Europe Cruise 2009

42 Photos of the Eifell Tower

2009-08-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Keri and I arrived in Paris at about mid-day on Tuesday. After getting settled in at the hotel we headed out to see the city. After my first visit to Paris two years ago I had been looking to see some things that I missed last time. One of those happened to be the Statue of Liberty. France, who built the Statue of Liberty, has two of their original models on display around the city. We went to the Jardin Du Luxemborg to see the smaller of the two, which is located in this beautiful park with the old palace and was busy with both locals and tourists. After doing our patriotic duty we headed over to the Cathedrale Notre Dame. Notre Dame, the Gothic style cathedral, sits right on the edge of the Seine River and has some amazing stained glass windows visible from inside. We then decided to take the long walk from the cathedral to the Arc De Triomphe. Along the way we went past the Pont Neuf, the pyramid of the Louvre, and along the Champs Elysees until we arrived, exhausted at the Arc. Although long, the walk along the Camps Elysees is amazing. It really gives you a sense of the Paris architecture and atmosphere. All of the parks and cafes are filled with people enjoying the beautiful summer weather.

After a nice rest at the hotel it was time to head out for the night. We enjoyed dinner at an Irish pub along the river and went for the tourist heavy night cruise. The cruise took us along the Seine showing a very different side of the city from the water. The buildings along the way were all lit up and their lights reflected off of the water creating a magical atmosphere.

As the boat wound its way around the city we finally made it to the jewel of the city, the Eiffel Tower. Some 20,000 lights allow the tower to twinkle every hour and it is a sight to be seen.

By the time we arrived at the Eiffel Tower the next day it seemed as if everyone shared our desire to go to the top. Unfortunately, the top level was temporarily closed so we choose the smaller line which were the stairs. Some 700+ stairs later and we made our way to the second level. From here you get a unique view over the city as it sprawls out across the landscape. When we arrived back at the bottom we took our share of tourist photos before moving on. We walked by the larger Statue of Liberty which sits near the Grenelle Bridge and then by the famous Crazy Horse Paris. Our last stop of the day was at Sacre Coeur basilica on Montmartre. The church has a nice view over the city and a unique white domed exterior. The last night in Paris was spent at the Moulin Rouge. We went to see their show Feerie which was great, and unlike anything I had ever seen before. It contained all of the feathers, flair, and topless dancers you could imagine.

It was a long day of travel as we made our way back to LA. We caught the Eurostar train from Paris to London going under the English Channel! Due to the airlines mistake we missed our connection in Philadelphia but they put us up there for the night and we finally arrived home the next day. Overall the trip was absolutely fantastic. We saw so many different places and experienced many new cultures. I think we all checked some things off the life to-do list and probably added more to it.

Le Cote D’Azur!!!

2009-08-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Viva La

France

!! I have been dreaming of visiting the French Riviera in the South of France for years and couldn’t contain my excitement as we traveled along the ocean to our hotel in Nice. The sticky heat, the bright lights, the palm trees, I was in HEAVEN! We chose to stay in Nice because it was central between Cannes and

Monaco

, both places we wanted to see. We arrived late that night and decided to check out the Nice night life. Our hotel was about a 10 minute walk from the beach so we conveniently strolled down through Old Town Nice with a quick 11pm stop for 2 slices of sidewalk pizza for 3 Euro. This came in handy when the first bar playing live Beetles music charged 9 Euro for a Red Bull vodka! At least they had sugar free… The next bar was directly across from the beach and we quickly made friends with an awesome mid 30’s Welsh couple. They immediately offered us tastes of their death defying Sambuca (black licorice clear alcohol served with coffee beans) followed by the local beer, long island’s, another round of Sambuca (thank you for taking that Shawn!) and the night continued on from there.

If I had a billion dollars, I would move to Monaco

The next day we struggled out of bed for a long relaxing day under beach umbrellas in Cannes. (It was going to be our French version of Sunday Funday) Unfortunately after going to about 10 places, we realized we needed a reservation for these notorious beach chairs. HEARTBROKEN, I decided I could make it through living if we made reservations for the next day. From there we hopped back on the train and took it about 45 mins (past Nice) to the principality of Monaco. Monaco-Ville, as they call it, is the second smallest country in the world (Vatican City being smaller) and is also the world’s smallest monarchy! With this said, it is amazing to see the distinct beauty and exorbitant wealth this principality is comprised of. Monte Carlo is also home to the Monaco Grand Prix which happens every year and attracts the rich and famous along with their multi-million dollar yachts, Ferraris, Bentleys, and Lamgorghini’s! We walked through the beautiful park above the Casino down to the beach and spent some time basking in the beautiful French sun.

