We are off to eat and drink around the world :)....

[dgbg100106]

As we were leaving the Flower market, we cross over a bridge and we now in a square named Koningsplein. It is located between the Singel and Herengracht canals.

David and I will try any kind of food once and if it is a local custom or delicacy then we always try some. For Amsterdam and this square it is Raw Herring....

It is served with raw onions and sweet pickles.

It was very fresh, it was not very fishy, but firm texture, and it was pretty good. Once I got over it being raw and being herring. It was pretty good. I normally do not eat sweet pickles, but everything seemed to go hand in hand, strong onions and sweet pickles and fresh herring.

This is looking out over the canal right there in the square.

In this picture, you see all the different gable styles, and spires from a church all along the canal.

From Koningsplein we turned left heading straight to Leidseplein. At first, the street southward is just labeled Koningsplein and then turns into Leidsestraat. We crossed several grand canals, following a street lined with fashion and tourist shops and really crowded with people, and tons of bicycles. As we were crossing one canal we saw this barge cleaning junk out of the canal, it was everything from chairs, bicycles, and tables.

Right at this intersection, there is a shop called "When nature Calls Smartshop" Keizersgracht 508, smartshops like this one are clean, well-lighted, fully professional retail outlets that sell powerful drugs, many of which are illegal in America. Their "Natural" drugs include harmless nutrition boosters (royal jelly), harmful but familiar tobacco, and herbal versions of popular dance-club drugs (herbal Ecstasy). The big item, maryjane seeds....

David and I got a big kick out of looking at this stuff, we just found it hard to believe that people just walked in a store and bought this stuff...

 

[dgbg100106]

We continue to make our way down to Leidseplein, this place is bustling with cafes, theaters, nightclubs, tourists, diners, and trams. There are a bunch of these mimes, statue people all over the place. This square dates back to the 17th century Golden Age.

On the east end is the Bulldog cafe and Coffeshop, the flagship of several cafe/bar/coffeeshops in town with that name. It once housed the police bureau, a small green and white decal on the window indicates that it's a city licensed "Coffeeshop", where marijuana is sold and smoked legally.

from Leidseplein, we turned left and headed along the busy tram filled street called Kleine-Gartman Plantsoen, which becomes Weteringschans. We came to a triangular garden, and across the street we see a row of tall, gray, Greek Style Columns entering Max Euweplein.

The Latin inscriptions above the colonnade - homosapiens non urinat in ventum - means "People, don't pee into the wind"

Inside the courtyard you will find a large chessboard with knee-high kings. Max Euwe was a dutch world chess champion; in 1957 he beat Bobby Fisher (14 years old) in 20 moves.

We returned to Weteringschans street, and turned right.... We found a red brick building called Paradiso.

Back when Rock and Roll was a religion, this former church staged intimate concerts by big named acts such as the Rolling Stones.

We are walking along looking for a tram to take us back, or help us find some food to eat...

This is the Rijksmuseum; which houses the best visual chronicle of the Dutch Golden Age...Rembrandts, Vermeers, etc..

We walk up on the Amsterdam Canal Cruises and decide to take a canal cruise, it is a hour long, and a good chance for to just sit and rest this foot and Mr. Boot for awhile.

We bought a combo ticket and that way we could do the Heineken Experience right afterwards.

Amsterdam Canal Cruises is situated in one of the nicest neighbourhoods of Amsterdam: De Pijp. This marvelling quarter with exotic shops, a variety of international restaurants, the famous Albert Cuyp-market and the most famous museums in the world is certainly worth a visit.

 

[dgbg100106]

notice how the front of the building looks curved to match the street/canal outline...

then to a very modern building...

They said this was the largest floating Bogota in the world

this is their manual draw bridge.

now that my feet feel better we are headed to the beer ...

beautiful windows inside

So they gave us a sample of the wort, and it was pretty nasty.. I heard some of them saying they liked it, but to each their own right!!!

horses were in the stalls there at the brewery.

This was a simulator ride, where you become the beer, it moves and shakes, gets warm and sprayers you with water...

Then they explain to you how to top your beer, why you want to do it, how to keep oxygen out of your beer and how to toast with your beer...

At the end of the tour they dump you in a bar and give you two free beers each...

