Hotel de Koningshof Noordwijk

... we were running late for the Keukenhof Gardens tour, we were watching the time and also used it to meet the tour director at the appointed time. While we were in the queue to go into Anne Frank's house, the Westerkerk clock right next door struck 12 midday and our watches were showing 11am. After a bit of thought, I suggested to Monica that perhaps they had daylight saving time and this had started that day, being a Sunday, like ...

... I would imagine Vancouver was like in the 50's for the most part, there's no major grocery stores except one or 2, the rest are small butcher shops, bakeries , cheese shops, etc, and all of them are seemingly run by families or young entreprenuers who are committed to their craft. Monday morning I found a bakery that seems to be owned and run by a grandmother and one other girl (her employee) who's ...

... a freezing drizzle. It didn't stop me, however, from going out of the apartment I was staying at and exploring the city. What amazed me was the outstanding amount of people who, just like me, seemed not to care about these rather harsh weather conditions. I'm lucky, I thought, it's not summer. Otherwise I would most definitely be run over by one of the million bikes locals use even more during summer months. Winter in Amsterdam definitely has its charm. Even though my hands were ...

... some crazy loft and you could go outside and sit on top of the building!!! SOOOO yeah i went to the WRONG place and ended up walking around for a sold hour looking for this place! I finally went BACK to the train station asked them where the hell this place was and then realized I am the idiot and that i was just in the wrong place! SO I was really mad and cranky so I just got there went and gravbbed some food and wine from the super market then came back to the hotel when I ...

... and a buzz in the streets like no other. The city definetly had it's own pulse and considering the Netherlands were playing against Russia in the Euro Cup that night the pulse was electrifying. When the game was about to start we went to a Sports bar and drank Heinekens. The bar crowd was mental and going to the toliet was like running the gauntlet, nonetheless it was a good game and it was interesting to finally see the European passion for the world game in ...

Well, I have arrived in Amsterdam !! Wow, the flight on KLM was different than any other foreign travel I have done. There was plenty of leg room, but the gentleman in front of me mine as well been sitting in my lap. When he leaned his sit back, his head and cushion were right in my face. I am not kidding. Therefore, it was very hard to get comfortable. Thank god for having the window, is all I can say. I managed to sleep ...

... the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB). (anong nangyari?) Perhaps the most famous victim of the Holocaust in the Netherlands is Anne Frank. Anne Frank was a young German Jew who wrote about her life of her family and their companions in het achterhuis. They were able to hide from the Germans in the first few years of the occupation. But unfortunately, they were discovered and were sent off to concentration camps.

Wow, everything I'd written (about 4 substantial paragraphs), just got erased by a browser crash. It never comes out as well the 2nd time around. Awesome. Well, let's try this again. Amsterdam is the most outrageous place I've ever not even imagined. I've dressed up as Elvis in Las Vegas. I've worn boxer briefs, a mullet wig, sunglasses, leopard slippers, and carried around a naughty doll on Halloween (private party [and ...

... can't have the real thing, a postcard is good enough. I also spent a morning at the Tropen Museum. This houses cultural artifacts and is educational related to the former Dutch colonies such as South Africa and Surinam. It was very educational and fascinating. There was also an exhibition on Che Guevera, one of the revolutionaries of Cuba alongside Fidel Castro. The exhibit displayed various cultural manifestations of all things Che. He is an icon around the world ...

... a few galleries as well so I checked out the Van Gogh Museum (I know it's a museum but it's more like a gallery....) which showcases his work throughout his career so you can see his progression from his early days to his more famous works later in his career. I saw another VanGogh exibit in Edinburgh and I really like his work, especially his Impressionist before he cut his ear off. Crazy bugger shot ...