remembrance of travels past

I got to thinking that each time we had been picked up by the City Airport Taxi, they had been late. So I decided I wanted to move the time to 6:30 instead of 7. So I called the various numbers and all I got was answering machines in Dutch. The desk girl at the hotel tried and she had no better...

I do cemetery documentation - whenever I have time, I go to cemeteries and take pictures. Then when I get home, I enter the data into a database called FindAGrave.com We set out again for two nearby cemeteries - Sint Barbara RC Church and the Alkmaar General Cemetery. The lady at the desk...

Eventually we went into a cafe Outside of the Grand Cafe samen Bar area from our table Bob ordered the anytime breakfast Bob's fried egg, cheese and tea My cheese sandwich I just had a cheese sandwich and a cup of tea. Dessert refrigerator (we didn't get any) Bob suddenly panicked...

Weigh house after the Cheese Market is over Street Organ We saw a street organ like the one we saw at the tulip gardens. A street organ is an automatic mechanical pneumatic organ designed to be mobile enough to play its music in the street. Dutch street organ are large organs that play book...

TV Camera from inside the cheese museum Cheese cart in person and on TV Overhead view on the screen a Cheese Carriers on the TV I also took a video with my cell phone. I assume that the various personnel in the cheese market performance are identified in the presentation. But I did...

There were people standing four or five deep all around the market area and from the scooter I couldn't even see the big TV screen they had. Bob's view I gradually worked my way around to the other side of the square and then it started to rain so I ducked into the Cheese Museum. From inside...

29 April 2016 we went down for breakfast. The hotel breakfast was a good one and not as expensive as the one for $25 each that we had in Amsterdam. This breakfast was $17 each. The breakfast area was quite crowded because most people at the hotel were having breakfast, but there was adequate...

This was from a letter my mom wrote in 1965: We expected to have several hours in Rotterdam for a visit with K.. but instead of taking us 50 minutes to get to Rotterdam..it took us about 1 1/2 hours. There were three places where we had one-way traffic due to road construction, and the lines...

Dining room Steward The only fly in the ointment is the dining steward - a prissy, sissy individual. There are 5 at our table - another couple our age with 3 boys (the L's). He is in personnel at Westinghouse at Newark. They are very nice. The fifth person is a young German girl returning to...

We fell into bed and slept until 8 Friday morning getting to the boat Got up and dressed and went to Child's for breakfast. Never go to the one near the Statler. Terrible service. Then I went to Macy's to buy some slips--I remembered I hadn't packed any!! And Daddy decided to get suspenders to...

The beginning of the trip in 1965 I came across a letter my mom wrote about her trip in 1965. It would make a good travelogue except that is wasn't my travel, and my mom is now dead so she can't post it herself. But I thought it was amusing. In 1965, she and my dad took a working vacation to...

Going back a little - We went in the side door of the Grote Sint Laurenskerk (there is a handicapped entrance). And I took a photo of the statue that was outside first. It is the statue to Maerten Pietersz van der Meij. He was the city's carpenter, but became famous by smuggling letters to and...

Golden Age The last part of the main exhibit was "The Golden Age" . To show their gratitude for the city's loyal stand, William of Orange and the States of Holland awarded Alkmaar the Weight House revenues. Painting of the Weight House 1660. It was mainly cheese that was weighed and traded...

It got to be about 12 and we went out for lunch. Statue of a shepherd near the canal I decided to go to the museum cafe. This is the building opposite the church. In addition to the library, this is where the museum is and also an Art Center Stichting Bibliotheek Kennernerwaard Museum...

Disembarkation All the people who were last to get off (9:00) had brown luggage tags. We had brown luggage tags as we were not flying out today. The AmaViola moved over and rafted on the AmaStella in the evening. Bob thought this would be a problem, but it wasn't so much of one. With luggage in...

Most of our group came back to the bus early and did not wait for the guide at the designated location Going back to the bus parking lot I took photos on the way back. Some of them I have no idea what their significance was. Yellow lady statue Green flags Flower cars Purple nose Silka...

I browsed through the pavilion until the rain stopped vases of flowers Amaryllis Amaryllis Windmill in the exhibit hall After we left that pavilion, I tried very hard to find the other pavilions to see what they had in them, but I just couldn't figure out which way to go Drawbridge...

The guide said that Keukenhof translates as "Kitchen Garden" which is easier for me to spell Pink tulips Mixed border Tulips Reflections Statue Fountains Grape hyacinths Yellow flowers among the trees Red Darwin tulip Pagoda at the end of a path Fritillaria Imp - Rubra...

Today (April 27th) I found our bill under the door had a charge for alcohol on it and we don't drink. (The alcohol charge turned out to be a mis-typed room number.) I was also agitated because Bob was not getting ready to have breakfast at 7 and I couldn't find my sweater (which turned out to be...