 

[dgbg100106]

there are a bunch of trams coming thru there and we catch the first one in our hotel direction... I am so tired and my feet are killing me.

we make it back to the hotel and I soak my feet for a good while...


ok we had dinner and waited out some rain and decided to go out to the red light district and see what it had to offer....

Amsterdam's oldest neighborhood has hosted the world's oldest profession since 1200. The Red Light District lies between Damark and Nieuwmarket. Amsterdammers call it De Wallen, or "The Walls", after the old city walls that once stood here.

The s*x trade runs the gamut from shops selling p*rn and accessories to blue video arcades, from glitzy nightclub s*x shows featuring strippers and acts to the real deal. Women in bras, thongs, and high heels, standing in window displays, offering their bodies. Amsterdam keeps several thousand prostitutes employed - and it is all legal...

I was told by numerous people not to take my camera or not to take pictures around the women..

We took a tram to Dam Square and started our walk there.
The first place we see in the district is Condomerie, this is a museum for condoms.

 

[dgbg100106]

According to legend, Quentin Tarantion holed up at the Winston Hotel for three months in 1993 to write Pulp Fiction. Farther down, you come to an intersection with the Old Church down the street on the right. Standing here, notice the security cameras and modern lighting. Freedom reigns here, but everything is kept under a watchful eye by the two neighborhood police departments.

Throughout the Red Light District, you'll see Irish pubs, advertisements for football games, and British, Scottish, and Irish flags.

Returning from a long sea voyage , sailors of yore would spy the steeple of the old church on the horizon and know they were home...

Begun in about 1300 and dedicated to St. Nicholas, the gangly church was built in fits and starts during the next 300 years. Even when the rival New Church was built on Dam Square, Amsterdam's oldest church still had the tallest spire, the biggest organ, the most side alters, and remained the neighborhood's center of activity, bustling inside and out with merchants and street markets.

The tower 209 feet high, with an octagonal components, was updated in the 18th century and served as a model for many other Dutch churches. The church is historic, but there not much to see inside. Of the 2500 gravestones in the floor, the most famous is opposite the entrance: "Saskia 19 Juni 1642", the grave of Rembrandt's wife. The church is spacious and stripped down, due to iconclastic vandals.

This is Belle, honoring s*x workers around the world.

Next is a bronze breast in the pavement;

Also, here you will find an outdoor urinal, green metal for men. I made David go in and pretned he was using it for the picture, all the while there where was a man outside who needed to use it and got mad at us for taking up too much time so he just went in the side walk...

we wandered down around Chinatown

and back to the church

and central station

we made our way back to the hotel and this is our night sky view

 

[dgbg100106]

After a good nights sleep, and a few drinks or nightcaps we are ready to start a new day.

This morning it is beautiful outside.

We had a wonderful breakfast, again with those amazing eggs, and coffee.

I think we have decided to take it a little easy today, I am still sore and stiff from the day before, that was a lot of walking.....

The canal by the hotel, I thought that this was just a beautiful scene...

We are going to walk the Jordaan Neighborhood, so we take the tram to Dam Square, and walk to the New Church

we see Magna Plaza shopping center straight ahead...

The facade on this thing is amazing...

Built in 1899 on top of 4.560 pilings, this "modern" looking building symbolized the city's economic revival after two centuries of decline. The revival was brought on by the opening of the North Sea Canal and increased industrialization, capped by a World's Fair in 1883. The shopping center, originally the main post office, now houses 40 stores.

From here we walk along Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, then turn left onto Molsteeg past the Anne Frank House and into the Jordaan.

We arrive at the "Big Head" square...

But it is really a bridge straddling the Singel canal called the Torensluis Bridge.

With cafes and art galleries, this quiet neighborhood seems farther than just three blocks from busy Dam Square. the canal, which was originally the moat running around the medieval walled city, looks much as it might have during the Dutch Golden Age of the 1600s, when the city quickly became a major urban city center.

This so-called skinniest house in Amsterdam is the red house at #166. In fact, it's just the entryway to a normal house that open up farther back, with interiors looking quiet different from what you might expect from the facade.

Story has it that real estate has always been expensive on this canal, and owners were taxed by the amount of street frontage. A local saying at the time was "Only the wealthy can live on the inside of a canal's curve" where they would have maximum taxable frontage with a minimum of usable space.

