Saturday, August 24, 2013

Bike and Barge tour

Sontag

Goede morgen!

Our first morning, the Anna Maria Agnes, made a short jaunt down the Amsterdam-Rhine canal to Breukelen where we were introduced to Dutch bicycling. It's a Shaunessy style neighbourhood and the namesake of Brooklyn, New York. The homes were beautiful. After a couple of hours of cycling, we stopped at Fort aan de Klop for tea and toilets. Onward to Utrecht. We rode into the city centre, parked our bikes and had our packed lunch on a "grachten" (small canal). There were plenty of terraces, cathedrals, and a stunning monastery garden to visit. Back to the boat, now relocated in Utrecht. Our padded (diaperized) biking shorts worked fabulously. 

Maandag
OMG! Last night during dinner, the ship relocated to Rotterdam via the Beatrix locks. The program was to ride from Rotterdam to Shiedam to Delft and back to Rotterdam.  The distance was approximately 48 km and it was teeming rain. Everyone donned their rain gear and headed out. Within minutes, before leaving Rotterdam, we were lost. We met up with a couple of other sets of lost shipmates. Through teamwork, we found the route, although it was the return route. No problem. Proceed backwards to Delft. It was a beautiful city with both an old church (built in the 1300s) and a new church   (built in the 1400s). The new church is the site of the crypt of the Dutch Royal family. The first person buried in this crypt was Prince William of Orange in 1584. He was the one who led the rebellion against the Spanish king, Phillip II. He is considered to be the founding father of the Netherlands and the reason why the colour orange is so important to the Dutch. Unfortunately, it was initiation day for the freshman students of the local technical university. The thumping music and hordes abounded. After enjoying Delft, we continued to proceed backwards on our route home. We had a short stop in Schipluiden for cake and tea. We realized there was still approximately 20 km to return to the ship so we abandoned the program and plotted our own, most direct route to Rotterdam and the ship. We did marvellously until re-entering the city. Again, we were lost, but this time we were alone. It was very stressful. We arrived in last place, thirty minutes late, delaying the ship's departure. 

Dinsdag
The majority of the group were off on a 42 km trip to Gouda. We opted for the 25 km short route. Our first stop was Kinderdijk, the home of 19 windmills, the largest number in close proximity. Craig had a difficult time putting the camera back in the bike bag. The remainder of the day, we casually cycled along rural dyke tops. Lynda enjoyed the peace and quiet and the abundant animal life. Before arriving back at the ship in Schoonhoven, we visited the village and old dyked fortress of Nieuwpoort where we witnessed the first of many river fisherman we have seen, reel in a fish. The two boys were really excited and released their large catfish after taking some photos.

Woensdag
We left Schoonhoven en masse and rode into the countryside to the "Vredebest" cheese farm. The farm is being run by the fourth and fifth generations of the Van Vliet family who produce traditional Gouda cheese using natural and traditional procedures. They use unpasteurized cow milk and preserve the cheese in a salt brine. After the tour, we left the group and made our own route, cross country to Utrecht and the boat. Arriving early, we went into Utrecht where Lynda blew the budget and purchased a pair of Birkenstock sandals. We were able to casually make our way back to the ship for our 5:30 pm departure. 

Donderdag
We left the ship at our usual time, but we joined the pack and headed out for a cycle through the massive industrial area and locks of Velsen-Noord led by Ida. She's local to this area and is very knowledgeable about the history and goings-on. From there we entered the dunes and quiet forest of the Kennemer Duinen National Park. The grasslands of the park are maintained by herds of Scottish Highland cattle. We made our way alone to Haarlem, the namesake of Harlem, New York. We ate our lunch, serenaded by a rather large group of street musicians operating as a mini-orchestra. The St. Bavo church in the Grote Markt (market square) has a famous organ which has been played by both Mozart and Mendelssohn. We opted not to go inside, but to walk the streets for awhile. At 2:00 pm we visited the Museum Corrie ten Boomhuis where we heard the story of Corrie and her family. Their strong faith led them to hide Jews, students who refused to collaborate with the Nazis and members of the Dutch underground resistance movement. Although the family was betrayed and arrested by the  Gestapo, the six people hiding behind the false wall in Corrie's bedroom were rescued and taken to safety. The presentation given to us by a Dutch lady who has been a child during the war was excellent and the fee was only a donation to the museum. We got back to our bikes at 3:30 and raced home, not knowing how long the return trip to the ship would take. We did not want to take a chance of being late again.

