The arrival of my family in Amsterdam
Day 1
The time had finally come! My family arrived in Amsterdam! I was an hour early to meet them at the
airport – obviously J I stood there thinking that airports are the
one place where people are at their happiest, but also at their saddest… Tears were flowing as loved ones met up with
each other J I found myself tearing up, just seeing how
happy some of the other people were to see their loved ones!
We had a lazy day in Amsterdam, settling everyone in,
getting rid of the jetlag ect. I took my
father and brother to watch the Springboks take on England at Coco’s
(Australian Pub) in Amsterdam.
Day 2 – Father’s day
For Father’s day, we did something totally
different… We hired a boat, and cruised
along the canals of Amsterdam… My
brother was the “Captain” and for two hours we enjoyed the bit of sunshine, and
had a picnic on the canals… Nothing like
champagne in a paper cup J After this we made a stop at Rembrandtplein
for a Starbucks coffee… The Starbucks at
Rembrandtplein is really something to see, as everything in the café is made of
recycled materials (GREEN store)… From
here, we made our way to the Pathe (one of my favourite places in Amsterdam),
as it was an old opera house, converted into a movie theatre… We saw Snow White and the Huntsman – a good
afternoon out! If you ever get the chance to come to Amsterdam, this is
something I would strongly recommend!
But sit on the balcony – it will be an experience you will remember for
the rest of your life! The Sunday
evening, we went for a pizza at De Italiaan…
It is a smallish Italian restaurant, hidden away from the tourist
eye… Awesome atmosphere, great pizza J
Day 3 – Volendam
We got an early start, and got a bus to Volendam (one of
the small fishing villages half an hour from Amsterdam)… In this little town, people still dress up in
full Dutch “gear” – Klompe (wooden shoes); skirts; aprons; caps on their heads
ect J There are a few stores where you, yourself
can go into, and get dressed in the original Dutch wear, and then take your
photo… The Hugo’s gave this one a skip,
much to my sisters’ disappointment… We
went for a coffee at the only hotel in Volendam… One of my colleagues recommended this. It is said that in the olden days, people did
not have money to stay at this hotel, and had to give the hotel owner a
painting / picture, as payment to stay there…
When you enter this small and unique hotel, you go into a room, filled
with paintings of all different shapes and sizes… The walls are covered from top to
bottom! Really something cool to see J
We took a ferry from Volendam, to Marken – a small
island, where Klompe (Old traditional Dutch Shoes) is still being made, and
cheese tasting is at the order of the day…
We walked around, saw a local “Dutch home – as in the olden days”, and
tried some poffertjies (this is something like small pancakes (American style)). One of the things you have to try when
visiting Volendam / Marken…
Day 4 – Amsterdam
By 08:45 me, my mom and sister, were in the queue for our
visit to the Anne Frank House… For
those of you who are not familiar with her story – here is a small
summary… Anne Frank and her family were
forced into hiding during the summer of 1942.
Jews feared for their lives, as the Nazis (under the ruling of Hitler),
took them into Concentration camps, where most of them died a sinless death… Anne Frank and her family hid in a secret
Annex for 2 years (together with another family) – fearing for their lives, and
being discovered… When you visit the
Anne Frank House, you get to see where they hid for two years… How small their house was, how limited their
facilities… You also get to experience
how quiet they needed to be, because evening treading lightly on the wooden
floor, it makes the loudest noise… This
is one of the attractions in Amsterdam where you will ALWAYS encounter a
line… It is something which amazes me,
every time… I do not think our minds
will ever be able to grasp what the people went through! Or how tough those times were… Some quotes which stood out for me, to give
you some understanding of this is the following…
“To build a future, you have to know the past..." – Otto Frank
“I wish I could go outside, and ride my bike and …. – Anne Frank
For lunch we tried out the Bierfabriek… We had some burgers, and the guys tried out
the beers that were offered… I surprized
my mom and sister with tickets to the Concertgebouw, where we saw the symphonic
orchestra playing the works of Beethoven…
It is amazing to see so much talent in one room!! Really felt blessed to experience and share
something that beautiful with your loved ones…
Day 5
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| Awesome sunset! |
We got up at 04:30 to get on the bus for the
Airport… Next stop was Barcelona! J We went from an ice cold Amsterdam (18
degrees) to a humid 35 degrees in Barcelona!!
