Amsterdam

We are having absolutely perfect weather here in Europe! Different people have commented that we brought the warm, dry weather with us! We started our day - early - with a 9 a.m. reservation at the Anne Frank House. We rode the bus into town, and then walked along the canals to the House...I've been there a couple of times before, but it was just as moving this time. We didn't have to wait in line, but were immediately ushered into a large room where "Marian" told us a summarization of Anne's life and the times in which she lived. Then we went through the house at our own pace...ending in the gift shop... Otto Frank, Anne's father, wanted the house to remain as much as possible as the house...so people could understand the rooms...the way it was. I hope all delegates were moved by seeing it, by understanding more what her life and times were like.

We then started on one of our long walks of the day ... this time we ended at a canal cruise. It was long...and it was guided, so we learned so much about Amsterdam and the canals. For example, Amsterdam is built on pilings...wooden pilings...just the Central Station (train) is built on 9000 wooden pilings. There are approximately 2500 houseboats that are permanent residences...and they are hooked up to the city water. Central Station...built on 9000 pilingsAnne Frank house from the canal cruise


and the bicycles...oh my gosh...you just cannot image the bicycles! There is a parking garage JUST for bicycles near the canal station...and it looked like it was full....and then besides that, bicycles line the bridges, around trees, ... anywhere they can be, they are!


Flats decorated to support the Netherlands team in the World Cup!

From the cruise, we went on our 2nd long walk of the day...a 45 minute, fast paced, walk...and it was definitely warm for Amsterdam! I didn't hear anyone complaining...but by the time we reached the restaurant, we were ready for water...cold water...lots of cold water...and we were hungry! I can't remember the exact name of what we had, its something like pannokoken, but it's a danish pancake. Oh my...it was tastey!

We were suppose to go on another walking tour of some of the streets/canals...but I think there might have been a rebellion had we said that! We had just walked 45 minutes down many streets and along many canals...so...we had about 1 1/4 hours of shopping time....a popular decision! There were lots of souvenir shops, and there were ATM machines and even a place to exchange currency.
This is one of the parts of Amsterdam that many were amazed with. Marijuana is legal...and is sold in stores...not for People to People, of course!

From there we headed to Clara Maria...a farm...a farm where they make cheese...delicious gouda cheese...and they make wooden clogs. We first arrived and had a demonstration of how they are made compared to how they used to be made. Then we went into the cheese shop and saw how it was made. Steve was trying his best to get a good picture...instead, the guy making the shoes sprayed him with sawdust!
After the farm, we only had to walk a short distance to the bus...short, like maybe 1/2 mile...so on the ride back to the hotel, the bus was very quiet...very very quiet...because just about everyone was asleep.

Back here at the hotel, we had dinner...and then some free time around here before we said good-night...and had bed checks...

and we're off to Germany tomorrow!

From Brugge, Belgium to The Hague, Netherlands

We said good-bye to Brugge, Belgium...and headed to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has 19 working windmills!

Meet Steve...He and I went on the England, Ireland, Wales trip together a couple of years ago. Steve is very patriotic...and was extremely excited about the USA playing in the World Cup. Can you tell?

I had to have my picture made in the wooden shoes!

Gwen, the leader of the Texas-part of the delegation

Jeanette, our adorable delegation manager...she's from Austria

Once we arrived, we each hopped on a bike for our adventure. The lady who owned the bikes led us through parts of the town, alongside canals, windmills, people jumping in the canal from bridges, people fishing, people yelling at us (in Dutch, so who knows what they said!), people going about their daily lives...
Getting ready to ride...

Out on the backroads...

Chris S decided to take a dive into the canal...others followed suit...some, like Riley, fell in the canal...but not on purpose. That's another story!

Hanging out watching some of the group jump or dive in the canal...

Playing soccer with the Dutch guys...

After riding about 45 minutes or so, we stopped at a park for a picnic. The lady who owns the bikes had pulled a cart behind her bike which had all the picnic supplies. We made sandwiches...had drinks...apples...and dutch cookies...delicious! We ate and played for an hour or two...and then proceeded on our journey!

We turned in our bikes, boarded the bus, and headed to The Hague where we went to the International Peace Palace and the International Court of Justice, which is the main judicial body of the United Nations. Also there, was a Peace Flame... flames from 5 of our continents came together to light this one flame that has been burning since 1999. 197 countries gave a rock to build this little circle around the flame...all in the name of peace.

We walked the streets of the city...and headed to our restaurant for dinner... an absolutely delicious dinner...

Back on the bus, we headed to Veenendaal...outside of Amsterdam...

What a fun day this was! Bicyling through the back roads of Holland...Wow!