Pancackes! FOR DINNER!

Now this isn't news to me since I've known that pancakes in Holland are a dinner food, and that they are nothing like American style pancakes. All the Americans will think this is nuts: In Holland you can order pancakes like pizzas, and they are about the size of one (surface area, these pancakes are very thin like crepes). And if you like there are an endless number of toppings available. Now we did not order pancakes today, we just made them our selves with an American twist. We used Vermont Maple syrup (AKA the most amazing liquid on earth)! Opposed to the Dutch form of syrup with is melted pure brown sugar. Which is absolutely amazing, but it is so bad for you that you can feel your teeth dissolving.

Besides that, nothing much happened today. Jan (host dad) is in a tennis tournament and won the first match of direct eliminations. Tomorrow I am heading to Sneek, and then Friday is Amsterdam for hopefully the last of the bureaucratic labyrinth.

Are Those Geese?

Well today was a chill day, though not in the weather. It was a nice twenty degree day which unfortunately cooled off rather quickly. I spent the day reading, drawing, learning dutch, and I visited a friend whom I met last year while in Friesland. In the same trip, I mentally mapped out a small portion of Hoorn, and I realized that there are quite a few rules of the bike paths that I must learn (also how the paths are arranged).
I have a scout report for those TL'ers reading: It is the European Goose. Although it is not much of a scout report I had been bothered by their sounds for days, knowing it was similar but not at the same time. To make matters worse I never saw any in the sky, until today. So if you are ever in Europe and think you are hearing a mutated Canadian Goose well then depending on how they evolved you may be correct.
I am going to Sneek on Thursday, and on Friday Tineke and I have to visit Amsterdam to receive my Dutch social security number.

Also it is really very special to see how many people have been following me through Europe. So far there have been five-hundred and fifty "hits"! Numbers such as that, keep me posting every day.

Normalcy

Finally a normal summer day. Though my appetite is still a bit large due to the lack of food for two days.
I was able to sleep until ten, and ate a normal sized breakfast consisting of bread and a fee differed toppings.  My body has also not re acclimatized to Dutch weather opposed to the weather that I experienced in the Mediterranean. Lunch was similar to breakfast, but my stomach was still complaining, only not as loudly. The afternoon was spent running errands and my working on my MC project. Maybe if enough people ask I'll post a few pictures of it ( kudos to those who know what MC stands for). Speaking of requests: if anyone has any questions about life over here or just anything in general please leave a comment or shoot me an email!
I hadn't noticed it before due to the rain clouds that filled the sky each days I was home before my trip but this evening the sky was almost clear and my room (Wouter's room) has an amazing view of the sun as it sets.
So back to my project and reading Tintin in Nederlands (dutch).

Relaxation, Kinda

Believe it or not it was hard to relax today even though I was finally not traveling. Instead I woke up at eight and was wide awake, then through out the day I tried to play games and such. But the feeling that I had to do SOMETHING kept at it. I even did all my knee exercises twice! But what can you do. Jan and Tineke came home from their sailing trip around dinner which was perfect because my stomach is still craving food after having so little yesterday. Tomorrow looks like it will not entail very much besides shopping and errands. We shall see! For everyone on the East Coast, I hope everyone is safe, and that there isn't too much damage done.

Well Venice is something!

Putting aside our getting to Venice or Venezia at midnight and hunting down our hostel, it is a beautiful city. As with the rest Of all the old cities of Europe every single home was built from marble, or stone. With the exception of a few more modern brick structures. For the guys out there, all the buildings and sites you saw, scaled and destroyed in Assassins Creed, are real and I saw most of them today. It quite interesting to look at the same structure that you we amazed by in a video game in person. Also it's neat to remember climbing and diving off the tall church towers.

Tomorrow we head out and are headed to Amsterdam. Germany had to be scrubbed because of the perils of traveling without all the right knowledge. In this case, the expensive reservation fees to the high speed trains which we had to take because there were no alternatives.

A Nice Day in Nice

Today was the sit back and relax day of the trip. We spent the morning and the afternoon cliff jumping. Dinner at this hostel is amazing and the people are great. There is a majority of Canadians and Australians traveling, so my British/Aussie accent is coming along quite well

From yesterday because there was no internet on the train...

Entering the next phase of our adventure Jelle and I have made our way to Nice FR. We of course went by train, which upon arriving I learned was a mistake because instead of an all days journey in thee trains we could have flow for 90 euros in just an hour...
The first train left from Barcelona Sants at one pm. I have to give it to Spain for their reforestation. All along the tracks were kilometers and kilometers of new or older trees.  Though I could do without Spain for a while because of how hard it was to use our phones and pin passes (credit cards).
The second train was a TGV and and th view was absolutely amazing. The only problem was we were moving so fast our cameras could't take pictures.
Our third train finally took us to Nice. Though it took until eleven thirty.