The houses crowd together, shoulder to shoulder. Built on top of thousands of logs hammered vertically into the marshy soil, they've shifted with the tides over the years, some leaning to the sides. Many brick houses have iron rods strapped onto the sides, binding the bricks to an inner skeleton of wood. Most have big, tall windows to admit as much light as possible.

Mingled among the old houses are a few modern buildings, the sleek gray metal, ugly ones are part of the university. And though these buildings try to match the humble, functional spirit of the older ones, they fail...

The green dome in the background is the Lutheran Church, to the left of the church is the new city, reclaimed in the 1600s and destined to be the high rent district, to the right is old town.

 

[franandaj]

You pictures are so beautiful. I was there almost fifteen years ago, but we didn't really tour the city much. It makes me realize that before we should go to Europe, we need to rehabilitate Fran a lot more so that she can walk some and not just ride the scooter.

I keep forgetting how walking intensified it is there. The other thing that is cracking me up is how obsessed these people are with peeing! The fry place was silly enough, but to have it written on monuments and open air urinals! To me this is just shocking! But I think it's pretty funny how you incorporate it into your pictures.

I never made it to the red light district or the Bulldog. My BF at the time was a huge prude and wouldn't do any of the fun stuff. I had to get him to sit down to a meal just to have a drink! You guys know how to live it up!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I followed your breadcrumbs in here.....


Love the PTR so far. Your pictures of Amsterdam has taken me back 20 years. And for that I thank you for the breadcrumb trail!

I have a great friend that lives in the Beemster area and we stayed with him for 3 weeks and spent a bit of time meandering around Amsterdam....all except for the Red Light district (my friend promised he would take us and never did ). I'd almost forgotten what a magical city it can be for tourists.
And where the canal boats were moored...there used to be a canal boat owned by a cat lady. She either kept lots of cats or fed the stray cats. When we were there, we were told that there were over 300 cats that visited or lived on her boat.

 

[dgbg100106]

You pictures are so beautiful.

Thanks Alison, I am constantly learning and trying something new with my camera...

I was there almost fifteen years ago, but we didn't really tour the city much. It makes me realize that before we should go to Europe, we need to rehabilitate Fran a lot more so that she can walk some and not just ride the scooter.

Well I can tell you that I needed to be in better shape than I was, but we had a wonderful time. You will see in the pictures later, that there are lots of cobble stone streets that make walking difficult.

I keep forgetting how walking intensified it is there. The other thing that is cracking me up is how obsessed these people are with peeing! The fry place was silly enough, but to have it written on monuments and open air urinals! To me this is just shocking! But I think it's pretty funny how you incorporate it into your pictures.

It was a very interesting time... I made David get in the urinal so I could take the picture, he thinks I am crazy so he just follows along...

I never made it to the red light district or the Bulldog. My BF at the time was a huge prude and wouldn't do any of the fun stuff. I had to get him to sit down to a meal just to have a drink! You guys know how to live it up!

Well lots of people told us how dangerous it was and not to go, but after we talked several locals we decided it was not bad... And it wasn't. we had a lot of fun, and it was no more than women in bikinis in the windows, most were on the phone or reading. I have seen much worse in New Orleans....

 

[dgbg100106]

I followed your breadcrumbs in here.....


Love the PTR so far. Your pictures of Amsterdam has taken me back 20 years. And for that I thank you for the breadcrumb trail!

I have a great friend that lives in the Beemster area and we stayed with him for 3 weeks and spent a bit of time meandering around Amsterdam....all except for the Red Light district (my friend promised he would take us and never did ). I'd almost forgotten what a magical city it can be for tourists.
And where the canal boats were moored...there used to be a canal boat owned by a cat lady. She either kept lots of cats or fed the stray cats. When we were there, we were told that there were over 300 cats that visited or lived on her boat.

Hi nice to see you here....

Oh to have a friend that close is amazing... Then again I guess it is not as close for you... It was a 3.5 hour flight from Boston for us, one of the easiest flights I have taken.

You need to go back and see the district before it is gone... They are slowing changing the windows out for clothing sales and predict that it will go by the wayside in the next decade.

I never heard anything about the cat lady... now I will have to google it and see if she is still there....

 

[dgbg100106]

Leliegracht - This is one of the city's prettiest small canals, lined with trees and crossed by a series of arched bridges.

