You Know You've Having A Bad Day When

You turn a little too hard into one of the parking spaces perpedicular to a canal in Amsterdam and your car ends up in water. In the 1960's, the city installed low guard rails along the canals but despite this, on average, one car a week goes over!

On To Amsterdam

We were not as excited about this canal city as other tourists might be as Adam and Isa had already introduced us to the smaller Belgium canal communities of Bruge and Ghent and we had been utterly charmed by them. Still, like all old European cities, it would take weeks to absorb the elaborate and beautiful architectual detail.




Aside from the detail work, the central, old section of Amsterdam can easily be explored by foot in a couple of days though we found the walking a little difficult. Bikes have fairly wide designated lanes while the pedestrian walkways are often narrow. As well, there was so much construction and renovation work that we were often squeezed into rather tight walking spaces. The brick or cobblestone "sidewalks" often had uneven surfaces - charming, but hard on the feet! We often noticed sidewalk heaving. A young chap in a pub told us that sidewalk repair was a never-ending process in the city. Street crossings are a real challenge. At intersections, we had to first cross the bike lane (bicycle bells ringing with sharp impatience if we stepped out too soon!), the tram section with tracks, and finally the car lane.


We stayed at The Bridge Hotel on the Amstel Canal and couldn't recommend it more highly for a stay in the city. The rates were modest compared to other hotels and if the interior was also slightly more modest with older furniture, they made up for that with a pleasant breakfast room and a wide selection of breakfast food included in the price. The staff provided excellent service and the room was spacious, with a balcony overlooking the canal and a swan to grace the vista!



The morning commute certainly does not resemble one in North America! For one thing, there are thousands of bicycles and they are stalled as often here with bridges being lifted over canals to let waterway traffic pass underneath as they are at traffic lights!


We poked through the flower markets along the Singel Canal and found tulip bulbs for Isa and some with Canada clearance certificates to take back to Rachael and Derek but no Dutch bulbs for our own garden. Deer eat tulips but not daffodils and they had none of the latter cleared for export.



We saw an unusual sight one morning on the way to Rijksmuseum (magnificent Rembrandts though, alas, two of their four Vermeer's were on loan) when we came upon a large fountain with about six inches of soapsuds covering the water surface and dogs taking a romp in the foam. Is this a local, extremely elaborate dog bath or the result of a dog owner tired of trying to bathe his pooch at home?





Ooster Park with its resident heron:

There Is No Other City Like Paris

The Otherfords talked once of going to Paris and I hope one day they manage to take their trip. There is no other city as magical as Paris. The Louvre is an excellent starting point for strolling the section of Paris that never fails to be soul satisfying and hopelessly romantic as one traces the footsteps of the great writers, artists, philosphers, and thinkers who have called Paris home over the centuries. The architectural detail, scope, and size of the Louvre is truly amazing. We didn't go inside to look at the vast collections of art as we were greedy to see as much of that section of the city again as possible. The beautiful September days were perfect for strolling the Seine, exploring the Left Bank with its Latin Quarter, circling the Eiffel Tower, and walking Boulevards Saint Germain and Saint Michel. A third trip to the city sometime will definitely include an examination of the artwork of the Louvre as well as the work of the Impressionists housed in the Musee d'Orsay.

The Louvre



Tuileries Gardens







I love the way Parisians provide small green chairs in their gardens. Unlike park benches, they can be picked up and angled toward or away from the sun, placed for reading, snoozing, snacking, or people watching.

Luxembourg Gardens or Jardin de Luxembourg





Besides the water, palm trees, other botanical specimens, walking paths and lawns, there are statues of animals, classical and historical figures tucked periodically into the landscape.

And it was gratifying to see that long before the feminist movement, twenty statues of French queens and saints were given a prominent place, standing in rows as we strolled the park.

Rosie Beaucoup Has Flown The Coop

Rosie Beaucoup has flown the coop - taken to the air in what was once poetically referred to as a silver bird, an airship, and is now known as just another Air Canada flight with sometimes indifferent, bored, and even sullen flight crew. Gone, alas, are the days of "laughter silvered wings". The flight from Halifax to Montreal provided movies but no ear phones - apparently, one has to bring them from home when flying to La Belle Province. I watched a Hindu film with occasional English subtitles that flashed across the bottom of the screen. And fared better on the flight from Montreal to Paris. With no one in the seat beside me, I netted an extra blanket and pillow, ear phones for this trip, and no one in the seat ahead so my cofee cup wasn't threatened every time someone leaned back to rest. It was also, on the plus side, one of the quietest overseas flights I have been on and it was easy to doze off a little. Of course, with the time change, the sun was shining brilliantly at about 2:30 a.m. Halifax time, and like a plant, I responded to the light and came to life, ready for the train ride from Paris to Lille.