20 April 04, Monday. I guess we will have to really buckle down and get the heck out of bed if we are “going to get an early start”….. as it was, we boarded the tram at 10:30am and headed into Amsterdam. Our first time in the big city and we kind of felt it too. We hadn’t really set an agenda for ourselves and that was our first mistake. We kind of pulled at each others strings all day long and that didn’t make live easy. One of the first “agreed upon” destinations was the home of Anne Frank. I think we all remember the story of Anne Frank and her family as they hid for more than 2 years from the Nazi’s. The outside of the home was really just about like any other home here in Amsterdam. The interior is pretty much like it was except there is no furnishings at all. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to figure out just were we where and “discussing it”. I think we both were looking for night time and then we could check out the “Red Light District”. Let me tell you, we found that the whole tourist community was waiting for the same thing. After 7pm everyone was heading over to the district to check these girls (and from what we understand men as girls) out. It was really quite interesting as they set up their business in a very narrow window. It was completely occupied by a stool/chair and themselves. Behind them was their place to do business. Once a deal was made a curtain was drawn and it was business as usual for them. As we all walked the narrow streets looking in on them they would look back, some would jester, and some would dance to the music that was playing behind the windows. I must admit, the girls weren’t the only things that we saw all day long. We really enjoyed the architecture, the canals and the boats of the canals, the little pubs and the espresso shops. We even stopped for a ride on a huge Ferris wheel that was set up in front of the Royal Palace. This was only one of many rides that were available and it was in stark contrast to the rest of the surrounds like the Palace and all the rest of the historical buildings. Our leg muscles aching and really tired we headed back to the tram and onto the van. We got home just after 10:30pm and it felt like it.
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19 April ’04, Monday. Is Monday still “Laundry Day”? Well, it was for us this morning. A couple of loads of wash and dry and we checked out. Leaving Utrecht is to us “Getting Started” on this journey through Europe. We really don’t have a schedule or a destination to follow but we are heading to Amsterdam for our first stop of many on our trip. We had to stop by Turner Campervans on the way out of Utrecht and wouldn’t you believe it but we got lost trying to find her. I was very glad that I had my second cup of coffee before leaving. Then off to find our new campgrounds in Amsterdam. It was a short trip and luck would have it and we drove right to our next destination. As we pulled in to the Gaasper Camp Grounds it felt good right from the start. Going into the reception area, checking in, and being guided to our “pitch” was more than I could have expected. Even checking out the restroom/shower areas, the grocery store and the bus stop just outside of the gate. We didn’t get here until 3:30 so we decided to spend the rest of the day hanging close by and getting some work and reading done right in the van. Tomorrow we will make a day of it in visiting and exploring Amsterdam. We hope to start early and end late. Wish us luck…. 17 –18 April ’04, Sat & Sunday. Friday we found this little village not far from our campground called de Bilt. It is really “quite charming” and the people are very helpful when called upon. Well, we call upon a lot !! Window shopping turned into all out shopping. We are trying to make our “home” our own and this can be somewhat trying. Our van is very small and sometimes, but not always, we are in each others way. But the truth is, we are really loving it. Grocery shopping is high on the list for today. We expect we will have to grocery shop about every other day because of the size of the van and especially with the refrigerator being so small. One thing we learned today (Sunday) is the grocery store is CLOSED !!! Live and learn…. Back to de Bilt, they enjoy a very peaceful existence just a few kilometers out of Utrecht. Everything around here is flat and has these canals rambling everywhere. The roads are very nice but become somewhat confusing when they start to co- mingle with the bike lanes which co-mingle with the pedestrian areas. The “freeways” around the main town areas are very busy and you will find grid lock at “rush” times. Friday we also ventured out to find a business that specializes in the needs for the “caravan” or as we call them the camp trailer. We bought a nice barbecue that folds up into it’s own small carrying case. Also on the list we needed and found gas for the stove as well as some kitchen items. Earlier in the day we purchased a couple of folding chairs and a table. Saturday we got up early and headed out to the internet café to do some web work and get some emails sent. Then we walked about being a tourist. By the end of the day we both found ourselves “walked out”. We had walked a ton and our legs were showing it. For dinner we had planned on a barbecue of left over sausage and Swedish pancakes. This may not sound great but it really hit the spot. This morning (Sunday) after fried eggs, pancakes, and coffee we headed out for another day of sightseeing. We walked out of our camp grounds and headed into town (about a 35-40 