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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”

Spain

Alcázar of Segovia, Spain

The Alcázar of Segovia is a world heritage site in beautiful Segovia Spain. This castle is unique and is recognizable by its unique style. It is claimed that Walt Disney Castle was inspired by a variety of  Castles including the Segovia Castle.

Peaked style roof at Alcázar Castle in Segovia, Spain

Note the similar style of roofs between the Disney Castle and the Alicázar Castle.

Walt Disney Cinderella Castle

The Alcázar Castle was built high above the point of two rivers on cliffs between two rivers.  The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but over the centuries it has also been used as a royal palace, a prison, and a military garrison.

Inside the castle, there were numerous rooms with assorted artifacts. We walked through the different rooms looking at the architecture and displays.

Ray and Bev “guarding the Door” in the Alicázar castle
medieval armory on display in the castle.
Displays in the Alicázar castle

All of the ceilings were ornately decorated and painted.

One of the ceilings in the Segovia castle.

In the center of the castle, there was a large courtyard with a central fountain.

Bev and Shelley in central courtyard of the Castle in Segovia

The castle had some unique features that definitely resembled the Disney castle.

We enjoyed walking through the rooms and exploring the 12-century castle.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

A walk in the park in Madrid

I decided to take an early morning walk from my hotel to one of the biggest parks in Madrid called “Parque del Buen Retiro”. I started out walking along some of the back streets of Madrid towards the park. It was a fairly quiet walk and I was able to enjoy the serenity of being fairy alone in this large city of 3 million people. What was enjoyable was seeing things at a slower pace and noticing the beauty of the city. I walked along a quiet street and noticed some inlaid writing on the road. Normally the street would be too busy to read it.

Writing on the road in Madrid

It translates as “The Beauty” “What it is we do not know what for now with certainty mathematics, maybe we never know; but that beauty is something, that exists, that pulsates in nature, and that, just as the wave that reaches the beach breaks into foam ..  speech of entrance in the real Spanish academy” -José Eche garay

I came across some unique bronze statues or city workers that appeared to be randomly placed in areas of the city.

A statue of a street sweeper in Bronze in Madrid
A bronze statue of a worker who would light the street lamps in Madrid

I arrived early at the Parque del Buen Retiro which literally means – park of the pleasant retreat. The gate that I entered into the park was stunning and was very welcoming.

One of the gates to the Parque del Buen Retiro in Madrid

The park itself has some very beautiful vistas and paths. I began to walk the paths with no set direction in mind. I was simply enjoying the tranquility and beauty of the park.

Each path would join other paths that could lead you in many directions. I walked along some of the secluded areas of the park admiring the beauty of the trees.

I eventually found my way to an area called the Crystal Palace. The palace was constructed of ornate glass and was visually stunning to see.

Crystal Palace in Madrid
A section of the crystal palace in Buen Retiro park in Madrid

The palace which was built-in 1887 to exhibit flora and fauna.

Section of the Crystal Place in Madrid

The palace was almost completely made with glass and was an impressive building. I walked around the building and came across a pond at the front of the Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace in the Buen Retiro Park in Madrid

I walked around for approximately three hours enjoying the sights and sounds of the park. There were people gathering in the park as the day progressed. I could see people jogging, kids playing, couples holding hands and people on tour bikes.

People enjoying the Buen Retiro Park in Madrid

There were some interesting groups in the park as well. One group was doing synchronized moves using Spanish hand fans called “Abanico”

Another group was playing music for money as people walked by.

Musicians playing music in the park for donations.

The Buen Retiro Park is a beautiful and a large nature area in the heart of Madrid.

Below are some of the pictures that I took of the Buen Retiro Park.

It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day. I recommend to anyone who goes to Madrid to take a relaxing day and walk through the park.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

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”