travel

On Woensdag (Wednesday), we left Amsterdam for Reno. Well, we attempted to leave Amsterdam for Reno. The daily Usairways flight from AMS to PHL was full and rather than roll the dice on one flight we figured a safer bet would be to roll the dice on two relatively full flights out of Frankfurt. And [...]

So after a few weeks I think we’ve finally figured out how to use the appliances on the houseboat. We downloaded a few manuals, asked around a bit but ultimately it was trial and error that came through. The clothes do finally come out smelling clean but still incredibly wet and while we still haven’t [...]

Originally uploaded by stork123

This windmill is down the road from the houseboat. It’s spins in the evening and is on the tourmap for travelers. There is a bar below the windmill and next to it is a eetcafe that we stop by most everynight for a drink before heading home. With our bikes locked up [...]

We spent the day peddling around Amsterdam… the first sunny day since we’ve been here. The houseboat comes with two bikes and we set out this morning to first see the De Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam and then ride around town some. The Botanical Garden was suprisingly close to our neighborhood by bike… but after a [...]

Maybe it’s because I understand about one word in one hundred here (often it’s not the sexual reference I think), but there is much less talk about protecting the environment and much more action here in Holland. Each day I see something else that seems so simple but in the US it would be revolutionary. [...]

on the amstel canal
northern lights uncluttered my mind
peaceful tidbits linger
by: susan
 
 
 
stray dog barks for me
disregard, i’ll sleep it off
then a human knocks
by: chris
 

The control panel (there is also a remote but has dead batteries) allows the user to control the radio, the disco lights or the amount of steam. The analog dials control temperature and nozzle selection. While showering, you can have the standard shower head or rain mode. But - for more fun… there is the [...]

 
I bought what I thought was milk… took a big old swig to learn that it was not milk at all. It was buttermilk or something akin to it! I spat it into the IKEA sink. Susan had a great time figuring out the washing machine as it’s all in Dutch. The icons don’t give [...]

The whole houseboat is IKEA! We’re in a neighborhood a bit outside of Central Amsterdam. Although it’s only a 30 min walk or an easy tram or bus ride into the center of it all, we are far enough away to feel more local. Buying a cup of coffee yesterday down the road, a man [...]