Tour of harbour, A walk on the wild side

After a lazy morning we took the S-Bahn to the harbour for a 2-hour boat trip in and around the harbour ships and piers. It's a massive area where we saw ships from all over the world unloading cargo and moving about in the water and our little boat was right in amongst them. This harbour is very old and the buildings all around it show their age and need for attention. Many of them have been torn down and replaced with new age fancy architecture. Lots of wharf sites to walk around for the tourists.
After the walk and ride, we started walking again as usual and got lost again, as usual, and ended up in a very shady area. We were getting hungry but this area wasn't one where we would stop to eat. When we headed down to the underground station, we came face to face with 7 cops and
3 subway guards. Anyone that looked at them sideways or even twitched a finger were pulled over and sent to the cops for checking.
Of course I had to ask what was going on and was told that too many people are taking the subways for free or doing drugs etc. down in the tunnels. Sounds like any big city to me that we've ever been in but it sure was nice to see a clean up going on.
We headed to a street that we had once walked down that is like a busy street at home for us and stopped to have a typical german meal. We will spend the rest of the evening in the spa again and enjoy our surroundings.

Info and impressions of Hamburg

1.7 million people, 2nd biggest city in Germany right after Berlin and just before Munich. It is very expensive to live here at 8000 Euro per sq meter. Even the cheapest house/apartment cost 1 1/4 million Euro to buy and just a small bachelor 2-room is 650 euro/1000 dollars. Just this last year alone the rent has gone up 31 percent.
As we moved around the huge dockyards by the harbour, we found Dock 17 where the Bismarck ship was built. You know,the one everyone tried to sink.
The harbour front is quite impressive in size with all the new architectural sites and interests but there is a problem with graffiti and garbage. The main bahnhof (train stn) is massive but not terribly clean or impressive. It needs to be spruced up. Their rule is that Classical music will be pumped over the speakers so to deter and ward off the junkies etc. from hanging around. They seem to hate good music but, from what we saw, they are starting to like it.
It's a huge city of many over crowded street people and homeless who are all trying to get by. Flea markets are popping up everywhere and the different nationalities are all clustered together in certain areas causing overcrowded and poor living arrangements. Now this might seem as if we can say this for any city and so we can, but because of the high cost of living here, cheap drinks, drugs and smokes and the fact that the city is tearing down older areas and building up new and beautiful places, they are having a harder time giving the young people and immigrants jobs and a place for a proper life.
This place reminds us of Milwaukee because it's a very industrial city with only a little more space to spread.
On our trip throughout the bus ride, we weren't terribly impressed with quality of life and set up of the city. Because we are not so easily put off, we set out on foot to find and celebrate what is good. We always come across a lot of good once we act like the locals and do what the locals do. There are many areas where people come together to exercise, talk and enjoy their city. Along the two lakes many people, mostly younger, are running or blading. There are many older couples who set out after evening meals for a walk. We walked up and down several streets lined with cafes and bistros. Of course, just the sight of them invites you in to rest , so we rested - a lot.
Much of the city is in need of repair. These areas house the homeless and poor, as well as those types of stores that you don't want in your neighbourhood. People here refuse to live in a basement apartment so the city has placed all stores, restaurants and bars on the below-ground level. Therefore, below all apartments and homes are stores for shopping. This creates a "noise all day and into the night" atmosphere.
G and I took the u and s bahns into the deep city parts and walked around for hours. We met lots of lovely people and an old lady even called us "two angels."
Once the harbour plans and the extra housing work is done, the city is going to be amazing. It definitely has the ability to move people around quickly and there is evidence that they know what to do to provide safety to the public. It has been an interesting and learning experience here.

Bus of city and then ;)))) hof brau house

Got up late - go figure. Headed to a city tour atop a double decker. We do it to set our itinerary for what to see in a new city. We finished our 90 minute trip and then it was my job to find our way to The Hofbrau House (which is world famous in Munich) but now a smaller and acceptable copy of it has been created in Hamburg. It is a huge beer parlour and restaurant dedicated to cheap but good food and tons of beer.
We had our late afternoon 5-euro meal and G got his 1 liter beer, plus, oh my Heavens, G got more cd's of beerfest music. We talked up the waitress and had a great time. It was a wonderful way to close off a day's trip.
G is having a nap now and then we will head off to the spa again to enjoy the water. Yesterday, as we were in the water, G had a wondering eye as he was mesmerized by a beautiful woman. He didn't watch what he was doing and slammed right into the pool wall. I had to laugh so hard that I choked.

Hamburg- harbor city

Left by train around ten and things were very quiet. Then we reached the changing station for the northern part of Germany, and pow, not one seat to sit on. Problem is that we could only buy our ticket at a smaller station in Holland for a German line and they wouldn't let us reserve a seat so we sat on the floor of the train for 30 minutes until another transfer point. It's not the first time we had to do this. Have to be flexible :)
Our hotel was right across from the bahnhof so we landed early and were in our room ready to go for a walk in the city. Don't even ask me where we ended up although I'm starting to think that we need to buy shares in the sex shops and movies trade. We found a grocery store and stocked our fridge with 4 days of food.
As we walked around, again we were amazed how easy it was for the guys to use the watering hole. I ask - is it because women are strong or because they are not cared for? I was able to get a picture of someone just stepping into the metal 1/2 circle.
In the evening we headed to the spa area of our hotel and swam, went down the water slide, did the sauna, steam room and hot tub. By 8 we were ready for bed.