The next canal we came to was Keizersgracht, and the Westerkerk tower rises above the roof tops, capped with a golden crown and the Amsterdam cost of arms.

Rembrandt is buried under the floor of this "Western Church" which dates from 1631. Its carillons toll every 15 minutes, a sound that reminded Anne Frank that there was, indeed, an outside world.

This is the Anne Frank house form the outside

I tried to get David to buy this suite but for some reason he did not think it would look good on him...

We wandered thru the area and some beautiful neighborhoods and finally made our way to the St. Andrew's Hof (Sint - Andrieshof), we were told to enter quielt throught the black door marked "Sint Andrieshof 107 t/m 145" and we would encounter a slice of Vermeer - a tiny courtyard surrounded by a dozen or so residences.

This small scale Begijnhof is on of scores of hofes (subsidized residences built around a courtyard) funded by churches, charities and the city for low-income widows and pensioners.

The mail slots on several doors have stickers saying Nee or Ja (no or yes), telling the postman what types of junk mail they'll accept or refuse.

Next we are making our way to the area called "Nine Little Streets" De Negen Straatjes - is in the heart of Amsterdam's canal district and is one of the city's most delightful shopping areas. These picturesque streets straddle the 17th Century canals from the Singel to the Prinsengracht. Wandering from one to the next exploring the designer boutiques, art galleries, jewellers, gift shops, fashion shops, specialist businesses and there are plenty of great bars, cafes and restaurants.

 

[dgbg100106]

We make our way back to the Leidseplein, and decide to pick up our lunch there.

David had the ribs and I had the meatballs...They were very salty but super tender.

This is some more of the art in the park, it is a clock that chimes every 15 minutes, it was really neat and complicated, but pretty hard to show all the moving parts in still picture.

We are not back at the hotel and resting up for dinner... We are going to the number one restaurant rated by Zagat for Indonesian called Tempo Doeloe.

I had picked this place for the sole purpose of having Rijsttafel Istemewa, this is 25 small plates of food, ranging from mild, to medium, to hot and then the last three are blow your mind spicy!

We took the tram as far as we could and then walked about 20 minutes to the restaurant. It was a beautiful evening, still early, but reservations were at 6:30 pm

This is a picture from the menu of the 25 different items....

but no worries, I have all the info and will describe as we go...


The beer we were trying...

The set up for the food...Each one of the grates has a burning fuel cell under it to keep everything warm.

For every dish the "hotness" is indicated as follows:
- mild Dishes for which absolutely no hot spices have been used. In case you are unfamiliar with the Indonesian kitchen, do not hesitate to order these dishes
+ medium These dishes are spiced pleasantly. In preparation chili peppers (tjabeh) en small peppers (tjabeh rawit) have been used
++ hot Indonesian people do not use the term hot or spicy, they use the word "pedis". These dishes are well spiced with tjabeh and tjabeh rawit.
+++ very hot Terlaloe pedis, with these dishes our "kokkie" (chef) has not shown any mercy with various kinds of peppers

In case you would like to try a "pedis"or "terlaloe pedis" dish, please accept the following advice:
Take your time.
Insert short breaks during dinner and please ... do not stir all dishes into one undecipherable composition.
On your plate sample a few dishes, and a little rice, next taste a little of each dish together with some rice.
After some time you will notice that you can enjoy more and more of our various delicacies.
If you have never eaten "pedis" before, try something mild first, and add some "sambal of the house" (chli-paste) to your liking.
And finally the most important of this introduction:
Selamat Makan!


+ Sateh Babi skewered broiled pork with peanut sauce

This was very good, and David and I really could have eaten more but the waiter told us to wait, b/c there was a lot of food coming...

These were condiments for the food, rice crackers, sweet and sour items to cool off your tongue.
- Kroepoek crispy shrimp bread
- Emping crispy chips from belindjonuts
- Seroendeng grated, fried coconut with peanuts
- Atjar Tjampoer sweet and sour Indonesian salad
white and yellow rice

This is curry rice

This is white rice....

These are the mild items.

- Babi Tjien pork in mild soysauce
- Daging Semoor beef with tomatoes in a mild soy sauce
- Paksoy specially prepared vegetables with sesame oil
- Sawi Toemis Chinese cabbage with Indonesian herbs
- Ajam Opor chicken in tasty sauce with cream of coconut
- Gadon Dari Sapi beef in creamy sauce with coconut cream and fresh coriander


All of these were good, we were surprised by how much heat they had for mild. I like hot and spicy items and can eat almost anything from a Chinese restaurant, now my DH has no taste buds left because he is always eating spicy, the hotter the better for him...

