Amsterdam, Montenegro and Croatia

October 2, 2025 

Flying Home

Who thought a 6am flight out of Zagreb was a good idea? Not me, but it's what we had to do to connect to our flight in Amsterdam. The 6am flight translated to waking up at 2:30 am and leaving the hotel at 3:00 am. I actually fell asleep while the plane was getting ready to depart ----- I missed take off. I guess that's what happens when you get 2 1/2 hours sleep. 

Ed was awake to catch leaving Zagreb at 6am

We landed in Amsterdam at 8am and caught part of sun rise. There was a brilliant sun rise as we were flying but we were on the wrong side of the plane to take photos. 

Getting ready to land in Toronto. You can see the CN tower.  We are now at home and I'm thinking about a winter trip. I wonder if I can convince Ed to go somewhere before the trip we have booked for April 2026. 

October 1, 2025 

Zagreb and Samobor

Everyone was happy this morning as we got to sleep in ---- we met the local guide in the lobby at 9:30. Most of the people on this trip are not morning people. 

The local guide took us on a walk through the area near the main square and the medieval area of the city. 

We started our walk at a park near the hotel. Ed was intrigued by the Zrinjevac Meteorologial Column (or Meteorological Post) which was built in 1884. It provided information on temperature, humidity, and air pressure. It also contained a unique 24-hour clock. It is considered an important piece of German engineering. 

In March 2020, a earthquake of magnitude of 5.3 hit Zagreb. It was a confusing time for everyone as they were already in the Coronavirus lockdown. Today the city is under repair, there is scaffolding and cranes everywhere. Our guide referred to the glass building as the "communist building". It was built while Croatia was part of Yugoslavia and it did not get damaged by the earthquake. It is a good landmark to find the main square. 

 

The Zagreb Cathedral. The towers were damaged by the earthquake and removed by a controlled explosion. The tops of the towers were removed before the towers were taken down. Now they are being rebuilt.

There are lots of open air markets in Zagreb. 

The tower of the Church of St. Mary.

The Statue of Saint George with a slain dragon at the horse's feet. It symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. 

A street scene.

One of the oldest buildings in Zagreb is St. Mark's Church. The church is most recognizable for its distinctive tiled roof which features the coats of arms of Zagreb and the historical Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia.

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"Peasants" relief sculpture on the façade of Popovic house on the main square. 

Beautiful flowers for sale.

The view above buildings is filled with cranes. 

The Art Pavilion is one of many beautiful old buildings. 

The Esplanade Zagreb Hotel was opened in 1925 as a refuge for passengers from the Orient Express. 

This afternoon we had a bit of an adventure. We took a tram to the Zagreb bus station from the main square, then a bus to the town of Samobor. 

The Church of Saint Anastazia in Samobor. 

A street scene.

A view down the river. 

After a hike up the hill we arrived at ruins of Samobor Castle.

Instead of taking public transit, our guide organized taxis for our return to Zagreb. As the local guide lived in Zagreb he drove four of us back to our hotel. Along the way he diverted off the highway and drove through a neighbour built when Croatia was part of communist Yugoslavia. The apartment buildings have no character but the apartments are very functional as are the neighbourhoods. Everything you need (i.e. schools, grocery stores, doctors offices, bakeries, markets) is with 14 minutes walk from your home. 

September 30, 2025 

Water, oh so many lakes and waterfalls

Plitvice Lakes National Park, founded in 1949, is an amazing place. We spent 4 hours there and I probably could have spent another 4 hours there. BTW it was drizzling most of the time while we walked around. Image if there had been a bit of sun.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, for its outstanding and picturesque series of tufa lakes, caves, and connected waterfalls.

The national park's lakes are arranged in cascades. Sixteen lakes can be seen from the surface. The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colors change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight. (Wikipedia)

Close up of bottom lake scene in the first photo. 

There were lots of boardwalks, with gaps between the boards. My favourite boardwalks were the ones the went uphill over a waterfall with what seemed like large gaps between the boards. Not!😵

You could hike around all of the lakes or you could take a ferry ----there were three ferries that took you across different parts of one of the lakes or to avoid an uphill hike you could take a tram. Ed and I road the ferry (I like the perspective from the lake) but chose to hike up the hill which we decided was definitely worth it.

The lakes were incredibly still --- the ripples were created by rain drops or ducks.

