#39 Dam Square - Amsterdam

Most cities of interest to tourists have split personalities, the public one that puts its best attractions forward and the private one where reality is a bit seedy and raw. It is my opinion that Amsterdam doesn't bother with this pretense. To wit, promoted without apology are tourist attractions such as its infamous redlight district and of course, Dam Square.

For the courtesy of a tip, Don had his photo taken with Darth Vader...

and with Batman.

Here I am listening to a musician entertain the crowd.

The National Monument is central to Dam Square and it is there that celebrations, protests and the like are held. The gathering of people that we observed was a mix of the old and young, the prosperous and the struggling artists of varied talents.  

This was a busy side street filled with shops and places to eat, some walk-ups, some with outside tables. I especially enjoyed the wonderful chocolates at The Truffel Bar. On our walk of several blocks, we encountered a bit of the seedy side referred to earlier, but I will leave the details to your imagination. 

I am standing in front of the double doors of Ouide Kerk. We toured the church which was consecrated in 1306. The floor is entirely of gravestones because it is built on a cemetery. Local citizens continued to be buried in the confines of the church until 1865. There are 2500 gravestones including the one of Saskia van Uylenburgh who became Rembrandt's wife. The church is known for its accoustics and is a popular concert venue.

 Don couldn't resist posing with the ad for Salt-N-Pepa. To our grandchildren Don is known as Pepa.

#38 A Bit of Serendipity - Sandy Hill, Pembrokeshire, Wales

As we were traveling with our cousins in the Sandy Hill region of Pembrokeshire, Don and I were pleasantly surprised at coming upon the Aenon Baptist Church. In one painting that I found, it is referred to by the artist as the Chapel at Sandy Hill.

The country Baptist church where I grew up and was baptized was not much larger than this one. When Don and I married we attended his family's church for 20 years or more. In 1982 we, along with our son, joined a large local Baptist church where we still worship and serve.

A Baptist church was built at Sandy Haven on the St. Ishmael's side of the water in 1814. It also served the people of Herbandston who, when the tide was low enough, crossed by the stepping stones. In 1877 this more accessible chapel was opened at Sandy Hill and is still in regular use.

The plaque set in the stones: "Aenon Baptist Chapel 1877." Aenon is a Greek word coming from a Hebrew term ay-yin and meaning 'spring' or 'natural fountain' and is found only once in the bible. John 3:23 reads, "Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized."

Adjacent to the chapel and up a steep hill is the perfect spot for a small cemetery. Several headstones were quite weathered and difficult to read. As we left, we reflected upon our disappointment that we could not go inside the chapel. It was closed up tightly with no sign of anyone around.

#37 Old Swiss House - Lucerne

The Old Swiss House, built in 1859, is truly a landmark of Lucerne. Hanny Buholzer took over the Old Swiss House from her parents-in-law in 1961 and made it into one of the top five star restaurants in Switzerland. The Wienerschnitzel is prepared tableside and served on white tablecloths in grand style. The second floor of the Old Swiss House served as living quarters for the Buholzer family until 1967. Since then, the upstairs has been turned into traditional banquet rooms for private parties and family gatherings. After our meal we inquired about the beautiful tile stove featured in the brochure. Hanny was gracious enough to take us up to her private quarters to see the banquet room (above) and stove (below). Both photos are from postcards that we purchased in the restaurant.

 

The handmade porcelain tiled stove, dated 1636, is initialled by Daniel Pfau. The stove belonged to Hanny's family and she recalled seeing her father read his newspaper situated on the seat located to the right side of the stove. It brings to mind a very luxurious throne that even few royalty have enjoyed. She told us that there are only 3 or 4 such stoves in the world.

The stained glass windows with heraldic panes date back to 1575. Because of its handsome, wood partitioned exterior facade, it is one of the most photographed attractions of the area. We made no exception as I had to pose in front of it.

 The washroom took my breath away with its vibrant colors and exquisite fixtures.

Hanny's son, Philipp Buholzer, is now running the Old Swiss House as the 4th generation of the Buholzer family. Thus, the family tradition of excellence will continue for another generation.

#36 A Palace, A Museum, A Schnitzel - Munich

We were caught in a downpour as we stepped off the bus. Don, in his short sleeves, was soon drenched. I didn't fare much better with my light jacket. We stood under shelter as long as we could, then made a dash for the Nymphenburg Palace. Some fathers give flowers, but to celebrate the birth of his son and heir in 1662, Elector Ferdinand Maria and his consort Henriette Adelaide of Savoy appointed architect Agostiono Barelli to build them a summer residence west of Munich. (left, the Baroque Park and Pavillions)

This is the view from the front entrance looking across the lengthy approach to the palace. (Still raining). 