These are the medium items...
- Sajoer Lodeh broth with cream of coconut and various vegetables
- Orek Arek stirfried cabbage with garlic and various herbs+ Sambel Goreng Tempeh ried soy cake in tasty sauce
+ Sambel Goreng Tahoe fried soy cheese in tasty sauce
+ Sambel Goreng Oedang tiny shrimp in tasty sauce
+ Sambel goreng Boontjes string beans in tasty sauce
+ Oerapan dry, ground coconut mixed with fresh vegetables

Now these are the stars of the show....

There are two on the left column htat have red peppers, I was told that they were hot, really hot and the one with the yellow pepper on top, was dangerously hot, even the waiter told me he did not eat it.

+ Kelia Dari Sapi beef in medium sauce with cream of coconut, tjabeh, kemirie
+ Daging Belado beef in hot sauce with tjabeh
+ Gado Gado fresh vegetables with peanutsauce
++ Ajam Roedjak chicken in hot sauce with cream of coconut and tjabeh
++ Ajam Bali chicken in tomatoe-tjabeh sauce
+++ Daging Rendang beef cooked in tasty, hot sauce with cream of coconut

So DH ate the red peppers told me that they were warm, which means they will be hot, but I ate them and they were hot, so hot that I drank all my beer, was sprinkling the condiments on everything to try and cool it down and eating lots of coconut rice....

So here comes the last one.....
The danger sign is flashing in my mind, and I am scared... David tell me that it is hot, which means it is really hot, like take the skin off hot, and what do i do ......

i try it....

OMG, I thought my tongue and mouth were going to catch on fire... that had to be the hottest thing I have ever eaten in my life. The whole time i am thinking, why did I just do that......Stupid Brandi, Stupid Brandi, you know better than to do this....

My eye ball are sweating, I am bright red in the face, literally sweat is pouring down my face and I think I am going to die tight there at the table and never see Russia......

The bartender must catch a glimpse of me and he comes running to the table, miss you ok? I can't speak, I just point to the food, he runs back to the bar, mixes things together and comes back to the table, "miss, you drink... you feel better" at this point what do I care? I would have tried anything, so I grab the glass, like I am in a dessert and he say "Sip", i look at him like he is crazy, sip... really... why at this point.... then he says "swish in mouth" ok here I go, take a gulp and gargle right there at the table...

He looks at me like I have two heads and asks "you better now?" I wanted to say "H*ll no I am not better" but I just nod, he says keep drinking... no worries I am finishing this glass, of what ever it is....

After my taste buds have feeling in them again, I notice that it is fruity and sweet... just my style; after I have eaten a blow torch....

after what seems like an eternity I return to normal and recover...

whew...

now back to drinking.... we are so full from all this food and mystery drink we just sit there for awhile and relax.

 

[dgbg100106]

Did you know that ...
... the Dutch invented gin?

Gin originated in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Its invention is often credited to the physician Franciscus Sylvius. It was sold in pharmacies and used to treat such medical problems as kidney ailments, lumbago, stomach ailments, gallstones, and gout.

It is called Jenever or Genever after the Dutch word for juniper. There are two types: Jong (young) which is the closest in taste to gin, and normally drunk neat and very cold, and Oud (old). It was introduced to England when William of Orange became king in 1689, and spread from there.

Dutch gin is a distinctly different drink from English-style gin; it is distilled with barley and sometimes aged in wood, giving it a slight resemblance to whisky.

I had wanted to go to the Bols factory and see all the different kinds of Jenever there and taste them but there just was not enough time in the day for everything we had wanted to do, so I just ordered some here at the restaurant.

I order the Oud because I am not a fan of the Gin to begin with but I wanted to try it.

It was good but not something I would just sit around a sip on.

We pay the bill and start walking back.
I almost thought that they needed to pay us for entertaining everyone so much with my reaction to the food, but I did not push it.

The night sky as we are walking back

 

[dgbg100106]

Well we make it back to the hotel and call it a night, tomorrow morning we board the cruise ship and say good bye to Amsterdam. I did not have enough time here and must come back again.... Sounds like I should add it back to the bucket list...

