Ijsselhotel Deventer

... at the moment.<br><br>This is a pretty early entry, there are still 2 months to go, but I just wanted to start my blog already. What if in two months time this name would've been taken.. disaster! :)<br><br>Anyway, I'll try to keep everybody informed with this blog. <br>

Our pilgrimage Itinerary titles today as the day of "A Bridge Too Far;" Unfortunately due to the downpour, we drive by John Frost Bridge and take an extended coffee break, but I am getting ahead of myself. The morning includes two Remembrance Ceremonies, one at Reichswald Forest Cemetery for members of the Airforce and the other at Holten Cemetery. I am scheduled to lay the wreath at Holten Cemetery, but before we get there, we travel into Germany to honour fallen airmen ...

... thought it would be a good idea to flood the area, slowing down the Allied advance as they tried to free up the port of Antwerp. The Germans also built a very large concrete bunker on their side of the canal giving them an excellent vantage point from which to fire their machine guns up and down the arrow straight, man made, body of water. The Canadians used small inflatable boats to try to cross. They also employed flame throwers in an attempt to clear ...

... farming communities on the German border, where things were slightly better. Dad used to tell us the story of when a bomb fell on the zoo. Opa cycled over there and came back with a chunk of the elephant's trunk, which they ate for a week. It was somewhat stringy, I believe.<br><br>Anyway, Dad was a thin and skinny thing, in danger of starving to death, so my Oma and Opa cycled all the way to Hengelo from Utrecht, in search ...

The cashew nuts were in a huff with me, after their earlier failure to give adequate directions. They folded their nutty arms and refused to tell me when to change motorways. I ended up back-tracking through a small village with no useful signposts, and some locals who waved every time we drove back past them looking for the way out. The cashew nuts smirked at me.<br><br>It was quite late by the time we got to Sander and Renata's farmhouse on the outskirts of Hengelo. It is a lovely ...

This is a great place to stay while exploring this area! It is a Family-Run effort, and Jeffrey and Nathasja work far too hard... I found the help and encouragement they offered me in my explorations to be far beyond any possible repayment. Located in the Center of this elegant town, the Hotel is just down the hill from the lovely St ...

... has proven to be a challenging course mentally and emotionally. I came out of class this week almost in tears. It was really frustrating, but so good for me. It made me think, which can be hard to do at times, because you shut a lot of stuff out to protect yourself. They brought down my walls and made me think about things I have avoided. They posed the big question "Why do you allow people to take advantage of you? Why do ...

We arrived in Amsterdam about 7 pm and there to greet us were Barbara and Thijs! We had planned to take the train out to Utrecht, so were very happy that they had decided to surprise us! We spent the next day and a half in Utrecht visiting with them and I did some shopping. Barbara played field hockey on Sunday; Martin got his kicks out of, once again ...

... off to Africa and potentially the most climactic chapter of her travels. Though it would be over a year before I would see my sister again, our farewell as I alighted the train was necessarily brief. But in keeping with our Amazing Race style of travel together with our grandmother through Switzerland, its surrounding countries and Ireland over the previous two months, it was a very fitting way to cross the finish line.

... LIE Here's an interesting tidbit on Dutch culture: Telling a lie is taken VERY seriously here, as the royal family recently learned. Here's the scoop: In July, Prince Johan Friso, the third in line to the throne, announced his engagement to his girlfriend of three years, Mabel. In order to remain in line for the throne, the prince has to gain permission from parliament to marry. To do this, he must convince the Prime ...