Cities Visited (with Final H&M Tally)

Here is the final list of the cities we visited on our trip along with the final H&M tally.

cities visited map - final

City: Saw H&M?: Has H&M?:
1. Manchester Yes Yes
2. Amsterdam No Yes
3. Haarlem Yes Yes
4. Brussels Yes Yes
5. Lille Yes Yes
6. Paris No Yes
7. Giverny No No
8. Bordeaux Yes Yes
9. Sarlat No No
10. Nice Yes Yes
11. Venice No Yes (in Mestre)
12. Vienna Yes Yes
13. Budapest Yes Yes
14. Salzburg Yes Yes
15. Munich Yes Yes
16. Zurich No Yes
17. Interlaken No No
18. Bern Yes Yes
19. Hamburg Yes Yes
20. Bacharach No No
21. Arnhem Yes Yes
22. Amsterdam
23. Manchester

We spent mentionable time in 21 cities, and 17 of them had an H&M. I think that confirms my suspicion that H&M is taking over the world.

Click here to see all our photo sets.

Back to the States

After a restless night on an uncomfortable airport chair, I awoke around 4:30 am to hoards of Englishmen pouring into the airport. “Do not bring your luggage on this escalator” repeated every 5-10 seconds. We had no choice but to wake up.

We cleaned up in the bathroom and grabbed some breakfast at a cafeteria-style café upstairs. The cashier girl called me “Love”. It made me smile.

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After killing a couple hours at the café, we checked in for our flight. As we were checking in, the lady behind the counter informed us that a new “departure tax” had been enacted since we purchased our tickets. The tax would be 40 pounds per person. That equates to over 150 US dollars. Yikes!

Our flight departed Manchester at 11:00 am local time and would arrive in Chicago around noon local time. It is going to be a long day.

On the flight we were served two lunches. The first consisted of a salad, cheese and crackers, bread, entrée (chicken, peas, and potatoes), small candy bar, and ice cream. All the portions were very small, but there were so many courses! The second lunch consisted of a sandwich. All the food was quite good.

There were several TV, movie, and game options on the flight. Each seat is equipped with a small screen and a remote/game controller. I played some Super Mario Brothers, then watched Cool Hand Luke. That is a great movie. They just don’t make movies like that anymore. Darcy watched Sponge Bob Square Pants.

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I didn’t sleep the entire flight. Darcy slept about 2-3 hours.

In Chicago, we had to pick up our luggage, go through passport control, then go through customs. I was a bit worried going through customs that we would have to answer a bunch of questions about what was in our luggage. I didn’t want them to take away my wine. We were hardly asked any questions and passed right through.

Next, we had to recheck our bags for the connecting flight to Minneapolis, then go to a different terminal and go through security again in order to get to our gate. At the security checkpoint, my bag was searched because I had chocolates filled with liquid. Luckily, they didn’t confiscate them.

While waiting at the gate for our flight, an announcement was made that they were looking for people to bump to a later flight. The compensation would be a free roundtrip ticket anywhere United flies in the continental US. The bump would be to a flight that leaves an hour later. It was a no-brainer, so now we have two free tickets.

Our flight to Minneapolis was staffed by some weird cabin attendants. One of the announcements over the loudspeaker was as follows:

“Would Hazel Nut and D. Calf please report to their seats? Hazel Nut and D. Calf please report to your seats.”

It was so lame. No one on the plane laughed.

On the flight I was sandwiched between two business types. One played on his SmartPhone, then laptop, then read The Economist. The other tapped away on his PDA with his stylus, then had a Chardonnay, then read Forbes magazine. I didn’t check, but I’m sure they were cyborgs (Tip: The Bluetooth device clipped to the ear gives it away. Please kill me if I ever don one).

We arrived in Minneapolis around 5:00 pm local time. The total time that had passed since we arrived to the airport in Amsterdam is about 30 hours.

After collecting our baggage, we took the train and bus back to Uptown. On the bus, I saw a guy with a hat that had the text “Sortie” on the back. “Sortie” means “Exit” in French. In France, we got used to seeing this in metro stops and train stations. I think his hat had something to do with the Paris metro system. Anyway, I found it ironic.

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Once in Uptown, we walked back to our condo. Everything looks and feels really strange, especially inside our condo. After hopping from city to city and living out of a backpack for a month, it feels strange to have so much space of our own. I’ve always thought that our 600 square feet of living space is small, but right now it feels humongous.