This morning we go to the Lounge and have another wonderful breakfast and and it was storming outside, thunder, lightening, and lots of rain.

We enjoyed some cappuccinos, and boiled eggs, these eggs are so good, soft boiled and they open right up. I did have a chocolate croissant before we walked out and it looks like the rain has stopped and the sun is out.

We went back down to the room and packed up all of our stuff, it has started to rain again and I am not in a hurry to get out in this weather. We decided to go down to the lobby, return the transformer for the power plug, and drop off our luggage with the concierge, then go back upstairs to the lounge to wait out the weather.

Finally a break around 12:00, back down stairs, grabbed the luggage and headed for the tram number 16 on Emmastraat. We took that to central station, and hopped on the tram number 26 to the passenger terminal for the cruise, it was about 35 minutes in total. It was easy and we made it just fine, luggage in all….

We made it to the pier, it was a wait just like the one in Barcelona, David was not happy… Everyone was slow and just lots of standing and waiting and he hates to wait for anything....

Finally we are on and we board on deck 3, right where our room is, we are not sure we are going to like the Ocean View, but we are here.

We walked around a bit had lunch at the Aqua Spa café, David and I both had the grilled tuna, salad, and melon ginger soup. We really enjoyed it. We stopped by the maître de about the table assignment and if we could change to the anytime dinner.

Back to the cabin, luggage was here, as we were putting everything away, someone was trying to get in our room. They thought they were in this room, I am guessing they were upgraded and did not know it.
Now it is time for the muster drill, off to Michaels club we go and hear the spill about the lifeboats and the vests. After that back to the room, finished unpacking and then up to the decks to watch as we pull away from Amsterdam.

our first windmill

These things are huge...

We came back to the cabin and enjoyed our window, watching the North Sea flow by us and the country side. There are lots of wind turbines, here and they have wind farms.

our TA sent us a bottle

We got ready for dinner and made our way down to dinner. Our table was interesting, there was Sylvia, and Terry from New Jersey, Terri and John from Canada, Nash and Leone from Canada, and us…

For dinner we both had Crab Louie

David had shrimp cocktail, and I had the goat cheese tart.

Then I had the Mushroom soup and David had the French Onion Soup.

For main course David had the Prime Rib and I passed on anything, nothing looked good…

For dessert we both had the Guava Sorbet.

After dinner we left to go to the Michaels Club for a cruise critic meet and greet, I was surprised to see it on the first night and meet a lot of the people from the boards. It was a lot of fun.

After that we came back to the cabin, had to change the battery out of the safe, it was not closing or opening. After that we went for a walk, we decided to get 12K steps in and we did that, 12788….

 

[franandaj]

I had meant to quote the picture of David with the Suit. Perhaps the only reason he didn't want it was that it was not his size. Otherwise, I think it would look lovely on him.

So here comes the last one.....
The danger sign is flashing in my mind, and I am scared... David tell me that it is hot, which means it is really hot, like take the skin off hot, and what do i do ......

i try it....

OMG, I thought my tongue and mouth were going to catch on fire... that had to be the hottest thing I have ever eaten in my life. The whole time i am thinking, why did I just do that......Stupid Brandi, Stupid Brandi, you know better than to do this....

My eye ball are sweating, I am bright red in the face, literally sweat is pouring down my face and I think I am going to die tight there at the table and never see Russia......

The bartender must catch a glimpse of me and he comes running to the table, miss you ok? I can't speak, I just point to the food, he runs back to the bar, mixes things together and comes back to the table, "miss, you drink... you feel better" at this point what do I care? I would have tried anything, so I grab the glass, like I am in a dessert and he say "Sip", i look at him like he is crazy, sip... really... why at this point.... then he says "swish in mouth" ok here I go, take a gulp and gargle right there at the table...

He looks at me like I have two heads and asks "you better now?" I wanted to say "H*ll no I am not better" but I just nod, he says keep drinking... no worries I am finishing this glass, of what ever it is....

After my taste buds have feeling in them again, I notice that it is fruity and sweet... just my style; after I have eaten a blow torch....

after what seems like an eternity I return to normal and recover...

whew...

now back to drinking.... we are so full from all this food and mystery drink we just sit there for awhile and relax.