Ed, Steph and I opted to hike to the viewpoint. Great views of a few lakes and even a waterfall.

Probably a grey heron.

Fire Salamander

Mallard Duck

There were lots of small fish but also some foot long fish. 

Driving to Zagreb at rush hour.

Walking to dinner.

September 29, 2025   

Rocks, oh so many rocks

Paklenica National Park is situated south of the Velebit range of mountains (the largest in Croatia) and covers an area of just under 100 square km, with a mixture of high peaks with stunning views, deep gorges, and beech and pine forests. We are hiking a trail called "The Educations Trail" as there are information boards along the trail. We don't see many hikers but we do see a lot of climbers. Rock climbers come from all around the world to scale the limestone cliffs, making this National Park and UNESCO world heritage site one of the best-known rock climbing places in all of Europe.

The following photos were taken along the trail.

The path may look relatively smooth, but it wasn't. Rocks were loosely cemented together but it was really rough. You had to pick your way through the rocks as you walked up hill. That's Amanda our fearless leader. 

It was a little flatter here, but Deb & I were still picking our way through the rocks.

An old abandoned building along trail.

There were some tough plants growing out of the crevices. 

Is this a rock monster ---I can see 2 eyes, a nose and crooked smile or is it just 2 caves?

There are 2 huts near fairly high up where you can get something to eat or even spend the night. One has a pool and great views.

 

The other one has recliners and a great view.

This park is very popular with climbers. There several climbers on this hill.

This is a smaller section of the above photo. Can you see the three climbers. 

The beginners climbing wall along the walk path. There were some young kids learning to climb.

Scenes from the road.

There are a lot of tunnels in Croatia.

September 28, 2025

Olive Oil and More

This morning we are picked up at our hotel and taken on a tour of Brac ---- no hiking this morning !!!! yeah!!!!😀

We drive along the coast where we see lots of cute villages and vineyards. 

We stop at the village of Pucisca home to a famous marble quarry. The stone from Brac has been used in many famous buildings including the Canadian WW1 memorial at Vimy Ridge. The above statue is not marble but we really like it. 

You don't often see a dinghy that has it's own dinghy. Nice boat.

A view of the village of Pucisca from marina.

The next stop was the Museum of Olive Oil in the village of Skrip. The owners of the farm left the village and emigrated somewhere. Many years go by and a grandson returns to the village to restore the home and develop the Museum of Olive Oil. It was a very informative tour which ended with an olive oil tasting that included several treats ....yum😊 

Traditionally many of the people who lived on Brac depended on rain water. This home was built with many roof lines to catch rain water which was stored in cisterns.  

See the road in the middle of the picture. Our guide's husband had the road built during COVID as he wanted his father to have an easier way to get to his olive trees near the top of the hill. Lots of olive trees in this photo. 

Good-bye Brac, hello mainland. The ferry is in the habour at 2nd largest city in Croatia, Split. 

Lots of sailboats out today.

The Croatian National Theatre. I think it's a beautiful building. 

The Republic Square.

Part of the street that runs along habour. 

Diocletia Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site is a large, well-preserrved Roman fortress and palace built by Roman Emperor Diocletian around the turn of the 4th century AD as his retirement residence. What was once the emperor's private complex has transformed into the vibrant historic centre of modern Split, housing over 1,000 people. (thanks Wikipedia).

Our tour started with the cellars. Some pretty magnificent rooms down there even if one held garbage. 

Concerts have been held in this room of the basement. 

The Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Saint Domnius.

The Vestibule is the first section of the imperial corridor in Diocletian's Palace that led from the Peristyle which was once the formal entrance to the imperial apartments. 

Some of the walls in the palace.

The Peristyle of the palace. Do you see the sphinx.

A statue of Gregory of Nin. Tourists rub his toe for good luck. The toe is really shinny. 

September 27, 2025 

Submarine Tunnels and Hermitages

Today we are taking a couple of boats and moving to Brac Island. On the way to Bol, Brac, we'll stop to see a cave that was used to store missiles, then we'll continue onto Blaca Bay. At Blaca Bay we'll hike up hill to the Hermitage of Blaca. After our hike we'll boat along the coast to Bol.

Ed couldn't resist taking a photo of this guy. He came into the harbour while we were waiting for our boats. 