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We spent the rest of the evening unpacking and talking to friends and family. It turns out that the blog and photos have been a big hit. Now, we don’t have to bore people with the details of our trip. Those that care already know everything.

Surprisingly, we stayed up until 10:00 pm. That is equivalent to 5:00 am in Europe. When I finally did go to bed, I fell asleep within seconds.

Tomorrow is Thursday and we don’t have to be back to work until Monday. So that gives us several days to decompress and numb our brains back into the routine. Then, it is back to the rat race.

Click here to see all our Manchester II photos.

Click here to see all our photo sets.

Amsterdam and on to Manchester

We woke up, got ready, and ate our final hostel breakfast. While eating, I reminisced back to a month ago, when I entered the same hostel cafeteria. At that time, I had never before seen a meat and cheese tray set up at a breakfast buffet, and I remember thinking how strange it was. This time, I am a different man, a man wise in the ways of the breakfast meat and cheese tray.

We checked out and walked to a tram stop. I was a little worried that the trams may still not be running because of all the garbage on the tracks. No worries, the system is back up in full force. And so are the city workers, cleaning up the mess from the night before. By the time we were out on the streets, many areas of the city had been cleaned up nicely. Other areas still looked like a garbage dump.

We took a tram to Centraal Station. The plan for the day is to store our packs in a locker at the station, then rent bikes and spend the day in the city. We would have to catch a train for the airport at about 6:00 in order to catch our 9:00 plane to Manchester.

After storing our packs, we rented bikes from Mac Bikes. It was funny to listen to the guys behind the counter grumble about having to work the day after Koninginnedag. They all agreed that they should be given two days off, Koninginnedag and the day after.

These guys at Mac Bikes were so laid back. They just rent bikes all day and talk to interesting people from all over the world. Doesn’t sound like a bad gig. Work just enough to live simply (and no more). Use the rest of your time to live life deeply. Favor quality over quantity in all things. This is how I imagine these guys live. Possibly I’m wrong, but they have inspired me all the same.

Ok, enough philosophy… We rode from Centraal Station in the general direction of the Anne Frank House. On the way, we basked in the beauty of the city. It is quite the experience, biking through the city alongside other cyclists and pedestrians, a much different experience than driving through an American city in a little steel cage. It is more real, more human.

(I am a little depressed as I am actually writing this post in Minneapolis. We had to drive to pick up our cat and the entire experience was miserable. The streets are ugly and overrun with machines. There is no human interaction except for the occasional honk or obscene hand gesture. Is this the society I live in? How depressing!)

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By the way, have you ever seen a parking ramp for bicycles?

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There was a line stretching around the block at the Anne Frank House, so we decided to skip it. We continued riding down the streets and stopped at a fruit stand and bakery for lunch supplies.

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We rode on toward the Rijksmuseum and ate our lunch at the nearby Museum Plein (large, grassy field). Workers were dismantling a stage from a concert the night before. We sat and ate. I was noticing how dry everything looked. We had been to the same spot a month before and the grass was very green. I guess they haven’t received any rain for something like 28 days.

As we ate, a couple sat near us. They rolled a joint, smoked it, then walked away. The philosophy in the Netherlands seems to be “live and let live”. I tend to agree.

After lunch, we visited the Rijksmuseum. The museum is currently undergoing a renovation, so only a small portion of the collection was on display. The Rembrandt’s were incredible! My perception of beauty has really been enhanced from all the art and music I have experienced on this trip.

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After the Rijksmuseum, we rode through Vondelpark and spent some time lying in the grass. As we sat, two women and a child rode up and set up a picnic. It looked very enjoyable. I took random pictures while Darcy took a nap.

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As we were leaving Vondelpark, we witnessed a bike crash into a pedestrian. No one was hurt, but the pedestrian was pissed.

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The rest of the afternoon we spent riding around. I was on the lookout for a bike shop that sold unique bike accessories. We stopped at a few places that offered mainly service. A guy gave us directions to a good accessory shop, but they were closed by the time we arrived.

Next, we stopped for a beer, then started heading back toward Centraal Station. I tried to capture photos of some of the things we saw that day involving bikes.

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A lot of passengers on bicycles ride sidesaddle on the back rack. I have never seen this in the States.

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Many families with small children still use bicycles for transportation. Some bikes are capable of hauling three children. How can they possibly manage without an SUV or minivan?

