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The Keukenhof – Holland’s Incredible Botanical Gardens
In the previous post we finally got underway on our bike and barge tour of Holland with Cycletours. We boarded the Zwaan in Amsterdam and made our way to the city of Haarlem where we moored for the night. Today we are going to visit the Keukenhof gardens at the height of spring bulb season. […]
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The Zwaan – Our Home Away from Home in Holland
In a previous post I explained how we came to decide upon Cycletours for our bike and barge tour of Holland which we are starting today. We have just finished two glorious days in Amsterdam visiting the Van Gogh and Rijksmusuem as well taking a boat cruise on the city’s famed canals. Now it was […]
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Rijksmuseum, Rembrandt & the Five Flies Restaurant
In my previous post I described our first day in Amsterdam which included a visit to the Van Gogh Museum and a boat ride through the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site canals. Day 2 in Amsterdam promises to be just as interesting with a tour of the world famous Rijksmuseum, a visit to Rembrandt’s house, […]
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Amsterdam First Impressions – Blooms, Bikes and Boats
In my previous post I explained why we were coming to the Netherlands for a bike and barge tour and today it’s finally time to fly to Amsterdam. After a minor scare that we would miss the flight from Newark to Amsterdam because the Halifax/Newark flight was delayed three hours, it turned out we had […]
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Cycletours – Preparing for a Bike and Barge Tour to the Netherlands
In my last post I wrote of being a week away from our bike and barge tour of the Netherlands and the level of expectation that was building, especially when I saw pictures of the Keukenhof gardens in spring bloom. In this post I’ll explain why I chose Cycletours as the company to lead us […]
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The Netherlands – Visions of Keukenhof Dancing in My Head
Just like Gordon Lightfoot I’m staring at the early morning rain pouring down for what seems like the umpteenth weekend in a row, but unlike old Gordie I do have some place to go. The coffee shops of Amsterdam beckon and I am buoyed by the knowledge that a week from today Alison and I […]
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Boston – How to Get the Most Out of a Three Night Visit in Winter
We’d had enough of the shitty Nova Scotia weather so a road trip was in order. I bought some Bruins tickets on line (more expensive than Leaf tickets if you can believe it), booked a room for three nights at the Battery Wharf Hotel and hit the road. Listening to Harlan Coben’s excellent thriller Six […]
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Skating Across Nova Scotia – How to Do it in One Day
Here’s a story I wrote about an adventure I participated in a few years ago when my legs could still skate for six hours straight. That’s the kind of endurance you require if you want to try skating across Nova Scotia in one day. Sounds impossible? Here’s why it’s not. If you are a cross-country […]
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The Restigouche – Three Days of Paddling this Famous River
The Restigouche is one of Atlantic Canada’s fabled salmon rivers. At the right time of year a long section of the river from the confluence of the Kedgwick to the mouth of the Upsalquitch is virtually a deserted wilderness. It’s usually easy paddling, with no portages and only the occasional stretch of very mild white […]
From the road
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April 20th, 2023
I’ve had a bad case of writer’s block since getting back from Southeast Asia, but I did finish this post on the fan… https://t.co/HoJjP4jeha
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April 12th, 2023
One of the main reasons to visit the Galapagos is to see the giant tortoises. This latest post explains where you c… https://t.co/mQ8PWha8j3
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April 11th, 2023
Spring is very late this year so it’s nice to see the crocuses finally show up. https://t.co/7HD6wvsEJ6
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April 9th, 2023
Sunday morning is a good time to reflect back on another Sunday in Reading, England which I wrote about here:… https://t.co/EJ4Is2NSqz