Why is Amsterdam so noisy. Its 4:30 A.M. and the city is keeping me awake. Does the din have to do with the low altitude, the tall stone buildings, the long wide streets? People’s voices are amplified; someone talking on a cell phone appears as if they were speaking into a megaphone. The tapping of… Continue reading September 7: Amsterdam
September 6: Amsterdam
This is the West Tower, the tallest tower in Amsterdam, 85 meters (279 feet). The West Church was purposely built by Protestants in 1620. Rembrandt is buried here. In her diary, Anne Frank mentions listening to this church’s bells while she was hiding in a storage building across the street. As I write, the clock… Continue reading September 6: Amsterdam
September 5: Amsterdam
The Netherlands is the most densely populated country in the world, and Amsterdam is its capital and most populous city. In addition there are the tourists. According to Wikipedia, “Amsterdam is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, receiving more than 4.63 million international visitors annually, this is excluding the 16 million day trippers… Continue reading September 5: Amsterdam
September 4: Amsterdam
As we approached the Nijmegen train station, we saw bicyclists looking for vacant spots in the multi-floor bike park. Imagine how much energy is saved in the Netherlands just with bike use. It is strange for me to look for bike traffic; several times, Dennis had to yank me off the bicycle path. Unless riding… Continue reading September 4: Amsterdam
September 3: Nijmegen
Since we left Miami on April 20, we have visited 13 countries, about half of the Western European countries: Madeira, Spain, Portugal, England, Wales, Ireland, No. Ireland, Scotland, France, Luxemburg, Belgium, Netherlands (Holland), and Germany. We took ships, ferries, trains, buses, and bicycles, or we walked; today we rode a draisine, a pedal car on… Continue reading September 3: Nijmegen
September 2: Groesbeek
We spent five hours today at the Nationaal Bevrijdingsmuseum 1944 – 1945, the National Liberation Museum. It is not specifically about the 82nd or 101st Airborne; it describes what lead up to the war, the occupation of the Netherlands, the liberation, and the rebuilding of the country. Though Dennis did not discover anything directly pertaining… Continue reading September 2: Groesbeek
September 1: Groesbeek
It is hard to believe that we have been in Europe for four months, arriving in Barcelona Spain on May 1. Today we took a train to Nijmegen, NL. All the signs are in Dutch, but many people speak English. From the train station, we went to the Tourist Bureau, but it was closed. Esther… Continue reading September 1: Groesbeek
August 31: La Gleize
This morning, Michel de Trez, author and historian (left with Dennis and me), and his friend Françoise picked us up at the B & B to drive us to the December 44 Museum in La Gleize to see Dennis’ father’s WWII paratrooper helmet and other artifacts. Michel had arranged for Dennis to be interviewed by… Continue reading August 31: La Gleize
August 30: Bastogne
This morning we spent more than three hours viewing the J’avais 20 ans en Bastogne exhibit at the Musée en Piconrue. Senior citizens were interviewed by teens about their experience as children during WWII. Their taped recollections were the basis for the three floors of exhibit rooms. Off all the museums we visited in Bastogne,… Continue reading August 30: Bastogne
August 28: Bastogne
It took us approximately two hours and twenty minutes to get from Luxembourg to Bastogne, Belgium, about 44.5 km (27.6 miles). The itinerary included taking a 20-minute train ride to Mersch where we took a 5-minute bus ride to Ettelbruck. The last section took us the longest; we salute the bus driver for her skill… Continue reading August 28: Bastogne