thefouramigosblog

Over lunch one day in early October, my two friends, Barbara and Barbara, who I will call Babs, and I hatched a plan to visit New York City just in time for the holiday hullabaloo.   Barbara and I had tried to do this several years ago but it never came to fruition.  We weren’t really sure this would either but we started checking airfares, hotels, Airbnb’s and other places to stay.   Babs would be flying from Baltimore and Barbara and I would fly from Charlotte.  Plane reservations went smoothly.

After looking at hotels, we settled on a lovely little 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment on 30th Street, right in midtown Manhattan.  What a find!

It was such a fabulous location we could even see the Empire State Building lit up while walking down our very secure, neighborhood street.

On the corner was a great little restaurant, the Banc, where we had delicious salads and scrumptious bread.  I forgot to take pictures of our food!  I didn’t bring my camera on this trip so I wasn’t thinking photography all the time.

It seemed like the Gods were with us in this case and throughout the trip. As soon as we stepped out of the restaurant, we caught a cab uptown to the Gershwin Theatre to see Wicked.

Wicked is a wickedly dazzlingly musical based on earlier times for the witches, Glinda and Elphaba.  The beginning was slow and I felt myself dozing a bit.  However, the musical score picked up and by intermission it even began to charm me.  It’s been on Broadway for 15 years so it’s popularity enthralls the young and old alike.  The set design was colorful and the flying monkey scene was mesmerizing.  Elphaba, the wicked witch, had a Broadway theatre voice that was absolutely fabulous.  Of course, the good witch Glinda was uproariously funny and she brought the house down with her comical one liners.  All in all it was a wonderful evening on Broadway.

We began our first full day in New York City leisurely.  We drank coffee, chatted a bit and made decisions on which way we planned to walk.  Our first stop was the Empire State Building lobby.  We didn’t go to the top since we all had been there on previous visits to the Big Apple.

Next we stopped for brunch at LePain Quotidien on Park Avenue.  They had a very interesting menu.  I had avocado and feta with scrambled eggs.  Barbara had salmon and scrambled eggs.  And Babs had an over easy egg with other accompaniments.  I was too late to get a picture of hers!

Refreshed and nourished, we trekked to our next landmark, the New York City Library.  We took a walk through it, realizing we could get lost for hours in the vast labyrinth of marbled walled passageways.

After perusing the bookstore, we made our way out onto the street and walked several city blocks to our next landmark, Grand Central Station.  The celestial ceiling which was redone from the 1914 version in 1945 is amazing to look at.  It’s wonderful that the City preserves some of this old architecture.

We made our way to Fifth Avenue and visited Lord & Taylor’s, which is going out of business, Cartier’s, and Sacks.   A visit to St. Patrick’s is always on my list with a moment to sit and reflect.

We stopped at a few more churches on Fifth and strolled up to Central Park.

Our fitbits registered close to six miles of walking.  It was time to take a subway back so we could get ready for dinner and a show.

We caught a cab right outside our apartment.  But it went at a snails pace all the while the meter spun very quickly.  It was the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center and the city was alive with thousands more people than usual.  Unfortunately our cab was headed in that direction.  It took us 45 minutes to go about 1.5 miles but we were dressed for dinner and the theatre so we didn’t want to walk.  We made it to the Japanese restaurant 20 minutes late, but they were gracious enough to hold our table.  We had a wonderful meal at Natsumi on 50th Street.

This night we went to see King Kong on Broadway.  The reviews were mixed some very unflattering so our expectations were not very high.  What we all walked away with was a delightful evening with more enthusiasm for this show than we had when we saw Wicked.  First, Kong was magnificent.  The puppeteers made him come alive on stage, his full mass standing before us in all his glory loudly bellowing his rage towards those who confronted him.  His eyes showed his pain at being betrayed by Anne, the woman he trusted.  Kong was no longer mechanical but a seeing, breathing, feeling entity.  The dancing and movements on the stage, especially the scene where the ship is departing New York makes the audience feel they too are on the ship.   Kong climbing the Empire State Building, Kong running through the jungle were electrifying.  How could you not be sitting on the edge of your seat.  Anne’s  performance was sensational.  Her voice was strong, her delivery spot on.   But again the true star of this show is King Kong.

