Day One - settling in with our first host families
Trip Start
Apr 28, 2007
1
14
Trip End
Jun 01, 2007
Amsterdam,
Noord-Holland,
Netherlands
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Marnie went to the city centre to meet her hosts Doris and Rene Marti. Rene is an orthopaedic surgeon and they live in a magnificent five storey house overlooking canals in the centre of Amsterdam. Marnie enjoyed a city cruise to get her bearings, a light nap, and a great seafood restaurant at night.
Vince and Walter are staying with Hans Olthof in Abcoude, north west of Amsterdam. Hans owns 12 hardware stores across Holland, including one in the centre of Amsterdam built in 1826. During the day, they toured the countryside close to the city (only 10 minutes out of the city are farms) and stopped in the former island of Marken for a quick drink. At evening time, they headed into town for Queen's Night, enjoying the preparation for tomorrow's big day.
Matt and Adrian have no host family and are instead staying in the spare apartment of a pharmacist Rotarian, Bob Oei, in North Amsterdam. Bob is out of town for several days, so we were hosted for the day by Jos van't Walderveen and his wife Karina who live in a picturesque part of North Amsterdam with beautiful wooden homes dating back to the 1600s. Matt and Adrian's apartment dates back to the 1960s and is protected by metal bars on the windows and several different locks on the doors. It's an interesting place.