minute walk) and went to our appointment for a tour of the Dom Tower. The Dom of Utrecht had the first stone laid in 1254. It is built in the “Gothic” style. In the tour we climbed to the top of the tower which is 465 steps up and 465 steps down. This tower houses the 28 bells for the church. While there we were entertained with 2 ringing….load but really beautiful. The Dom was the cathedral, the main church of the diocese of Utrecht. In the Middle Ages, this diocese covered the major part of the present Netherlands, over 1,100 parishes. The construction of the entire cathedral complex took up more than 250 years to complete. After 1580 the Dom was no longer a Catholic cathedral because of the Reformation the Dom came into the hands of he Protestants, during which many statues and other ornaments were “removed or destroyed”. Less than a century later a tornado raging over Utrecht caused the nave of the church to collapse. The tower and the cathedral were separated and have never been rejoined. After walking out of the Dom we saw a open house at the De Universiteit Utrecht. We decided to join in on the fun and found that Sunday is the “Culturele Zondagen” or loosely translated to a day of culture for all who come by. Our first bit of culture was a wonderful presentation by the orchestra and a large choral groupe that entertained us with the classics. Afterwards, we found a brass quartet, and then wondered into a presentation of poems that were spoken in Dutch. We didn’t think we would get much from that so, with the walk back looking us in the face, having hiked the stairs of the Dom and, it started to rain, we headed back to the van. This will be our first time to go to the laundry room and catch up on the dirty clothes we’ve collected this week. We bought our coins for the washer and the dryer and headed out clothes in hand. All went according to plan until we went to dry the clothes in the dryer….WHAT DO YOU MEAN “IT DOES’T WORK?”. Now what do we do with two bags of wet clothes, no dryer, and being Sunday no buddy working to be of “service”. Tomorrow’s looking real good now…..rain or not! 14-16 April ’04 Wed, Thur, & Friday. First off WE HAVE OUR CAMPER VAN !!! We picked up “Bumble Bee” on Wednesday afternoon. The paper work was not what I had expected. A short but concise purchase and sale agreement and transfer of title. Done ! We had noticed on one of our train trips that Ikea was in the area so we ask for directions and headed out to see if they had any thing we could us for our van. It also gave us a chance to drive the streets, use a map under driving conditions, watch for bicycles, and or course pedestrians all at once. It was about what you would expect. A lot of yelling and cursing on our part and only one finger on other drivers part. We did find a few things at Ikea, It took us 3 days a lot of gas and headaches but Bumble Bee Goldie is ready for action. I (Louise) have this awful cold that just wants to hang on, so as you can imagine, I’m not easy to get along with. We are cooking in our home now. So far so good. The hard part will be not buying too much food. As we have very little space and the frig only works when we are hooked to electricity. This camp ground is okay, not as clean as I would like, but it works. It is costing us about $18. euros a day. Laundry costs 6 euros to wash and dry. Food costs are about the same as home. Dutch is a strange language, and it is impossible to figure out what some foods are. The homes are beautiful some with thatched roofs. We are in the country with lots of horses, cows and sheep. Of course with all of the canals there are lots of ducks and chickens. Today we are going into town to use the internet and sight see a bit. The weather is still warm and sunny. Should be 20 C to day. 12 & 13 April ’04. Monday & Tuesday. The flight was uneventful with the exception we had a far amount of turbulence while flying over the Med. Arriving in Paris we were anticipating a struggle like we had when we were last here but, it didn’t materialize. They are going through a huge change and remodel of their terminal. Our arrival in Amsterdam was a little early. A quick go through the baggage claim and we were out to find our train to Utrecht. We definitely learned from our last time here and found the right train at the right track, made the right transfer and got off right were we were supposed to. NICE JOB !!! Taking our bags we walked to Donna’s to see it our VW Camper Van was waiting for us. Well, it wasn’t. First we found out today is a “Second Day of Easter” holiday, and second, it just wasn’t ready for some --- reason. We knew we would be spending a night in a B&B tonight but right now I’m not too sure how much longer we may have to extend. We definitely will find out more in the morning!!!! Well we had walked from the train station to Donna’s and then on to the B&B so after checking in with this little lady who’s home we will be staying, we headed off to have a cool one (or two). The first place we found was a small neighborhood pub that was sooooo smoky that we couldn’t get out fast enough. The second was a pub that catered to the “yuppies” of Utrecht and we had a great time. We had a chance to visit with a young couple that introduced us to a great “starter”. I can’t tell you what it’s called, but it is a deep fried ball of gravy meat mixture that you dip into a mustard mix. It was great!!! Well a long walk back to the B&B and get ready for bed. We started this day at 2:50am and it is still very light out at 8:30pm but we are still going to “hit the rack”. Tuesday. Goodnights