A SuitCase to Delft
It’s a town thats a bit off the beaten path. It’s a town that time seems to have forgotten filled with European streets along canals. People rarely drive cars, opting to bike or walk everywhere. The streets are narrow and cobblestone. It is like Venice a bit but right in the middle of Holland
This is an old city. Originally formed 1200 years after Christ walked the earth. It was a tiny rural village that grew over time.
The city had a rough start. In the 1600’s a gun powder store in the middle of the village exploded and it destroyed most of this beautiful little town
There are many churches in this small town, very many churches for a small town and they are all extraordinary and worth a visit
I enjoyed the food in Delft. I only these sandwiches. They were Chicken Swarma sandwiches and were quite tasty. I found a tiny restaurant and that is what I ate for two days straight. The man took 15 minutes to make this sandwich. At first I was annoyed but then I realized he was taking so much time to make it taste perfect.
And then after having that nice healthy meal, I got the best donuts in the world at this place. It was just a big donut truck.
It was a cool autumn day but I walked up and down these beautiful canals walking through neighborhoods and seeing how everyone lived. Everyone was friendly. It was easy to see why. They lived in a beautiful place
At night the cobblestone streets come alive when the street lamps are lit. The city begins to look even older and more interesting.
I highly recommend visiting Delft while you are in Amsterdam or Hague. It is a beautiful place. If you want to check out the gallery of pictures go here – Delft.
The Organ Grinder
In the 19th century street performers had some pretty impressive machines. The street organ in particular is amazing piece of machinery that must have been even more impressive back in a time when even the light bulb had not been invented.
Street Grinders would crank their organs by hand to the delight of crowds passing by. They would collect coins, then pick up their street organ and move somewhere else. Organs could be small and play about 18 notes, or very large like barrel organs.
When in Delft, Netherlands I had the exceptional treat of seeing Dutch Street Organs which are played by music books on rolls that have the notes notched in the paper. As the thick paper hits the note, it makes that note play.
This street grinder was picture perfect. With his puppy, his organ and a fancy tie he sang in french. It was simply amazing.
A Visit to Toronto
Tu and I just got back from our visit to Toronto. I had spent almost a full year in Toronto back in 1999 on a work related project and so I know the city pretty well.
The weather was nice and the last bits of fall still remained. By the time we left, snow was to fall the very next day. Winters can be brutal in Toronto with the temperature falling to -40 with wind chill (and that is bone chilling cold)
The last bits of fall in Toronto before the bone chilling winter begins.
Commuters head to work in early morning Toronto.
One of my favorite parts of Toronto is Tim Horton’s Donuts. They are basically the Dunkin Donuts of Canada except they have great donuts and the coffee is stronger and more European style. Did you know that Tim Horton’s bought Burger King?
There is a restaurant called Frank in the city. It is not my restaurant silly goose. But here I am pretending that it is. We didn’t go inside because it looked to chic for us and we don’t like Chic restaurants.
The most iconic and famous thing about Toronto is the CN Tower. The CN Tower was built for $63 million dollars back in the 1970’s. That’s improbable in today’s standards where the same structure would probably run in the hundreds if not zillions or even billions of dollars. I used to joke with the company that I was working with at the time that the fraud savings we accumulated over the year (about 63mm) was enough to build the CN Tower.
Tu is a big fan of pigeons. They call her the pigeon whisperer because she understand them and can instruct them to do things. One day she will use this super power to take over the world. The pigeons will be her minions of destruction. For the moment however she will continue to foster a loving and parental-like nature.
I liked these little buses in Toronto. They were actually trolleys and they would get you all over the city. These remind me of something a grandpa would be driving and he would say, Hop Aboard Son.
Did I mention that Tu was the pigeon whisperer. Here she is riling them up. She likes a very unpredictable approach when training the pigeons. One moment calming them down, the next moment causing havoc.
There is a neat little train yard just at the foot of the CN Tower. They actually let you board stream trains and poke around bit. We had a great time playing around on those trains and here is Tu with her trusty iPhone. Did you know that last month Tu sent over 3,000 text messages?
This rough and tumble vagrant was spotted wandering down ghetto streets. I wonder if this homeless chap has enough to eat or if he is warm enough. I gave him $2 and he thanked me.
And here is a sweet little shot of a beautiful lady sitting serenely under a lamp, looking up at the lamp wondering where her beloved pigeons are. She realized later that pigeons sleep at night.
Thanks for the memories Toronto. We love your city.
Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red
I am in London this week and took a trip over to the Tower of London to visit the 880,000 individually lit poppies that line the famous moat.
The work which is called, “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” involves an artist, progressively placing individual red poppies in the moat; a single poppy for every British soldier that died in WWI.
It is a pretty touching site to see close to 1 million lit poppies underneath the tower. The project started in August and the artist will finish in 2 weeks time.
Get the Hell out of the Road
I am in Hague this week for work. The Dutch love their bikes and almost everyone here has one. The bikes are cool and vintage style.
You really don’t have to worry about cars hitting you here. When you cross the street, they are quite courteous and stop anytime it looks like you will step out on the street.
Well that would be great however here, people on bikes are maniacs and scream at you anytime you get the slightest bit in their way.
Today, I was walking a tad in the street and the old man yelled something in Dutch and I think it was, “Get the Hell out of the Road You Stupid &^$%$”. I am pretty sure that is what he said.
That’s three times I have been yelled at by bikes in the last 24 hours. I am sure I am not obeying the right laws or people are militant about the right of way for bikes. Whatever they are doing, they are owning the roads so its working.
He yells while he drives his bike like a bat out of Hades