Also before the second train we met Walli and  his wife who were also headed to Nice, and whom also hadn't eaten all day. We all tried to eat on the train but the bar was closed so we had to wait until we were in Marseille. Unfortunately we had to settle for Mcdonalds, but it was something. The next train was a very old and beat up coastal train. After a long trip to Cannes, Walli and his wife hopped off and Jelle and I continued to Nice.

Barcelona is amazing! Also a Shout-out!

The city of Barcelona is absolutely amazing and the people are very nice. Also the metro sysytem gets six out of five stars even though its still being built! We had to sort out a few problems this morning which took some time but afterwards we toured the city and of course went to Sagrada Familia, which was breath takingly beautiful and inspiring. Tomorrow we leave for France again, this time for Nice to relax on the beach.

Also a shout out to our new friend Barty, who we wish the best of luck out there! Enjoy the drop!
And of course a shout out to everyone back home; I hope that the weather is aweful and that everyone has had great summers.

Well this was an interesting 48 hours

Today was our only full day in Paris. We started the day by going to the Eiffel Tower. This time using the metro to not become quite as lost in the labyrinth of Paris. As soon as we walked onto the main plaza underneath the tower we couldn't believe how long the line was at ten in the morning! But then we realized the line was for the tram cars up and that there was no line for the steps, an so we climbed the steps as well as mentally noted another point for being active over being lazy. Although we couldn't get to the very top due to congestion, the view from the second floor was still amazingFor any other building it was somewhere around the early twenties. Plenty of photos and I bough at few things I just hope they haven't bent in my bag since I didn't have the time or space to put them away properly. From the Eiffel Tower we continued to chew through most of the world's bucket list items 
by visiting Notre Dame. The line there was just as long and in the sun so we passes on passing out in the 90-100 degree weather. After Notre Dame, Jelle and I walked over to the Louvre. Where the line took maybe five minutes even though in comparison to the ET or ND it should have been a half hour. Once inside we realized why it was so efficient. You enter the glass pyramid first and then are delivered by escalator (no steps) to the main lobby where there were four or five ticket booths along with a large information booth. Tickets for the museum were rather cheap! Only 10€   Per person. At first we didn't think of getting a map so we just wondered about,  by we eventually went back to the lobby and took a map. Of course we did what we had to do, and saw the Mona Lisa, which has it's own wall even though it's smaller than a good portion of other paintings in the Louvre. 
After the louvre, came the plaid de grande where the fencing world cup was just recently held. Unfortunately I was closed and we couldn't get inside but it had plenty of shade over it's fountains so we sought refuge from the sun for a little while. 
Last before heading to the train we ate dinner at a restaurant near our hostel. though what we didn't know was the check out time at the hostel so that is the reason that this is a late post, because I no longer had a space to sit down and type up how the day went. 
The train from Paris Austerlitz to Port Dou was three hours late, and it's a very crummy train, but what can you do? Then we fortunately meet two finish girls who spoke some French, and together we navigated to Barcelona. So now I am finally updating, sorry for the lack of Internet connection availability.

Paris

First impression? Paris is a maze of a city. It took us forever to try and find one boulevard and it jsut wasnt there or atleast the hundred times we looked for it. But we met up with a few people and became lost together. Paris is a beautiful city and the people are very helpful. Tomorrow is another day in Paris and then a night train to Barcelona!

Packing? I thought I just unpacked...for a second time!

Well today was a busy one. Going to Amsterdam to get out tickets and then coming home to pack yet again. I am all packed and ready for the trip. The trip is as follows:

19 August: Hoorn NL to Amsterdam NL to Paris FR
20 August: Paris FR to Barcelona ESP
23 August: Barcelona ESP to Nice FR
25 August: Nice FR to Florence IT and then Venice IT
27 August: Venice IT to Stuttgart GER
28 August: Stuttgart GER to Amsterdam NL to Hoorn NL

Talk to you all from Paris!

Home again for a short while

By home I mean Hoorn, and that's what I will be referring to it as unless I say otherwise. We came home today after a day of Kayaking, the forecast hadn't been for good sailing wind but as we were heading down the canals the wind and sun came out, but what can you do. Then it was time to pack up and go home. Jelle and I leave Friday, and this next trip within a trip should be awesome!

