Staten Hotel The Hague

Well, the trip has finally started! After getting up way too early (nerves I guess) and repacking my backpack twice, I traveled to Schiphol. I tried to get a seat with enough room for my legs, but unfortunately those seats were already reserved. (So why does it say on the China Airlines website that those seats cannot be reserved?) Here we (a friend of mine who's also going to Bangkok and I) enjoyed a last meal on Dutch soil (a nice tosti) and afterward we boarded the Boeing 747 to Bangkok.

... past their prime. The only thing holding it all together is the imposing, old Kurhaus hotel/casino which classes up the joint a bit.

After being denied early check-in at the ultra-modern-pirate-lounge-fitness-aqua rium hotel I'm staying at (they pipe the sound of crashing waves into the elevators!), I decided to ditch the off-season beach area and check out the old city center, where I learned that ...

... fun - a couple from Boise Idaho. We ended up going for lunch with them at the Pancake bakery (apparently famous). The pancakes were not at all like home they were more like pizza's, Nina from our travel group got one that was full of Bananas, chocolate, whip cream (sorry Darol and Patty I am saving that for IHOP) I got a bacon and cheese pancake while Brett got some kind of sugar pancakes. Overall it was a great experience, and Steve and Nina ...

... exaggerating ... Off to cheap, nearby internet cafe, then over to Cafe de Regier, in the Jordaan - it's my last night in Amsterdam, so a nice meal is in order. The basket of fresh bread didn't last long - a kind of a sourdough/multi-grain hybrid that I've never seen before, but hope to eat again. Tasty! There was also some white bread that wasn't that great, despite having a nice texture. As I started my meal, it was ...

YES! Finally we've found a room! A beautiful awesome great room which I've already made a deposit on! It's great it's near a train station and bus stops and metro stops and all that jazz :D Anyway, so yeah, happy happy joy joy. Update: Sorry, I didn't even try to help you guys find your own rooms! Okay, so, I tried craigslist, I tried Googling stuff but omg, that didn't work at all... I didn't find some very expensive ways to ...

... is this an actual word??), of such commonness (again, word??) that I will not stress at all. Meanwhile, finding an apartment in Rome is made of hell. Cheapest for two people I can find comes to around €900 a month. I will not be paid for my internship. How am I supposed to pay rent? Ah well, it'll work itself out, right? For now I am hoping the Italian lady understands the word utilities...

... live'" in Los Angeles, and the Li'l Rascals Brass Band. Playlist #140 [01] Opening Music: Walter "Wolfman" Washington: Get On Up [02] John Sinclair Intro, Comments & Opening Tokes with Larry & Henk [03] Johnny Adams: Look the Whole World Over [04] Dr. John: I Thought I Heard New Orleans Say [05] Walter "Wolfman" Washington: You're Fine [06] Comments & Conversation with Andy ...

... the old bars that are all wood inside. We were super hungry because we hadn't eaten since lunch, so we went to the only place that was open at 3:30 am. It was like an Indian restaurant, but they were only serving two things that late. I had some sort of meet and it came with French fries, but I don't think they call them French fries here. Today we went to the Rembrandt museum, Van Gogh museum, and the Anne Frank House. I really liked the Anne Frank House, and I think my dad did too. We ...

... stay tuned -----following day---- Oranje festival... well, what can i say... hmmm, madness, insanity.... i have never in my life seen crowds like that! the whole city.. street parties, the neverending flow of alcohol and music calling you from every direction... people were even dancing and bands playing music on boats in the canals....

Met the family in Toronto and flew overnight to Amsterdam via Air Canada. At least they feed you on overseas flights. This trip is a revisit of old haunts and reletives for myself and the wife and an introduction to the old world culture for the kids. When traveling with family the trip is much more luxurious than when by yourself. We rented a car! A diesel Opal that we all fitted into. Europe has all the kid friendly ammenities that I didn't notice 25 years ago ...