Grateful for time to think or too much time to think?

I got to walk on Virginia beach for an hour tonight, It was mid sixties with a warm breeze off the ocean. I'm staying in a Hilton with my Mom in a room with a view of the ocean. A great time time to think about life, what I have and what I want. What I have is everything needed and then some: I have a wonderful wife, a son I am proud of, a job I like, my health, time to spend with family and friends and hobbies that allow me to give back to the community. So I work very hard for each and everyone of these things, so why should I be grateful? The “thing” I am most grateful for is understanding how blessed I am, not for the things I have but for the people I have learned from, starting with my parents.  

On the road again

Heading to the Atlantic coast with my Mom.  We left Novi today and drove along the Erie coast and then onto the Ohio turnpike.  In Sandusky we found a nice nice cafe Berardi's family kitchen (on Route 6 ), great breakfasts and what looked like good deserts.  Then we drove through Ohio and into Pennsylvania.  Near Pittsburgh we jumped off the highway and took Route 30 through the mountains.  The fall colors were good but a bit muted.  We hoped to see the sight of the old Noha's Ark, but never found it.

We found a Hampton Inn in Bedford, PA and got a room for the night.  Tomorrow Baltimore MD and the Atlantic Coast.

Wrapping up three weeks of vacation in Europe

They say all good things must come to an end, but I'm not sure.  The vacation is over, but the experience will truly last and bring me back again.  The last few days have been "unplanned" and you get what you plan for.  #1 thing to ask when reserving nice expansive hotels in Germany in July is "do you have air conditioning?".  It's above 85 outside and we have an otherwise nice hotel (that we reserved 3 weeks ago) and it does not have AC (and yes I feel like a spoiled American).  We drove along the Rhine and stopped in a few small towns and Wiesbaden, Germany on our path back to the airport in Frankfurt.  Part of me says it's time to go home and party of me would enjoy continuing the trip for a few more months.  Any way I look at it, I have been blessed with  a great travel companion, good friends, friendly strangers and the opportunity to see some spectacular parts of the world.  Now I think it's time to plan 2015, someplace out-west in the good old USA.

Driving to and walking in Amsterdam - Watch out for BIKES!

We made it to our last destination city and found our Hotel (on the outskirts of downtown).  Getting off the highway the first thing I noticed is bike-paths and bikes everywhere any attempt to turn requires you look for cars, bikes and pedestrians.  We got to the hotel about 1pm and they gave us an early checkin, so we bought a 24 hour transport pass (metro, tram & bus) and headed into town.  We made it near the Anne Frank house where the line was around the building and walked into town.  Bikes and people do not interact well here, the bikes seem to have right-of-way even at red lights (or they think so).  The city is split into 4 sets of "roads":  Tram/bus, cars, bikes and pedestrians.  Bikes don't seem to follow that so much and ride everywhere.  While walking across a street with a green "walk" light two bikes ran into the crowed, someone gabbed one of he bikers and stopped them, the other ran into someone and was yelled at. I'm all for bikers rights, but in Amsterdam they may have run amok.

We walked into Dam Square and saw thousands of people walking, talking, smoking (pot and tobacco) and had seen enough and walked on.  We made it through the red-light district and then decided to head out to the Van Gogh museum, after waiting in line for 20 minutes and about $20 per head to get in and well worth the effort and it was the first "public" bathroom we found (not that I mind buying coffee, but it's self defeating).  The museum was very crowded and pushy (one guy in front of me seemed more interested in the texts on his phone than the art).  The museum is 4 floors (0-3) and only has a few hundred paintings in it, but after 2 hours of lines and pushing, I'm glad Van Gogh died when he did, I don't think I could have handled another floor.  I would not recommend the "Small Plates" restaurant around the corner from the museum.  We headed back to our hotel and called it a night.

Day two we started with the Anne Frank museum, we arrived at 8:30 (it opens at 9) and stood in line for 90 minutes to get it (I really can't complain, it's not like I had to hide in an attic and then was sent to a Nazi death-camp).  Again a big crowed, but much more subdued and far less pushy (although there are always a few).  Reading her writings and walking the house is a very sobering experience that more people should have.  In so many ways I have truly lived a charmed and blessed life.

Our last experience was the boat tour of the canals, very worthwhile and relaxing, a very good overview of the city and it's history.  Then off to the hotel to make reservations for Thursday and a nice relaxing walk outside of the hustle of the city,

Driving in Europe and Brugge

After the Tour de France we stated in France a few miles from the boarder to Luxembourg.  I had read that gas is expensive in Belgium so I wanted to full up before the boarder, so before getting on the highway I looked for an open gas station on a Sunday.  Found lots of 24/7 automated stations that take Europe cards, but none would take one of my credit cards (but none eat my card so life is good).  On to the highway an the first gas station rest area in Luxembourg.  As you enter you must pick lanes for Credit or Cash.  I picked credit and again found the automated teller would not take my card.  So I tried to go around back to Cash, no luck, at the rest area you get one try.  Back in the car an off to the next rest area, tried Cash, they would not take credit, but I did fill my tank, so we would make our hotel without running out of gas.  We found our hotel about 3pm and it was nice.  We checked in and headed to downtown Brugge, thank God (and many engineers) for GPS systems.  After a few go arounds we mad it to the 't Zand parking garage under the bus yard.  We walked about 5 miles in town and took a horse and buggy ride around town, got dinner and a beer and headed back to the car-park.  I tried to pay again with my Visa and the machine ate the card.  I hit the Help button and heard Flemish, I tried my French "It has eaten my bank card" I heard laughter (my French or the way I said it) followed by "one moment please".  A man showed up and dissembled the machine and gave me my card back.  Note to self, don't try any automated teller in Belgium with a US Visa card.  Back to he hotel where the staff and guests were watching some game between Germany and Argentina, apparently it was important.  A good nights sleep and some week coffee and we were back in downtown Brugge (so far all coffee pales to France/Italy/Home).   We walked out to see the windmills on the opposite side of town, along the way we got coffee and it was good, strong and came with fudge, my constitution restored we walked to the windmills, Michelangelo's Madonna and Child, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and many other sights of the city.  I'm still made at Rick Steves, everyplace he recommends is crowded (Burgge was packed)!
 

Random thoughts on public toilets and "socialism"

We have been driving around Europe for about 14 days now and have been in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland. I noticed the French toilets along the highway are free and the other countries charge around a $1.  This is one of the most un-american parts of Europe.  Below is a photo of a public toilet in Baccarat, France.  The urinals are out in the open and for 20cents you can use a toilet, this arrangement is common in much of Europe.

This may be "socialist" of me but what I noticed was that toilets are free and plentiful (France) allies don't always smell bad.  But where they are rare or expensive you don't want to walk in any shadowed area.  It seems like society is served by spending on public sanitation (I know this may be shocking to some of my tea-party friends).

The Tour de France - Baccarat

So we decided to spend a day seeing the Tour de France and it was coming near Strasbourg as we were leaving so we stopped in the crystal city of Baccarat at 11am and waited for the tour that would pass through about 2:40pm.  When we got their the crowds were light, but growing.  By 1pm the streets were lined for miles.  To our surprise and delight vehicles came through throwing prizes for about 30 minutes.  Hats, key-rings and other souvenirs.  We managed to catch our share.  Then the souvenir truck came through selling packages and I bought a tee-shirt, hat and bag (seemed only foreigners where buying).  Not much after that the lead pack came through and 7 minutes later the remainder.  It was very exciting even for someone like me who equates watching sports to paint drying (and in my book paint drying winds more than 50%).