Author: leanagallagher

This means Good Afternoon in Romanian. We split off mid day, some visiting the Palace of the Parliament, the largest administrative building in the world.Here’s a panoramic shot from our guide, Greg, to give you a sense of scale. Otherworldly that this was built in our lifetime by a dictator who was starving and freezing his people.

A group of us went to Therme, the largest spa in Europe. (Told you it was a BIG day). Talk about otherworldly…. rainforests, massive jacuzzis, pools like lakes — indoors and out, 5 restaurants, 12 bars (some in the water), oh, and did I mention the waterpark, Dead Sea baths, mineral dips and infared beds? AMAZING!Some extended their stay into the evening while others enjoyed Bucharest nightlife.Some did both.

Love you Bucharest! Heading to Transylvania tomorrow!

Big day in Bucharest! We saw a lot, we learned a lot, we ate a lot. Sounds like a good vacation.

We began the day with a wonderful tour of the Old Town of Bucharest led by a professor from the University. She was a gem — knowledgeable and endearing (and she walked slowly so we could all keep up).

We saw some amazing buildingsAnd some beautiful churches from the 1600’s that managed to survive communism

And we learned that the Orthodox churches were small so that people would feel close to God, and that the Catholic Churches were big so that God seemed large and you seemed small.

We saw one of the oldest Inns in Europe, a Caravansarai, where the traders on the Silk Road and spice routes would stop with their caravans and animals for the night,The most fabulous bookshop,

A couple of cool catsand a great lunch at a beer garden. All in all a pretty wonderful morning. Oh, and the newly married Coyle’s caught up with us for lunch!

The sisters are all together in Romania. LaLa and Erik got here late in the day and are still smiling from ear to ear about Danny and Maria’s wedding.

We started the day at Kretzulescu Church, a 1700’s church that managed to escape the communist regime. There was no photography allowed inside, so I’ll attempt to describe the visit. The sanctuary has only seating along the walls for the elders (Romanian Church service has everyone stand or kneel on the marble floor), but now folding chairs have now been added to accommodate a much older population.

It is a dark, close sanctuary that is decorated with frescos on every surface. The pulpit is wildly ornate. There is a female choir that sings a good bit of the mass and two male cantors as well as three priests that also sing the mass. There is much candle lighting, book kissing, crossing one’s self and kneeling that transpires. The music is all a capella and other worldly. You are transported in time to the mid 1700’s, and moved by the ancient rythmn of it.We got back to the hotel and waved Chazy on to the mall, let Lisa turn over for s few more winks and met Greg in the lobby for a walk around the city.

As usual, he proved to be a wonderful guide and an entertaining person to spend the day with.

There is so much beauty in Romania — old baroque and art nouveau buildings, large parks, and lots of churches.The Romanian people are very religious and predominantly Christian. Church service goes for a solid 2 hours, and is very well attended.

We went to a “peasant fair” and saw all manner of interesting crafts.

We walked to the largest park, Herestau Park and got ice cream before heading to visit The Ceausescu Apartments.The Apartments were interesting, but sort of a bust. They were garish and ugly, but didn’t really give you a window into who those wild dictators were. However, I did find out that their son is 69 and still living in Bucharest. Seems he’s been a very quiet citizen who has been a physicist all his life. No way to understand this — a boy grows up in a home where his father persecutes an entire generation, and he turns out to be a gentle soul.

A Metro ride home (modern and safe) a quick dip in the spa’s hot tub, a room change for LaLa because of a broken bed, and an Indy500 taxi ride to dinner at Grano.Another full day. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

We begrudgingly left a cold, rainy Amsterdam and met at the airport for the “real” trip.Two and a half hours later (after a surprisingly good lunch and free beer and wine on Tarom Airlines), we landed in Bucharest. Christina was the first to clear customs in the land of her great grandparents.We were whisked to the hotel where we ran into a wedding (probably just as Danny and Maria were exchanging vows in Germany).We made a quick change and we were off to dinner with Chazy’s friends Ramona and Dominick at Bistrot Francais.Gorgeous restaurant, wonderful friends, terrific meal.Then Brad and I headed off to a late night concert at the Athenaeum.Turkish music in a magnificent hall, a beautiful stroll home through the capital at midnight.

The Barstow’s headed off to a Jazz Club, Chazy to bed, and now we’re luxuriating under damask duvets, awaiting LaLa and Erik’s arrival.

Grammy would be happy.

It’s become my new favorite place. England without the pomp and attitude. A sophisticated vacation, but a vacation. No need to keep up, nary a look askance, yet a vibrant, healthy, artistic, European culture all around. A hip food scene, tall, beautiful young people abound, diverse and interesting cuisine, and a very hospitable culture. What’s not to like?

Okay, rainy chilly weather, but not unlike the British Isles. Maybe less English if you travel the country side, but no one wears anything but comfortable shoes, so if your feet don’t hurt because you’re not desperately trying to fit in, you can take the time to use Google Translate.