To end our evening we decided to go to Junior’s on Broadway to have a slice of their famous cheesecake.  Yummy!

On our last full day in New York we decided to head downtown.  I took Barbara and Babs by my old home on 21st Street.  Me, being who I am, couldn’t resist ringing the bell to see if I could check the place out.  I haven’t lived there in 35 years but I was curious to see inside.  The loft was 2000 square feet and when I lived there I paid under $500 month rent.  It’s a co-op now and worth over $2 million.  The people who live there let us in and let us have a little look.  It didn’t look anything like it did when I was there.  But it was a nice visit and great to see inside.  I didn’t take any pictures – didn’t want them to think I was casing the joint.

We stopped for a bite to eat at a little restaurant that makes its own cheese, Beecher’s.  It was great.  We had grilled cheese with fig and Tomato soup.

We strolled through Union Square Park checking out the vendors selling scarves and jewelry and other items.   It was my walk on a daily basis when I attended college at NYU.  We reached Washington Square Park which is at the center of the University and walked around.  A pianist had brought his piano to play by the arch.  For a moment I thought it might be the same person who played there so many years ago but alas it was someone new and younger.

We walked and walked through Greenwich Village, Soho, where we went into a few galleries, then to Chinatown and Little Italy.  We stopped at a tea place for cake and coffee and tea.

We did stop at one point because the paparazzi were out in full force.  Nobody seemed to know who was coming out of the building but the crowds were building.  Finally someone said it was Kylie Jenner.  So we moved on.

At the end of this day we had walked nearly seven miles.  We were so full from the cake we couldn’t eat in Little Italy.  Next time.

What a wonderful trip!  Lots of laughs, good food, great company and a lot of walking – New York City is certainly about the walking.

We set off for a two day adventure to Yosemite, the first big trip for Lilly Ray to celebrate her two week birthday and Fathers Day.

Bruce and I had our coffee on the deck and took a little stroll around the neighborhood while Kami and Eric packed up Lilly’s stuff.  I forgot how much stuff is required when taking newborns’ places.  And we can’t forget the diapers!

The giant pine trees are doing their thing right now and yellow pine pollen is everywhere.  If you live in South Carolina, you know the stuff I’m talking about.  These enormous trees drop the largest pine cones I’ve ever seen.  In fact so large, you want to be careful where you park your car.

After Lilly and company were all gathered up, we began our adventure to Yosemite.  Our trip took us around Lake Tahoe again where we stopped for a quick photo op.

Our first real stop was in Walker, California.  Lilly was hungry and so were we.  We stopped first at an antique shop that had some metal artwork in the parking area.  Very cool!

Then on to Walker Burgers, a hamburger stand that had garden dining in the back.  Good food and charming atmosphere.  A great find.

Our bellies full, we headed on.  It was a long trip.  Over five hours.  We stopped at Mono Lake.  The aqua water was surreal.  It appeared as an apparition in the distance.

Although the temperature was getting close to 90, we could see snow covered mountains all around.

We drove through Yosemite on our way to our Airbnb in Mariposa.  The park was amazing.

It was a 38 mile – one hour drive to the house from the park but it was a lovely place with a wooded yard.

After unpacking we headed into Mariposa for dinner and a little food shopping.  We ate at a tasty little restaurant, Savory.

Sunday we spent the day exploring Yosemite.  What a glorious place.  Upon entering the park, boulders formed a small tunnel in a natural formation.

Between the enormous granite boulders and the giant cedars, the majestic park takes your breath away.

We took Lilly Ray on her first hike up a mountain.  I have to say I couldn’t make it all the way.  But Kami, Eric and Lilly Ray went up to the Vernal Falls foot bridge.

It was an amazing view from where I stopped my hike.

After all the hiking, we had a delicious dinner at the Yosemite Lodge.  Lilly Ray was a perfect angel.

Last night we had a crescent moon over the park.

Today we headed back to Truckee with another drive through Yosemite.  We stopped at a little roadside restaurant for breakfast sandwiches before we ventured forward.