After all this walking and sun worshipping we headed back to our hotel in Nice. We had plans to return to Monte Carlo that evening to experience the energy of the affluent municipality by night. We got dolled up and Shawn put on his fancy shoes so we would be admitted to le grand Casino de Monte-Carlo. It was exciting just walking around outside the Casino and seeing all the high end cars driving by and revving their engines. Since it was 20 Euro just to get in and minimum bets were 1 million euros (jk!) we headed to the free entrance casino which shockingly had 6 euro wine AND free munchies. The bar we sat at was very contemporary and swanky and we really enjoyed feeling like one of the regular visitors or locals amidst this posh casino in this glamorous bar. Later we walked back along the hill away from the Casino and found another bar similar to this one overlooking the harbor and the enormous yachts. The twinkling lights were so entrancing and the ocean breeze and warm air felt like heaven all over again. Had to slam the wine as our train was 10 minutes away! Ahh! One day we’ll be back and we’ll be riding in limos not running in heels up to the train!

Vous ete ici

The next day we awoke early as we wanted to explore the medieval town of Eze Village which we had seen on the Samantha Brown show, Passport to Europe. This village is situated on the hillside above Eze Sur Mer and has the most incredible and breathtaking views of Le Cote D’azur. It took about 20 minutes to bus up the hill before we arrived at the base of the small town. Since it was early the air was crisp and fresh and we made our way through the medieval streets of Eze. We headed towards Château Eza, the romantic 5 star luxury boutique hotel, where we stopped for chocolat chaud’s (hot chocolates) and admired the gorgeous view. From there we made our way back down through the small streets stopping at a few of the local artisan’s stores along with the village church before trying to find the famous Fragonard, “Le grand parfumeur de Grasse.” We opted to go to a smaller perfumery where we picked up some green and white soaps which read “Eze – Grasse” on them for Mom’s bathroom, as she really wished she was able to see Eze Village when she was in France in 2007. Eze Village is known as the hidden gem in Le Cote D’Azur and after seeing it first hand I couldn’t agree more. The village was SO picturesque and just oozed with romance, luxury, and charm. I wouldn’t miss it on your next trip to France!

After this we made our way back over to Cannes for our beach chair reservation. We had a few drinks and enjoyed the sunshine along with the French. Various of them were topless, some were over tanned, wrinkly, and saggy, and some were absolutely gorgeous, (what you would hope for when visiting the South of France!). Later that evening we picked a Teppanyaki restaurant for dinner called “Le Samurai” and decided to treat ourselves to a tasty dinner overlooking the ocean. This restaurant was unique because you walked on top of a fish tank when you entered the front door! We loved the atmosphere and enjoyed eating something different than we had been for the past few weeks.

Although we were leaving my dream destination spot early the next morning I was excited to see what Paris had to offer.

København

2009-08-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

The last port of call was Copenhagen, Denmark. This was an overnight stop which allowed us two days to explore the city and the countryside. One of Copenhagen's biggest attractions is the Little Mermaid statue. The statue is remarkably small but sits perched on a rock near the harbour. As it sits out in the open we heard several stories about vandalism to the statue including beheading and painting. It was really beautiful day out so we continued our walk into the city, past the Gefion Fountain, Resistance Museum, and into Amalienborg. This is the palace where the royal family lives and we spent some time walking around the area. Our walk took us farther into the city center and we ended up in Nyhavn Harbour. Being good tourists, we hoped on the must do canal cruise for an hour long guide tour. The boat went through some amazing areas of the city showing both residential and business districts on the waters edge. Copenhagen has along naval history and had to defend this harbor from attack for many years. The edge of the river is dominated by new buildings like the Opera House, Theatre, and the Library, better known as the black diamond.