The honest approach to art is to leave the critical reviews to the experts and just enjoy what one sees. We wanted to follow up on a recommendation that we visit the renowned Old Pinakothek Museum. Established between 1826-1836 it owns 800 paintings dating from the 14th to the 18th century. We had a wonderful time. Later we sat on a bench to admire this sculpture. A man with some connection to the artist joined us and began to talk about the horse, (there went the first bus), politics, (we missed the next one), and subjects of interest to mostly him.

Don said that no visit to Germany would be complete without an authentic Wienerschnitzel. The Hacker-Pschorr Brauhaus was just a short walk from our hotel, and boasted a great menu. As you can see, the schnitzel covers the plate and I think he consumed most of it. I had pizza from the wood-fired oven and the most expensive dessert I've ever eaten ($10US). It was a pancake with powdered sugar, several kinds of fruit and syrups, and I think I ate all of it as well.

#35 Penobscot Narrows Observatory & Bridge - Prospect, ME

At 43 stories high and 437' above the Penobscot River, the Observatory is the highest structure in Maine. Located on the west bank of the Penobscot River, access is through historic Fort Knox which it adjoins. It is the only bridge observatory in the Western hemisphere. The others are in Thailand, China, and Slovakia. Our friends who live in Maine point to this with great pride and we came to admire the engineering skill and artistic beauty of the structure.

The old Waldo-Hancock suspension bridge (on the left in the photo) was replaced by the new bridge in 2006.  

After a fifty second ride on the fastest elevator in Maine, (and they say Texans boast), we reached the observatory in the west tower near the top at 420'. We could see in all four directions for about 15 miles.

These are the same two bridges, and a view of the east tower. 

At left are the shimmery waters of the Penobscot River. The very thick glass was quite clean and didn't obstruct our photo shoots. Such attention to pristine details was not uncommon everywhere we visited.  

When I caught my first glimpse of the quaint town of Bucksport, I knew that I had to see it up close. I could make out several church spires in the distance and "tiny" boats in the water. The new bridge is almost a half mile long and affords easy access to the town. Later, while Don strolled along the shoreline, I stretched out on a park bench to enjoy the sun and sea breeze.

The population of Bucksport is just 3,000. It is halfway between Bar Harbor to the north and Camden to the south and bills itself as the "center of the known universe." It was all that and more for me that day. Bucksport holds a special place in my heart and memory.

We explored the grounds of Fort Knox, built in 1844. It was named for Major General Henry Knox, America's first Secretary of War. As a war history buff, Don was in his element here.

#34 Pumpkin Patch - Manchester VT

Manchester VT is the quintessential  beautiful New England town. Situated in the Equinox Valley, historic Rt 7A runs through it. We were on our way to explore Mount Equinox when we came upon the delightful Community Pumpkin Patch. It's an annual festival held to promote the area's nursery industry, especially pumpkins. The Chamber of Commerce promotes its Guiness record of "Most Pumpkins Carved Simultaneously." An illuminated pumpkin parade is held after dark. Other highlights include wagon rides and a corn maze.

We spent a couple of hours browsing and tasting the delicious food. Apple cider and apple cider donuts were our favorites.

We had to pass on purchasing a pumpkin, but a local woman came prepared with her husband and child's wagon in tow.

We met a couple in the act of a marriage proposal. How romantic!

The creative stagers managed to combine humor with scary things. The headstone reads, "It's hard to smell the roses when you are pushing up daisies."

#33 Paris

We arrived at Paris Lyon and took a short taxi ride to our boutique hotel just a block from Rue Cler, a street lined with shops run by people who have found their niche. What we like to remember: an open air ride down the Seine River at night (beautiful), a walk to the Eiffel (stunning view of the City of Light), a double-decker bus tour (hassle-free), and late dinners at sidewalk cafes. For two splendid days we did the usual things of interest, with only one disappointment--the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. Our lack of planning was by design, however.

The day we arrived we heard the good news that a strike of city workers had been averted, but upon our leaving, a Paris downpour almost accomplished the same chaos. On the morning we were to catch the Eurostar to London, and with plenty of advance notice from us, the hotel desk began calling for our taxi. After an hour  or more had passed we began to get nervous (as did the hotel manager) and then we learned there was a massive traffic jam and taxis could not get through. To our surprise, the manager offered to take us himself but just as he was bringing his car around, the taxi arrived. That was fortuituous because the experienced taxi driver gave us the ride of our lives. Contrary to all one can hear about their rudeness, he was most helpful and graciously took up our cause of catching the train. Once he maneuvered around 4 lanes of traffic (on the right) to make a left turn, and finding one street blocked, he seamlessly veered onto another one. When our wonderful driver got close to Gare du Nord, he decided that there was no time to pull through, so he let us out across the street to make our way on foot. We thanked him, hurriedly paid him, dashed through traffic, found the ticket machine, grabbed our reserved tickets, aced customs, ran down the platform, entered our car, and plopped into our seats.   Don checked the time and announced that we had 7 minutes to spare. And that's the last time we saw Paris!