Golden Tulip Jan Van Scorel Hotel Schoorl Alkmaar

... raced up and down to it, bearing stretchers laded with cheese between them. The stretchers were hung from harnesses they were wearing, rather than being carried. The men moved at quite a pace and I have several photos of them racing out of shot. Actually, considering the crowds it is surprising I got any photos at all. It was heaving. We struggled through the tourist market and decided to try to escape the hustle and bustle ...

... also served slices of apples with slices of beets, potatoes, french fries with tangy mayo and bread. After dinner (and two bottles of the red wine) we ordered two platters of chocolates and coffees. The meal was perfect! We bundled up and left the restaurant quite full. We took an alternate route back to the hotel and took in the Dutch nightlife. Tomorrow we're renting bikes and taking in the Van Gogh museum and Heineken brewery! I'm so excited!!!

... toilet-cleaner, or garden bench. As the french didnt understand dutch, they had no idea what they were writing down. Jokes on them. Now apparently its fun to get a dutch dictionary and a phone book, and try and translate some of the still wacky names used today. The tour concluded outside Anne Franks house, and so me and Allison went inside to have a look. I was so shocked by how big it is. Its actually huge! The short version of the Anne Frank story is that during the Nazi ...

... but I'm hoping once i'm not killinng time in an airport that it will get better. 3 months is seeming a little daunting right now though and i can't help but wonder what possessed me to do a trip like this, rather than just going to one place for a month or something like most sane people. In any event, I'm safe and will have a less stressed entry I'm sure once I get to Belfast and see a familiar face.

... Frank y la Fábrica de Heineken. Por la tarde hice paseo en barco por los canales y mas o menos creo que entendí bastante de lo que la guía decía en inglés. A la noche hice un tour de caminata por el Barrio Rojo (que bueno, esta vez en español). Estuvo buenísimo porque me contaron toooda la historia de la prostitución y las drogas en Amsterdam y cómo funciona todo. Aprendí códigos de colores de banderas muy útiles para no ...

... All of them, caucasian young men. One guy was dancing about handing out free (said tongue-in-cheek) paper cones of water, then pestering the recipient for money while the others beat their tamborines and frolicked around the unwitting drinker. Then, I heard them before I saw them. It was unmistakable. It was so darn familiar...that song! That characteristic cackle... QUAKERS!!! My head jerked upward and there they were, flying through the air! A flash of green, a loud ...

... Republic struggled to rid itself of Spanish tyranny. It looked like the Spanish were winning. Many Dutch towns were under siege, the population starving. But Alkmaar kicked ass and the tide turned--the Spanish were routed and Dutch independence established.  A grateful nation gave the Alkmaar burghers a choice: Alkmaar could have a university, or a weekly market. Both would provide tax ...

... I managed to squeeze in between museums, bar hopping and foosball. The weather was equally as unforgiving as the last time but I managed to get out and do some walking during the day on Saturday. Saw a few different neighborhoods and some good junk markets (something Brussels also specialises in). Hung out with Tanja and a musician from LA who was very nice and renting a room in Tanja's flat for the week (craigs list, everyone!). Finally made it to the Rembrandt house and the Van Gogh ...

... yielding to the bullpen. It felt good to finally get a win under my belt. In Sundays game we fell victim to no run support as Kenny pitched a gem. He gave up only 2 runs in 9 innings and suffered the loss. Even though I hate to say it, the American on the other team pitched real well. The next weekend we played the Brussels Kangaroos. Kenny pitched Saturdays game and gave up only 3 runs in an 8-3 win. We showed a ...

DAY #2: A wake up to Becky's legs and arm thrown over my body. There was 3 of us in our room with 1 single and 1 double. Becky and I shared the double which unfortunately had a concave bend in it along the middle, causing us to be constantly rolling onto each other. Our hostel provided us breakfast...solid Dutch breakfast of slide ham and cheese on a bun....sounds like more a lunch to me! Today was an interesting day ...