Not wanting to chance the last close call in departing Oslo airport a week & a half ago, we had a very early wake up call on Monday morning.
The Oslo train station is undergoing some renovation this summer.
Flybussen is the best option (at $60 per person, one way.....by the way) to get to the airport.
The first pick up point was at our hotel, insuring we had seats. By the end of the route, the driver was turning people away with a promise of 'another bus in ten minutes.' There were people standing down the center aisle and people sitting on the step between the door & the driver. AND the driver was on her CELL PHONE while she was driving. An interesting ride for sure but we arrived in plenty of time to catch our flight to Amsterdam.
Being in Amsterdam is now like being 'home' to us. We are comfortable there. We recognize shopkeepers & more & more, they recognize us too. Always a thrill for us!
A quick visit with Bruce (building owner), a change of clothes & we were off!
The Monday Textile Market is held on Westerstraat. This market seems much bigger than in the past. It now goes beyond the end of the street, wraps around the corner & encompasses much more than textiles. As usual, we wandered through - it's fun to see all the bright colors & smell the foods (oranges & loempias were prominent on this day)
Assured that we did not need a thing, we continued on to visit our friend Sara at her pancake restaurant. This restaurant is just a little hole in the wall. Not the best food, not the fastest service, on the expensive side....but still....it's Sara's! And we love visiting with her. On this visit, she told us we should really move to Amsterdam. That way, she said, she can visit us every day & be like our daughter.
From Sara's, we made our way over to the Dam Square. It is always a busy area & this day was no exception.
Summer crowds & nice weather equal big audiences for the street shows. Balloon creatures on one side, a violinist (we bought his CD) performing & the now requisite(apparently) 'watch me get out of this strait jacket' performer.
We wandered Spui Straat & Kalverstraat before heading back home.
A quick stop at my favorite drug store in Amsterdam - Etos (now in 'our' neighborhood) and then -
WAIT....WHAT IS THIS????? What is this big yellow sign across the street? No more Super de Boer market? We knew it had been sold but still....what a surprise to see JUMBO on a big yellow sign. We had to investigate this newcomer. Inside we found (as the cashier pointed out)....a lot of YELLOW! Beyond the signage, a very nice, modern grocery store. Nice change. We were only there for 2 nights & the apartment is always well stocked on our arrival. We bought a few things for a snack & headed back.
Visiting with Allen is always something we look forward to on our visits. This trip we were able to spend part of each night chatting.
We decided to be adventurous on Tuesday & head for an area we had never been before. Our destination was De Hortus Botanicus (the botanical garden). About an hour away by foot - we headed out under bright sunny (OK, WARM) skies. The gardens themselves were a bit underwhelming to me.
An afternoon snack of vlaamse frites (french fries) was our next stop. Another market appeared on our walk home - in the Waterlooplein area. I'm sure the vendors move from one market to another. Much of the same that we saw at the textile market. Still, had to walk through it.
Arriving in the Leidseplein for our fries I saw something I have been wanting to see in Amsterdam for many years! A Starbucks! YEAH!!! We figured they were moving into the city when we saw one open at Central Station last year. Prior to that, the only one we knew of was at the airport!
Our final night in Amsterdam, we went to a local favorite of ours, Kinnaree for Thai food. Always excellent service & great food. A nice way to wrap up our quick visit.
Wednesday morning we thought we would take a walk through the parks before heading to the train station. Mother Nature had other ideas. Rain, light at first, turning heavier was consistent all morning. We walked through light rain (trying to commit the cool temps & rain to memory in preparation for weather at home) to mail a package home. After that, we went back to the apartment to finish packing, have lunch & wait until it was time to head out. Just spending 2 nights did not seem right!
We took a 3:15 train to Brussels, arriving right on time & checking into our airport hotel.
We took a taxi into the city to meet Bruce for a very nice dinner at Le Petit Boxeur. Good conversation, good food - what more could you want!
With the luxury of an 11:00 a.m. flight, we did not have to hurry on Thursday morning. Our flight was good - and afforded us the opportunity to watch (& recommend) 2 more movies. The first 'The Adjustment Bureau'. It is an excellent 'makes you think' movie. The second, 'Win Win' - a movie I had not heard of previously. It was very good - worth watching.
2 hours in Chicago and then 2 more hours home. Brian - our greeting committee/ride home was waiting for us when we arrived. One of the best reasons for being home - our people!
That's a wrap for our summer European adventure. As always, it's good to be home. As always, it's still Texas in the summertime. 100+ for the past several weeks & many more to come. As always, we are already starting to think about the next adventure. But still, there's no place like home.
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