Tag Archives: Retirement abroad

Poland

A day in Krakow

We went into the Krakow city center to explore the old quarter. There were beautiful old buildings with great architectural features.

Krakow city center

We walked through the streets looking at the buildings and enjoying the sites. There were many unique features including a bicycle.

Skeleton framed bicycle in Krakow city center.

We came across a beautiful large plaza which had horse-drawn carriages parked there.

Linda, Bev, and Shelley, in the large plaza area in Krakow city center.

We went over to the horse and carriages to check them out. There was one in particular that looked really good.

Horse-drawn carriage in Krakow

We went over to the women and inquired the cost of a ride. The price was reasonable so we decided to take a horse-drawn carriage ride.

Linda, Bev, Ray, and Shelley in Horse Carriage in Krakow

We enjoyed traveling through the streets in the carriage, seeing some of the main sites.

We went shopping along some of the shops in the city center. There were some specialty shops and unique stores.

Bev and Shelley going into a shoe store in Krakow

There some beautiful restaurants, pastry shops and cafes located in the plaza and streets.

Cafe on the side street in city center of Krakow

The visit to Krakow was very interesting and quite enjoyable.

“do widzenia i wielki dzień”

Netherlands

Venice of the North

We went to Amsterdam for a few days and explored this amazing city.

Ray in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is also known as the “Venice of the North” because of all the canals. There are 165 canals covering over 100 kilometers in Amsterdam.

We decided to take a dinner cruise and enjoy the canals in the evening. We arrived at around 7 p.m. and lined up to get onboard our cruise boat.

Each table was reserved and we had a nice table near the rear of the boat.

We set off and shortly after the waiter served us with wine and cava. The cruise was a very calm and the slow ride down some of the less traveled canals made it enjoyable. We enjoyed the wine and relaxed as we passed by some of the amazing homes.

Beautiful homes along the canals in Amsterdam

We came across some interesting things on our cruise. There were restaurants and other businesses located on boats anchored on the canals. There was the largest Chinese restaurant in Amsterdam which happens to be a floating barge.

We also saw some unique buildings and boats located at the canals.

During the cruise, we were served an amazing meal. There was a kitchen on board and the chef made the meal while we toured the canals.

Shelley, Ray, and Bev on boat cruise

During the evening cruise, it became dark and we were able to see the canals at night. The canals take on a new appearance and feel after dark.

The buildings, canals, and bridges take on a new look at night. The bridges have lights on the arches and light shimmers across the water of the canals.

The cruise was very relaxing and enjoyable. We had a delicious meal and was able to see Amsterdam on the water. It is definitely a great way to see the city and the canals.

“tot ziens en een goede dag”

Netherlands

A visit to Amsterdam

We went to Amsterdam for a few days and toured this wonderful city. We walked through the streets of Amsterdam and were amazed to see the number of bicycles being used. There were separate bike lanes on every sidewalk and if you were not careful you could easily be struck by a cyclist.

Cyclists on Amsterdam cycle lanes

There were bicycles parked and locked everywhere in the city.

Bikes parked and locked along the streets of Amsterdam

There is a saying in Amsterdam that there are more bicycles than people in Amsterdam. Bike theft is also a major problem, the police estimate that each year approximately 80,000 bikes are stolen.

We walked along the historic red district of Amsterdam. There were many coffee shops which sold Marijuana, sex related shops, and a few prostitutes displaying their wares along the way.

We went through the older section of Amsterdam where there were beautiful architectural buildings.

Anne and Shelley in historic Amsterdam
Amsterdam Train Station

We came across a beautiful building that was converted into a high-end mall.

Historic building converted into a Mall in Amsterdam

We decided to go in and look around. The inside of the mall was very elegant and there was a large chandelier hanging in the center.

Crystal Chandelier in mall

We then came to an area of Amsterdam where there were old traditional style homes.

Old style building in Downtown Amsterdam

Some of the buildings were slanted from years of settlement on their foundations. It was interesting to see how slanted some of the buildings were.

Buildings settled over time and leaning on another building in Amsterdam

At the top of most of the older style buildings, there were cantilevered pulleys. These were used to hoist furniture and other items up to upper-level floors.