We headed over to the Christianhavn district for lunch along the canal. The place we were eating at looked very familiar and then we remembered it had been recommended on the travel channels Passport to Europe. We had been told on the canal tour that you could climb the tower at the Church of Our Savior...and did I mention that the stairs are on the outside. The spire of the church was built in 1752 so it was quite a trek up the 250 years old stairs, but once at the top, the view over the city was fantastic. We could even see our ship in the distance. I wont mention any names..okay i will...Mom, dad and Keri had a death grip on the railing the whole time, but I'm pretty sure they had a good time, even though they look even happier being on the ground again afterwards. We continued to walk the city for the rest of the afternoon stopping at the National Museum, city hall square, and along the walking street filled with shops and restaurants. We had a couple of drinks at a great outdoor cafe and enjoyed the local beers.

We returned to the ship for dinner and to relax for a bit before heading out again that night. The biggest attraction in the city is by far Tivoli Gardens. It is the second oldest amusement park in the world and was opened in 1843. The whole park is lit up at night and it is beautiful. The park was alive with people and the story goes that Walt Disney visited the park and got some of his inspiration for Disneyland here. The park is filled with restaurants, theaters, classic rides and even some modern roller coasters. When it was built, Tivoli gardens was situated on the outside of the city, but now it lies directly in the middle. After the park Keri and I went out for the night and met some great local people. We spoke to a local at the bar for a while and she answered all our questions about Danish culture. We hoped to a couple of other bars and having a great time until we eventually retired back to the ship.

Day 2 in Copenhagen was spent out of the city. The original plan was to rent some bikes and go exploring, however that was a wash when the bike place was all booked up. We instead rented a car and headed north to Kronborg Castle. The castle was about 45 mins north but we took the scenic route along the ocean which was just amazing. The seaside towns were filled with people enjoying the sunshine...they don't get a very long summer in Denmark. Kronborg castle and the town of Elsinore were made famous by Shakespeare Hamlet. The castle was built in 1585 and sits on the edge of the ocean overlooking the small 4km gap between Denmark and Sweden. The castle is surrounded by several moats and was quite an imposing structure. We toured the rooms and even went underground into the depths of the castle which was cold and creepy. The castle's ground were beautiful and there were even more people here soaking up the sun and getting in some fishing. After the castle we headed back down the coast and had lunch at a little cafe. The ship had an early departure so we had enough time to drop the car off and make it back.

Copenhagen is a beautiful city situated right along the water. The Danish people were probably the nicest of any of the countries and they genuinly look like they enjoy life and living there. The next day and a half of the cruise was spent reminiscing about the ports and enjoying the amazing food and amenities that ship offered. When the ship finally docked it was hard to believe two weeks had come and gone. Mom and Dad had 2 more days in London while Keri and I headed to France for 6 days.

ESTONIA?? WHERE??

2009-08-19T18:03:00.001-07:00

Just a hop, skip, and a jump across the Gulf of Finland we landed in the quaint and magical town of TALLINN, Estonia. A small country, and an even smaller city, Tallinn is one of the oldest cities on the Baltic Sea and has remained remarkably unchanged for the past 600 years. The morning was crisp and fresh as we started along the walking tour we were advised to take of Old Town. The cobblestone streets were quiet as it was early in the morning and one of the first sights we happened upon was a group of people standing outside a “Sauna Bus” in their towels (apparently quite an attraction in these parts). We walked along the back of Old Town up to Toompea Castle where there were great views of the city and the Gulf of Finland. The Castle dates back to the 13th Century and is fronted by the town’s Parliament house, which is PINK! We wandered into a small park next to the Castle where Shawn spotted a red and yellow post normally used in the reality show “Amazing Race.” Just a few minutes later in barrels a panting camera man running in front of two of the teams! They frantically looked around the park for the clue (which was the post) and as I caught eyes with the girl from the yellow team I pointed toward the other side of the park where the clue was waiting. Ha! Imagine that? Of all places in the world you happen to see the Amazing Race being filmed in TALLINN!

After this rush of excitement we walked down to the main square of town first passing through a restaurant called “Olde Hanse” which is most famous for it’s dedication to bringing alive the detail of the middle ages. The locals were all dressed in medieval costumes and were making a variety of crafts, clothing, and food outside the restaurant which is lit only by candles. We then found ourselves paying 3 Euro each to climb up to the top of the Town Hall tower. Not only did each of the stone steps start getting taller and taller as we climbed higher but there was a rope to help pull you up along the side as it was so steep. At the top we could view the beautiful city through the narrow openings in the stone and could even see out to our ship in the port. After that we made our way through the atmospheric Old Town which was an enthralling hodgepodge of medieval streets and spires filled with old-world shops and cafes built into the rock walls. One of the most famous streets being St. Catherine’s passage was where we stopped to enjoy a glass of wine and an Italian meal. It was so peaceful sitting in this quiet street enjoying the charm of the city.

