Holland comes to an end

Well my time in holland and europe is drawing to a close. I had a wonderful time in holland and it was my favorite country on the trip. The culture, food, and people we all wonderful.  Highly recommended to anyone interested! Kehli was a great host as were her coach and teammates. I am on my way to paris now and will see the sites there for a few hours. I will grab a bite then head to the airport for an 8 am local time flight. Stay tuned for the last details and photos from holland as well as my US side of things over the next few weeks!

Utrecht

The other day we went to Utrecht. A beautiful little city with canals running through it. Kehli did some shopping and then we had lunch at an Italian place by the water. After lunch we took a paddle boat ride through the canals which was a lot of fun because we got to see the city from a different perspective. After stroopwaffle mcflurries we headed back to the train. That night we went to a festival in a field just outside of Den Bosch With Kehlis roommates.  It was a blast listening to the music and getting to hang out with her friends. Today we are heading to eindhoven!

Amsterdam

Yesterday Kehli and I went to Amsterdam. We took the train into town then took the bus across the river. Over there we did a 75 minute all you can eat pancake cruise. It was an interesting way to see the city. Without knowing you are in Amsterdam it would be nearly impossible to tell that there is even a city there. After the cruise we took a bus back into the city. There we saw the flower market which was mostly bulbs and cannabis starter kits. From there we walked to the Heineken store and had a beer and watched a street dancing group perform. We then made our way to the House of Bols. I had never heard of Bols liquor before but apparently it is one of the oldest distilleries in the world. Their Genever liquor is the precursor to gin. Gin came about when the English tried to copy Genever and failed to be able to recreate the triple distilled wine malt that is in Genever. After a tour through the museum we got a tasting and a cocktail. It was delicious. From here we made our way back to the train station and Den Bosch.

This morning we went for a run, sat by the lake, and then went for lunch. After a bit of relaxation we will cook dinner and go out for a few drinks tonight. We are planning on heading up to Utrecht tomorrow and possibly Eindhoven on Sunday.

Rain rain rain

The weather so far in holland has been awful. We have pushed through some though! The past few days have been spent taking in Den Bosch and kehlis day to day life. Tonight we are going to an all you can eat Cuban place. I ran around town this morning which was nice because it was the first time I have ran since I got to Europe. The plan for the rest of the week is to go to Amsterdam tomorrow,  Utrecht on Friday or Saturday, and rent a bike on Sunday and monday. It is truly incredible how everyone bikes around and the way that everyone dresses so nicely. Quite different from the US!

Trains and holland!

Well yesterday was 14 hours and 5 countries of trains. Switzerland takes the prize for having the best trains I experienced. I trained from Wengen to Lauterbrunenn to interlaken to basel to Strasbourg and metz in france. From metz I went to luxembourg city then to Brussels in belgium. From Brussels I went to roosendaal then to den bosch where kehli lives. There is a fair in town for the next ten days just for me I think. It is a bustling little city. Today we went for a walk and food shopping and got caught in a storm on the way back to where she lives.

She is living in her coaches house with a few other girls on the team. We are cooking salmon for dinner tonight then will go out for a drink or two. On Wednesday we will check out amsterdam so stay tuned for that! Other than that day we don't have any plans except to relax and me to see her life here!

The photos are again explanatory, but the one of the food was all the leftovers from switzerland thst I ate all day on the train! Very delicious.

Thursday and friday

Yesterday was another lazy rest day! After our long hike our legs were pretty beat and we had plans to do another long hike Friday so we decided to hang around town. We did some souvenir shopping and got pastries from the bakery. After another lovely dinner we went to a Swiss folk night. We saw dancers and all sorts of musicians as well as cow bell players. It was very cool!

Today, Friday, we hiked up to Maanlichen and over to Klein Sheidegg then back to Wengen. The hike up was UP. There were certainly a few nerve racking parts where we were on the edge. At a certain point above the tree line we were walking through the massive steel fences that stop avalanches. From Maanlichen to Kleine Scheidegg was a lovely "panorama" trail that over looked the valley that Grindelwald is in. We stopped for lunch in Kleine Scheidegg then walked back to Wengen via a bit of the Lauderhorn trail. The Lauberhorn is the longest ski race on the World Cup tour and it is held in the middle of January. Speeds reach 150 160 km per hour and it is completed in around 2 or 3 minutes. It is extremely steep and needless to say it didn't take us 2 or 3 minutes to walk it.

Tonight we will have dinner then relax by the pool and sauna. Tomorrow we are on the 5:12 am train out of Wengen on the way to Holland.

The pictures are mostly self explanatory. The picture of the towns are Wengen and Lauterbrunenn from Maanlichen. They look like one town from so high but the houses in Lauterbrunenn are smaller since Wengen is higher on the mountain. The picture of the map of the Lauberhorn trail is in Kleine Scheidegg pointing to the start. At all important turns and sections they have a sign describing the part.

Tuesday and Wednesday

The past few days have been cloudy and on and off rain. Yesterday was a very relaxing lazy day. Following breakfast we took a little hike around town. I enjoyed a massage in the afternoon then we hit the steam room and sauna. Following dinner we went out for a few drinks.

Today was a long hike up to Kleine Scheidegg.  the altitude difference is 4200 feet in Wengen to 6800 feet in Kleine. We enjoyed a crepe and hot chocolate as it was at just about freezing. The hike down was beautiful. The most amazing greys and blues were in the cliff w walked across from. When we got back we went cross bow shooting. I better watch out because kehli can shoot! Tonight we will enjoy another great meal and relaxing evening.