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People walk dogs while riding a bike.

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I also saw a girl riding a bike while guiding another bike alongside. She was traveling through busy city streets like anyone else with her two bikes.

We returned our bikes to our friends at Mac Bikes, picked up our packs, and caught a train to the airport. Our plane departed from gate D41.

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The service on the KLM flight was excellent! The cabin crew was courteous, beer and wine was free, and we received a little snack on the flight. On our way to Amsterdam from Manchester at the beginning of the trip, we received these delicious gourmet sandwiches, and it was only a one-hour flight. Much different than the level of service you would receive in the States.

We arrived in Manchester at 10:00 pm. Our flight back to the States does not depart until 11:00 the next morning. Since the dollar is so weak against the pound, we decided to sleep in the airport, instead of pay for a room. While we were looking around for a place to park, we saw a bunch of people crowded around a tiny television. A football (American soccer) game was on and the people were cheering loudly in unison at certain intervals. This sport is huge in Europe, and worldwide for that matter.

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I rolled our luggage and Darcy over to the terminal from where our plane would depart. We found a cozy spot (relatively speaking) next to an escalator that constantly repeated “Do not bring your luggage on this escalator”. We did our best to get comfortable and tried to get some rest.

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Click here to see all our Amsterdam II photos.

Click here to see all our Manchester II photos.

Amsterdam on Koninginnedag

The breakfast at our hotel was quite large. They had a spread of bread, toast, fruit, cereal, yogurt, meats, cheeses, bacon, eggs, etc… It was probably the most elaborate breakfast we’ve had the entire trip.

After checking out, we caught a train to Amsterdam. We arrived to Amsterdam Centraal Station to a sea of people wearing orange for Koninginndag (Queen’s Day). We immediately went out to the tram stop to catch a tram to Vondelpark, where our hostel is. At the tram stop, the sea of people continued and no trams were to be seen.

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A guy saw us looking at the schedule. “Where are you trying to go?” he said.

“Vondelpark” I responded.

“The trams are not running here today. Just follow the mass of people. And, good luck finding your way today.”

At the time, I was thinking that he was directing us to the next tram stop since this one was closed for the holiday. As we began walking, I began to grasp the extent of the Queen’s Day party. The sea of orange people stretched through all the streets of the central city and no trams were running anywhere.

So, we did as instructed, and followed the mass with full packs. About this time I’m wishing we didn’t purchase those three bottles of wine in Bacharach. I think my pack has doubled in weight since the beginning of the trip. It probably took us an hour to walk to the hostel through the crowds. I will provide details of the scene later.

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At the hostel, we checked into our room and rested our backs. We had reserved a private room back when we went through Amsterdam at the beginning of our trip. It was very nice.

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Also at the hostel, we purchased some Internet time. I received an email from a co-worker saying he had quit that day. Work is going to be a mess when I get back. I am not looking forward to it. But, for now, I cannot let thoughts of the cubicle taint the pure waters of my sabbatical. It is time to check out the party.

Darcy and I started by walking toward the center of the city, and, as I had mentioned earlier, the party is everywhere. No matter where you go, you hear music. Either it is being pumped from a concert, a bar, someone’s window, or a boat on a canal. The pictures will never fully capture the scene because the music plays such a big part in the atmosphere.

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Party boats are everywhere as well. At one point, we saw a traffic jam of party boats at the intersection of two canals. One boat even had a pole dancer. Crazy!

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On Queen’s Day, the city of Amsterdam lifts their regulations on buying and selling, so the entire city becomes a large flea market. Guys selling knock-offs are set up next to locals selling their used items and some guy trying to sell his handicrafts. I saw a lot of interesting stuff. People were also selling food on the streets. I saw a lady offering a bowl of pasta from a crock-pot for two Euros. I purchased a homemade chocolate chip cookie from a random lady off the street. It was delicious!

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Another interesting sight was two guys partying on the top of a tram shelter. They had a table and chairs, boom box, and cooler. They were up there dancing away when we first saw them. By the time I snapped a photo they were lowering items down to the ground. I think they were getting busted by the authorities.

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Ok, time for the negative. Because of the huge party, the sanitary conditions of the city went down very quickly. Garbage cans were overflowing, along with portable male urinals. Some areas were pretty nasty even in the early afternoon.

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We spent the rest of the day doing as the locals were… partying! The people moved like currents through the streets. It almost felt like we were all on a pilgrimage. To what, I don’t know.