We were feeling nice and toasty as the sun was shining bright and we dared to do another knee shaking climb along the city wall! This wall used to protect the city in its early days from intruders by sea, and there were plenty of old cannon holes which reminded us just how high up we were. After this point we meandered back along the edge of Old Town taking in the clean air towards our port. Right before we made it back to the ship there was a large wishing log looking out over the sea that we were advised to sit on and make a wish. This log was pulled up from the sea or from Africa or something along those lines, but whatever it meant, it felt so magical to sit in silence with the ocean breeze on our faces as we each made our wish feeling the warmth of Tallinn’s charm running through our bodies.

Tallinn was spectacular!! Put it on your To-Do list for sure!

Racing through St. Petersburg

2009-08-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

The day in St Petersburg was the most discussed day of the whole trip in the months leading up to it. There are alot of attractions to see in the city and we were on a mission to make sure we didn't miss anything, while squeezing it all into a set time limit. Our tour guide, Yelena, wasn't even sure if we had time for bathroom stops! The day started with a driving tour of the city. We past a couple of historic buildings and even stopped by a Russian Orthodox mass on the way to our first big stop, St Issac's Cathedral. St. Issac's is the largest church in the city and was the largest in Russia when it was built. In front of the cathedral and overlooking the Neva river, is the symbol of St Petersburg, the Bronze Horseman. It portrays Peter the Great and sits atop what is called the Thunder Stone. It is said the be the largest stone ever moved by man and took 400 men 9 months to move the stone from Finland to where it rests now. The next stop was the Rostral Columns, which were used as beacons in the past and are still lit from time to time on special occasions. The 4 ships on the columns represent the 4 great rivers in Russia.

Our interaction with the locals came at our stop at the eternal flame. A group of guys, that were probably still up from the night before, and despite not speaking English, were able to entertain us with a musical rendition of the Bee Gees. After the entertainment it was off to the Church of our Savior on Spilt Blood. On the exterior it resembles St Basil's in Moscow but the interior is entirely made of mosaic. Alexander II was mortally wounded on this spot and the church was built in his honor. Actually after listening to our guide Yelena, assassination was a common theme among Russian royalty, and was very often caused by members of the same family eager to seize power. After the city part of the tour we headed about 45 minutes out of the city to the Catherine Palace. It was the winter residence of the Kings and Queens and it's most known for the Amber Room, a room completely made out of the gem amber. During World War 2 the German army occupied the palace and upon leaving left it in shambles and looted most of the art and sculpture, including every panel in the Amber Room. No one is sure what happened to the room, and to this day the Amber Room remains one of the most sought after treasures in history.

After another 45 minute drive we arrived at the Peterhof Palace. This palace lies on the ocean and was the summer residence for the royals. The biggest attraction at the Peterhof is the massive gardens and fountains on display. Yelena told us that no pumps are used for the fountains and that they are all come from the mountains behind the city. Considering some of the fountains spray 20 feet in the air it is quite remarkable, and almost unbelievable. Some of our group were adamant that she was lying, so further investigation is indeed required! After walking around the grounds for some time we boarded the hydrofoil boat back to the city. The last stop of the day was at the Hermitage Museum. It is the second largest museum, behind the Louvre in Paris, and we took about an hour to speed around the whole place. It was one of the best museum tours I have ever done, as Yelena just picked out the highlights and had great information about each artist and painting. The museum has 3 millions items including paintings by Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Monet, and Picasso. We learned that all of the pieces in the museum were acquired by purchase, rather than brought back as spoils from wars over the years, as is common in other countries national museums.

It was a long and sometimes frantic day in St. Petersburg, but overall it was unbelievable and unforgettable. Russians are a proud people and we learned alot about their culture and history from our guide. The city is beautiful and unique and every monument and church is highlighted by a great story. Tomorrow we dock in Tallinn, Estonia.