It was extremely hot when we arrived there… We went to drop our bags at our hotel, and
then went to explore Montjuïc. To reach
this mountain top, you need to get on a train, and then a cable car… We saw the most magnificent views of
Barcelona from the top… Montjuïc was
previously a jail (built in a castle form)…
We walked around the grounds, and had lunch at the top… I walked around there thinking – if these
walls could talk… I do not think we can
even start to imagine the things that happened within those walls… |
| Can u say Sangria!?! |
We went for an afternoon nap after that and
the evening we went for Sangria and some Spanish food at a restaurant called
Foc (close to the beachfront in Barcelona)…
We watched the sun set over Barcelona – check this awesome pic!
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| At the beach in Barcelona! |
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| Sagrada Familia |
Day 6
We hopped on a hop on hop off tour this morning and
explored Barcelona… One thing which I
would really recommend is Antonio Gaudi’s - Sagrada da Familia… He designed and oversaw the work that was
being done there… When someone asked him when
it will be done, he laughed saying – My Client (God) has all the time in the
world… I want it perfect… The detail you will see in that place is mind
blowing! Jesus was 33 years old when he
died, and Gaudi used the number 33 everywhere in the construction ect… You have to look for it carefully to spot it
though J
Day 7
We boarded Serenade of the Seas – a surprise cruise for
my mom to celebrate her 50th birthday… The boat sailed during the night, and you
would arrive in a new country every morning…
You then have the day time to explore the cities by doing excursions or
by just exploring it by yourself…
Day 8
On our first day we arrived in Cannes (The South of
France)… The Cannes film festival is
held here on a yearly basis… My family
went on an excursion to Monaco and Monte Carlo, but since I already visited
this, I went on an excursion by myself to explore the Provence Countryside… We visited two quaint towns in Provence... Our guide told us that this is where olive
oil is made and to assess the quality of the olive oil, you have to look at its color… If it is yellow, it is not olive
oil… It needs to be a green color When olives go through a press, 50% is water;
30% is waste, and only 20% are usable for the oil… This is part of the reason why olive oil is
so expensive… I wandered through the
towns feeling extremely blessed! I saw
three wedding parties, getting ready for the big day… These are small picturesque villages, with
small stone chapels… We walked passed a
café, and saw that they kept the wine cool by putting it in the fountain J … It was extremely hot!
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| loving Provence! |
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| wine kept cool in the fountain! |
Day 9 – San
Giminano and Volterra
This morning we arrived in Italy, and our family went to
go and explore the Tuscan countryside…
Our first stop was San Giminano – a mid-evil village in Tuscany… It is amazing to see that places like this
still exist! The whole town are built
within the town walls… So you arrive
there seeing a castle like building, but when you enter through the gates,
there is a whole village located on the inside!
We wandered around, exploring the little stores, and had Gelato at a
small ice cream place who won the world championship for the best Gelato in the
world…
After San Giminano, we stopped on a pure Italian wine
farm, run by the Owner Pierre Luigi… The
farm has been in his family for decades, and he welcomed us with a wine tasting
(which he himself presented), as well as his mother’s famous lasagne! We tasted Kianti, as made by them, and a
desert wine, famous in Italy - Vinsanto... He is a spirit which I
will remember for a very long time… I
learned that there is no specific combination of wine and food… It should only be about what YOU enjoy
most… Something which is very special,
is that the owner of the farm, takes charge of doing the whole wine tasting
with the group… He is so humble, it was
really refreshing! He is a true
inspiration for each and everyone of us – how to live life to the fullest, and
to be humble…
Volterra was our next stop… This is where New Moon was filmed… Another mid-evil town in Tuscany… My sister was on cloud number 9, as she was
able to see where her favorite movie was filmed…
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| feeling the love in san giminano... |
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| Pierre Louigi in action... |
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| Pierre Louigi's farm in the Tuscan countryside... |
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| Volterra |
Day 10
When in Rome… One
of my favorite cities in the whole world, was our destination for my mom’s
birthday J It was extremely hot, and a bit of a rush,
but still a huge blessing! We started
off at the Colosseum, walking where the gladiators had their fights, and where