New days , family reconnections

Yesterday we had a late sleep in, a late breakfast and a late start but it was an exciting day none the less. We walked to my aunt and uncle's place. We surprised them by ringing their bell and they were totally okay with it. We found out that my Aunt had her leg amputated because of blocked arteries that would eventually have turned into strokes. Both of them were in great spirits and have made all the necessary changes to keep their life going and happy. We shared lots of stories and left after 4 hours.
Later that day we swam and ate supper late. Then we walked to relax and spent the evening going around from place to place in the resort enjoying the activities.
We moved to our next hotel and then a few days of family visits. We had a lovely evening out and touring day with my cousin Ben and his family. We had a chance to meet our second and third cousins and we added some unusual family members to our brood. Chickens, rabbits and dogs- yeah, who could resist them? They were lovely. In the evening, we spent a laughter filled meal with aunts and uncles and some more loving from cats. It has been a wonderful time loving our European family and we want to say a big thank you for all the good times and love spilled back to us during our Netherlands trip.

The indoor carnival

There are some very interesting things in the indoor fair in our hotel. One is that up in the ceiling in the center of the facility is a whole host of instruments from horns, drums, accordions to piano parts. It is driven by computer and gives off the most incredible sounds. Kind of like calipso music. Every time we go, which is every evening of course, I stand under it and am mesmerized. For me , it's like a drug.
Also, seems we western world people could learn a bit from how everyone rides around on bikes and then trains it to work. However, if our cities would only grab a clue and begin to help us make it possible, then maybe we would follow suit. Just look at how it is possible to store your bike through the day. Incredible!

Days in Preston Palace

We do so love it at the palace. For someone on the road for a long time, this place is worry free and entertaining. The added bonus is that it's close to my family.
It is similar to a cruise ship in that all food and drink is included - yes all drink. They go through a tremendous amount of alcohol and food every day. There is a star-bright ceiling swimming spa, cafes, bowling, mini golf, child's area, many bars, dancing halls, cinema and not last but certainly a favourite with me and the children (go figure) is the indoor carnival or fair rides. All is free. I have been riding rides for a few days now, screaming the whole way. G and I have been dancing every evening just to get the folks up - people are pretty slow to get moving but when we get up and start making all kinds of mistakes and laugh our way through footsteps, others seem to join in eventually.
We have one more fathered and then we walk into town pulling our luggage to our next hotel. It's another beauty and this time it's air conditioned. Yahoo. Hard to find, air conditioning I mean, but ladies in menopause are way more active in the colder air. Yesterday as I was wilting in the heat when we headed to the next town to get our tickets for Hamburg, I walked straight into a pole - always remember to keep your head up.

Moving Day - Train To Almelo

We were packed the night before so we just had to get up and tram it to the train stn. We always buy our train tckts as we get into every place for the next leg of our trip so that we are always prepared, so all we had to do is get ourselves to the stn.
Don't ask me how we always get ourselves into a strange situation but as we got onto our platform, we were bombarded by the crowd of "Gay Rights" people who were headed to a town down the way to celebrate "Rose Monday" - a carnival where activists of all kinds show up.
We were pulled into their celebration of dancing and loud music as we all waited for the trains. Everybody was wearing pink. The guys were dressed up as girls and girls as guys. There was a news caster there who was giving coverage of the event but his tie was crooked so G told me to go fix it. I walked up to him and pulled it straight - don't know if I got on tv or not but he looked better.

July 22 Last day in the "Anything You Want" city

We're moving on to Almelo tomorrow where my mother's family is from and still resides. We took a canal cruise and saw the city from another perspective this a.m. and then walked for most of the day. We did sit on the side of the canal and watched all the boats jockey for movement, fed a pigeon a whole granola bar and soaked in our first whole sunny day since we left July 5. Then we walked to, in and around The Red Light Area again -gotta love that place, well, we do anyways. You can buy anything there, ANYTHING ;) Of course I'm talking about a new swiss army knife so that we could cut our food.

July 20 & 21 Life in the fast lane

I'll tell you one thing- big German guys wearing sandals shouldn't wear such things in Amsterdam. G has tripped over every uneven stone in this country. Do u know how many cobbles there are in the big city? Today the man even drank a pint of beer with his bacon and egg meal. Okay, he ate breakfast for supper.
We did go to the Heineken Brewery today. It was interesting but not as good as the tour we had in Saint John
of the brewery - Moosehead.
Yesterday we headed to the town of Delft to watch pottery being made and then to The Hague, which is the country's political seat. Finally we headed to Madurodam which is a huge 1/25 scale setup of different places and buildings in Holland.
Did u know that most of the area known as Amsterdam was under water and that lots of the land is 4 meters under sea level. Maybe that's why we're so tired. It's not the fact that our blood is almost total spirits. Tomorrow is a resting day.