In hindsight this is so funny! I'm sorry you had to live through it, but the waiter did say even he didn't eat it!

I love how your shirts are backwards since you took the picture in the mirror.

We have windmills like that in a few places in CA, outside Palm Springs and off the 580 in Northen California, they are HUGE! Even from far away off the freeway you tell how big they are.

So that's how you two stay slim, 12,000 steps! I'm sure I don't take that many in a day!

 

[dgbg100106]

I had meant to quote the picture of David with the Suit. Perhaps the only reason he didn't want it was that it was not his size. Otherwise, I think it would look lovely on him.

I think you are right... just the wrong size...

In hindsight this is so funny! I'm sorry you had to live through it, but the waiter did say even he didn't eat it!

Well it was funny for me to write up, b/c I knew better, but I wanted to try it at least once...

I love how your shirts are backwards since you took the picture in the mirror.

I try to take crazy pictures of us all the time, this was one that was interesting....

We have windmills like that in a few places in CA, outside Palm Springs and off the 580 in Northen California, they are HUGE! Even from far away off the freeway you tell how big they are.

I could tell they are huge.... I have one with people next to it and they are like tiny dots...

So that's how you two stay slim, 12,000 steps! I'm sure I don't take that many in a day!

The first day at Disney for F&W we did over 20K steps... and I still gained weight...

 

[PrincessInOz]

This is a picture from the menu of the 25 different items....

but no worries, I have all the info and will describe as we go...

Did you know that the Dutch colonised Indonesia? It was the Dutch East Indies.

That menu? It is predominantly the Dutch version of Bahasa.....and I can understand about 95% of the menu! Go figure!!!

Glad you didn't blow your tongue/taste buds too much with the 'pedas' factor.



ps. I think David should have bought that suit too.

 

[dgbg100106]

Did you know that the Dutch colonised Indonesia? It was the Dutch East Indies.

That menu? It is predominantly the Dutch version of Bahasa.....and I can understand about 95% of the menu! Go figure!!!

Glad you didn't blow your tongue/taste buds too much with the 'pedas' factor.



ps. I think David should have bought that suit too.

I did know about the Dutch colonizing the East Indies, but not before I went to Amsterdam... Part of the reason I wanted to try the food.

That is cool that you understand all of that, wish you had been there to help explain what was going on....

I think David could have pulled off that suit, I tried he was not going for it.

 

[dgbg100106]

Just some back ground on the ship, we are on the Celebrity Constellation.

GTS Celebrity Constellation is a Millennium class cruise ship of Celebrity Cruises. She is the co-flagship of the Celebrity fleet, along with Century-class ship Century. We were on the Constellation back in 2006 for our Honeymoon, so it was very cool that we were on her for our fifth anniversary.

She was built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. The ship boasts a COGAS power plant of gas turbines and a steam turbine providing up to 60 Megawatts for the electric systems and two 19 MW Rolls-Royce/Alstom MerMaid azimuth thrusters for propulsion. In 2007, she was refitted with the addition of a diesel engine as a fuel-saving measure. The ship can run on any combination of the gas turbines or diesel. In port, she generates electrical power from the diesel.

Constellation consistently receives top honors from Condé Nast's readers survey, and is currently ranked by readers as the best large cruise ship. During the summer period the ship sails in Northern Europe. Since her delivery the ship sails to the Baltic Sea between May and August. In June 2010 and July 2011 the ship will also sail to the Norwegian Fjords up to the North Cape. The rest of the season the ship sails to the Mediterranean (fall) and the Caribbean (winter).

She has been "stretched" since we were on n 2006, but she is the same ship we remember.

27 Aug….We finally got out of bed at 9am and went to Michael’s club (Elite Lounge). I hate when they hold it there, it is so stuffy. They had more than Solstice but not as much as the Mercury. We did not meet the Captain’s Club Hostess because she was not there. They kept playing the same 2 Perry Como and Frank Sinatra songs over and over again. We had a few Bellini’s and a Cappuccino.

We went back to the cabin and decided to be very lazy today and rest up from all of the walking in Amsterdam..

I think we took a nap and watched the world go by out our window... We both slept horrible there was a weird noise coming from above our cabin. Almost outside, but we could not figure it out.

Now it is time for lunch...
We go back to the Aqua Spa Cafe and enjoy the tuna steaks.

and grilled Salmon steaks

some shots of the ship...