Vrijdag
Last day...where has the week gone? After an overnight stay in Zaandam, our day was short and sweet. A mere 35 km. We visited a replica of a traditional Dutch village (Zaanse Schans), stopped at the lake in Twiske, took the bicycle ferry across the river and ended up behind the Central Station in Amsterdam. We headed to the secure, underground, bicycle parking underneath the station and set off to explore the wonders of the city. The place was packed with tourists, cobblestone roadways, bicycles and canals. We can't forget to mention the ladies in windowed doorways and a pungent aroma from many a small cafe. It was all very amazing, but we were happy that we had spent our time aboard the boat and in the country.

Dank u wel. 

Travel Day

4:10 alarm, 4:20 back up alarm, 4:40 taxi pick up, 5:00 only 12.50 Euros to the airport, 5:20 baggage checked, 5:25 through security, 5:35 finally a coffee, 6:25 line up, 6:35 board Easyjet, 7:00 lift off from Lisbon, 9:00 land in Madrid, 9:25 collect baggage, 9:40 checked baggage again, 9:50 through security, 9:55 sit and wait, 11:00 roast chicken foot long sub, 12:30 line up, 12:45 board KLM, 1:20 lift off from Madrid, 3:30 land in Amsterdam, 4:20 collect baggage, 4:25 buy train tickets, 4:27 fire alarm in train tunnel, sit and wait, 4:57 train pulls out, 5:10 arrive at Central Station, 5:40 free bus ride to Azartplein and the boat, 5:50 on board, 6:00 roast pork dinner with potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and wine, 8:30 meeting, 9:00 bed. 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Aveiro

Our last stay in Portugal was in Aveiro, a university town and ancient seaport south of Porto. Today it is known as "The Portuguese Venice", due to its system of canals and boats similar to the Italian city of Venice. The boats are called "moliceiro" and they were once used for harvesting seaweed. For 6 Euros you can take a very interesting 45 minute canal tour. During our stay here, we explored the nooks and crannies of Aveiro and sought out a "lavanderia." We now have freshly laundered clothing, a huge improvement over sink washed clothes. We spent a couple of days visiting the beaches of neighbouring coastal communities, Costa Nova and Barra (on the Sao Jacinto peninsula). If you take the bus early enough in the morning, you find yourself surrounded by locals who are returning from the market with their produce and a staple here, fresh fish. Costa Nova is known for its striped fishing huts which now serve as beach homes and cafes. Barra is home to the largest Portuguese lighthouse, which is also the 26th largest in the world. Both areas are bursting at the seams with vacationers of all sorts. 

In our attempts to experience the " real places we go," in this case Portugal, there are always missed opportunities. We stumbled upon a tiny store called "rializacoes" selling, of all things, salt. Salt harvested from the sea. In talking to one of the owners we discovered that salt harvesting in the Aveiro region dates back to ancient times and of the 253 salt pans that existed in the mid 20th century, only 8 still remain. One of them is Puxadairos island and it belongs to this family. We tried to take a tour, but low attendance due to a lack of advertising and a lack of time on our part, made it impossible. We were quite disappointed, but we would encourage anyone in the area to take advantage of this authentic Portuguese experience before it disappears.




Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Porto


In 1755 most of Lisboa was destroyed in a massive earthquake and subsequently rebuilt. Porto was spared and as a result, a lot of the beautiful old architecture still exists. The streets remain the appropriate size for horse and cart, but that's ok, as we left our car back at the airport in Lisboa. We arrived by train. Only 25 euros each, cheap! We have continued to eat and drink our way through the country. Every time we arrive somewhere new we are inundated with local specialties, which include seafood, pastries and in Porto, the strong, sweet, fortified wine called port. On Sunday afternoon we walked over the Ponte Dom Luis I to Vila Nova de Gaia and toured the Offley cave. As we sampled a white and a red port, we chatted with some teachers from Oregon who were in the country for a Habitat for Humanity project. Of course, we purchased a bottle to enjoy with friends and family at home.

We found an amazing guest house called Casa das Loios, located in the "centro" just 2 blocks from the Sao Bento Train Station (one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal). We were given great advice and daily Portuguese lessons from Marco, Luisa and Patricia.  Knowing how easily we could travel by train, we decided to go to Guimaraes for the day. Guimaraes is called "The Cradle of the Nation and Portuguese identity," as it was the birthplace of its first independent king in 1110. As well as ending up in the middle of a wedding, we spent the day wandering narrow streets, viewing castles and palaces, and having several cerveja with some new, old friends from Liverpool and their young girls, who enjoyed playing in the fountain in the Praca S. Tiago.