Submarine tunnels were built by the Yugoslav navy during the Yugoslav era primarily in the 1970's. We were told that it was to hide from the Italian forces. Apparently, this tunnel hid missiles not a submarine.  

Inside the tunnel.

Our boats nosed up to shore and we jumped off. 

The scenery as we climbed the hill.

A cave.

Four goats were grazing high on the hill.

Cross and bells outside of the chapel.

Ed really liked this vine that grew out of the stone wall. Apparently, so did the monks as this built a trellis for it. 

A saddle outfitted for carrying supplies and a single horse are in a small field below the hermitage.

The stone structures of Hermitage Blaca cling to the cliff overlooking a dry ravine. The hermitage was established in the 16th century by monks from the mainland town to Polijice who sought refugee from invading Turks. Originally situated in a cave, the hermitage was built up over the centuries to include a church, school, astronomical observatory and library. The story goes that the monastery was passed down from uncle to nephew (the nephew had to agree to become a monk) until 1963 when Father Niko Milicevic passed and there was no nephew to take over. The monastery was left to a servant who donated it to the town, who created the museum. 

We had a very interesting tour of the Hermitage but we were not allowed to take any photos. One of the interesting parts of the tour was that the tour guild did not speak English. He spoke into a translating program on his phone and the phone repeated in English. By the way, the tour guide said Father Niko Milicevic held a doctorate in astronomy. 

 

On the way back to the boat we saw these ruins.

David, one of the people on our tour, sitting on the beach. The two boats that brought us are rafted together in the middle of the photo. 

Blaca Bay is very pretty.

A vineyard with it's grapes planted on the slope. 

Arriving in Bol, Brac. The boats weren't fancy buy they got us where we needed to go.

The marina.

A geocache brought us to the house inside a house. The main building you see is the original house and wall you see on your right is the new house. Here's an extract from my "My Island Brac". You can google house inside a house Bol to see a better photo.

The legend of the house within the house tells of a conflict between three brothers against one man over the property.

The rich brothers, with political help, drove away the owner of the house and started to build their house around his.

When they went by boat to buy roofing material, they were hit by a storm in which all three lost their lives.

The owner of the house then returned to Bol and lived in his house in a house that is today a protected cultural monument and fascinates all visitors of Bol.

September 26, 2025

Sveta Nedelja Hike on the island of Hvar

We are picked up in 4 wheel drive vehicles and driven to the village of Sveta Nedelja where we begin our uphill hike. The notes for this trip says "we choose to walk uphill as past travellers and guides have noted that we are likely to slip on loose material this if we descended." So, it's uphill we go. 

Some of the country side on the drive to the hike.

One of the houses in the village.

The starting point of the hike. 

Terraced fields of grape vines.

Looking back at the village.

As we ascend we see the grape pickers high on the hillside.

A ways up the hill we see this bridge and are thankful that it's not on the trail we are hiking. 

About a 1/3 of the way up is a side trail that takes to an abandoned monastery that was built in a cave. 

This is at what is left of the front of the monastery. 

The weather forecast indicated clear sunny skies today..... I guess they were wrong. The funnel cloud was spinning but didn't get near the ground. It didn't rain on us either, though we did see evidence of rain over the water and on the ground as we drove back to town of Hvar.

Looking down at the town again. 

We're getting close to the top. 

We made it to the chapel at the top of the hill, about 500 meters higher than the spot we started. 

Bicycle tourists. They arrive on boats then take off riding the hilly roads of the island. I think I'll stick to hiking. 

The view as we drive back into town. 

When we walked down by the harbour we saw this interesting boat. 

We went for a walk and enjoyed the sunset.

September 25, 2025

Hvar

Today is an early morning as we travel by ferry to Hvar, "Queen of the Dalmatian Islands", considered one of the ten most beautiful islands in the world.

Approaching Hvar on the ferry.

15th century Franciscan Monastery

City streets

The harbour

The beach by the hotel

We climbed the hill to the fort for some wonderful views. An island with one home on it. 

From on high you can see how busy the habour is.

Looking down on part of the town.

An interesting shot

September 24, 2025

Hiking and Rain 

The weather forecast for today showed rain and lots of it. At 7:30 this morning our tour guide and local guide chatted and decided that the weather might hold long enough for us to walk Napoleon's Road. We loaded into a van and drove to Pupnat to begin the hike.

Off we go. 

We passed some farming areas, where terraced areas had crops and olive trees. 