rest, a continental breakfast, and we were out the door to Donna’s to get the latest on the van. Boy, after being in Egypt and having all the bright sun and hot to hotter days we are just a bit chilled this morning. One more thing to get used to. I’ve really had some negative thoughts about our dealing with her since I tried to get some answers from her through an email 2 weeks ago. Louise is not worried and is doing her best to keep me in line. Donna said this morning that all the “work has been completed” but has to go in for the road worthiness check up this morning (APK). Sooo, Louise and I headed into town to arrange for the bank transfer and hit the Internet Café to see if we had any news from home. We have really been fortunate in having so many friends and family keep in touch. Will B, Bruce R, & Rakesh Gandhi from India to name just those we heard from today. We thank all of you who keep in touch. Well after spending a day walking Utrecht window shopping we ended by going by to see Donna once more. She didn’t have the van certified yet but tomorrow morning is a sure thing…. 11 April ’04 Sunday. Happy Easter! Our last day in Egypt. Breakfast at the hotel. Not much to write about, tried to find out if there was a coffee shop or restaurant close by. It appeared not so we had a coffee and roll at the hotel. We asked one of the staff about the Easter holiday but he insisted it was Christmas. Oh well! Then off to explore, there were at least three Christian churches nearby. We took some pictures as the architectures was really beautiful. Then we saw it, couldn’t believe or eyes. “A mall” It was open too, so in we went. It was 6 floors of everything and we had fun looking. Joel bought a nice shirt for $13. The prices are amazing. On the 6th floor was a coffee shop so we had some espresso. It was a cool place. Then we found an electronics store, Compu-me, It has everything but the prices here were high compared to the U. S. We will use the internet café later today. Looking up the street we saw some "Golden Arches"…so we decided to have a look. It was in fact mickey d’s. Joel ordered an Arabic Meal. Very good and only 16 ep.(about $2.60) We were starting to feel right at home. Went back to the hotel and unloaded Joel’s shirt and my purse and then headed out for Merryland. Merryland is a park some blocks away. It was wonderful, nice gardens and a amusement area with a man made lake. The fun seemed to be in the lake, as they have pedal boats shaped like swans, and flamingos. Lots of kiddie rides around the park and some good looking restaurants. We had a early dinner of shisk something, and a wonderful salad with fresh baked pita and hummus. It was fabulous. The waiter said it was chicken, but we know better. It was fun to watch all the families. Everyone dressed in their Easter best. Then back to the hotel to write some updates for the web site. Now off to the inter net café. 6am, out the door to check out, grab a taxi, and head off for the bus. The bus was a little late arriving, but after settling into our seats we looked back on one heck of a weeks stay in Sharm el Sheikh. This resort community is very high on our list of “PLACES TO GO”. You will have to give this one a go… Well the bus ride was a bus ride with the trip up the coast of the Sinai being very pleasant. The water, the desert, the mountains, are right there. As we neared Suez we noticed more and more large ships anchored and waiting their turn through the great Suez Canal. We got to a point were we where right at the canal and we went under it via a long tunnel. A short hour and a half later and we were in Cairo. Upon arrival at the bus station and the door of the bus opening, we were totally engaged by every taxi driver in Cairo wanting to get our attention. I left Louise on the bus for a minute and met the mass directly and tried to negotiate our best deal. We needed a hotel close to the Cairo airport and in “our budget”. Without having any idea of just were we where at that time, we hoped for the best. Well, some of it worked out and some didn’t. We paid TOO much for the hotel ($60US) but it is close to the airport. It cost us 10 Egyptian Pounds for the taxi ride ($1.80US). Meals in the hotel are too expensive and downright s- poor. 9 April ’04 Friday. As we walked out into breakfast this morning we found 2 large buses full of people waiting to check in to their rooms. Baggage was everywhere and the management decided that to keep everyone from getting out of hand that he must feed them all breakfast or face who knows what… I must say, the ladies that would go through the buffet line fill their plates!!!! They do come prepared, from their hand bag they pull out these plastic bags and fill them with bread and other food items. You never know when you might get hungry…. Well for us it was off in a taxi to our next hotel…The Cataract Beach Resort. Check in, change into our bathing suits, out the door to the beach, find a spot that will work for a day in the sun, order a lunch and hit the water. After 5pm we again change and head out to the “Board Walk” for a walk with the masses, the beautifully tanned and well dressed. After sunset it was really amazing on the board walk. It started out slow but by 9 the masses really arrived. The lights of the businesses, the dress of the people, sounds of the music, warmth of the night, the families (how did all the kids get out of school for all this?)….God it was GREAT!!!! Well we only had one night of this so we made a good one. In the morning...we have to be at the bus before 7am, and ready to head off on a 7 hour bus trip up the Sinai to Cairo. 