Anchors Away

Traditional canal homes...they all tilt and slant a bit in real life.


Some aspiring roller dancers were practicing their routine along the canal... I only wish i had done a video to post they had some great arm moves to go along with the music :o)



We passed our hotel on the tour which was fun. The hotel is made up of about 25 canal homes which were renovated into the hotel and therefore the layout is crazy. To get to our room we took elevator to fifth floor walked to the left, went down 5 steps, followed hall, down another 5 steps, then into the stairwell and up to what can only be described as the 6th floor and then into our room. But all worth it since rooms had tons of character and original woodwork and beams.


I had never seen a flesh colored elephant before this trip...


Us on the canal boat tour :o)

Loose in the Flower Garden...

John had a great time at the kiddie zoo feeding the lambs. Maybe he can become a farmer instead of the brewing career (this trip brought forth many new career options)
Behind us is one of the many tulip fields in the area. The bus ride out to the gardens was so beautiful seeing field after field painted in color.

Giant Shoe!!!

Nothing says tulips like a big fur coat and matching hat!!!

There was a no pick policy at the gardens...

(no flowers were injured in the taking of this photo)

FLOWERS, FLOWERS oh and some more FLOWERS

A few of the MANY MANY pictures of flowers I took at Keukenhof. The gardens are only open a couple months out the the year when the tulips are in bloom. We lucked out and went to visit at their peek and had sunny warm weather to boot :o) I will put the funny pictures in the next post since to many for one and these were just so beautiful (although probably doesn't due the gardens justice).

PS- If anyone would like a colorful picture for their computer let me know what your desired color is I am sure I took a picture that matches.

Brewmaster

We took a tour of the original Heineken Brewery which was great and covered everything from how they brew the beer to advertising around the world. Plus it had a 4-D experience ride (always a fan favorite)!!!

When John owns his own brewery we will use these as the "fashion shots" for the website :o)

This will of course be a prototype for the label

Best part of brewery tours...the tasting room :o)

Cheers!!!

Ash Ash Go Away...Come again another day (wait that's not right either)

Despite the giant ash cloud which is apparently hanging over the UK and the rest of Europe we had the NICEST weather of the year last weekend. There was not a cloud in the sky(the ash is invisible apparently idk) and temps were in the low 60's :o) We hung out at the London Zoo on Saturday and then relaxed at Regents Park enjoying the sunshine. I posted a few pictures below of the zoo, you know the basics John posing with giraffes and me inside the monkey exhibit petting the baby gorilla!!!!

Bask to the ASH.....

It hasn't really affected us so far since John takes the train to his project and we weren't stranded anywhere but we are hoping it clears up by Friday morning for our flight to Amsterdam. It is fun to talk to people here about all the ash developments since British people already LOVE to talk about the weather and when you add volcanoes and ash to the mix they are even more excited to give their forecast :o) It has been strange to look up and not see any white clouds left by planes cris-crossing the sky but hopefully everything will get back to normal soon (what i really mean is I hope we can go on our trip haha).

London Randoms

Got our glasses on for the Chelsea vs ManU soccer game in 3D!!!

Very neat technology if only you didn't need to wear the funny glasses

Contrary to popular belief this is Tower Bridge not London Bridge

John likes to take mobile calls in the phone booths

Two Tickets for the Gun Show Please :o)

I think this one was a bit too big for me!!!

Maybe next time they will let me try on the amour from the picture behind me :o)

Other Paris Pics

I served as navigator extraordinaire...I really am good at finding my way around, even without the lake for guidance!!!






There was some scandalous graffiti along the Montmartre walking tour, of course it was a photo opp :o)


This is John's first street crepe..he went with banana and nutella a classic.

One of my favorite restaurants in the Latin Quarter which is also my favorite place to eat in the city :o)


It is called Le Grand Bistrot....look for the donkey and stuffed bear and other wild game in the entry and you will know you are there haha. They have great fondue here.








Top of the Arc de Triomphe is a way better view than the Eiffel Tower as a tourist tip :o)

We Brought the Tri-Pod :o)

After a year living in France and never getting a good picture of the Eiffel Tower at night we set off with the tri-pod in tow. I think the pictures turned out great and we made use of the timer on the camera too!!!

And then there is always the we thought the timer was not set right and went to fix it picture :o) I think one of us falling backwards into the pond would have been funnier though.

Keep your hands in at ALL times

Pictures from our adventure down into the Catacombs of Paris. When the plaque hit Paris they emptied the cemeteries for fear of spreading disease and placed the remains into the abandoned limestone mines beneath the city. The creepiest part is the designs and patterns which were created as the bones were stacked along he passageways... and of course the thought of brushing up against one :o) Not all were worried however and we saw one woman pick up a femur and pose for a good photo opp (TOTALLY against the do not touch policy by the way)

EYE on the Prize

We took advantage of a nice sunny Saturday and took a ride on the London Eye. The views were great!!!

You get to ride in these pods which are like small rooms where everyone can walk around and have a 360 degree view. Plus it moves sooooo slow there's plenty of time to take it all in and then some :o)

Ice Ice Baby

Absolute Ice Bar in London. I am not sure if it was the outfits complete with mittens and furry hood or glasses made out of ice but the drinks here were awesome :o) They change the design once a year and get all the ice from the same place as the Ice Hotel. The theme was underwater when we went and everything was made of ice from the walls and benches to the bar and glassware.

The Classic Long Arm Photos...Round One

Since everyone loves the hilarious attempts at taking one's own picture in front of monuments just as much as the "ok we finally got it" shot, I have included a few funny ones from Big Ben. Hopefully this will become a continuing series within the blog, that is unless John deletes them first :o)

Little shopping trip to Harrods... too bad forgot my VISA

Harrods has everything from fresh fish and Krispie Cream doughnuts in the food halls to ancient fossils for those people who have everything. I however had my eye on the MILLION POUND pool table in the expensive furniture department (yes it really cost a million pounds and is known as The Queen's Jubilee Table). I just wonder if the million pounds includes delivery and setup? I might ask next time I am in there :o)