Россия

2009-08-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

The boat stopped in St. Petersburg, Russia for 2 days. On the first day we had organized a day trip to Moscow. It was a long day of travel, with 4 hours of buses and 2 hour long flights, but it was so worth it! I don't think any of us knew what to expect as we drove into the city and there was such a mix of new and old. You can already see how the fall of Communism has brought all kinds of new business and infrastructure. There are huge blocks of old run down apartments next to brand new ones, and massive shopping centers with all types of westernized stores. The first stop of the day was outside of the Kremlin. Red Square is just as big as you think it is going to be. At one end of square is St. Basil's Cathedral which is just amazing. The colors and the shape of the building is just so unique and is unlike any of the other churches you are used to seeing. At the other end is the national museum with its bright red exterior that is similar to the Kremlin walls that run around the whole area. Lenin's tomb is also in Red Square where you can go see his body, but unfortunately we didn't have time to go see it. There is also a huge shopping area next to the square called GUM which was very beautiful. Also, it is a Russian tradition to go and take wedding photos in Red Square so being a Saturday, tourists were almost outnumbered by brides and grooms.

During the communist time in Russia the government wanted to prove to the people that they were using their money for important things, so they spent loads of money to deck out many of the underground metro stations. Our group went for a ride on the metro to see some of these stations which were very interesting, with their marble and statues everywhere. One of the most unusual and amazing things we saw all day was on the way back to the Kremlin for the interior tour. There is a massive statue dedicated to Peter the Great where he is standing on a large ship and it is so different from anything I had ever seen before. The museum tour inside the Kremlin was nice, but a little long as our guide wanted to explain every single exhibit. However there was one room with a bunch of old carriages and sleds that the kings used to use which was great. We were able to walk around inside the Kremlin and also managed to get in trouble for taking a picture on the grass. The Kremlin has a bunch of churches that we could tour and there are gold domes and round roofs everywhere.

We got to have a look over the whole city when the tour took us to a lookout by Moscow University. The university is housed in a very large building and is an imposing figure on the Moscow skyline. We were taken to a local restaurant for a traditional dinner featuring caviar on pancakes, beef stroganof, and shots of vodka. It was a long trip back to the ship and we didn't return until after midnight, but surprisingly enough it was still light outside. It was a very long day, but one that none of us will ever forget. For the older generation, going to Russia was once considered impossible and now it is open to visitors. Its architecture is so unique and is a nice change from the traditional western European ways. The people in the city were very nice, although they have a very tough exterior. They certainly have come along way in the past 20 years and the city and country will only continue to grow.

Suomi

2009-08-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

Today the shipped dropped anchor in Helsinki, Finland. I hadn’t heard much about Helsinki and was interested to see what the city had to offer. When you don’t really have much of a plan its really easy to learn, by getting on one of the tourists buses. They allow you to get on and off at various points and keep you entertained with info about the city and the stops on the tour. The first stop on the tour happened to be the highlight of the day. The Rock Church was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was a huge functioning church carved out of the rock right in the middle of the city. It doesn’t really look like much on the exterior but is very beautiful on the interior. We took the bus around the city and just listened to the commentary and learned about the various sights. We stopped at the market square for some shopping and walked around the harbor area. I wanted to try one of the local favorites, reindeer, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Also, if you take a trip out of town a couple of hours, you can visit the place that Santa Clause is from. I always thought it was the north pole, but apparently its north Finland. After spending a day in Sweden, its hard for the locals to live up to those standards, but they were all very nice and helpful.

It wasn’t a very long stop today so we just enjoyed the afternoon in town, sitting at a café and listening to local music. We brought up the fact that we don’t like how countries and cities are translated into English. So we pledged to try and only use the local names, so from now on Finland will be referred to as Suomi. It is going to be a very hectic weekend with two very long days in Russia so it wasn’t all bad to have a short and casual day. It doesn’t get dark in the Baltic Sea area until about 10:30pm or so and in the winter there is no sun for about 2 months. A third Suomi is also in the artic circle and in the winter it must be a totally different place to visit.

