When you walk out of the train station you are directly in front of an incredible church--it is right there--really amazing. I always wanted to take a boat ride on the Rhine so I did....this is the first time I've seen this river.  (Looks a little like the burg)This shot of the church is from... Continue Reading →

This little town is just lovely.  I forgot to show you a pulpit from a church in Ghent.   There are too many churches and alters.....a site will have to be pretty spectacular for me to send you a photo. Now back to Bruges.  Tuesday I walked to the center and toured City Hall....to see the... Continue Reading →

On my way to Cologne, I had to change trains in Brussels so I decided to check it out.  I learned how to store my suitcase in a locker and headed for the city center.  The city was much prettier than I expected.  A lot of quaint streets, plenty of flowers and the smell of... Continue Reading →

This was the last look from my window in Amsterdam.  I had no trouble taking the train to Bruges.  I did have a situation with the ticket checker/conductor.  A page came with my ticket where you could fill in your dates and destinations.  I hadn't filled in "Amsterdam to Bruges"  because I have 2 months... Continue Reading →

The morning started out with some rain but around 11 it became sunny and warm.  I decided to take the free ferry to the Central Station. It was about a twenty-minute walk but a short ride. Guess who was on my ferry........yup......Sadie reincarnated with a tail (must be that fairy dust). I took a nice... Continue Reading →

This picture does not show how much and how hard it rained today (significantly reduced the number of bikers).Perfect day to goes to museums.  I went to the Van Gogh first.  Lovely and not too big. After that, I went to the much larger Rijk's.  They have a nifty audio guide to download to your... Continue Reading →

Took the public bus (lots of English speaking folks in Amsterdam--guess it doesn't really count as foreign) to the Central Station and walked up the very busy  Damrakstreet to Dam Square where I picked up my tour.  Took pic's around the square: The City Hall / PlaceThe New Church (because it is 100 years younger... Continue Reading →

Before I move on to Amsterdam I forgot to tell you a few other things about Edinburgh: 1. Edinburgh has only 700 pubs compared to Dublin's 2,000. 2. The Caravaggio picture of Christ's arrest (Judus giving him a kiss) is over 430 years old.  It was "uncovered" in a Jesuit church in Ireland in 1990.... Continue Reading →

I guess that's a good way to put it.  Only a few moments of what you (us) call rain.  Mostly "drips".  People would pull there hoods up (or not).  A few would open umbrellas and a good majority would just "keep on walking".  to prove my point--the bicycle crowd doesn't cover there seats with plastic... Continue Reading →

This is such a "walkable" city.  I did the Sandeman walking tour---they are great.  I got the inside scoop on the history of this city and Scotland.  Good information: the Scotland plant is the Thistle and the animal is the Unicorn (the only country in the world with a fairy tale animal).Probably from all that... Continue Reading →