Our goal was to do one short trail to a Falls today so we went to Bridalveil Falls.  We thought the park would be less crowded but the summer brings people from all over the world.

Bruce and I did our usual selfie.

A few more Yosemite pictures and then we headed for home.

What a glorious trip!

Today we woke to the cool, crisp breezes and bright sunshine which is so much a part of the climate that brings thousands to this region.  Bruce and I sat out on the deck as I savored the coffee made in a French press.  A friendly tabby came by to say hello and a blue starling squawked loudly as though we were intruding in his territory.

After the family woke, and Lilly Rae had her morning fill, we went to Jax Diner in downtown Truckee for breakfast.

Bruce and I had eggs, sausage and pancakes.  Eric had shrimp tacos and Kami had some salad breakfast thing that looked quite interesting.

Truckee looks like an old mining town and I really need to delve into its history.

After a delicious, but filling breakfast we headed over to Squaw Mountain to check out the little village and the mountain.

Next stop was An overlook of Emerald Bay.  The waters were emerald green and a royal blue.  Amazing!

We relaxed and enjoyed the clean air. And Lilly slept away.

What a beautiful place to live and breathe.

I am really loving This part of California which reminds me more of a Maine.

We went to a beach with its sandy shore and large driftwood.

There was some sort of dwelling built from sticks.  Of course it was not weatherproofed so I am sure whoever built it was just in the process of making it or it had been abandoned some time ago.

The lake water was crystal clear and several people had braved the cold temperature.  I was not one of them.  The beauty around Lake Tahoe is much to behold.

I finally captured a moment with the blue starling in a tree.  Not that this was a big deal because they are a rather common bird around here.  But they are not so common for me.

We drove through a tunnel through the mountain.

At the end of the day little Lilly Ray was sleeping soundly.

Well we are back on the road again.  This time a quick trip to California to meet our newest granddaughter, Lillian.  She was born the 1st of June to Bruce’s oldest daughter, Kami and her husband Eric.   Lillian is our seventh grandchild – 4 girls and 3 boys.

We left Columbia on Wednesday afternoon and arrived in Reno that evening.  We made reservations at the Peppermill Resort and casino.  Of course I booked a room through Priceline for $55 and when we arrived, they upgraded us to a suite.  Very sweet!

We had a great time and even came out a few dollars ahead!

We drove the scenic drive to Truckee, CA to meet the newest member of the Clan.

Bruce,  better known as PopPop to his grandkids, has always had a way with children.

We spent the afternoon and evening at Thursday’s in Truckee street fair which happens every Thursday throughout the summer.  Vendors sell their artistic works  and food trucks sell a tasty variety of foods.

It was nice for Bruce to spend time with his daughter since he hasn’t seen her for quite a long time.

And precious little Lillian slept through the entire event.  She is such a good baby!

Yesterday we clocked another 5 plus miles while exploring the Old City in Stockholm.  We had our delicious buffet breakfast than hopped the ferry for our day of exploration.

As we walked over the bridge we thought we were in Disney World.  We ran into none other than the most famous mouse in the world, Micky Mouse.

Leaving Micky on the bridge, we passed  over the canals.  Vendors were selling ice cream and Korv.

Saw my first Swedish guard.  They are nothing like the Brits.  They talk to you and make eye contact.

At the Palace it was total pandemonium and I really did not want to deal with the crowds.  So we decided to pass on the tour and head for a cafe.  I needed my morning fix of coffee.  We found this very interesting place where we had coffee in a  dungeon.  It’s called Cafe Sten Sture.

The place dates back to the 14th century and the walls have different objects from ancient times.

The coffee and bulle were good and Bruce really liked their hot chocolate.

 

Relaxed now and ready to go we checked out the square in the old city.  Like most of the Northern European cities, it was very colorful.

The Stockholm Cathedral was quite an amazing Church.  There was a charge to get in though, which usually is not the case with old churches.

St. George and the Dragon is a large sculpture carved out of oak in the 15th century.

The silver altar is silver and ebony and was donated to the cathedral in 1650.

The painting of the Last Judgement was from 1696 by David Klocker von Ehrenstrahl.