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We returned to the hostel for dinner and a rest. We went back out again at about 9:00 and the city was completely trashed (and so were the people). We had a drink at a pub to try to escape some of the garbage and chaos. While we were there, we witnessed a fight outside the door. Some guy got his ass whopped. There was blood and everything. I hope I never get into a fight. I am a small man.

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We returned to the hostel after we had our fill of debauchery. We kept our window open and I could hear people all night long. What a party!

Tomorrow is the last day of our trip. I am very sad to leave, but I am also ready for some normalcy. Our plane departs Amsterdam for Manchester at 9:00 pm, so we still will have some time to spend in the city tomorrow.

Click here to see all our Amsterdam II photos.

Rhine to Arnhem

We began the day in typical fashion. After checking out, we walked down to the boat landing where our river cruise was to depart. We had about an hour to kill, so I tried to snatch WiFi in the same spot we had snatched it yesterday. The network was nowhere to be found.

We boarded our cruise ship and grabbed a couple sunny spots on the deck. It was quite a bit chillier on the water. I forgot that the Rhine flows north, so we will be traveling downstream toward Cologne.

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Our ship departed Bacharach at 10:15 am, and it is scheduled to arrive in Cologne at 8:00 pm. Hmmm… that might be a little too much boat cruise for me. We may get off at Koblenz instead and take a train from there. Our boat is scheduled to arrive in Koblenz at 1:10 pm.

On the stretch from Bacharach to Koblenz, we saw numerous castles, vineyards, and a hang glider. We also passed by the famous Loreley Rock.

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At Koblenz, we got off the boat. There were too many picture-taking tourists (like me) and silver-haired folk for my liking.

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By this time, we were quite hungry. We stopped at a nice sit-down restaurant and sat down on the patio. The server came by several times, tending to other tables. We sat there for about 15 minutes until another couple sat down at a table near us. They were greeted and presented menus within minutes. What is up with that? The server must not have liked the looks of us with our backpacks and my scruffy beard. I sense that we are not wanted here. We got up and left immediately.

The train station was a short bus ride away. Near the station were several casual restaurants. We found a place that was more our style. We ate lunch, then looked around for an Internet café. It is like a never-ending quest, trying to find Internet.

We never did find an Internet café in Koblenz, so we hopped a train for Cologne. At Cologne, we immediately hopped another train toward Amsterdam. Today is April 29, so it is the eve of Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day) in the Netherlands. Our goal is to make it to Arnhem or Utrecht before dark.

Our train to Amsterdam was very large and nearly full. Right near the Germany, Netherlands border the train stopped. After a few minutes, an announcement was made that there were some battery problems, but we would be on our way in about ten minutes. Twenty to thirty minutes passed and another announcement was made. We were told that the train we were riding is not allowed to enter the Netherlands, so we have to disembark and board a different train that they are sending. That train wouldn’t arrive for another twenty minutes. As an alternative, a smaller local train will be coming by shortly that will go to Arnhem, then we can make connections from there. Of course, everyone wanted to get on the local train, so it was packed. Fortunately, Arnhem was only a short distance away.

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We decided to stay in Arnhem for the night. We checked into a hotel right near the train station then went out to soak up the festivities on the eve of Koninginnedag.

Wow! This is awesome! There is music and people everywhere. It looks like the entire city is taking part in the festivities. Darcy and I walked through the city center and there were probably seven different musical acts or DJs that we passed by. There was everything from pop to techno to disco to folk.

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I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like this in the States. Yes, I have seen large parties and festivals, but they are usually concentrated at a single venue. This party stretches through the streets of the entire city. I guess you probably would never see anything like this in the States simply because we do not have compact walkable cities. A party like this would require shutting down an entire downtown to auto traffic. Not likely, and even if it happened the setting would not be the same. In one of my favorite locations, a small stage was set up in a tiny street about fifteen feet wide. It was like a little alley concert.

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We walked, we drank, we watched a lady in white tights dance to funk music, we listened to a band cover the Bee Gees, we listened to another band cover Bob Dylan. It was a great time. I also had my first experience with a portable urinal device. Pretty gross, but very utilitarian.

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Tomorrow morning we will travel to Amsterdam and spend Koninginnedag there. I understand it is going to be crazy.

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Click here to see all our Rhine photos.

Click here to see all our Arnhem photos.