2 Days On Our Own Prior to the Tour

Steven and David's Trip of a Lifetime - 6 Countries - 11 Cities & 26 Friends

2 Days On Our Own Prior to the Tour

"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe". ~Anatole France

June 23, 2005

Today we got up around 9am and had a wonderful breakfast at the Joops Hotel (included in the rate). We walked down the street to the train station (15 min.) and asked the ticket office for help on how to use the train system and what track (spoor) to stand on. They were very helpful and planned out our connections from Haarlem to Gouda to Delft to Den Haag and back.

Gouda

***Click on picture to visit a site on Gouda***

Market Day in Gouda. The smell of cheese was in

the air. Men with horse-drawn wagons were selling their wheels of cheese to men in white coats.

Say "Gouda"

"Did you say size 18"

In Delft it was market day too. We walked around the many carts in the main square and had lunch at a cafe. It was a warm day so we chose a shady place and just soaked in the atmosphere.

Delft. This is delftware.

***Click on the picture to visit Delft on-line***

This woman let me take her picture as she created

a plant stand in the deflt factory.

Our last stop for the day was Madurodam in Den Haag. This place recreated many of the scenes around the Netherlands in miniature.

Madurodam located in Den Haag

***Click on the picture to visit the Madurodam site***

Here I am pictured; I'm supposed to

be the miniature!!!

This is a close-up picture of a housing village in

Amsterdam done in miniature.

You gotta go!!! Check out www.ricksteves.com and go explore. Don't just dream, make it a reality.

June 21, 2005 - July 15, 2005