After the church we wandered the narrow winding streets of the old city.

Another a later sculpture of St. George and the Dragon was made of bronze.

Some children were playing with the fountain.

And then another church, the German Church.

And Bruce met a friend on the street!

Another reason we thought we were in Florida!

She was very busy taking notes.  And he’s out enjoying the sunshine.

Bruce thought these were the soldiers from Santa Claus 2!

But we are back at the palace and the crowds have disappeared.  We are going in for a look.  But first check out these cannons.

Not too shabby an entrance.

What was it with paintings on the ceilings? Did everyone spend that much time on their backs?

Oh here is the king, I think!

Some fancy formal wear.

Ok I know this is Sweden!

Some very fancy furniture!  And Knick Knacks too!

Now this was unique, sculptures on the ceiling!

Very long hallways!  This may be where they have the formal dinners.

Cozy!

Not so Cozy!

This is where you’d stay if you were a head of state visiting Sweden on state business.

They do have ave updated bathrooms!  I asked!

They do have old fashioned fireplaces!

The Throne room where royalty meets with people.  The building is being renovated to ensure it is preserved.

We also went to the Palace Chapel – everything is very ornate.

The treasury is where the crowns are kept.  They were very beautiful but we were not allowed to take photos.

We had a nice dinner – Bruce had Swedish meatballs and I had s caprice salad.  It was very good.

As we waited for our ferry I noticed that most of the cars were BMWs, Mercedes or Audi’s.  We also saw Tesla’s and a Ferrari.

Today we planned to have a quiet spa day. We had breakfast then headed to the pool area.

We spent time in the jacuzzi, the Swedish sauna and the hamam.  It was very relaxing.  Afterwards we took the mile walk to Fotografiska, the photography museum.  On our way we saw beautiful cherry blossoms.

We walked along the river and then over a bridge.  We took a wrong turn here and there!

There were four exhibits going on.  We checked out the first one which was a female photographer working with females for 30 years, Ellen von Unwerth.

Then there was Christian Tagliavini who had some very interesting work.

We had coffee up at the restaurant which had amazing views.

It was a great afternoon.  When we returned to the hotel, we went into the pool and jacuzzi again.  Then had a good dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Tomorrow we leave for home!

Our day was planned with a trip to Uppsala to visit my niece and her family.  It was sunny and on the warmer side with a promise to get up to 65 degrees.  We took the early morning ferry to Stockholm Central Station.  We passed a castle as we rode the ferry.

The boats and buildings were alive with color in the brilliant sunshine.

 

We arrived in Uppsala where my lovely niece greeted us.

Jessica took us for a tour through the streets of Uppsala.  We went to the Central Square.

 

Many people love to ride bikes – they even have a bike parking lot.

There was a rushing river where college boys have boat races every year.

 

We met up with Martin, Jessica’s partner, and her adorable daughter, my grand niece, Cleo.

We found our way to a restaurant for brunch where I had Swedish pancakes with lingonberries.

Cleo played hide and seek behind her mom.  We were working on warming up.

Cleo wasnt sure if she wanted to eat what was on her plate.

The many faces of Cleo.  Is she warming up?

After brunch we walked to a beautiful old church.

 

Cleo had more fun playing outside.

 

We walked around the university.

 

We then walked to a castle.  Bruce took pictures of some cannons.

 

Then he caught Jessica and I taking a break.

On our way to their apartment we stopped at a bakery, where they picked up Swedish Braid or what my father called Saturday Special.  They had lots of goodies in the bakery.

We spent some time at their apartment and then headed back to Stockholm.

Walking back to the ferry I took a picture of Bruce with his new car.  A Lamborghini!  Only joking.

Lots of beautiful buildings.

What a great day with my niece and her family!

 

 

 

 

After spending two very worthwhile days in southern Sweden, we were off to Stockholm, the birthplace of my mother’s father, or in Swedish Mor Far.  To his Grandchildren he was Little Baga.  We opted for first class train tickets when we changed trains in Hassleholm for the 4 hour ride.  It was only $20 more and well worth it.

We had comfy seats, a private bathroom for first class, free coffee and snacks.  Very nice.