I come from Sweden

2009-08-03T06:41:00.001-07:00

The next port of call on the cruise was the city of Stockholm in Sweden. It was the first of a few Scandinavian countries that we would be visiting and we were all really excited. We started our day at the Vasa Museum, which is dedicated to a very famous Swedish ship that sunk on its maiden voyage. It had lain on the bottom of the ocean for 333 years before it was found and pulled up to the surface. The ship is in great condition due to the type of water in the cities harbor and would not have survived like it did in many other places. The ship was incredible and the museum had some great exhibits on life as a sailor in the 1600’s. After leaving the museum we did some walking around and ended up at a traditional Swedish village park, Skansen. The area had a village showing 18th and 19th century life in Sweden. The little city had operating bakeries, glass blowing and people dressed in native outfits. It was so easy to immerse yourself in the culture and feel like you had just stepped back 200 years. There was also a small zoo around with traditional Scandinavian animals. Wolverines, Bears, huge elk and Reindeers were the highlights. The goats were also entertaining as they were constantly making calls one after another.

We walked around Galma Stam, the old town, for a couple of hours in the afternoon. The area was made up of cobblestone streets lined with markets and shops. The local people are all very attractive and that always makes the people watching more entertaining. We also explored the local shops and looked at the very funky Tamrac Trolls. Some things that other countries are known for are just funny and weird. We only had a couple of hours left until the ship sailed so we went into the main part of the city to check out the Icebar. It’s a bar that is entirely made out of ice and they serve drinks in glasses made of ice. The temperature is below freezing so they give everyone these warm jackets and they made everyone look like a blue marshmallow. You cant stay in there too long and it doesn’t help when most of us were wearing shorts but it’s a fun experience.

Overall it was a really good day. Stockholm is a beautiful city and I would go back there in a heartbeat. Swedish people live up to their reputations for being beautiful and the city is equally nice to look at. The traditional European architecture and multi-colored buildings make Stockholm and great city to visit.

Danke!

2009-07-31T06:50:00.000-07:00

So after a 9 hour train ride, in true German style, the train pulled into Berlin Hostbanhof at exactly the posted time, almost to the second. We had 6 hours until we met the rest of the family in the city and there was only one place in the station that was open. To be honest, sleeping on a McDonalds booth is quite comfy. We made sure to buy something about every hour so we didn’t get kicked out. The time went by quick and before long we were in the car with the rest of the crew and over at the East Side Gallery. This section of the wall has been painted by various artist from all over the world and is a beautiful representation of culture. Most of Berlin’s building are very new, as so many were destroyed by the WWII bombings, and our next stop at Postdamer Platz was a good example of the new architecture. Despite the age of the buildings, a lot of Berlins sights have rebuilt in the original 18th or 19th century styles and its surprising when you learn some were finished as recent as 1999. The Brandenburg Gate, Berliner Dome, and the Reischtag parliament house were some of the great buildings we saw while walking around the city. We also took a ride on a crazy 6 person bike while the driver dodged around tourists.

The museum stop of the day was at the Pergamon Museum. The museum had a lot of original sculpture from the city of Babylon including some pieces that are over 100 feet wide and 40 feet high. Its incredible to walk on something that was built over 2000 years ago and was part of one of the most famous cities in history. The last stop of the day was Checkpoint Charlie, and we all learned a lot about the history of the city and the divide of East and West Germany after the war. After all the typical tourist photos we made the drive back to the ship. It was a long day to say the least, but it was well worth it to be back on the ship.
The ship is at sea today and the next stop is Stockholm, Sweden. The sun was out so we spent most of the day taking in the rays and relaxing by the pool. We have been really lucky that the seas have been so calm and its easy to forget that you are even on a ship.

Now that I’m Drunk, I want a Kebab

2009-07-31T06:45:00.001-07:00

The next day was a series of events different from one another but all very indicative of the nuances of Amsterdam. Started off with a 4 hour bike tour on “Mike’s Bike Tours” in which about 13 of us were led by a young tour guide on California Beach Cruisers through the city and out to the countryside. No helmets, no waivers, we didn’t even pay before we left, just hopped on and made sure to pay attention when the guide would look around behind him and shout, “Watch out for that car!” Bikes take precedence over pedestrians, but you have to make bloody sure the tram isn’t coming through the street when the single file line of bikers are trying to get across! The tour guide told us some interesting stories about the city. Amsterdam experienced many firsts in its day; first to have a stock market, first to make a republic, first to legalize prostitution, etc. Learning about the history made me really understand why Amsterdam is the way it is, and why the Dutch are such laid back, honest, and care free people. The countryside part of the tour included a stop at a windmill which appears in many of Rembrandts paintings, and then on to what the tour guide called a “mad farmer’s” cheese and clog farm. (Imagine Goldmember from Austin Powers) This crazy Dutch farmer gave us a personalized tour and even crafted a clog right in front of us with woodchips flying everywhere – health and safety completely out the window.