July19 Amsterdam

Up early-9:30- yes,people, these days that is early for us. We took our tram to the bus stn for our trip tck's and then probably the best coffee in an Italian eatery. Best ever so I had 2.
We went to Marken, home of the wooden shoe. Of course, I got a pair. Mom had purchased a pr for all the girls in the family but they were the original so I got a pr of normal ones which were actually made there. We went for a walk in the town where all homes are green or black because in the olden days, sounds so cliche, the only colours were green from the herbs and black from tar because people were too poor to have anything else. Beautiful town but people weren't very fond of visitors. I get it. Also viewed a cheese shop - Gouda, of course. Yes, I bought some.
Next off to Volendam which is a wonderful fishing village that u have to take a ferry to get to. Quaint homes and great food. Guess what we had for lunch? Yeah, u'r so smart. We of course had rose wine and fish- locally caught. Delicious!
We headed to a small village where there were a small set of windmills. The town of Zaanse Schans - a Unesco listed windmill village. There is a man names Jab something, who has made it his life's work to save the windmills. Now from 30 000, there are only 3 000 left in Holland.
This day, for me, has been a re-enactment of a day my parents had spent together a very long time ago as my Mom was able to revisit her homeland and share it with Dad. It was a cool day.
We reached our hotel, dropped off our grocery stuff and headed off for a walk to do various things. Wow, various things are plentiful here in Holland.

July 18, In Amsterdam

Had a pretty slow day yesterday for the most part. J fixed my computer problems and so it is a go again. He drove us to airport and we landed in Amsterdam at 9. We were amazed that this land is filled with water everywhere, hence the name "water land" - and it was the first time that we were able to see it from the air. We will be able to take our bikes out into the country and ride all along the water ways.
We slept in a bit today and then went for a special breakfast at an organic shop where we drank great soup bowls of organic coffee, ate a mix of 5 breads and organic eggs with gruyere cheese.
We took the tram into the visitor office to collect our week-long transportation
and trip tickets and canal cruise passes. We are headed tomorrow to Marken, where they still make wooden shoes, then to Volendam, where an old fishing village is still in progress and finally to view several windmills.
It was quite rainy today but we were not deterred from entering into the red light district and stopping in at several places to taste and try some new things. Even the ladies beyond the windows smiled back at me as I smiled and waved at them. Heh, everyone has to have a job and I'm okay with that. We stopped for groceries as we have a fridge and headed back to the hotel to do some hand wash. Here is how we hang and dry our lovely things.

Wedding day, July 14

Yesterday was the big day. The children were busy for days before, getting all things ready and creating special things for everyone during their special day. All the women bagged and tied and ribboned little candies called Soor plums- which are actually green hard candies with the taste of green suckers. Rae's Mom prepared children's activity bags for all kids- teachers, I tell ya- always try to think of everything.
The sun came out of a three week dull and grey summer just in time for our ice cream walk in the park for pictures. The meal was superb, the dancing was great, the company was lovely and the couple were beautiful and much in love. A wonderful time was had by all answer are goodly tired for a goodly reason.

July 13 In Edinburgh

Landed fine although it was a very long trip all scrunched up in our tiny seats. I did have my special 30$ socks on that pushed the blood into better circulation and they did just that. Gerhard always says that my brain could use a bit more blood anyways so all was fine.
Gerhard is being his usual self - taking everything in stride. At the airport he was walking his normal pace as we headed for our flight and I, in my normal ultra speedy fashion, walked the wrong way on the moving walkway all the while looking behind me to laugh at G as he was shaking his head. Still I made it off the walkway well ahead of him yet I was no further ahead of him in the line to go on the plane.
It's mostly damp and rainy here but still enjoyable. We've walked and bussed several places and have been on the city's ghost tour. Tonight James is making a huge bean and pulled pork for all family members so that we can all meet each other. Tomorrow is the big day and that shall be a big relief as planning a wedding can be very stressful when loads of people are coming from far away.
Our first fish and chip meal was at a cool place called Land's End which was in a location were the medieval wall ended and most people never left or went outside the town for their whole life. Then we spent time on The Royal Mile - a roadway which runs from the Queen's palace to the castle where lots of shops and restaurants are placed. We watched many buskers perform. This red haired fellow was very funny and quite good at his trade.

On our way!!! Whew, can't quite believe it!

We are here in the airport. Now that may sound quite simple especially for us two but.....we are sitting in the "very special people's lounge". That's right...all food is free and, you guessed it, alcohol too. We just spent a very busy and fun, child-filled 5 days with our grand girls in Toronto. Every one is fine and thriving. We are at the airport 3 hours before, which is required, and had a lovely talk with the check-in lady who was telling us of how wonderful it was for us to just LIVE -give in to our crazy side and just go. Little does she know that we are already crazy and this is what crazy people do- unusual things that most people don't do. Well,must go get more free food. See u on the other side-of the ocean, that is.