London - May 24-27, 2009

Here we are again at our friend's 300 year old house in London. Norman and Ann Shuker have been great friends for years, and we always enjoy visiting them. We've already made our reservations for the 2012 Olympics.



We visited the Hatfield House where Queen Elizabeth I was staying before she assumed the throne. Above is the new house, which was built from the bricks of the original building that housed the future queen.

This is the only wing remaining from the old house. The tree that Elizabeth was sitting under when she heard the good news is now in storage. We tried to find the new tree that Queen Elizabeth II planted, but were unsuccessful.

We visited the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England. We also walked through the Royal Observatory.

This is our favorite restaurant in Elstree. It is an excellent Chinese restaurant. Our favorite dish is the Peking Duck.

Amsterdam - May 21-24, 2009

We arrived in Amsterdam by train from Brussels. I recognized the train station, since I had painted a picture from my last visit in 1972 (that's a long time ago). I'll have to attempt another painting this summer.



Here are a few photos of the many canals that surround Amsterdam. Our hotel was right on the Prince Canal. The hotel was not one of the best I've stayed at. The room was tiny, and the floor and bed tilted from left to right. It was an experience sleeping without falling out of bed.

There are probably more bikes in Amsterdam then cars. Some had obviously been abandoned for years.

Here are a few examples of the houses in Amsterdam. Most are narrow, since you used to pay taxes based on the width of the building. All have hooks above, used to lift the furniture into the house.

Here's the front of Anne Frank's house. We didn't visit the inside.

What's Amsterdam without the red light district. The girls are in the windows day and night, looking for business. Its amazing how many people are just there looking - women and children. We also tried some of the goods from the coffee houses - guess what's legal in Amsterdam?

Finally, it wouldn't be Holland without tulips - but since we missed the tulip season, here are some colorful roses.

Oh, and here's Eric leaving one of the many Sex Shops. Nothing else needs to be said.

Brussels - May 19-21, 2009

Well, there must be 500 chocolate shops in Brussels. I did pick my favorite and brought home a large box to enjoy until I run out. Guess I'll have to return to get some more.


The first night there, Eric and I went for dinner at a nice seafood restaurant. Little did we know that what we thought would cost 40 euros, ending up totalling 133 euros. After a fight with the waiter, we ended up leaving 100 euros, probably still too much. The food was very good, but who needs to eat Maine lobster in Brussels.

This is the Grand Place, one of the finest squares in Europe. Our hotel was a short walk to the Grand Place. We were very lucky with the weather. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze in the air, nothing like the 90 degree weather we left in Orlando.

It wouldn't be Brussels without a stop to see the Mannequin Pis - the peeing boy. On most days he's in costume, as you can see above and below. He stands about a foot high, but always has tourists watching him pee.

One thing I'll remember about Brussels, is the amount of graffiti on the walls. Wherever you looked there was graffiti. I think this was at the main library.

This is the Brussels Atomium, which was built for the 1958 Universal Exhibition. We didn't get there early enough to ride to the top and slide down. Another reason to revisit Brussels. We saw a lot in two days, but looked forward to visiting Amsterdam.