The architecture, the reverence for art and history, and the pastries — my God the Dutch know how to make dessert — it’s a great place to visit. Can’t wait to make a visit during tulip season, or maybe during the garden tour, or how about the cheese festival? Any excuse — I’m in.

Did I mention that Schiphol airport is all in English and is easy to get around? The train station is in the airport, so you can go to Belgium, France or Germany or the City Centre easily. How about that the cost of food and drink is reasonable? And the Coffee Shops…..

Yeah, I’m totally sold on Amsterdam. I bought a museum pass that’s good for one month and I was going to give it to a tourist before I left, but I decided to keep it. Google flight alerts here I come.

Very sorry to be leaving, but very glad the Barstow’s finally got here!Very little sleep, no change of clothes in 36 hours, but they are Troopers! Immediately got Amsterdam’s best coffee and then got John into his first church, then off to the Bible Museumthen to lunch at the Foodhallen. Interesting how this is a big thing here, but it was really sort of mediocre for an American. Oh well., but we did get Brad to eat some Dim Sum.

Now, if you could have smelled this place… it was cheese heaven!We spent the afternoon in Museumplein with Rembrandt, Frans and Vincent.An evening beer in a very old distillery turned classic Dutch PubA great bartender and a variety of liqueurs and genevers as well as great beer. Heineken tastes different here — in a good way!We capped off the night with Indonesian Rijstaffel! Goat, lamb, chicken, prawn — we did it all.

Love you Amsterdam. We will be back!

So The Barstow’s had a 7 hour delay in Iceland and then bags were lost…. we cancelled Indonesian dinner to wait for them and had dinner at the hotel.Soup salad and steak tartar. Lovely and we stayed dry!

This photo is for Beth and Chuck.This is our hotel bar with 4000 first, signed editions. It seems the hotel is owned by a Dutch publisher. I felt like I was at Chex Christiansen! Needless to say, a bit of Genever and some lively conversations arose with the guests of the “Algonquin” of Amsterdam.

We walked the city today, rain or no rain. Chaz stayed home and did a little shopping around the hotel.We visited the Maritime Museum, which is a great structure built in 1657 as a munitions storage.The Royal barge was pretty cool along with 600 years of sea going history. The 25 minute film was a bust — there’s a reason there are no famous Dutch films.Of course, Brad found a vintage car showroom. Very rare Jaguar caught his eye.

Next up, Rembrandt’s house during his fall from stardom. They do interactive workshops like making the paint he used from clay and minerals.Then there was a demonstration of printmaking from copper plates and a print press styled after a 16th century press.

Okay, so now I’m hungry.Had to have chips with mayo. Brad is now too cold and too wet.

Our best meal on the whole trip — we met Chazy at the Lebanese Sanjeria. My God! Homemade paper thin bread filled with pomegranate marinated meat and hummus, or zaatar and lebany with fresh mint. Doesn’t look like much, but trust me…We squeaked one more Museum in — the Museum of Amsterdam. This whole city was built in about 1600 just as you see it today. It’s so beautiful — even in the rain.And, they know how to take care of old ladies — here’s the Beguinage where older women can still live for free. Retirement in Amsterdam anyone?

Smoked fish is synonymous with Amsterdam, so I had a wonderful, varied plate last night. Herring, salmon, halibut and mackerel. All really delicious.The restaurant was a boutique Italian place with a real farm to table vibe.But before dinner we stopped at the hotel bar and were wowed by Jelmer, a bartender worthy of the Savoy.

I tried the spirit of the country, Genever. Excellent stuff! Smoother than even Irish whiskey, and perfectly blended into an old fashioned.Chaz and Brad kept pace with their respective cocktails and we met a local rum distiller who let us taste his wares. Interesting gentlemen and cocktails.After dinner Chaz and I headed to a Coffee Shop while Brad went back to the bar. Let me just say that I haven’t heard Steely Dan sound like that since 1982.

No photos — no manual dexterity. Let’s just say it was a good time had by all.

Weather in Amsterdam is very changeable. We had an “Orange” warning for the day — 60 mile winds, rain, etc. When you’re given oranges, head to the museums!We headed to the Hermitage Amsterdam for a fabulous tour of this special exhibit. What was even more fascinating, is that this huge, well constructed building was built in 1690 for poor old women. It was used for that purpose until just 50 years ago when it became a museum.

We braved the wind and headed here:The Willet Holthuyssen House. A beautiful home that was left to the city in 1890. The garden was great!

Yes, there is a Museum of Bags and Bags and Purses.And what Trip of ours would be complete with out some feline fancy.

Just an interesting collection of feline paraphernalia along with some cute cats. Yes, I sat and cuddled them.

We decided to go for high tea in a beautiful jewel box of a restaurant.Chazy got a second wind when the weather dramatically improved and we approached Nine Streets, the shopping area.