The afternoon put us back in time for a tour of the “Heinken Browerjen.” This brewery tour is quite new in existence and was extremely modern in its design. It was incredible to see how the Heineken family have strived to produce a superior quality of beer and was interesting to taste the key ingredients barley, hops (a green plant - probably why Heinken tastes like weed to me!), and “A” quality yeast used to make this beer. The tour ended up taking us over 2 and ½ hours and did include quite a bit of free beer drinking in a futuristic neon lit bar with rowdy European beer drinkers. After this was a mad rush back to Central station to hop on our 9 hour train to Berlin arriving at 4:30am! I couldn’t wait to see the family the next morning and later get back on the ship…

XXX

2009-07-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

There is no better way to experience a city than to spend 5 quality hours there, especially when one of the biggest attractions is at night. The cruise ship was only docked in Amsterdam from 9 to 2 so we decided to be a little unorthodox and not get back on the ship until the next port in Berlin. That means we had to organize our own transportation from Amsterdam to Berlin, and also find accommodations for the night as the ship had a day at sea in between the two cities. The family got off first thing in the morning and headed straight over to the Anne Frank House. After being so opposed to visiting “just an attic” as he called it for 2 months Dad thoroughly enjoyed it. After the Anne Frank museum we walked through the city and explored the floating flower market and some of the main shopping streets. Everyone was quite surprised at the beauty of the city and you really do have to experience it first hand.

We headed back to the ship for a quick lunch then packed two tiny backpacks with enough to get us by for 2 nights and three full days off the ship. As we walked back through town and watched luxury on water became a distant image in the background, we found our way on the public trams to Hotel Orfeo; our hostel accommodation for the night. The room was up 3 floors on these thin old century Amsterdam type stairs and our room looked like something similar to Anne Frank’s attic. However, the area Shawn found the hostel in was called Leidsepline, just a 25 minute walk from Dam Square (the main part of town). The small charming streets were filled with café’s and restaurants, not to mention the town’s “coffee shops.” Canals rule the town and almost every few streets you walk appears another small beautiful piece of this canal wrapping itself around the city. The street performers do an interesting Dutch version of a rap break dance, but their energy and excitement for their work touches any young American who has seen the real thing. We had an adult beverage in one of the 300 tables littered across the square and watched an old ripped man perform tight rope in a small green thong. Minus that guy, this part of our day defines what Europe is all about; people sitting and relaxing outside enjoying each other and everything around them. It’s so peaceful and so beautiful to be a part of it.

That night we went to a comedy show called “Boom Chicago” which is actually an American comedy show which highlights and mocks the main differences between Dutch and American culture, mostly making fun of the Yanks. We emerged from that close to 10pm and the sun wasn’t fully set yet but we still made our way over to the Red Light District. The area isn’t too much different from what you would imagine, the only thing you wouldn’t picture are the neon (mostly red) reflected along the water and the cops patrolling the street on horses. Girls have individual windows they sit in and can open the door to anyone at their choosing. There are about 3 to 5 windows per house and I thought most of the girls were quite sexy and normal looking – not super trampy like you would think. In some of the windows the bed they use is right there behind them, and in some you walk back into the room or up a flight of stairs for services. The girls in the windows are in there smoking, talking on their phones, texting, yelling at each other across the canal, and even eating! It’s just another day at work for them. The experience was one of a kind, of course, and great to see what this red light district was really all about.

Big Winner

2009-07-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

Day 3 was an easy day as our only task was just to make it to the ship on time. We took a midday train with out of London and headed for port, in Harwich. It was geat to finally arrive at the ship and we took care of the lengthy check in process. The cruise likes to have some fun by taking a welcome aboard photo, which is always good for the ladies who have dragged luggage through a city, on a train and then to the ship, and did not have ample warning to fix their hair before the shoot. The cruise ship is amazing of course, and it looks like it will be a nice 2 weeks on board.

