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Amsterdam, Holland
June 12th, Saturday - Visit with Robbie in Breda, Holland
It was another dreary day as we left Aachen.
I feel bad that all we did was sleep there but I suppose it's
not necessary to see every church in Europe. We crossed
northern Belgium toward Antwerp. The highway was lined with
industrial parks. Many of the new commercial buildings are
quite interesting to look at and make our industrial
architecture quiet "ho-hum". Smart cars building has an eye
catching, four story glass tower with 4 cars per story in
front of their facilities. We saw two more on the drive today
so it must be a standard design.
 Our
plan is to be in Breda, Holland at 11:30 to spend the
afternoon with Robbie Hassert who we met on the cruise in
Chile. The travel went fast and we had no problem making the
scheduled arrival time. I called Robbie from a hotel by the
highway to get directions to his house. He lives in a very
convenient flat near the city center. Driving along looking
for his street, we found him on a corner looking for a
Deutschland car to pass. He took us to his flat where we sat
and chatted for awhile before walking around the center.
 The
dominant structure in Breda is the "Grote Kerk" or the
cathedral. It is undergoing major restoration and has been
completely cleaned. The stone glistens brightly white in the
sunlight. It almost looks like white marble from a distance
instead of limestone.
The pedestrian streets were packed with shoppers, enjoying
their Saturday excursions. Streets and stores are all
decorated with orange in anticipation of the European Soccer
Championship. Holland's color is orange because the royal
family is the House of Orange. The people are absolutely crazy
over these soccer matches and sport their team color. I bought
AD an orange T-shirt and an orange soccer ball.
 We
ate at a sandwich shop and then continued walking. Robbie has
developed a serious back problem and can't sit. It's stand or
lay down. We returned to the flat for a short while before
making our leave for Amsterdam. Traffic was so thick that the
posted highway speed was only 50km for almost an hour of the
trip. Holland is the most densely populated country in Europe,
with a population of 16 million. Even with some of the most
expensive gas prices the roads are clogged. Our Etap hotel is
near Schiphol Airport. It is in the same complex as the Ibis,
a sister chain. We ate dinner at the Ibis, which was actually
pretty good considering how filthy the restaurant was. There
would be plenty of opportunity to drive into Amsterdam another
day.
June 13th, Sunday - Yippee! Deb and family are here, by DW
 The
word for the day is "delight". After a difficult night getting
to sleep we started our day late and by the time we got ready
it was nearly time to go to the airport to meet Deb, Claire
and Phil. The hotel has an airport transfer bus that made it
very easy getting out there. Especially since the airport
grounds are huge and very daunting.
It took Deb and the kids a long time to get their luggage and
I was very anxious while I waited, itching with excitement.
Finally, I spotted them on the other side of a glass wall.
Seeing Deb after so long has filled me with delight. We can't
stop talking, laughing and hugging. I'm sure this will fade
but for now it is wonderful.
After we got them settled at the hotel we headed into a
section of Amsterdam called Harlem. It is a beautiful old
neighborhood paved with cobblestone and surrounded by brick
and stone buildings. Walking around the area we could only
window shop because all stores are closed on Sunday in
Holland. We ate lunch outside in the Cathedral square, basking
in the sun and listening to music from a nearby cheerleading
competition. The kids were tired and bored with walking around
so we headed back to the hotel and sat around talking. For
dinner we went to the Ibis next door for Italian food.
Last week in Europe, By Debbie
Claire, Philip and I joined Dianne, Tom and
Andrew here in Holland after 2 days in London, which was
fascinating. We saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham
Palace, and Kensington Palace and Gardens. Toured around on a
double-decker bus. Then we flew to Amsterdam meeting up with
the Diblings. Holland has also been a unique experience.
Everyone rides a bike and walks miles each day. The canals and
waterways are awesome. Exloo, in the Drenthe province, was
perfect. I would love to live there. So quaint and peaceful
and beautiful. Today we are off to the coast and a visit to
Amsterdam itself.
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Europe Cup
In Europe there is a soccer
tournament called the Europe Cup. Holland tied with
Germany one to one in the first game. The Holland team
color is orange and the mascot is a lion. In the town of
Emmen where we are staying, there is a house with 1,000
little orange flags blowing in the wind. My dad got me a
orange T-shirt that fits him and goes down to my knees.
It has a lion on the front. Some people even have orange
hair that is spiked up. Almost everything is orange to
support their team.
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Touring in Holland...»
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