Stephanie was going to lead because I was just too full and too tired.  To bed early last night and up early today.  This morning I'm going to go climb the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo for a bird's eye view of the city.  Ciao!

Italia!!!

We left our hotel in the Bavarian Alps this morning with the owner and his staff standing outside waving good-bye to us. It was still cool and damp, with low-hanging clouds shrouding the mountaintops, but not raining.  The route was a very curvy road that is known all over Europe by motorcyclists who like the curves and grades.  It was easy to tell when we crossed over into Italy though, just by the riding habits of those same motorcyclists.  Suddenly they were all over the place, passing our bus and jumping back into the lane in front of us just in time to avoid being hit by the oncoming traffic.  Definitely some daredevil riding!

The mountains gave way to foothills and we stopped for lunch in the small town of Egna (pronounced ahn-ya), at an outdoor cafe where they served us a salad, then three different kinds of paninnis, followed by a dessert of gelato.  A little local red wine to wash it down, and all was good, and at about $1.50 a glass, the price was welcome too.  The little girl in the first picture had just gotten a drink from the fountain when I snapped this picture, then Dad used his hand and the fresh
water to wash her face.

We kept rolling South, watching the hills flatten out, seeing vineyards nearby and the Dolomite Mountains in the background, with villages and towns crouched at the base of the rocks

Around 5:45 we finally made it to our hotel, following the bus ride and transfer to vaporetto (water bus) and a walk of a few hundred meters.  There was a group of gypsies on the vaporetto casing our group, but when Rosa called out the one who felt up her pocket, then took her picture, they left us alone.  Go Rosa!

Dropping off our bags, we reassembled for a walk to our restaurant.  We passed through St. Mark's square (lots of pigeons), in front of the Doge's palace, and down the main shopping street in Venice.  Stephanie asked me to be one of the "sweepers", bringing up the rear of the group to make sure we didn't lose anybody or have any issues with the street hustlers.  Going past all the jewelery stores, high fashion clothing stores, and shoe stores as a sweeper was about like trying to herd cats! We made it without incident though, and enjoyed a great dinner.  Our choices were the
specialty of the house, seafood risotto,  spaghetti with clams, or lasagna, accompanied by red or white wine, and followed by tiramisu for dessert.  I didn't hear anyone complain at all.

Our guide Stephanie had also arranged for a gondola ride for us all, complete with music.  When  the gondolas all pulled up side by side in the Grand Canal, the singer serenaded us all, and one of the ladies in my boat made the mistake of saying loud enough for me to hear "Oh, this is my song."  I caught the eye of the singer and pointed to her, and he sang "O Solo Mio" to her.  Barbara protested, but I know she liked it.  The gondolier in our boat also was quite taken with Ivana, another of the ladies in the group.  Lots of smiles and laughs all the way around!  A great start to a new country...warm temperatures and sunny skies.  I hope all 8 days in Italy are just like this one.

It's late now and time for me to get some sleep.  Good night friends.

Castle Day

This is going to be a relatively short post tonight friends.  I have been up late the past two nights doing these posts and then getting up early to start out another day.  Add to that the fact that I haven't been getting my afternoon naps with Buddy, well you get the picture.

We started out bright and early to go see Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles, back in Germany.  After seeing the sun trying to burn through the clouds when I woke up, I was disappointed that it was heavily overcast when we took off.   By the time we got to the castles, it had
begun to rain.  The drizzle continued pretty much all day, but we got our guided tours of both castles.  The hardest part was getting there; these old castles were always built on high ground, so the walk to them is uphill.  We made it though, in spite of the elements and I think the only casualties were an umbrella or two that got turned inside out.

We made the walks though, and the interiors of these castles were spectacular!  Very opulent, the first built by Mad King Ludwig II's father, and his
own, which took 17 years to build, and that he
only lived in for about half a year before he died.
Neuchwanstein (the white one) was also the inspiration for Disney's castle.  Just so you know, photos were not allowed inside either castle, but I have inside information that some spy shots may exist and I should have access to them.  Just ask when I get home.

Well I have to get up early and I have to repack my bag before bedtime, so I'm going to sign off for the night.  Thanks for reading, folks...I'll be posting more soon.

We Made it to Austria!