The landscape was dotted again with barn red houses, mustard gold buildings, and many lakes.  We diligently scanned the landscape for moose but did not see a one.

We arrived in Stockholm with only a minor delay.  We caught a cab that took us to our hotel, Elite Hotel Marina Tower.  It turned out to be a great place to stay.

It it is right on the water and a ferry can pick us up to take us to the museums.  We bought our tickets and even was able to get the senior rate.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant.  It was quite pricey but good.  We both had fish dishes.  And we both had dessert.

In the morning we had a buffet breakfast that was included with our room.  Swedish breakfast includes cheeses, ham, salami, fruits, salads, yogurts, eggs, bacon, sausage and many different breads.  And of course a good cup of coffee.

After breakfast we hopped the ferry to the Vasa Museum.  The Vasa ship was a war ship that went down in Stockholm harbor on its maiden voyage in 1628

The ship was resurrected from the sea floor in 1961 and the preservation has continued to this day.

There are many carvings that were salvaged.  This is due to the fact that the waters of the Baltic do not have wood eating worms that waters in warmer climates have which would have destroyed the wood under water for over 300 years.

The size of this ship and the preservation methods were very interesting.  The Vasa Museum is one of the most visited museums in Stockholm.

 

We visited the Nordic Museum next, which highlighted furnishings and clothing from 18th century to present.

Just going into the building was a treat.  I thought it was a church at first but the museum had been established in 1873.  The building was completed in 1907.

We stopped for a coffee and pastry in the museum after we hit the 4 mile mark.

From the street, we could see the beautiful buildings.  The canals were as lovely as those in Copenhagen and we saw many beautiful wooden sailing vessels.

We were in Stockholm at just the right time.  The cherry blossoms were in bloom and they were beautiful.  Everyone was out enjoying the warmer air (55 degrees) and sunnier weather.

There is also a Stockholm Tivoli here to amuse the people of this area.  This is called Grona Lund.

We had a light dinner at Cafe Albert.  I had a shrimp salad and Bruce had lasagna.

 

Then we took the ferry back to the hotel and called it a day!  5 miles!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I decided to extend our trip to Sweden, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and where I was going to go.  All I knew was we were going to stay in a small sea coast town in Southern Sweden near where my grandmothers were born.

Our first challenge was getting out of Copenhagen and getting on the right train.  Luckily, the people were so helpful and most spoke some English.  Bruce and I could not muster a word.  Our train came and we climbed aboard.  It was a lovely, comfortable train.

We waited for a customs inspector to check our passports after we crossed over the border but nobody showed up.  We crossed a large body of water with windmills.

The countryside had many farms.  In Sweden many homes are barn red or a mustard yellow.

We were almost halfway to Karlshamn when the conductor came to get our tickets.   It turned out we were sitting in first class.  We asked how much more and we were going to buy the upgrade and he said, “don’t worry about it.”  So now I know why the train was so nice and not crowded.

Our B&B in Karlshamn is adorable.  We have a lovely room with an ensuite bath.

The house has several old fireplaces, and a cozy outside sitting area where you can watch the birds.

We walked to town and came upon a May Day parade.  This is a very popular holiday in Sweden and a lot of places were closed.

The Karlshamn Square has a fountain, benches to sit on and also has market days.

The Carl Gustafson Kyrka (church) was built in 1702 and stands on the north side of the square.

Our full day in Karlshamn was an amazing day.  We began by walking to the harbor, where we gazed upon the emigrant’s monument.  I was standing on the grounds where my grandmothers had stood over 100 years ago.

I gazed out on the Harbor wondering what their thoughts and dreams were, wishing I could ask them the million questions going through my mind.  It felt like hallowed ground, only knowing that they were here so very long ago.

We walked to what is known as the rose garden to see the statue of Lila Maja in memorial of Alice Tegner.

We walked down the cobblestone lanes feeling the history of this quaint little city.

The Hoppet Hotel” was the Hotel of the emigrants.  I am not sure, but my grandmothers may have stayed here before they made the crossing to America.

 

We had walked quite a bit so we decided to take a coffee break and found a cute little bakery called Rocko’s.