Pulley used for hoisting furniture to the top floor.
Ray, Anne, and Shelley in downtown Amsterdam

Amsterdam was a very interesting and unique city. We enjoyed our time there and look forward to another visit in the future.

 

Netherlands

Amsterdam waterway cruise

We had a great time taking a  waterway cruise when we were in Amsterdam. There are approximately 1,500 bridges and over 100 kilometers of waterways,  which made it a great way to see the city.

Cruise boat tour in Amsterdam

We boarded the tour boat and we were met by a very colorful Captain called “Rudy”. He welcomed us on board and explained the history of Amsterdam.

Captain Rudy explaining the history of Amsterdam during the cruise.

Captain Rudy was very funny and entertaining with some interesting stories.

Shelley and Ray on a Boat cruise in Amsterdam

We began our boat tour in the main canal and saw some of the iconic buildings.

View of the modern art building in Amsterdam

The tour then headed down some of the smaller canals in Amsterdam.

A small bridge over a canal in Amsterdam

There is lots of boat traffic on the canals and it is used as another form of a roadway. It was interesting to see the system they had for when going under a narrow bridge opening. The Captain radios on a common channel to say what bridge and direction they are heading. If someone is coming the other way they would arrange for what boat had priority.

Some of the canals we went through were very narrow and the bridges were quite low.

View of a low bridge the cruise boat went under during the tour

Sometimes the cruise boat would hit the side of the canal wall when making a turn to go under a bridge.

Narrow canal that the cruise boat took during the tour

We enjoyed the two-hour cruise looking at the unique building throughout Amsterdam. Some of the buildings are built on pylons and have shifted and sunk over the years, making the buildings lean sideways.

Building shifted and leaning on another building in Amsterdam

There were some buildings built on the very edge of the canal making access to the building easy by boat.

Access from the canal to apartments and buildings.

We enjoyed the boat cruise and saw some interesting buildings from the canals. Our Captain was very entertaining and made the cruise even more enjoyable.

“Tot ziens en een goede dag”

France

The Palace of Versailles

While we were in France we decided to go and visit the Palace of Versailles. We arrived early and joined the large crowd of people already in line to enter the palace.

People lined up to enter the Palace of Versailles

We had a tour guide which made it easier for us to get into the Palace. We went into the Palace and were immediately impressed by the ornate decorations and the size of the building.

The inside of the entrance into the Palace of Versailles

Hanging from the ceiling in the entrance was a beautiful Gabriel crystal chandelier. It was designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec this stunning chandelier is 12 meters in height and weighs  1000 pounds.

Gabriel Crystal chandelier in Versailles Palace

We walked through the palace admiring all the stunning architecture and art on display.

Ray in the Palace of Versailles

There were ceilings with beautiful hand painted scenes which were stunning to see.

Painting on the ceiling in the Palace of Versailles
Paintings in the Palace of Versailles

The Palace was massive and we walked through the palace for over two hours looking at the different rooms.

Shelley and Ray in the Palace of Versailles

The history of the Palace was interesting. The Palace was first built by Louis XIII in 1623 as a hunting lodge and over the years different wings and phases were added to the palace.

Different wing of the Palace of Versailles

We could see the changes in the building architecture as we traveled through the palace. It was a very interesting place to visit. There were sculptures and artifacts from the 16th century and up through the centuries.

Statues and sculptures along the hallways in the Palace of Versailles
One of the marble statues at the Palace of Versailles

There were full-size statues of the different Monarchy of France over the centuries.

Statue of Henry IV king of France from 1572 to 1610

After exploring the Palace for over two hours, we went outside and walked through the palace gardens. It was a very hot day and there was very little shade in the garden. We walked around looking at the different shrubberies and flowers.

Flowers and shrubs in the Palace of Versailles Gardens

There were some different features and statues scattered throughout the palace gardens.

The Palace was an amazing place. There are so many paintings and ornate decorations it is hard to describe the massive beauty of the building. The Palace gardens were also very enjoyable with many water features, statues, and beautiful flowers. We enjoyed our time visiting the Palace of Versailles, it was a very memorable experience.

“Au revoir et bonne journée”