Today was another travel day for us.  After a nice breakfast in Rothenburg, we started off at our usual 8:15ish to get on the bus and get on our way.  Onkther than the usual rest stops we take every two hours or so, our first activity was a visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp.  What a sobering experience. Seeing the pictures and artifacts that were evidence of the atrocities of extremism really gave me pause.  When I was reading the itinerary for this trip I didn't have a lot of interest in this particular activity; it didn't affect me, why should I care?  As a matter of fact, I wasn't even born yet.  But the visit to the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam a few days
ago really opened my mind to experiencing things
outside my comfort zone (other than food!)  Viewing
the artifacts and photographs of that horrible place
really drove home again how dangerous extremism
really is.  I think some of the a-holes spouting off on
TV and radio, trying to work people into a frenzy
could really do with a dose of this kind of eye-
opening.  I don't know if it would help, but it sure
couldn't hurt!

Ok, I'm getting off the soapbox now.  Our guide
Stephanie really shone today...one of our activities
for tomorrow was to ride a luge down a part of the
mountain, but if there's even a sprinkle of rain, it gets shut down, and the weather has been very wet and cold for this region at this time of year.  She moved us up a day to avoid that, and did I ever have fun!  If you're not familiar with luge, think Olympic bobsledding, then think of the one-man sleds that they ride down the same course laying on their backs.  Now picture a course made out of stainless steel with the same banking in the turns and no steering, only brakes, only you ride sitting up.Talk about fun!  I could have ridden that thing all day!  I wiped out on the first run when I came off the seat a little bit and couldn't get situated for the next turn, but
I wasn't hurt at all, got back on and finished the run.
I then immediately got back in line for another ride,
and by the fourth time down, successfully completed
the run without touching the brake at all.  I would
have gone again, but the ride tickets were all used up.  And no, I wasn't the only adrenaline junkie...there were several of us all geeked up and ready to keep riding!

Following that adventure, we drove another half hour or so and checked into our hotel for the night.   It's a really nice place and they served us a great dinner.  If you can't tell by the pictures, our group is really starting to come together.  Everybody seems to be having as good a time as I am, and we all tend to be looking out for one another.  A very nice group of people to travel with...I think I hit jackpot on this escapade!

Tomorrow is castle day.  We go to see 2 of Ludwig's castles, one of which is the inspiration for the Disney castle.  I have been looking forward to getting shots of these castles since the planning stages, so I hope the weather cooperates.  That's all for now.  See ya later friends!

PS.  I just previewed this post and have no idea why it's formatting the way it is, but I've been at this stupid thing for an hour or more.  The heck with it, I'm posting it the way it is now...sorry about that folks.

Moved on to Rothenburg

At last I'm able to get back online with some degree of certainty!  The past couple of days were very busy.  We were staying in a quaint hotel in the village of Bacharach along the banks of the Rhine river.  It was a nice little village, and one of the highlights was a tour of the village by a man who had lived there most of his life.  Herr Jung is a lively 82 years old and was there during World War II.  He had many stories to tell, and even now becomes emotional at times when talking about the atrocities of war.  We also visited a castle ruins in a neighboring village called St. Goar, followed by a boat ride back up the Rhine to Bacharach.

This morning we got an early start and rode the bus for about 4 hours to a well-preserved village that dates back to the 1100s, called Rothenburg.  It's cobblestone streets and tightly packed buildings in the city center are well maintained and the people are friendly.  The walls around the city are still pretty much intact, there are lots of shops selling all kinds of goods, and as in all European towns, a number of huge, ornate churches.  It's a real tourist attraction, but it clears out pretty good at night.  We took a tour by the "night watchman" who's really a stand up comedian who educates the listeners about how things were in the old days.  He has a unique delivery and gets lots of laughs with his wry humor.  There must have been 120-150 people following his trail tonight, and he stopped about 5 times and talked for a few minutes each time about what went on at that location.  It was a bit chilly (around 50 degrees, I would guess), but worth the time and effort.

I managed to order myself some lunch today in a little cafe where they spoke very little English.  I was using my phrase book to get some German words out, horribly mis-pronounced, I'm sure, but between my bad German and the clerk's better English I got what I wanted.  I was even able to ask the shopkeeper a question, he understood and answered and I understood as well!  Our guide Stephanie has been going over phrases on the bus, so maybe a little of it has been sticking in between my ears.


The photos in today's entry are all from Rothenburg. The top one is obviously a street view, the center one is a part of the wall that goes around the city (which has 42 towers helping to make up the wall), and the bottom one is looking toward the front of St. Jacob's Church.  Many of the churches started out as one religion, but with a change in power, the icons were removed and the church was converted over to house a different religion.  It seems kind of goofy to me, but I guess it's better than tearing them down just to rebuild a new one.