Tonight was the first formal night of the cruise and dinner was good...

David started off with the Buffalo style Frog Legs

I had the chilled tangerine and granny smith apple soup.

For entree David had the crusted Lamb Chops

I have the Fish Bisque

look at the Happy Couple

For dessert
I had the fruit tart

David and the Chocolate cake and blueberry sorbet

 

[dgbg100106]

28 Aug…We got up around 07:45 and got dressed and went upstairs to get a couple eggs and some sausage. After that, we headed down to the Elite Lounge for a couple Bellini’s and a Cappuccino. Afterwards, we headed back to the room and got our things ready so that we could meet up with the group from Alla for our trip to Berlin.

I worked with the people we meet on Cruise Critic and created a group for a tour with Alla Tours to carry us from the ship to Berlin.

There were 6 of us total and we had an amazing time.

here we are on the bus getting ready for a long drive.

We started out in Warnemünde (German pronunciation: [vaʁnəˈmʏndə], meaning Warnow mouth) is a sea resort and northmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast portion of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow. Founded in about 1200, Warnemünde was for centuries a mere fishing village with minor importance for the economic and cultural development of the region. In 1323 Warnemünde lost its autonomous status as it was purchased by the city of Rostock in order to safeguard the city’s access to the Baltic Sea. It was not until the 19th century that Warnemünde began to develop into an important sea resort. Today Warnemünde has approximately 8,400 inhabitants.

We stopped half way thru the drive, 1.5 hours in and 1.5 more to go, at a rest stop to use the bathroom and pick up anything we might need.

We are on our way to Berlin... our first stop, Charlottenburg Palace
Located in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district, near the museum island, the Charlottenburg Palace is an 18th century baroque building and the largest palace in Berlin. It has been renovated and expanded many times and reconstructed after the severe damage of the war. It was built between 1695 and 1699 as the summer retreat for the Queen Sophie Charlotte, Elector Frederick III’s wife.

The statue on horseback is Friedrich Wilhelm I (der Große Kurfürst) elector of Brandenburg in the cour d'honneur of the palace.

On top of the dome was a gilded statue representing Fortune designed by Andreas Heidt.

Inside the palace was a room described as "the eighth wonder of the world", the Amber Room (Bernsteinzimmer), a room with its walls surfaced in decorative amber. It was designed by Andreas Schlüter and its construction by the Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram started in 1701. Friedrich Wilhelm I gave the Amber Room to Tsar Peter the Great as a present in 1716.



At the front gate of the palace's main building, a zinc statue of two natural sized naked fencers, is positioned. It is an imitation of a marble statue displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Greek master sculptor created it in the first century. Each fencer holds his saber in one hand and a shield in the other.

I have no idea what church this is but I thought it was neat how the newer buildings just attached themselves to it.

From 26th June until 3rd October 2011 the United Buddy Bears were presented in Berlin’s City West for the first time. The Ku’damm - at the corner of Knesebeckstraße – was the location for the exhibition of around 140 bears promoting tolerance, international understanding and living together in peace and harmony.

One of Berlin's iconic buildings, the half-ruined Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (occasionally known as the Emperor William Memorial Church together with its modern additions is located on Breitscheidplatz in the centre of western Berlin and dominates the view from the Kurfürstendamm and the Tauentzienstrasse.

History

The church was originally constructed between 1891 and 1895 by architect Franz Schwechten, who was also responsible for the original Anhalter Bahnhof, as a present to the German people from the then Kaiser Wilhelm II. It serves as a memorial to Wilhem II's father, Wilhelm I.



The church was partially destroyed during a bombing raid in 1943. Following the war, several different options for the church's redevelopment were considered, including the construction of a new church made from glass in the old church's ruins, and also its complete demolition and replacement with a new structure. Eventually it was decided to leave the ruined tower as a memorial to the futility of war, and create a new church around it.

The new buildings consist of four structures designed by architect Egon Eiermann. Most prominent are the hexagonal tower and worship room.

The new church was consecrated on May 25, 1962 - the same day as the new Coventry Cathedral - and features a cross made of nails from the old Coventry Cathedral.

A little known fact: a 1:10 scale model of the church stands in the town of Wernigerode in the former East Germany.

********* Side Note ********
When I grow up I want this car...

********* Back to Berlin *******