NJHC Hostel Haarlem

... awake prior the alarm and
packed up and headed to Schiphol. A 40 minute bus ride from just
outside the hotel to the airport and we were checking in for our
flight home. We were directed to the KLM lounge to relax prior to
the flight and then headed to the gate to board. Boarding was a
little late as they had to wait for catering to ready the plane and
we boarded and were greeted with a beer and champagne prior to
departure. A very ...

... These hills were crossed by a path sadistically paved by eighteen trillion bricks. I say sadistic because laying down so many bricks is nothing short of torture to the bricklayer (or 7 generations of bricklayers it must have taken to put down 18km of bricked bike path) as well as to the cyclists, who would much prefer the cheaper and easier-to-maintain smooth pavement of your standard, run-of-the-mill blacktop. After returning to Haarlem and ...

... here?!"- just kidding. we find the place and the more adventurous in the group order the pancakes. I order some schnitzel and, you gueesed it, a beer - Warsteiner this time. The schnitzel is delightful, the pancakes... wéll, you'd have to ask DJH, but I can say they were HUGE - at least 12" across. During dinner, we got the quote of the day. Judy had hinted several times about wanting to attend service at the Big Church on Sun (tomorrow) - most of her ...

... and Heineken tasting. Colin's message was quite clean-the truth is we hired a prostitute and had mushrooms our first night. Hmmm....not really. We did buy a joint and smoke it out in the open though-remember Mom, I'm 30 and it's legal here. There is a smoking ban in the city-you can smoke joints that are pure weed in them, but no tabacco allowed. Strange priorities. Anyway the Red Light District is all that you'd expect ...

... the strong dollar. We decided to ´wing it´ at the Amsterdam Casino, and we bet $500 dollars on black (roulette) and Won!!! Then we immediately left the casino, with big smiles. Visiting Sepp in Germany from 10-14 April. Visiting the Zimmermann´s in Mattersburg, Austria on April 17th Visiting Rechnitz, Austria from 18-20 April.

... The Oldest Museum in the Netherlands The Teylers Museum is a child of the Enlightenment and a rich textile merchant named Pieter Teyler van der Hulst. Like other wealthy amateur scientists, Teylers (1702-1778) had his cabinet of curiosities, minerals, animal skeletons, gem stones and books and fossils. In 1784, six years after Teylers death, his collection was opened to visitors. This makes it the oldest public museum in the Netherlands. It is well worth a visit-and ...

... and sat down next to me on the bench and started to talk to me. He had no front teeth, but these jagged metal points instead. He was stoned as hell and was whinging because he got a 50EUR fine for street drinking or something of the sort. Vik was sure he was going to stab me and she forced me to say goodbye to my new-found friend. So what did we miss? The plethora of museums, the Anne Frank house and lots of other things. Well, that's ok...it gives me an excuse to go there again.

... s to explain the universe. We talked of Norwegian politics, Norwegian oil and, of course, theology that included a discussion about the origin of Man and faith. I was enjoying listening to Bruce and Ragnar's knowledgeable discussion. I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate my traveling partner Bruce Anderson who is an elder in Minnesota. Bruce is the vice-president of Anderson Chemicals. He very actively serves ...

... was a Micky-Dees, which was giving out paper Sinterklass papal hats with a M in place of the cross. Read more stories and see photos at Adventures of a GoodMan Sinterklass Explained: Below is some factual information about the celebration for those who care. The stories end here, so continue on if you want to know more about the backstory of Sinterklass and the black-faces. According to Google, Sinterklaas Season begins in ...

... 10 flight which in the end, turned out to be at 16:30...sigh... I think I killed time in every single store in the airport and single handedly increased airport store turnover by 15%. Finally, John and Chris showed up (they knew the time of their flight at least!), hopped on the plane and got home where I was awaited by my mum with a wheelchair - bless her sweet heart! Had a blast at the tournament, and i always love going to Barca, so well worth the hassle!