Several of our group, myself included, appear to be coming down with colds.   This is not what I wanted to happen, but between the flight over, the cold damp weather, including wind, and these goofy hotel rooms, it's probably no wonder.  They don't furnish a top sheet and blanket over here, just a duvet to cover up with.  Consequently, I get too hot, throw the cover off, then get too cold.  I found a blanket in a armoire in my room for tonight, so I think I will try using that instead of the duvet. We are only staying at this hotel for tonight, then heading out in the morning for Reutte, Austria where we will take a tour of the Dachau concentration camp.  Hopefully the internet connection will be more reliable in Austria than it was in Bacharach.  See you soon!

Going to make this short and sweet.  Crappy connection at the hotel--this has been the first time I have been able to get a signal in two days. All is well and we are moving on in the morning, going to Rothenburg, Germany.  Hope to get back to posting everyday then.   Having a good time.  connection so bad am not even going to try posting pics.

A day in Amsterdam

 Today we got up and headed into Amsterdam right after breakfast at the hotel.  Our first stop was at the Anne Frank house, obviously a somber place, but I was impressed by the way the place was treated by the visitors.  As expected, the adults were concious of the history and everybody spoke in low voices and were quite subdued, but what struck me was that the kids there acted the same way.  It was almost like they were picking upon the vibe and taking their cue from the adults.  I resolve to read her diary when I get home and reacquaint myself with the story more fully.

After a lunch at a cafeteria type place in a department store (I had a salmon, onion and spinach quiche and a sampler of salads) we headed off to the Rijksmuseum to see some spectacular paintings by some of the Dutch masters, as well as all sorts of other exhibits.  Our guided tour got cut a little short due to the delay we had at the entrance, but the guide was very informative all the same.  We had some free time afterwards, so a number of us re-entered the museum and looked around on our own, so we managed to salvage the visit.

We followed up the museum with a canal tour.  The boat probably would hold about 40 passengers, so our group of about 25 was very comfortable.  The driver was very good, maneuvering the long boat very skillfully and pointing out certain points of interest along the way, supplementing the pre-recorded soundtrack playing on the boat's sound system.  It was a welcome break from being on our feet and all of us were ready to head back to Haarlem to our hotel.

Dinner for me and several others was at a local restaurant / pub where I had a Carpachio salad (a standard green salad that also included raw beef, sliced very thin, on the salad)...definitely out of my comfort zone!  It wasn't bad, but I won't be ordering it again, either.

Today's photos are basically just a general overview of the sights of Amsterdam, with this bottom one being of Amsterdam's prettiest canal.  There are 7 stone arched bridges in a row.  They don't show up so much in a picture of this size but I am hoping that they might if I enlarge and print the shot.

It's off to bed for me now...need to be up early to pack and leave right after breakfast.  Tomorrow night I will be sleeping in Germany!

The potato has landed

After all the time and anticipation, my European trip has finally begun!  The flight over was uneventful, delayed by an hour or so by the Detroit weather, but otherwise very smooth.  The baby on board only a few seats away from me was no problem because his parents were so attentive and considerate of all the rest of us.  I got lucky also in that there was no one in the seat next to me, so I could spread out a little bit, but unfortunately there was still not enough room to get any sleep.  It was a long flight and a long night!
Upon arrival in Amsterdam, I cleared customs and caught my bus to Haarlem, then a 10 minute walk took me to my hotel.  I was able to check in even though it was only noon, then headed back out for a stroll to get oriented and work some of the kinks out of my muscles.  What a beautiful old city, with buildings dating back to the 1500s, and the people are friendly and helpful.  On top of that almost everyone speaks English, making up for my ignorance of Dutch!
I caught a nap and then met the rest of the group at 4:00pm for a get acquainted meeting, followed by a family-style dinner at an Indonesian restaurant. The food was delicious and the company was great.  this looks like a great group of people to travel with and I have the feeling that by the end of 3 weeks, I will have made some friends.  I also got lucky in the respect that I don't have a roommate.  The other guy listed singly on the roster is in fact travelling with a woman, so I will have a room to myself.  Okay, signing off now...very tired and need to get a good night's rest so I'm ready to kick some butt tomorrow.

 

Counting down...I leave in 6 days!  Getting very excited.  Updates will start in about a week from Amsterdam.

Test posting

Just trying to get used to Windows 8...making sure this posts alright before I get to Europe and discover I'm having trouble posting.