Belgium and the Netherlands

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Here are a few pictures from our walk around Brussels where we spent two nights before moving on to Amsterdam... 

Belgiun waffles were amazing :)

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

Canals all over the City

Lots of cafes and coffee shops to choose from



We rented these bright orange bikes to get around Amsterdam for the day.  There are bike lanes everywhere and you have to be alert, crossing the road you can wait longer for the bike traffic than the vehicle traffic.  Cass found it challenging not to get run over by the other bikers and Rob got yelled at for being in the wrong lane. Rob also got a flat tire but all in all it was a fun time!



Rob has the tourist look down...

Noordvijkerhout, Netherlands

After a couple days in Amsterdam we took a short train ride to Noordvijkerhout (it took us two days to learn how to say the name) to visit Cassidy's friends Jolanda and Mike.  They showed us a GREAT time and we both felt we had really experienced an authentic taste of Dutch life.  This is the area where tulips (among many other flowers) are grown in the spring.  Some highlights are below...



Thanks so much Mike and Jolanda for introducing us to Dutch pancakes, BBQ, lolly pops, bitte-balls (sp?), sweet breads, chocolate flakes... and, of course, the real Heineken!  We had a great time with you and your welcoming friends!  We hope to host you someday :)



Yes, this is a pancake (kind of what we'd would call a crepe) and it has minced meat, pinapple, cheese and cajun sauce... and it was sooo good!

This town was so cool with lots of horses and bike paths.

Bike trip to the beach...

Should I go in or not...



Tea by the beach.



Dutch BBQ - salads and bread

Dutch BBQ - fish and shrimp

Dutch BBQ - the meats



Great to meet you all!

Traveling friend together again!

Late night for the angry bunny, we had a rough travel day the next day...

Off to the Rhine Valley of Germany and Czech Republic! More to come...



Dublin and London

Our first travel day was a long one.  After a six hour drive to Chicago, we had about an eight hour flight with minimal sleep and arrived in Dublin at 8am.  We managed to stay up all day the first day in Dublin in an attempt to make some headway on the jet lag, although we are only now fully catching up.  Ireland was a good start to the trip!  Our hostels were decent, the activities were fun, and we broke our legs and feet in over the first couple days walking around the city.  The Irish pubs are always active and the whole city seems to emerge after work to socialize.  It's a fun atmosphere and and creates a tremendous amount of business for small shops, pubs, restaurants, etc.  The third day in Dublin we took a bus out of the city to a small Irish town named Enniskerry.  The countryside was beautiful and it was nice to get out of the city for an afternoon.  We woke early Friday morning and caught a ferry and then train to London where we met up with our friends Doug and Melissa Tully.  The Tully's were AWESOME hosts and we had a great time with them in the London area. Rob had a fantastic 30th birthday yesterday... we took a train to Richmond and after a rainy start the sun came out and it was beautiful warm weather.  We rented row boats and paddled up the Thames River, had a picnic along the river at a music festival and later Melissa made a delicious vegetarian pizza.  The food was amazing as was the wine and whiskey :).  Today we walked around several sites in London including Buckingham Palace, Parliament building and the London Bridge area.  We plan to leave in the morning for Brussels, Belgium via the chunnel train.  Next post will be from mainland Europe!  Our plan is to travel this week around Belgium, Netherlands and maybe France before meeting Cassidy's friends near Amsterdam. 

Off we go at the Chicago airport...



Christchurch in Dublin





The Guinness brewery tour was definitely worthwhile, although not free like the Coors brewery tour! We felt like tourists but one guy took the cake when he asked the tour guide at Guinness where he could find the "book of world records"... he was not joking, haha.   



Trinity College (University of Dublin).  Beautiful campus and the Book of Kells and Library were the highlights... they don't allow photos in those areas so sorry no pics :)

A trail we found in Enniskerry along a cemetery



 



Ferry ride from Dublin to Holyhead, Wales.

LONDON!

Thanks for showing us such a great time in London, Melissa and Doug! Seven years was too long, hope to see you again soon. 

Michigan

Three weeks in northern Michigan went so fast!  We had a great time with family and friends... now it's time to head out.  We leave in the morning for Chicago and fly out tomorrow evening for Dublin, Ireland!  Thanks so much to everyone for the support and well wishes!  Next post will be from Europe. 


Frankfort pier and light house with ship

 Getting ready for the Dierks Bentley concert...

 Had a great time with the Grant and Rog, thanks for visiting guys, come back anytime...

 John and Denise's pad overlooking Lake Michigan

Family golf foursome.

 Tandem rides at sunset on Crystal Lake are always fun and hilarious!

Congrats to Jeremiah and Kristin!