The main dining hall is really elegant and the food is fantastic. The crew are also really helpful and really make sure they go the extra mile for you. Viju, from India, is our cabin steward and always seems to be standing near our room waiting for us. I think he must have been trained by watching Mr Deeds over and over and we keep waiting for him to bust out with the “very very sneaky” line. The mandatory life boat drill was a good laugh as every passenger walked around the boat in their bright orange life vests. I was really skeptical of the whole thing and wondered if we would really have time to meet at a designated point on the ship, and then do some fancy line-up before getting on the lifeboat. I asked how long it would take the ship to sink if we hit something bit no one seemed to want to answer that question. We hit up the casino the first night and Keri had a great roll at craps and came out a big winner. No one seemed to treat the game like the Vegas style craps, and the energy level was just above funeral procession. We had cake and champagne with Mom and Dad to celebrate their anniversary and cant wait for Amsterdam tomorrow.

London 2.0

2009-07-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Day 2 in London was just just as exciting as the first. Keri and I upgraded our accomodations when we meet the newly arrived Mom and Dad at the hotel in Regents Park. We all ate a good english breakfast at a nice little café in Swiss Cottage and then headed out on the tube to St Johns Wood. We made the short walk to Abbey Road and dodged the traffic to get a decent shot on the crosswalk. There was a big crowd and it is funny to watch all the people try to replicate the famouse album cover. The next stop on the list was Westminster. We toured the exterior of Parliament House and Westminster Abbey. We walked inside on St Margarets church, right next to the abbey which is reserved for weddings and funerals of Lords and Ladies. Mom and dad had gone to a weddding there years ago for Lord Portman and his wife when he was driving for Dads Toyota Atlantic team.

We then walked across Westminster bridge and got some good shots of Big Ben and the River Thames. We toured around the rest of the Southwark area, going by the London Eye and finally taking the underground to the Tower of London. We ate lunch at a great English pub, and had our fill of Fish and Chips. Keri had a nice fall down the stairs due to the rain and got a good rubdown from a local drunk Englishman.

The millenium foot bridge was next on the list with a quick stop on the otherside at the Globe Theater. Romeo and Juliet was playing, which would have been an experience to see there, but it was sold out. We all walked across the Tower Bridge and finally made our may back to Kensisngton and Harrod’s. We all enjoyed a fantastic ice cream sudae and milksake in the Pastierre and then headed back to the hotel. Being in London, we needed to have some Indian food and so we headed back out to Leicester Square and ate at a place that I had eaten at on my last trip here. After a great meal it was time to enjoy the London nightlife. The area was packed with people again, and we made our way up to a nightclub. We mixed with the locals by enjoying some techno music and it was quite an experience.

Tomorrow we head off to the ship and set sail for Amsterdam.

Just touched down in London Town

2009-07-23T16:26:00.001-07:00

After 2 long flights, and not alot of good sleep, we finally landed at London Heathrow. It was great to finally be abroad after months of planning and waiting. We had booked a hostel the first night in London, before the rest of the family joins us and we upgrade to a "real" hotel. Keri, mortified at the idea of staying at a hostel has likened it to summer camp, and has yet to run out screaming, so it's a win for everyone. Although there's still time as the night is young.

The sightseeing began with some tube rides down to Oxford Street. We arrived just in time for it to start raining. Imagine that, rain in London...weird. We took full advantage of the opportunity to try out the "cloudy" setting on the camera. It finally let up and we were able to stroll past speakers corner in Hyde Park, but the rain must have scared them all away. We did follow a group of oddly dressed Brits, but it is the city. Harrods department store was next on the list and Keri was impressed by the architecture and the assortment of high end retail and food. We managed to grab a snack and found a really quaint hidden street adorned with high end cars and homes to eat on.

Next it was off to Piccadilly Circus and Leicester square. There was a movie premiere on there tonight and the crowd was out in force to catch a glimpse of Brad Pitt. Seeing as we had been in London for half a day and hadnt yet seen the inside of a pub it was time for a drink. The streets in the area have been busy to say the least and even on a weeknight at 11pm everything was packed. The city has such a high energy and its great to be a part of it. Just when you think the day is over, we return to the hostel and see a fellow traveller feeding starbursts to a wild fox. He said the fox loved them and that it was night 2 of the feeding. Im not sure what was more unusual, a fox in surburban london, or that it loved mango starbursts.

We're looking forward to meeting up with everyone tomorrow and gettting the cruise underway.

Shawn and Keri