My mother’s mother, who we called Mor Mor, was born in Asarum which was 5 minutes outside of Karlshamn.  My father’s mother, Nany, was born in Brakne Hoby which was about 20 minutes away.  We decided to get a cab to take us to Asarum.  I don’t know what I expected to see or find.  The taxi driver pointed out the church.  Bruce and I went to the church.

Bruce and I started looking at the gravestones.  It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.  But then I found it.  My great grandmother.  It has to be her.  The dates fit. I knew her name because my daughter was thinking of naming her daughter Olivia.  It looks as though someone takes care of the grave.  But I was ecstatic that coming to this small town lead to a discovery.

It was an exciting, eventful day.  I felt like we had accomplished something by coming to Southern Sweden.

For dinner we had a nice Thai dinner.  Yes, I said Thai!  It seems to be very popular in Sweden.

Tomorrow we are off to Stockholm!

Our voyage across the Atlantic ended with some sweet memories.  We made a few friends during the past two weeks that we felt like we knew for years.  So farewells were bittersweet but we all hoped we’d meet again on another voyage.  It was a foggy morning and from our side of the ship we couldn’t see anything for awhile.  But then the sun suddenly appeared.

It was a chaotic trip off the ship and we took a shuttle to Central Station in Copenhagen.  It was the sick ward with people hacking away with uncovered mouths.  We avoided any shipboard sickness so we put napkins over our faces and made sure we didn’t touch anything on the way off.  Once in Copenhagen, the bus unceremoniously dumped us all on the street.  We loaded Maps.me and found our way to our hotel.  It wasn’t very far but Bruce stopped to puff on his cigar while I rested my back.

Our hotel room wouldn’t be ready until 3 but they had a place to store our bags.  Now we had time to explore Copenhagen but of course I needed a cup of coffee first.

This was a cute little cafe with good coffee.  I also had granola and Greek yogurt.  Yummy!

Our first order of business was to go to the train station and find out about the train to Sweden.  It was an interesting old station.

They even had a Dunkin Donuts.  Made me feel like home.

The train ail station is across the street from Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world.

City Hall is centrally located across the street from Tivoli Gardens.  The facade of the building is ornate with gilded ornamentation as well as sculptures.

In the City Hall Plaza stands the Dragon Fountain, as well as a sculpture of Hans Christian Anderson, the writer of fairy tales.

We stopped at the hotel to check in and change our clothes.  We have a cute room with a window looking out on the street.  We can also see the City Hall clock tower from our room.

Christiansborg Palace was built from 1907 to 1928.  It is used as the seat for Danish Parliament and the Prime Ministers Office.

The Royal Family doesn’t reside here but they do use the Royal Stables, Palace Chapel and Royal Reception Rooms.

The Royal Library is also on the grounds.

The grounds were quite grandiose and due to time constraints didn’t go inside for a tour but did go into the gift shop, which had sculptures and paintings.

We exited the palace on the other side and came upon the Royal Naval Church.  This church dates back to the 1600s.

The carved piece is dated to the 1600s and is made of oak.  The organ has 4300 pipes and was originally built in the 1700s.  It was last rebuilt in 1956.

After we left the church we saw that there was no wait line for the canal boat rides.  There had been long waits all day so we decided to go for a ride.  It was great!  It was right across the street from the old stock exchange building with the three tailed dragon sculpture.

Our tour guide spoke in 3 languages and he was great.  It was amazing to see the old architecture mixed in with the new.  We rode under low bridges.

The theatre is a modern architecture where people can sit outside and enjoy the sunny days.

The opera house, another modern building, has 14 floors, 5 of them underground.  They also use the flat top roof for cliff diving events.

One of the most interesting and colorful places we went was Nyhavn, a 17th century waterfront canal district.

It was a former red light district in the 1600s and there may still be a few remnants of that today.

But mostly it is colorful buildings, beautiful old boats, and tourists.

We also saw the Little Mermaid, unfortunately only from the back.

According to our guide, the poor mermaid has been decapitated and mutilated and spray painted over the years.

