Nunspeet - Lacombe (pop almost 12,000) November 21

It is very exciting to think we will be home ......sometime today!

We have yet another very nice breakfast with Peter and Alberta .  We intended to take the train to AMS but Peter will not hear of it so he drives us there.

Peter has photographed the remnants of our very long walk that we left in their waste receptacle 

...Sid's shoes and other unmentionable that we decide to throw away on the east side of the pond!

Peter and Alberta deliver us to AMS and we board a flight to Iceland...Toronto ....and eventually Calgary.

We arrive in the freezing cold great white north .....Doug picks us up and around midnight we are home sweetest home!!!

We had a great trip....60 days of greatness!  Visiting family in NL was a very fine finale....and our hosts were lovely!

We had the time of our lives...

Nunspeet - November 18 & 19

Monday morning after an most delish breakfast we go for a long walk around a recreational area in Nunspeet

It is still the season of autumn here.

This pond, in the recreation area, was made when the sand was needed for road construction, now more sand is required for more construction, so the pond is being made deeper as the sand is piped out

In the afternoon we visit the sister of Alberta, and Sid's cousin Tineke

And in the evening we visit with Maria

Today - Tuesday , Alberta is working, Peter is busy making supper and Sid and I have a peak at all of the shops in Nunspeet - such an idyllic town!

  

Some of the homes in Nunspeet

The home of Peter and Alberta

More contempary

The rail crossing

Only half of the bikes at the train station!

Rotterdam - Nunspeet (pop 26,268) November 16 &17

We had a restful morning and eventually made our way back to Rotterdam Centraal train station.  This Saturday is the Sinterklaas celebration, the stage is set up across from our hotel in preparation for his arrival by boat

The city of Rotterdam was heavily bombed in WW2, all but a small part of the city has been rebuilt.

This monument represents the large amount of crude oil handled in the port

This is a monument done by an American of Santa Claus ....the description clip from the guide book is too vulgar to print even in my blog!

The above is Pauluskerk, opened in 2013, ministering to the homeless

Peter picks us up at the Nunspeet train station... and we have a delish supper and a great visit with Peter, Alberta and son Raimond.

Sunday we travel with Peter and Alberta for 1 hour and 45 minutes to Leeuwarden to visit Taunte Janny

Who once again treats us to a traditional Dutch meal of potatoes, kale and sausage

We have a great visit and it is difficult to say good buy.

When we arrive back in Nunspeet we visit Alberta's mother, also a sister of Sid's father, Taunte Jokke

She too looks very well at 93 years of age!

Rotterdam November 15

This morning dawned with a clear blue sky -yay!  We have breakfast at the hotel and it is adequate.  I somehow sweet talk my boyfriend into a very brief shopping trip....so nice to window shop!  We went on a walking tour around Rotterdam city central and found this piece of art?

I'm sure it's meaningful to someone...somewhere.  Rotterdam is the second largest city in NL

In the afternoon we took a Rotterdam harbour cruise. 

  Rotterdam was the worlds largest port until 2004...since then Shanghai , Singapore, and Hong Kong have taken over first, second and third place. 

We see a barge loaded with scrap metal

This building houses the teaching of shipping logistics...which even thinking about totally makes my head hurt

Sometimes I think it would just be easier to to trade recipes?

The tour is very interesting and the experience is quite unfamiliar to land locked praire people!

It is both exhausting and exhilarating being a tourist for so long but remain very grateful to have had this travel opportunity.

We are very much looking forward to spending the next few days with dear family !

Eindhoven - Rotterdam (pop 610,386) November 14

This morning we walked to the train station in Eindhoven and found our way to a train headed to Rotterdam .  That was after we had a most delish breakfast at our hotel AND after 52 days I finally found peanut butter.  It was all I could do to not eat it with a spoon!  We also had the little Dutch buns with raisins...I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed those....so I ate 2 ....and stashed one in my pocket for lunch, also had roggebrood...something else I didn't remember....that joined the buns in my pocket!

When we arrived in Rotterdam we made our way to information

Yes....two heads lying on the floor house information....

We find our way to our last hotel on the 2013 tour

before we leave for home...but not before we sight this Lamborghini

Our hotel...the Maritime Hotel is located opposite the Maas river and is built in the theme of a cruise ship.  The street side view must be beautiful

But we have an inside cabin ...so we have a great view of the fire exit

We walk the riverside in the ever present rain showers and notice what could be described as art

and find our way back to our hotel for supper

Porto - Eindhoven NL (pop 216,000) November 13

The alarm is set this morning for 6:15am, to say that we jumped out of bed would be a gross overstatement !

We catch the metro for a short 30 minute ride to the Porto airport for a 2.5 hour Ryan Air flight to Eindhoven .  The total price for the Ryan Air tickets were 28.50 Euros pp.

Once we arrive in Eindhoven we catch a bus bound for the city central and find our way to our hotel, which we arrive at by 4pm

It is so interesting to see the locals of NL commuting on their bicycles as easily as Alberta boys with their pick-up trucks.

  We quickly see that the purchasing power of the euro in NL is significantly less than our experience in Spain and Portugal !  

At the tourist information the helpful gal tells us about the Eindhoven Glow tour 

happening in the city centre .....a 4 km walking tour 

that takes us around the city centre 

and displays a fantastic light show along the way.

The tour begins at 6:30 

and the streets  are packed with folks of all ages enjoying the promenade.

What a treat for us....for our overnight in Eindhoven !

Porto as a Tourist - day 2 November 12

Last evening we found a small mom and pop restaurant...Sid had swordfish and I had surprise fish  and we shared a salad...we briefly considered # 12 as a menu option....

The view to the street  this morning from our palatial deck

This morning we took the six bridges Duoro river cruise....it is so nice out

The first bridge

The river is so still that the reflection adds to the beauty

I may have a thing about bridges...they are so beautiful ....

And one more

After the cruise we walk all along the Duoro river until it feeds into the Atlantic Ocean.  

We soon find ourselves very thirsty

On our way back

It is very pretty here

We see the monument built to honor fishermen lost at sea ...women and children reaching to the ocean..quite heart wrenching

And fishing from the walk way

The thriving cafe/bar scene at the rivers edge

Early tomorrow morning leave Porto to fly to Enidhoven in the Netherlands.  We are very pleased to have spent these past few days in Portugal.

After our dinner this evening we have a toast to Portugal with Biearo...it still reminds me of my feet in the ocean!