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Holland, day 4
Sundays is usually quiet in Holland, today no exception. But we had another beautiful sunny day. Met Miriam and Els on a farm/bakery/restaurant called “Vroeg” (Dutch for early) for brunch and a lot of tales about our family history. Making new memories and reliving old ones.
The rest of the afternoon was just relaxing, and tonight we’re looking forward to fast food Dutch fish and chips. They are really đź‘Ť . Our favorite place is called “Manneke Pis”, after the Belgian statue. They have some of the best French fries!
I mentioned our Hampton hotel room is small, but it is perfectly located, actually inside an upscale shopping mall. It has an unusual shape, kind of all rounded edges and different color windows. It is right adjacent to the main station for train, tram and bus service.
I have been increasingly nervous about our upcoming COVID test. If you don’t pass the test one day before flying, you don’t go. That would really be a problem for us as we have to be back home this week. Holland is a crowded place, and now almost totally mask free. It is impossible to avoid others, even just walking down the street.
We brought two home COVID tests with us, and it was a real relief that we were both negative. Makes us feel much better about going for our “real” test tomorrow!
Nanaimo, BC
Or first port of call was Nanaimo, a city of some 80,000 on the west coast log Vancouver Island. Originally founded as a coal mining city, there are still miles of inactive underground mine tunnels. Today it is more known as a logging port, and, of course, Nanaimo bars.
Right next to our berth a logging ship was being loaded. Very interesting to watch, the little tugboats reminded us of sheep dogs, gathering up the herd. But it sure looks like dangerous work, running around on those logs!
We had nice stroll around the shore line. It is a pretty city, lots of parks and of course marinas. And the people we met are some of the friendliest anywhere.
We watched the cannon firing, sure reminded me of our days at Fort Vancouver!
We visited the Old Quarter, admired some of the older buildings and of course had a Nanaimo bar at Bocca, winner of the best bar awards. And it was delicious! We also had some excellent fish and chips at Trolleys, right on the dock.
Now on to San Francisco…
They really load the ships up high
Tugboats act like sheep dogs, gathering up the logs
But it’s the guys with hob nail boots that do the dangerous work
A wood Dungeness crab, carved with a chain saw
Spinning alpaca
Gay pride is evident here too
Loading the cannon
A flash in the pan….
The primer goes off….
BOOM!
Bank building
Old Quarter buildings
Old Quarter buildings
Pedestrian shopping
Bocca, winner of ” best Nanaimo bar” award
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