Autumn and a Wonderful Vacation
Getting ready for a 3 1/2 week vacation was very hard! Leaving computers at home was easier than expected. Our Annapolis friends Kathy and Allen picked up our car at the airport in Brest and spent 2 weeks at our house! They had a marvelous time. Our trip consisted of one night in a hotel near the airport, then one week in Landal Green Parks near Apeldoorn about 1 1/2 hours from Amsterdam.
Getting to the condo was very slow as the area around Arnhem was preparing for a 1,000 parachutist drop the following day. Princess Beatrix and Prince Charles attended. The weather was beautiful and we visited the memorial later in the week. While at Apeldoorn we visited Arcen which is the home of an incredibly beautiful park and chateau. We also went to a spa where there were 2 outdoor pools. It was rainy and the temperature was chilly, but it was very relaxing.
The following Friday we flew to Berlin for the marathon which Laetitia and Caitlin finished (in the rain). We took the train to Potsdam the day after the race and took a boat tour with Laetitia and Caitlin. The next day, we spent several hours on the hop on hop off bus and saw a lot of Berlin. Due to the number of people in Berlin for the marathon, this was the only option with traffic! Calla had made reservations to see the Bundestag which was very impressive!
We then flew back to Amsterdam to stay in a hotel for the weekend. Thanks to Facebook, we learned that Dennis and Mary Kercher were going to be in Amsterdam at the same time!!! So we met after our tour of the Rijkesmuseum at the market for lunch and then took a boat tour of the canals which we had done before and saw alot of Amsterdam. Then we met for dinner for Reistafel. Great seeing them after 10+ years!
Then back to the new, second condo near Harderwijk where the next day we were shown around Zwolle by Dutch people we met in the Nevez Summer Church this summer. We also met them the next day at their church for a service in Dutch and then went to their house for lunch with the 3 daughters. The 4th daughter was back at college. Very interesting church which was full of kids and adults. Very happy people! They recommended we see Texel, which is an island far north. So we took a ferry the next day and then drove to 2 towns they suggested. Nice! We also found a spa near Harderwijk that had many buildings with different temperature saunas, salt scrub, and other treatments. We all had a 30 minute massage. Calla chose the day for us that swimsuits were required! Great place!
After our 6 days in Harderwijk, we spent Calla and Jane's last night in a hotel near the airport. The last night we went to Naarden to stay in a historic fortress. Nice vacation but nice to be home!
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Getting to the condo was very slow as the area around Arnhem was preparing for a 1,000 parachutist drop the following day. Princess Beatrix and Prince Charles attended. The weather was beautiful and we visited the memorial later in the week. While at Apeldoorn we visited Arcen which is the home of an incredibly beautiful park and chateau. We also went to a spa where there were 2 outdoor pools. It was rainy and the temperature was chilly, but it was very relaxing.
The following Friday we flew to Berlin for the marathon which Laetitia and Caitlin finished (in the rain). We took the train to Potsdam the day after the race and took a boat tour with Laetitia and Caitlin. The next day, we spent several hours on the hop on hop off bus and saw a lot of Berlin. Due to the number of people in Berlin for the marathon, this was the only option with traffic! Calla had made reservations to see the Bundestag which was very impressive!
We then flew back to Amsterdam to stay in a hotel for the weekend. Thanks to Facebook, we learned that Dennis and Mary Kercher were going to be in Amsterdam at the same time!!! So we met after our tour of the Rijkesmuseum at the market for lunch and then took a boat tour of the canals which we had done before and saw alot of Amsterdam. Then we met for dinner for Reistafel. Great seeing them after 10+ years!
Then back to the new, second condo near Harderwijk where the next day we were shown around Zwolle by Dutch people we met in the Nevez Summer Church this summer. We also met them the next day at their church for a service in Dutch and then went to their house for lunch with the 3 daughters. The 4th daughter was back at college. Very interesting church which was full of kids and adults. Very happy people! They recommended we see Texel, which is an island far north. So we took a ferry the next day and then drove to 2 towns they suggested. Nice! We also found a spa near Harderwijk that had many buildings with different temperature saunas, salt scrub, and other treatments. We all had a 30 minute massage. Calla chose the day for us that swimsuits were required! Great place!
After our 6 days in Harderwijk, we spent Calla and Jane's last night in a hotel near the airport. The last night we went to Naarden to stay in a historic fortress. Nice vacation but nice to be home!
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| Arcen Kasteel |
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| Arcen Kasteel gardens |
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| Gouda town hall wedding |
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| Coolest tourist information office in Deventer |
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| Memorial to the WWII air drop near Arnheim |
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| Berlin wall remains |
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| Cheering team for Laetitia and Caitlin with French flag held by Laetitia's dad in the background |
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| Bundestag tour |
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| Lunch with the Kerchers |
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| Dutch friends from Nevez Summer English Church |
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| Fishing boats in Sparkenburg |
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| Bakery in Weesp |
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