Author Archives: JohnQ

 

So lets start the blog with a German Autobahn road sign challenge….check the sign below

 

If you guessed  some type of bodily malfunction you would be…..WRONG! As you probably figured out, it’s actually an autobahn exit sign. The other side of the coin is Einfahrt which means…..you guessed it….Entrance. You can now impress your friends that you are fluent in German Autobahn!!

Since we are continuing our quest for some type of sophistication, I took a pic of the current tour group as we were leaving Amsterdam in front of a Rembrandt statue near our hotel….that quest resulted in one of the guys having his shirt stolen as the photo was taken….so much for sophistication!!

 

 

On a more serious note, the Netherlands is really a beautiful place with all the canals and drawbridges that are in most every town, both large and small

 

And finally, at the end of a long driving day…..

 

a cold one from a local brew pub….if this picture seems sideways, it means you need more beer!

Oh and the roadster, still running great though the right front tire has lost some air pressure, which could mean a slow leak…I checked for a nail, etc but found nothing. I’ll check it again tomorrow and see what happens

 

 

So in the last blog I mentioned Brugge, Belgium and Amsterdam….Brugge is a small but very impressive town, very picturesque and full of old school architecture; however, its like Disneyland on steroids…..loaded with tour busses of older travelers as well as  young tourists on there own!!  Tough to walk around, but well worth the visit….people are everywhere!!

Amsterdam….or “The Dam” as its called, is the other side of the rainbow….again, very picturesque as well as very gritty. Bicycles rule the roads in the city, with pedestrians next followed by cars. I’ve never seen so many people riding bikes in a city in my life….maybe because gas is over $8.00/gal here. If you think cars are aggressive, try dealing with a herd of bicycles heading towards you a mach speed. They don’t stop for anything….especially if you are on foot.

 

 

Here a few more pic’s

We left Amsterdam this morning and traveled to Groningen NL via Sneek, NL. To date we have passed up the opportunity to visit the “French Fry” Museum, the “Herring Museum”, and the “Lace Museum” to name a few, so we couldn’t say no to the Sandcastle Museum in Sneek…..as you can see from other posts, we live on culture so this stop was a must.
The theme was “Hollywood”…..a couple examples below….still not sure what they do when it rains.

It was actually pretty cool all the detail the sculptures contained, each done by a different artist.

 

On another note, the Roadster is running great…no problems at all since the Russian shock absorber issues. I love European roads!!!

 

 

 

Hello all…..This is John and I’ll be taking over the blog post for Leg #2 of our world adventure…..

 

On leaving the Paris, we made a quick stop at the Eiffel Tower for a photo op and were able to get a couple shots of the group between tour busses and crowds. It’s hard to believe after over two months of travel we finally made it !!! Above is a pic of the final group at the Tower…

Another of Luke and I….

 

For whatever reason, I can’t seem to get the picture to keep from rotating, so oh well…..you get the idea

After the photo we left for Brugge, Belgium where we spent the night and left for Amsterdam this morning where we are tonight. The drive from Brugge to Amsterdam was really great as we took mainly back roads, getting a chance to view the scenic Belgium and Netherlands country side….bicycles are everywhere traveling alongside the roads on special bike paths; something you rarely see along American roadsides. The weather was great as well…short shelve shirts and sun for the entire day!! The route also included driving along the coastline of the North Sea giving us the opportunity to experience several very long car tunnels under the shipping channels as well as a few drawbridges. All in all a great drive…

I’ll post more pic’s of Brugge and Amsterdam soon…two very unique areas; especially Amsterdam!!

Onward towards Iceland……