8 April ’04 Thursday. Our climb really showed on us this morning. Our legs just didn’t want to take a step up or down ANY stairs, pure jelly!!! It was really tough. It was decided that possibly the best medicine was to get out and walk, so that’s what we did…. Louise’s step counter showed 23,300 steps. It all started with a trip to the “Old Market” in Sharm el Sheikh. A little “shopping” wont hurt? Well, as we left the hotel (our second since arriving) we had to head out for “The Stairs”. This is a “shortcut” to the market and it includes a series of 65 stairs (I counted them). Now for those who have been in Cabo San Lucas and walked the “streets” of the Pedregal know what stone stairs are like… uneven as they can possibly make them, then there are those were the stone step is completely gone leaving a hole to step in. Shopping our way through the morning we decided to have lunch at one of the many little restaurants around. While sitting there enjoying our beverage of choice a man walked down the stairs into this little restaurant swinging a basket full of smoking coals. He disappeared into the kitchen area for awhile and curiosity got us. It seems that this man goes from business to business every morning with his coals and incense to bring good luck and much business. Well, the waiter stopped him and he came over to our table, swung the coals all around our heads, set the basket to the table spreading hot ash coals over our clothes (and quickly brushing them off) bid us good luck (for a small pittance). I guess this is a good time to put in a little word about the CAT’S…. Cat’s are everywhere !!! Some are very cute and look in good health and then there is the other side. They pretty much stay to themselves and run off except when there is food around and then they just wait to see if there is a handout. Following lunch we slowly made our way back to the hotel for a little pool time and rest before going to Naama Bay to look for our 3rd hotel needed because we were being evicted after Thursday. It seems that Easter has become a “holiday” here for all to come to the beach resorts and smell the flowers (something like “Spring Break”). We needed one more night and felt lucky to find a room. It did cost us $80US but we were able to stay in town and it was a resort on the beach…NICE! Now a quick cab ride to the bus station to get our tickets for our trip back to Cairo on Saturday. As luck would have it, you can’t buy your tickets until the day prior. Well, a quick walk over to the “Old City” for a sea food dinner, back to “The Stairs”, around the corner and back for our last night in the Sunset Hotel which we had to be out by 10am. 7 April '04 Well yesterday was Mt Sinai. The guide book said you should be "reasonablly fit" to make the climb. Well we consider ourselves reasonably fit. No way. We almost died. We are so sore and we can hardly walk. There are 700 rock steps of all different sizes to reach the summit. That's after about 4 miles of steep ascent on a rocky camel trail. Then we took the 3,700 step decent that the monks used to use. It was hell. The monk's used to do it on their knees saying a prayer on each step. It must have taken them a month !!!! We should have enough penance to last for a while. The tour started out at 10:00 at night a bus picked us up from our hotel. When we got to Dehab (some where up the coast) at the check point we were told we could not continue because our driver did not have a valid drivers license. Our guide was able to flag down another bus that would take us with them to St. Catherines Monastery. It was crowded but we made it. We started the climb about 3:00am and reached the top at 5:15 am. We had missed the sunrise by about 30 minutes. It was so beautiful to be there at this chapel and on top of Mt. Sinai... this small chapel, which is no longer in use, is to mark where Moses recieved the Ten Commandments. Once you reach the top, you just know that you've got to go down. We arrived back at the Monastery about 7:30am only to find the Monastery was closed and getting ready for Easter. OK, now let's get back on the bus and start our drive back... What no Bus? That's right our guide was trying to find us a bus. So feeling a mass take-over, he took us to a crummy restaurant for breakfast. At breakfast we were told there was a chance that the Monastery might open for an hour at 11:00am so that we could visit. The "English" wanted to forget it and return to Sharm El Sheik while the Italians wanted to chance the Monastery would open. Our bus finally arrived just in time to take us back to the monastery. So back we went. It was worth the wait and the fact that they did let us in. We couldn't go into the church but could peak through the door. We did see the burning bush where God spoke to Moses. It was healthy and green, though they say it doesn't recieve any water. Also, they still use the original well that Moses and his family used when they lived there 40 years before God spoke to him. Now we have a three hour ride back through the desert. Unfortunately, we also had to check out of our hotel as they were booked due to an Egyptian holiday. After checking out, we went over to the market to buy some snacks for our 7 hour bus ride back to Cairo. We'll be traveling up the Sinai, following the roadway that runs beside the Suez Canal. About 2/3 the way up the channel, we'll drive down into a long tunnel that runs from one side of the canal to the other and then onto Cairo... |
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