This plot of land had a couple of small buildings. 

The trail took us into a lush area but we had to climb through rocks to get out. 

A praying mantis. 

Ed's art shot. He managed to get the local guide in the mirror as he walked behind Ed.

Stone buildings beside the road. The roof is a thinner shale rock.

The trail took us back to Korcula. Once we arrive in Korcula we still have a 30 minute walk to get back to the hotel.

Back in Korcula we saw these people walking past us. The King and Queen led the way. They must have been going into the old city but we didn't find them when we walked around. 

More street scenes. I love these little alleys.

Another art shot ---- Ed loved the colours.

Ed and I walked around old town for a bit then started walking back to the hotel. Our luck with the weather ended and the rain started coming down. At times it slowed down to a drizzle then it would come down in buckets. We looked like a couple of drowned rats by time we got to the hotel. 

The storm didn't let up. There was lots of thunder and lightening and the rain continued to pour down. Happily our tour guide decided that the buffet at the hotel would be a great idea for dinner. 

September 23, 2025

Walking the Walls at Ston and Old Town Korcula  

I asked Ed to help out and choose some photos for today. He picked over 60 photos ---- I got him to narrow it down to 26. 

The Franjo Tudman Bridge is a cable stayed bridge at the western approach to Dubrovnik.

Ston has had a rich history since ancient times. Located at the gates of the peninsula surrounded by three seas, protected by four hills, rich in fresh water and saltwater, fertile plains, it has been an important political, cultural and ecclesiastical centre. (Wikipedia) 

The Walls of Ston are a series of defensive stone walls, originally more than 7 km long. Their constructions was begun in 1358. Today, it is among the longest preserved fortification systems in the world. The Walls of Ston were known as the "European Great Wall of China. We hiked the 2 sections that are open, other portions are being restored and rebuilt.

Looking up the steps. 

Looking down

View of the town and the salt pans.

A tower

The steps from one of the towers are even steeper. 

A section of the wall that is being rebuilt. There was a pile of cut stone, smooth on all sides but the outer edge to give it the look of the original wall. 

Can you find the four flags?

There's a small fort.

Next stop is the town of Korcula on the island of Korcula. It was about a 10 minute ride of the boat. 

The old city of Korcula is surrounded by walls, and the streets are arranged in a herringbone pattern allowing free circulation of air but protecting against strong winds. Entering the city through the main gate. 

The spire of the Cathedral of St. Mark.  

Looking toward the right (water side) the streets are curved. 

Looking towards the left, the streets are straight.

Marco Polo is thought to have been born here (no proof). At the time of his birth, this area was Venetian. Polo family lived in this house. 

As we wandered the streets we saw this group singing. There were musicians playing in different areas of the old city. 

Outside the city walls. 

Not quite sure what this was for but we think it was part of the wall. 

September 22, 2025

Walking the Walls of Dubrovnik 

A very popular thing to do in Dubrovnik is to walk the city walls. Some of the wall is original but a lot of it has been rebuilt or is still being rebuilt. A portion of the TV program Game of Thrones was filmed here making it a destination for fans of the show. As I have watched about 20 minutes of one episode I have to believe what people tell me about the show.

Entering the gate into the old town of Dubrovnik. 

The following photos were taken from the wall. 

If you look closely, you see beach umbrellas and people at the base of the wall. I have no idea how the people got to this "beach", but it's apparently a favourite spot to swim and enjoy the sea. 

It felt like a lot of people were walking the wall this morning but I'm told that in the summer it is a lot busier. Glad I'm here now when it's quieter. 

Fort Lovrijenac is across the water from the Dubrovnic city walls and was part of the defence of the city. If you look real close you can see some kayaks in the water. 

Looking at part of the marina. These, obviously, are the small boats. The cruise ships were either anchored off the shore or docked on the other side of town. 

When we finished walking the wall, we met a local guide at the fountain just outside of the city walls. Our local guide was very knowledge and we learned a lot about Dubrovnik, the people of Dubrovnik and their customs. The crowds made picture taking difficult and the end results weren't the best.   

It was convenient to meet at the fountain as water bottles could be filled here. 

At one point we were at our guides favourite beach. Ed was so happy this picture of the rocks below the water turned out. The water is incredibly clear here. 

The Dubrovnik Bell Tower. The tower has a clock, but don't trust it, it doesn't keep time anymore.