A day at sea...well lakes

Today Jan and I took a journey across the lakes. We left at noon after eating a sandwich lunch and hoped that the wind would pick up as we sailed. Our sail boat was the Johnnie Sailor. Our trip lasted for six and some hours covering about three lakes and traveling through four or five canals. The wind did increase and the day progressed, and it made for great sailing. Half way through a canal heading to the largest of the lakes the line that keeps the mast from leaning too far, lost its pit to keep it in place. We had to Macgyver a pin and had to replace what we used for the new pin. It worked but it took a while on sitting off to the side of the canal trying to figure it out. But once we had it figured out we were underway and had a great day on the water. 

While performing something similar to a tack but not as much of a speed killer a gust of wind sent the line flying through my hand burning my finger and tearing a bit off, its fine now though and has already closed up.

My knee is feeling much much better today and was not a problem at all while sailing, even when we were moving around a lot during tacks and such.

We are heading back to Hoorn tomorrow to pack and plan for the trip, which seems to be coming together quite nicely.

Finally Some Good Weather

Today was a much needed break from the seemingly endless waves of rain and dark clouds. The sun was out and there was a steady strong breeze that made today the best for sailing! The lake was full of sail boats and motor boats, all enjoying the fantastic weather. Jelle and I have pinned down dates and locations for the trip and now we just have to figure out times and reservations (should be lots of fun to do that...). Wouter and Kees left this morning for Groningen. Good luck to them! More planning and sailing tomorrow (weather permiting), time to go take a chunk out of the Clancy brick.

The Whole Family

So today was a good day besides a bit of rain. Yesterday in the afternoon we went to Heeg to buy groceries, but we also stopped in a small second hand book shop that was selling books for only 1 euro each. So since I didn’t bring Tom Clancy’s The Sum Of All Fears with me on this trip, I bought it there and have ben reading it throughout the day. This morning I was reading on the dock and a few of my friends who were walking past joined me with their books. Then we all went biking around the lake and surpisingly my knee did not hurt from biking. I think that the muscles in area that I strained are a different set from the muscles that I use to bike.

When we came back to the caravan, we “bummed around” for a bit while we waited for Wouter and Kees to show up so we could go to dinner in Oudega. They were an hour late but oh well. The day ended with a game of Ticket to ride which was won by Kees, followed by Jan, Edo, myself and Jelle. So its off to sleep and tomorrow I may be seeing a friend, maybe not we shall see.

Really my knee? Again?

My knee is out to kill me, I am sure of it! While Jelle and I were playing some frisbee I just stepped weird and I broke a lot of scare tissue. It is nothing bad, if anything it is good, but there was a good amount of pain and probably mental pain because I thought I may have hurt it again. Besides that, we went sailing today! The weather has cleared up and there is a steady wind. The only thing we could ask for was a but of sun, for it is still overcast. More sailing later and probably late night ping pong! Wouter is visiting tomorrow, so it will be nice to see him before he goes off to University.

Well I didnt succede in the every day but...

We did not have internet in Friesland yesterday and so I was not able to post a new post. We are up here in Friesland,  but it has not been good sailing weather, we have had heavy winds and lots of rain. Other than that there is nothing to report, besides finishing my 4th book of the summer, and having read a few dutch children's books.

Bureaucracy, bureaucracy, how I do hate you

Well today was on the annoying side, not because of the weather that changed every half hour, but for the fact that the process to do anything official now a-days in endless! In the morning we visited the town hall in the center of Hoorn to gain official residency and social security number. This trip although not a success because we needed to set up an appointment. Then at the bank it took forever to just change a check, and then a bank account took just as long. But oh well.

Tomorrow we are going to town hall in the morning, and then it's off to Friesland for sailing!

Day 1

Well I have arrived. The flight was early (after the delay), and we arrived at 10:37 this morning and I passed through customs without any problems. We went to Hoorn immediately, and I meet the family dog which is a cute Sheltie puppy. Tomorrow I officialize my stay in Hoorn at the town hall. Then the next day we are heading to Friesland!

Oh and if anyone remembers Nini, he is here with me and made a friend on the flight over. Now just sitting in my room.

Delayed!

Well it's past 18:40 now and no plane in sight. The flight has been delayed by three hours due to a maintenance back up. So no I am leaving around 21:00 tonight and will land in Amsterdam in the morning at 11:00. Oh well what can you do? Has anyone else been delayed before in their travels?

The Adventure Begins Today!

Well today is my final day in the United States. I leave at 18:40 (I will be using twenty-four hour time and my local time in future posts), on board a U.S. Airways Boeing 767. I have a window seat! My flight arrives in Schiphol, Amsterdam at 08:40 tomorrow! Welcome to my adventure, and enjoy the view from your virtual window into life overseas!