the spectators sat to watch the entertainment…
Our second stop was the Trevi Fountain…
This was a bit of a disappointment, as they were busy doing maintenance
work and there were no water in the fountain…
The afternoon we went to the Vatican, and the Cistene Chapel, as well as
St Paul’s Bascilica… We saw the famous
work of Michael Angelo... In the Cistene Chapel, the
whole roof consists of the original painting of Michael Angelo… He starts off by painting the start of the
Creation of the Earth, Adam and Eve, and it ends off showing the crucifying of
Jesus Christ… It is amazing to see
someone being able to capture all this, in a single painting…
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| Colosso! |
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| when in Rome! |
We saw the Holy Door at St Paul’s Basilica… We learned that the door only opens every 25 years,
and it is a belief by some of the Catholics, that if they pass through this
door, and listen to a mass, all your sins will be forgiven… I wish that they knew that all you need to
do, is to pray for forgiveness for your sins, and give your heart to
Jesus… Nothing more is needed… The Holy Door will be opened by the Pope in
2025 again… They said that when the Holy Door is opened, you can expect to wait
for 2 hours on a good day, up until 4 hours and more…
Day 11
Athens…
Greece… We arrived to yet another
HEAT WAVE of a day… Our tour took us to
the Acropolis and we had the opportunity to walk where Peter (the Apostle
walked… Everything is made out of marble
– an amazing structure, which I will remember forever… We walked up all the steps, and enjoyed the
magnificent views from there, over the whole of Athens…
After our visit to the Acropolis, we went for a bus tour
through the town, seeing Haydrians Arch ect. We
visited the Plaka (Greek shopping village), and browsed the stores… It is amazing how they work… You need to bargain for the prices… Something I really struggle to do, as I feel
this is someone’s bread and butter… But
yes, when in Greece…
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| Acropolis... |
Day 12
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| Mary's house |
Next stop was Kusadasi in Turkey… When I thought of Turkey, I had an image of
Iran / Iraq in my mind… Days before we
arrived an aeroplane of Turkey, was shot down by Syria, so there was tons of
rivalry going on… I was a bit scared
before we got there that this might affect us…
I cannot tell you how surprised I was with Turkey! It was an amazing experience! We saw the house of Mary Magdalene (Jesus’s
mom), walked through old Ephesus, and saw the church of John the Apostle It was AMAZING!! I felt truly blessed walking there… We got a clay pot which we were able to fill
with holy water running at Mary’s house…
Mary’s house is built at the top of a hill… The story is told that years ago, a runaway
fire started on the mountain… The people
prayed, and just before the fire reached Mary’s house, the wind turned, and the
house was saved… AMAZING! There is a lot of testimonies of miracles
happening there…
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| prayer requests at Mary's house... |
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| Efesus... |
There is also a wall where people come and put in their
prayer requests… I add a photo of this
below…
Day 13
Santorini was created through an eruption of a volcanic
island in 1450 BC. In 1956 Santorini was
devastated by an earthquake and Fyra was rebuilt and engraved into the volcanic
cliffs… It is said to be one of the
most beautiful of all the Greek islands…
All the buildings are white washed with deep blue rooftops.
We had a wine tasting, as they specialize in producing
wine in Santorini… After this we
wandered around the city, exploring the local stores, and just enjoying the
magnificent views from the island over the ocean…
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| Santorini |
Day 14
I had the opportunity of a lifetime – to climb Mount
Vesuvius… active volcano which last
erupted during 1944. We visited Pompeii
before doing the hike up Mount Vesuvius…
It was VERY humid, and VERY hot!!
They took us for the hike during the warmest time of day – 12:30!! The humidity was something like you will
experience in Durban – 50% + and a good 35+ degrees! We reached the top, to see the crater, and
lots and lots of Lava ash… It was
amazing to see a volcano up close! Something
I will definitely remember for the rest of my life… Some of the people on our trip did not make
it up, as the temperature and the steep climb was too strenuous for them… My shoes took a beating, as the rubber from
the tekkies, came loose, as it was too hot and humid J They say that Vesuvius is currently dormant
volcano, but they say it has the ability to wipe out the entire town, should it
become active again… They also fear, as
the population are so much bigger currently when compared to 1944, that they
would not be able to evacuate everyone in time, when they get sighting of the
volcano becoming active again…