The Jesuit Steps, they look a lot like the Spanish Steps in Rome. The crowd had cleared out when we returned a couple of hours after our tour had ended. These steps were featured in the Game of Thrones in the "Walk of Shame" scene and is one of the most popular Game of Thrones locations.

The Franciscan friary and church is a large complex belonging to the Order of Friars Minor. It consists of a friary, a church, a library and a pharmacy (thanks Wikipedia).The many containers pictured contain herbs and other ingredients used in the pharmacy. 

A missile left it's mark on December 6th 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence. 

The Rectors Palace use to serve as the seat of the Rector of the Republic of Ragusa between the 14th century and 1808. (Wikipedia again)

The two bronze jacquemarts which strike the bell in the Dubrovnik Bell Tower are known as Maro and Baro or the Zelenci (green ones). Replicas are in the Dubrovnik Bell Tower. These are the original Zelenci of circa 1478 in the Rector's Palace. (once again Wikipedia comes through)

Ed was really impressed the with support for the hand railing in the Rector's Palace.

Sunset from the restaurant where we enjoyed dinner tonight. 

By happy co-incidence, James (the leader on our Egypt Jordan trip) was visiting Dubrovnik before going to Greece to lead a trip. He is friends with Amanda (the leader on this trip) and had arranged to meet her for dinner in Dubrovnik. I'm not sure if it's good or bad but he remembered Ed and myself.  

September 21, 2025

Dubrovnik  

Today we are going to Dubrovnik via Our Lady of the Rocks. 

Fish and or seafood farms. A lot of oysters and mussels are farmed along the coast.  

Our Lady of the Rocks is an artificial island created by bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks. 

According to legend, the islet was made over centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after find the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea on July 22, 1452. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time the islet gradually emerged from the sea. The church in it's present form was built 1630 and 1725. Thanks Wikipedia. 

The easiest way to get to Our Lady of the Rocks is by boat from Perast. 

Our Lady of the Rocks sits on a manmade islet.

The church entrance.

The church alter. The icon is in the box in the middle of the alter.

A woman waiting for her sailor husband to return, embroidered this tapestry. Some of the threads are hair. The woman worked on this tapestry for 25 years .... it's unknown if the husband returned. 
 

One area enlarged so you can see the delectate stitches.

Looking out at a neighbouring mostly natural island that is a graveyard. There is a wisp of fog/cloud just behind the island.

Tower of St. Nicholas, Perast Montenegro 

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Perast Montenegro

After arriving in Dubrovnik, we went for a walk along the coast near our hotel. Couldn't resist dangling our feet in the water. 

What better place for a beer than a bar that's in a cave.

A beach near our hotel .... beach sounds better than rock spot for swimming.

A gravel beach not too far from our hotel. 

Sunset is approaching ... from our balcony.

The night view from our balcony.

September 20, 2025

How many steps do we have to climb?

Today we are touring the old town of Kotor and then we are climbing the approximately 1,350 steps to the St. John's Fortress. Oh, then we have to walk back down. 😊

Walking to the old city we pass the market.... lots of good looking fruits and vegetables.

Some of the interesting buildings in Kotor. Over the past 2 days I posted pictures of the old city so I kept down to one photo today. 

As we start to climb, we get great views of Kotor and the bay. 

Trucking on up the hill. Sometimes the stairs were easier and sometimes the rocks were.

Part of the fortress walls.

We were most of the way up. 

I'm not so sure that our group members should be in this building. 

One last view of the bay and Kotor.

When we were at the top we looked over and saw a wee little church. We asked Amanda (our guide) if there was a way to get to the church. She said yes and the next thing we knew we were climbing out a window and down a ladder. 

and here is the cute little church. 

and the inside of the church

Across the slope were some goats just a chilling. 

As we were outside of the wall we had the option of walking the switchback trail back to Kotor. Amanda thought it would give us a different and better view of the walls and it did. 

The wall as it slopes down towards town. 

Just right of the middle of the photo, you can see the switchback trail. It was pretty rocky in spots but still better than the steps.

Approaching Kotor.

We made it up the 1,350 steps and back down --- success!!!! We celebrate with a delicious sour cherry gelato --- my new favourite flavour. After a shower and short rest, we decided to walk the waterfront. A benefit of the walk was getting to see the cruise ship leave the bay. The most interesting part of the walk was finding a car in the parking lot with Ontario license plates ----- yes Ontario Canada.

