scottandbev's Travel Blog

Amsterdam, Alaska...Almost home! - Amsterdam, Netherlands

 This place was Amazing visited Aug 18, 2007

For a huge city, Amsterdam is a piece of cake to cycle since there are so many on bikes. The highlights for us were the art museums (Rembrandt, Van Gogh), Ann Frank house, parks, canals, houseboats, and the rowdy Irish singing at the "cafe" below us. Hotels and hostels book up very early, so we were happy to finally find the Rembrandt Square Hotel that was reasonable and located right in the middle of all the action....and it had a kitchen! It was always an adventure climbing back up the incredibly narrow steep stairs to our room because they were remodeling and painting.....oops; wet paint!! We have safely returned to the USA!!! Our return route was interesting...We made a 2 day stop in Anchorage for business related to our property on Eagle River; then on to Seattle via...get this...Dallas/Forth Worth Texas. Good old American Airlines. We have been enjoying time with family in Seattle, Portland and Eugene. We will be home in Donnelly as of Friday, August 31. We are very excited to be home and reconnecting with friends and family. There is also, however, a bit of sadness to see the end of the trip. It became a personal and educational journey; a new lifestyle; and also a precious and memorable adventure. After a year of "24-7" we are still very much together, and in addition to a little well-deserved "space" doing our own things, we will also spend this next year looking for other meaningful paths to share in the future.

posted Aug 29, 2007 | Comments (0)

Water, Water Everywhere...Belgium and The Netherlands - Gouda, Netherlands

 This place was Great visited Aug 8, 2007

Some photos from our delightful time with Kaat and her family in Brugge, Belgium. It was not only fun to reconnect with Kaat, whom we met in Jamkhed, India where she is part of the CRHP team...but also a hoot to meet her identical twin sister, Kris, and all of Kris' family and dozens of pets. Cycling in Belgium, and now even more in Holland, is amazingly easy with all of the bike paths everywhere. We mean everywhere...even by the highways. Drivers actually give you the right of way, because they also have a bike at home. Everyone cycles here as part of their normal transportation and exercise...all sizes, shapes, and ages; no fancy cycling clothing required. Holland will be a huge step ahead if global warming raises the sealevel a few inches along THEIR coastline. The dikes, waterways, and automated bridges weave everywhere through the countryside, towns and neighborhoods. It has been very interesting to be camped 2-3 meters below sea level. Hmmmm.....where is that little boy whose finger fit the hole in the dike?

posted Aug 10, 2007 | Comments (0)

Biking in Belgium - Brugge, Belgium

 This place was Amazing visited Aug 3, 2007

We have learned that there are bike paths along nearly every road in Belgium....even the busy, big "red road on the map" ones! We enjoyed biking along the Belgian coast, and are now in Brugge enjoying the stunning historical buildings. We had to send a few photos!

posted Aug 3, 2007 | Comments (0)

Bike Break in Belgium....and Paris - Liege, Belgium

 This place was Average visited Jul 26, 2007

We had a great time watching Andy's friend Nick Symmonds run in Liege, Belgium. He is definitely an Olympic contender in the 800....go Nick!! We had taken a cycling break to take the train to Liege; continued after the meet to Paris via train. Scott was a great sport to do Paris a second time (he had seen it in 1968.) It was fun to see all of the things just previously seen in movies and history books! Arc de Trimf...Eiffel Tower...Seinne..oh the Louvre... Since we are finding we are enjoying learning about WWII, especially in Luxembourg and the Rhine, we have returned to Belgium, have ridden across Belgium and are currently on the northern coast near Dunkirk. This is the site where France had to surrender in 1940 to Germany and a miraculous evacuation of 350,000 British and French soldiers happened in 10 days. We have been touched by all of the memorials and hopes for peace. Remagen on the Rhine, Ettelbruck and Dierkirch in Luxembourg, and now Dunkirk in northern France. History unfortunately does repeat itself time and time again. We have met and talked at length with so many interesting people...many at campgrounds, learned so much about their lives; economies; politics; dreams; families...and their bicycles! One little old lady two days ago took such pity on Bev who was sitting on her six inch high stool making her instant coffee in the morning in front of the tent. "I will make you GOOD coffee," she yelled. She indeed made delicious drip coffee, and we chatted for over an hour with her and her sister; and then went on our way with milk and plums they insisted we also take. I was so humbled...these women are very poor; one manages the camp by day and cleans offices by night. The people have been amazing everywhere we go...I could share stories for hours, and have learned so much from all of them. On to Brugges, Belgium tomorrow to visit Kaat, whom we met during our healthcare training at CRHP in India!

posted Aug 2, 2007 | Comments (0)

Down and Around the Rhein - Rhine, Germany

 This place was Amazing visited Jul 12, 2007

Some photos to share of our weaving and wandering down the Rhein. Thanks to Kai, at Bike Friday Europe in Freiburg for his outstanding hospitality...and to his great sons Tim and Tom for letting us sleep in their Legoland room! The Rhein has allowed us to weave back and forth from Switzerland to Austria to Germany to France. Gives us renewed appreciation for WWII history and battles fought here. On to Luxembourg in a few days and on to Belgium to watch Nick run.

posted Jul 15, 2007 | Comments (0)