(Story 11) Bullfrog's (AKA Gordy Snyder) really great world tour. Spain, Germany and The Netherlands | |
Story 1 | Story 2 | Story 3 | Story 4 | Story 5 | Story 6 | Story 7 | Story 8 | Story 9 | Story 10 | |
Over the
Pyrenees Mountains to reach Bilbao, Spain
Right. |
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A "Spartan
room" at the Hotel Andrea, Derio, Spain compared to others that I've stayed in.
Right. The Faro de Machichaco lighthouse is high above the waters of the Atlantic. I had to walk through heavy underbrush and "stickers" to get a picture with the ocean in the background. |
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The graceful,
flowing lines of the Bilbao airport. Somewhere, there's a package that I misplaced.
Right. |
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Landing in
Frankfort, Germany.
Right.
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Landing in
Hamburg, Germany.
Right. |
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The hat makes
its final appearance for this trip.
Right.
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Warehouses from
the 1800s along the docks of Hamburg are being renovated into modern apartments and condominiums. |
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Description below in green. |
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In Hamburg, you
must insert a 1 Euro coin into the slot to release the chain which allows taking the lorry. Return it and get your money back. People leave the carts; others gather and return then, pocketing the money for themselves. Leave it to the Germans.
Right. |
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Interesting
land-canal patterns as we approach Amsterdam.
Right. |
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Beyond a shadow
of a doubt, we're about to land.
Right. |
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Amsterdam
Schiphol airport is also a major railway station.
Right. |
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The Holiday Inn, IJmuiden (the "J" is silent) earns my vote for the best water temperature controls for taking showers the entire trip. The water volume is controlled on the left and the temperature on the right. Great engineering. |
The view from Room 301 of the Holiday Inn. |
The 670-foot long Seven Seas Voyager sailing out of Nassau made a 180 degree turn-around in the basin of the harbor of IJmuiden and reversed into the dock. |
The A22 tunnel under the Noordzeekannal. |
Wind generators
are found throughout Holland.
Right. |
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A 27 km long
dike commects Noord-Holland with Fryslan. Numerous joggers and bicyclers
were seen along the wide, paved footpath alongside the roadway.
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A lovely place to own a boat on a canal in Harlingen. |
Trains are a
popular way to travel between cities in Holland.
Right.
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Happy cows give
good milk.
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Description below in green. |
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Yes, there are working windmills in Holland. I did not, however, see anyone wearing wooden shoes. | |
Description below in green. |
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Street
cars operate throughout Amsterdam.
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An
interesting pattern was made by the gangways used for boarding passengers.
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Over New Foundland at 36,000 feet; about 3 hours remaining until landing at Washington, DC. |
Security at Dullas International Airport included a dog trained to locate "contraband" in luggage. The puppy "found" a banana in my carry-on bag. I ate the fruit during the flight yet the scent remained. | |
Slow
and inefficient people-movers transport passengers between terminals at
Dullas. A subway system is under construction.
Right. |
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Dullas was, without a
doubt, the worst airport the entire trip. The "connecting-flight" Terminal G was over-crowded and hot, flights were late or cancelled, and passengers were asked to give up seats because of "over sold" conditions. Passengers who missed flights said that it took upwards of 1-1/2 hours to clear through security. I had about 1-1/2 hours between flights; I was to meet my brother, Harvey, in the main terminal. The guards told me not to do it, that I would never get back in time for the flight to Pittsburgh. I remarked to a pilot that the architects should go to China or Malaysia to see how to design an airport. |
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Scally's driving range just outside the eastern boundary of Pittsburgh International Airport. Home! |