A small part of the marina.

An interesting boat. 

September 19, 2025

Free Day

At breakfast this morning we met four people who will be travelling with us --- two sisters from Montreal and a couple who spend part of their time in Toronto and part of their time in Vancouver. We'll meet the tour leader and the rest of our group this evening for dinner. 

From our hotel room we can see a gondola, so we went online and checked it out. Turned out there is a shuttle from the Kotor bus station to the base of the gondola and the bus station is only a couple blocks from the hotel. It looks like we're going to spend some of our free time taking a gondola up the mountain and hiking around the top of the mountain. 

Going Up! You can see the run way and small airport in Tivat.

Off the coast of Tivat are a couple of Islands. One is very green with a couple of buildings on it. The second one is very small, and called Gospa od milosprda (Our Lady of Mercy). On the island is a church and a monastery. 

Tivat, with it's runway is on the bay at the left and Kotor is on the bay at the right.  

A close look at Kotor.

And closer still. There are two cruise ships in the bay today, one at the dock and one anchored off. 

After walking around for a bit we stopped to enjoy a cold one while we enjoyed the view.

The bar encouraged photography by placing props around the bar. 

The Alpine Coaster, it's billed as the most scenic roller coaster ever and I think they might be correct. 

When we returned to Kotor we decided to check out the old city .... oh and Ed wanted to find a geocache that is in the old city. Happily, he found it. 

The church of St. Luke. It was built in 1195 and is notable for being the only building in Kotor that did not suffer major damage during the numerous earthquakes the city experienced. 

A closer look at the bells. 

The entrance to the fort at the top of the hill.

Looking down at the entrance ..... we've barely started going up. The hike up the mountain is scheduled for tomorrow. 

Part of the old city walls. You can see the wall continuing up the mountains. 

Looking the other direction along the wall. 

The old (stairs) and the new or at least newish (air conditioners) 

The marina in Kotor. There is room for one cruise boat at the dock, the other cruise boats have to anchor out. 

September 18, 2025

Off to Join the Tour

We opted to "cab" to the airport as we had an early morning flight. We fly from Amsterdam to Belgrade, then switch planes and fly to Tivat, Montenegro. 

Everything was going well till we noticed that our plane in Belgrade was sitting attached to the gantry but we weren't getting told to board. Finally, we were told our flight was delayed and our flight was  moved to another gate. About 2 hours later than expected we were finally in the air.  

A view from the plane shortly after we flew out of Belgrade.

A view from the plane just before we landed at Tivat. The is not so flat here. 

The view from our balcony in Kotor. It's not pretty, but it's sunny and warm.

The next few photos were taken in the old city. 

One of the many cats wandering around Kotor. 

September 17, 2025

Some Culture, Some Fun

More rain is in the forecast today, and by the looks of the radar it will be a steady rain, not the intermittent rain we had over the past 2 days. It's a good day to do some in door activities. 

A couple of the stained glass windows that depict famous painters.

FK 23 Bantam

A replica of Rembrandt's Night Watch is on display because it's hard to get a good look at the original

The varnish is being carefully removed from the paint. Any necessary repairs to the paint will be made, then a new coat of varnish will be applied. 

Wheatfield by Vincent Van Gogh

The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer

The library is filled with books about art and art history.

The Dolls' House of Petronella Oortman, from the late 1600's. The dolls' house is exceptionally realistic. 

Papercutting art. Instead of drawing or painting, the paper is cut away with scissors, razer sharp knives or needles creating the design. 

For a number of years, the Dutch were the exclusive trading partner with Japan. Due to this, the Dutch were influenced by Japanese art and artists which is evident is many pottery pieces. 

The Heineken Experience was our next stop. The "experience" is in old Heineken brewery and is geared to a much younger demographic than Ed and I, but we still enjoyed it. Heineken moved to the south of the Netherlands when they outgrew the Amsterdam location.

Gerard Heineken, the founder of Heineken, at age 22 used his inheritance to by a brewery. He had no experience with making beer. 

Brew Kettles

As the tour ends you are given a small glass of beer. Prost!