For dinner we ate at Tight.  It was good but pricey.  I had pasta with prawns, Bruce had it without.

For dessert we went to Bertels Salon for cheesecake.  Very good!

Today we went to Tivoli Gardens.  On our way over to the park, we saw the press gathering.  It turns out Caro, the World No. 2 Danish tennis player was going to be here.  However, it was not for another half hour so we didn’t hang around.

We decided not to go on rides but just to go to take pictures and get a feel for the place.  Walking in, you can feel the age of the place although the rides are very modern.

 

One terrifying ride called vertigo went so fast, spinning I was wondering how people were when they got off.  I noticed only teenage boys and girls went on this ride.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ride at this speed before.

There is a roller coaster which is supposedly the oldest wooden roller coasters built in 1914.  The bumper cars and Ferris wheel are very old as well.  The tilt a whirl are Viking ships and the carousel has exotic animals.

There is a hotel inside the park with restaurants Nimb Bar and Grill.  This place looks like it’s in India.

A pirate ship is actually a family restaurant.

Bruce and I had pastry at Tivolis Kaffebar.  I had a macaroon and Bruce had rhubarb pie.

We spent quite a few hours walking the park and here are some random shots from the day.

We returned in the evening to catch Tivoli under the lights.

 

 

 

I love tulips.  They are happy flowers facing up at the sun smiling.  They are bright, cheerful and colorful.  But until I went to Keukenhof Gardens, I didn’t know  how many variations of tulips there are.

At Keukenhof there are 8 million tulip bulbs planted by hand each year on 70 landscaped acres.

The park is only open from mid March until Mid May but during that time they have nearly 65,000 visitors each day.

There are beautiful red tulips in different sizes and styles.

Pointed tip tulips in a variety of colors or multi colored tulips dotted the gardens.

I even saw a green and pink tulip that looked like a cabbage.

Vibrant colors everywhere.

Beautiful calla lilies in shades of yellows and pinks graced the lovely gardens.

Daffodils were in bloom and grew amongst the tulips.

There were many varieties of daffodils and they were at the peak of their bloom.

The reflection pools with shimmering colors soothing the soul as you gaze upon them.

A marvelous blue river of the Muscari Armeniacum flower flowing upward and spiraling around a bend.

Rhododendrons in bloom enhanced the beauty of the gardens.

Women dressed in period wardrobes sold seeds and provided maps of the park.

The park had an extensive orchid garden with many varieties of orchids.

The blue orchids are created by adding blue dye to the water.

We climbed the windmill in the park and looked out upon the fields of tulips.

Our tour guide, Ronald with Dutch Travel Advisor, was very informative.  After several hours at the gardens he took us to his home for lunch, where we met his lovely family.

After a delicious lunch of soup, salads and sandwiches, we were off to the Delft Pottery place where we learned about how they make their beautiful pieces, all hand painted.

To know if it’s true Delftware, the logo should be on the bottom.

A little canal ran across the street from the pottery place and there was a water tower that was not used any longer.

Along the roads we could see the giant windmills in all their splendor.  According to Ronald, there are 1200 remaining and they are protected against destroying or changing them from their historical significance.

The city of Delft is a smaller, quainter Amsterdam because of its canals and medieval churches.  It turned out our visit corresponded with King’s Day, the King’s Birthday.  All over the Netherlands people were dressed in orange and parties were going on including in Delft.  Everyone gets the day off.

King’s Day is the only day of the year that people can sell their stuff – like we sell our stuff at yard sales in the US.

I remember they had outside urinals similar to the ones they had in Amsterdam.  They were getting a lot of use because the beer was flowing heavily.

The Old Church was closed today.  This church was built in 1240.

The New Church, and yes that is it’s name, was built in the 1300s. It was open so we were able to get a brief tour.

The William of Orange mausoleum was quite impressive.  He was the first person interred in the New Church.  The Royal Family members have been interred there as well but there is no access to the public.

The church also has an organ with 3,000 pipes which was finished in 1839.

The Church also has many stained glass windows but one stood out because it was an abstract, by artist Annemiek Punt.

We did so much today we almost didn’t make it back to the boat on time.  An amazing day!