Hotel Breukelen Utrecht

... stamp them is some machine or other. I explained that I had no idea how the bus system works in Holland and would they help me by stamping the tickets. No, by this time the one guard was almost shouting at me. If I don't know how the system works, I should have asked the driver. <br><br>This statement defies logic. You have to know that there is something you need to know, before you would go and ask anyone. I didn't know I needed to know anything, and even if I had it would ...

... one of these. (For the record, Alicia had 2, Chris had 4 and a half.)<br><br>After that we carried our guts back to the train station, collected our bags and got on the train to Utrecht, our port of call for the next two nights. We like the town immediately. More canals, plenty of bars and restaurants, and another youthful, permissive vibe. Couple of beers before an early night.<br>The hostel was extremely casual and comfortable. They actually purchase food ...

... a threat to our freedom of speech. Most are people that live in villages where they never ever see a muslim anyway. The fact that Geert Wilders gained so many votes does say something. That many people object to him says something too, but they are the higher educated, often living in the bigger cities. Another example of the way in which individualism leads the country is to take a look at what happens if something violent ...

... well as some confidence of course. I would recommend it to anyone. And I got the taste of it. This time I will go for 5 weeks, again on my own, but partly without reservations and without a ticket back home! I think this will give me a taste of what Spain will be like in winter, I will end up having to take care of more stuff at the moment itself and especially I'll have to flush shyness through the toilet. + I'll get an idea of how it feels to be abroad on my own ...

... dominate roads here. I was only there for a few hours before Sofie gave me the 'real' Amsterdam-experience - riding a old steel bike with a girl sitting side-saddle on the panier rack. The old step-thru frame handled like a wet noodle with two people on it. The cobblestoned roads certainly didn't help! All the locals we met were lovely - I didn't meet one that collected dry skin or ate their chocolate bars with a knife and fork. Photos to follow...

... in De Wildeman, a bar specializing in a vast selection of ales and beer, including many excellent Belgian ales. Dana enjoyed the Cuvee de Ciney Brune, I had a Maredsous Tripel and the Marzen that was on special. I mentioned a Left Hand Brewing sticker that was stuck to the bar and talked with the bartender about the excellent brews from the Boulder area of Colorado as well as the stellar brews from the Pacific Northwest where we live. He told ...

... since I was on my own I wasn't going to partake of any of the coffee shops or their associated products. First of all it no fun getting baked by yourself, plus I didn't want to end up alone, robbed, and face-down in a dumpster somewhere. Safety in numbers, so I hope to return with reinforcements. That evening back at the hostel I started talking to an Aussie couple coming down off of their afternoon trip. Ellie and Nicole ...

... freedom and justice for the masses. Throughout my travels the two most recognized and idolized 20th Century figures around the world are Bob Marley and Che Guevera. Very interesting. One morning I rented a bike and toured the parks of Amsterdam, resting and just watching the world go by at each of them. Within a large urban area it's always good for me to spend time in nature. Makes me think about life and the universe-also, what the heck I might want to do ...

... took a train to the center of Amsterdam and from there walked to our hostel, the Aivengo Youth Hostel. This hostel was recommended in my "Let's Go Europe" travel book and it turned out to be a pretty cool place to stay. We were a little apprehensive in the beginning because we were staying in a 16person room. But it all turned out great. The hostel was in a perfect location right near all the action; the walls were painted really funky colors; purple, yellow, red; and ...

... waar je op de witte stranden heerlijk kunt uitrusten alvorens terug te vliegen. De 27-daagse reis doet ook Laos aan, dat met zijn ongerepte natuur en kleinschalige toerisme authentieker is dan Thailand. In Vientiane ervaar je de unieke mengeling van de Aziatische cultuur en de Franse koloniale invloeden. Met een binnenlandse vlucht kom je in Luang Phabang, de voormalige hoofdstad, waar je een groot aantal tempels kunt bekijken. Een boottocht over de Mekong brengt je ...