The main tour gives you two tokens for beer which you use in the bar at the end of the tour. You can add going to the roof top bar to the tour. You get token for another beer.  In the first bar Ed and I enjoyed 2 day old Heineken and a Heineken Zero. Both were very nice. In the roof top beer Ed and I tried the beer that is only being brewed this year to celebrate Amsterdam's 750 birthday. We had tried to order the special beer in a restaurant after the waitress told us how good it was --- but the restaurant had sold out. It was a really nice beer. I'm not a big beer drinker but I somehow managed to drink all of my beer.😁

Still raining!

A view of the Rijksmuseum from the roof top. 

September 16, 2025

Trains

6 years ago, I toured the Netherlands with my cousin which makes me the "tour guide" for Ed. The Netherlands and the rest of Europe have great train systems, so I told Ed that we could "train" somewhere on one of our days in Amsterdam. I gave him some options and he choose to go to Zannes Schans windmills. His theory was he saw a "Dutch" windmill in Michigan, so he should see a "Dutch" windmill in the Netherlands. 

Our hotel is one tram stop (a 10 minute walk) from the Sloterdijk train station. We were experiencing weather (rain) this morning so we wimped out and took the tram, also the tram is so easy ---- just scan your credit card, no ticket necessary. 

Below are a few shots of the windmills. We experienced weather --- one minute it was sunny, then next minute the winds picked up and the rain came down. All I can say, is I'm glad we were wearing quick dry hiking pants and not jeans. 😀

The Dutch know how to make a good snack. Ed and I stopped for a coffee, cappuccino and apple pie. The tiny glasses with whipped cream were a surprise. The liquid under the whipped cream was a liquor that the distillery attached to the restaurant distills. It was a nice surprise on a rainy day. 

   

A walk through Zaandijk gave us a great view of the windmills from across the River Zaan.

It was about 3pm while we were walking around  Zaandijk and there wasn't a lot to see there. So I asked Ed if he wanted to go to Haarlem for supper. He said sure, so we hopped on the train back to Sloterdijk, switched trains and went to Haarlem. Lots of restaurants in Haarlem, so Ed and I enjoyed dinner there. 

The main square in Haarlem.

Lots of canals in Haarlem.

The barge captain brings alternate transportation with him.

 

Commuter parking at the train station in Haarlem. 

September 15, 2025

Amsterdam

Today was a walking around, looking at things, canal boat ride and geocaching day.  The weather was undecided with lots of wind. 

Now that's a tiny car. 

That will will have some real hard to decorate spaces. 

The spire of the Westerkerk. The church was built between 1620 and 1631.

Inside Westerkerk

Lots of house boats on the canals. Some people really make the boats like home. 

We decided to take a canal boat tour. Ed's getting ready for the tour to start. 

You get a different perspective when your in a canal boat. 

Unfortunately, it rained during a tour. Rain drops of the windows  made for some interesting photos.

Given how old Amsterdam is, it's not surprising to find narrow winding streets. 

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam. The current king and queen are Willem-Alexander and Maxima. 

Central Train Station in Amsterdam.

Looking across the IJ River.

Amsterdam is turning 750 this year, a little older than Walkerton. 

September 14, 2025

and we made it!!!!

It was a great flight, only a little turbulence near the end of the flight, the inflight meal was very tasty and I even managed to get some sleep. The airplane arrived even 15 minutes early!

Back over land.

Flying into Amsterdam

After we were settled into our at the hotel so we decided to go for a walk. There was a lovely park area just across from the hotel. We saw some moorhens.

One of the pathways through the park. There were around 6 gates that led into the park with open times listed   --- a canal stopped easy access but there were a lot of small homes within the park area. I guess the residents have keys to the gates. The homes were generally tiny but with a lot of character. 

  

You know you're in the Netherlands when there are bicycles everywhere.

We found a pub like restaurant for dinner. I was very happy to find vegetable soup with little meatballs on the menu --- yum!!!

September 13, 2025

and we're off!!!!!

Our fight left at 10:10 pm and everything went smoothly. I really liked the configuration of this plane --- 2seats, an aisle, 4 seats, an aisle 2 seats. This meant Ed got his window seat and I got an aisle seat. 

Leaving Toronto. 
 

September 10, 2025

Anticipation and maybe a little panic....

The count down has begun. In just three days we will board a plane and fly to Amsterdam. After spending three full days in Amsterdam we will fly to Kotor Montenegro. Here we will join our two week tour of Montenegro and Croatia.