Our time in Porto has been way too short, but we are running out of days and our plan is to spend the time we have left on the beach. So, we are heading south to Aveiro where we will hang out with the rest of the Portuguese, French, Spanish and Italian holidaymakers, until we return to Lisboa for our flight to Amsterdam.

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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Salema

The Algarve was not necessarily our cup of tea, but Salema is a quaint fishing village with a sandy beachfront. Every morning fisherman return to shore, clean their nets and sell their catch to the fish buyers, on the same beaches where tourists sunbathe. We made our own discovery in the form of a family owned restaurant called O Buzio, hidden away behind the town square, with its traditional Portuguese tiled walls and seashore theme. Nina and Luis cooked and served us dinner three nights in a row. We especially enjoyed the pork ribs with homemade BBQ sauce and the gourmet banana split served in an edible dish.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Monchique

Monchique is the perfect location for people who want to be in the Algarve, but not in the thick of things. From our perch at Vilafoia, 502 metres above sea level, we have the perfect view of Portimao, Lagos and other coastal towns. At night their lights line the edge of the Mediterranean. Yet, we are just 30 minutes away.

Our first day here we drove along the motor way to Tavira and Santa Luzia. Our destination was the Praia de Barril. This is not an ordinary beach. It is the home of the "Cemiterio de Ancoras." There is a plot of land, and someone (it is not clear who) assembled hundreds of used, rusty anchors. Some date back to the Age of Discovery, the 1400s. It is quite an impressive sight, although most of the beach goers were oblivious to its presence. We thought it was quite cool. We also enjoyed the train ride across the island to the beach. After another beach day, we shared more Portuguese delicacies, including a tasty "salada de polvo" (octopus salad). 

The next day we drove to the top of Mount Foia (904 metres) where we saw both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean coasts. We also hiked through the town of Monchique to the convent on the top of the hill. Although it is owned and occupied by an individual family, they allowed us entry and we wandered through the crumbling ruins at our leisure. It was the home of Franciscan monks for two hundred years and it features prominently in Monchique's history. On the path to the convent, there is a man with a guitar. He has his case open to collect money and pretends to play, but in reality, he is just another panhandler. We were forewarned about his existence, and although we did not give him any money, he did not bother us. 

We spent Saturday night in Silves at their annual medieval fair. It was actually exciting for us to be in a town where a medieval fair actually had some meaning. Many of the inhabitants were dressed in clothing from the time and the streets were lined with stalls and vendors of all kinds. We paid to watch two shows. The first was a jousting demonstration which turned out to be quite fun. The "knights" and their mounts were very skilled. The other was a dance/circus performance. It was very professional, but it wasn't what we were expecting and we weren't sure of the theme, so it wasn't as enjoyable as the jousting. By the time we left at midnight, it was wall to wall people. We felt lucky to have been able to attend such a fun event. 

Our last stop before we return the car to Lisbon is the fishing village of Salema, near the south west  point of Portugal. We are looking forward to exploring the area around Sagres and Cabo de St. Vincent.

Gems South of Milfontes

If you are looking for sun, sand and Portuguese people, you need to head to the west coast of Portugal. We had a wonderful time exploring the beaches and towns south of Vila Nova de Milfontes.

Praia do Almograve - we never actually stopped in town, but we loved the beach so much that we spent two separate days there. Parking was ample and the beach was a short walk down a flight of stairs. We discovered that by mid day (when we were usually arriving), most people were leaving. They returned late in the afternoon when we were packing up. The beach looks incredibly different depending on the time of day. At high tide, the waves are strong and menacing. When the tide is out, the rocks are bare and there are calm, shallow swimming channels. Lynda has yet to brave the cold waters of the Atlantic, but Craig has swum at every location.

Zambujeira do Mar - finally, grilled sardinhas. It only took Craig 3 weeks, but we found the perfect spot. They were delicious and best of all, we ate them at 5:00 pm. We loved the vibe here and the beach was right in the centre of town. We returned for a second visit here as well, on our way to the Algarve. 

Cabo Sardao - there are no beaches here, just a lighthouse and some impressive cliffs. A reason to visit is to see the pelicans who build their nests on the edge of the cliffs. We wouldn't want to be there in the middle of a storm, but the views are spectacular. It was well worth an hour of our time. 

We spent the last three nights of our stay at Mil Reis, a bed and breakfast just up the road from our previous accommodation. We really enjoyed our room with its 4 poster bed, rainforest shower head and inside terrace, open to the sky above. Milfontes has been a great base for the last five days, but it is time to move further south.