Aug 31: We started our day by having breakfast with a Cat (we'll go there again tomorrow). Then we continued our day by going to the Anne Frank Museum. We are also reading Anne Franks Diary right now so it was really neat and sad to be walking where Anne Frank had walked. Then we rented bikes and rode across town to the Maritime Museum. The museum was really well done, I'd recommend it. I am so exited to be in Paris tomorrow but we won't arrive until the afternoon. So far Mum likes Amsterdam the most out of all the cities we've been to - just wait till she gets to Paris. Good night all!

Anne Frank museum

feast on the pirate ship at the maritime museum

Aug 30
Today we started off by going for Dutch pancakes at Sara's pancakes. They were good but very big. After the great and big pancakes we took the canal boat to the Riksmuseum, then after lunch we went to the Van Gogh museum which was totally my style! (if you want to see my essay on Van Gogh then write me a comment and I will add it) Then when we got home after some walking we rested for a while before going for dinner at Restaurant Christophe. During dinner there was a very loud lightning storm and pouring rain.

Aug 29:
Our first day in Amsterdam: We settled into out hotel and went for lunch by a canal. We did some window shopping and stopped for an ice cream in a cafe that had a cat sleeping on a table. Then we got on a barge tour, and now we are going for Indonesian food for dinner! All in a days work!

Aug 28:
Today we went to Cafe Metropol next to our hotel and I had a fine coco. Then we were off to the Comic Museum with the history from medieval monks to modern comics and there was lots of Tintin there.  The museum is housed in a Victor Horta, art nuveau building. Next we went to the art museum saw lots of good art including Pieter Bruegel who did scenes of village life in the 1500s with all sorts of funny villagers. After the art museum we saw the Music Instruments Museum. I love music, so I was very exited to be there and it was very cool! 1500 instruments! and music played by many of them for us to hear on headphones. Thats All Folks

 

Belgin beer number 12=Hoogarden

Music museum

Aug 27: So today we were up early to go on a day trip to Bruges, not far from Bruxles. First we stopped at a big and beautiful church with a Michael Angelo sculpture of Madonna and a child.  I lit a candle for Nanu there. After that we went on a boat tour and had lunch at a place that we saw on the tour.  My dad had the Belgin classic of mussels and fries with beer. After lunch we went to the lace museum and then to a chocolate museum. I got to try some really good chocolate. After we got home we went for a foot massage near the station! hope you had as good a day as I did!

Aug 25-26:
Yesterday might have been the worst day of the trip so far. So we got up early and tried to get to our ferry but there was traffic and we missed it. when we got off the next ferry (which was ran late too) we were late for our train and we needed to exchange our tickets, we exchanged them and we were off to a different station because we were at the wrong one. we were supposed to get off at the second stop but we missed that stop and we had to wait for the last stop. Then we had to wait 2 hours till the next train that we almost missed. We got off that train and were lucky to catch a train that was leaving late to Bruxelles. exhausting! Sorry no pics

Now today was big, we went to church in french and we could not under stand, it was kind of fun not understanding anything. We had lunch then lots of chocolate then came home to the hotel for a rest! we were a while at home and after that it was 5ish, but we went off to explore. The first thing we found was a Belgian waffle with strawberys and condensed milk my favourite! We went to Grande Place, to a couple of parks, then we saw a big cathedral with a golden thing with wings at the top that was big, we walked around the Palace Royal, and my favourite part was seeing huge carved chocolate hippos. I love chocolate hippos, I love hippos anyway! and before going home we walked by a bolling alley so we played had a game of bowling.

Aug 24
Today we got up had breakfast, and went punting! daddy is a very good punter. I loved it i could have stayed there for hours on end but we only payed for one hour :(. then we went to the tutor re-inactment with people who taught you how to live in the tutor age! i loved that and i would go again! Near the end of our day we were still in the tutorre-inactment we went to an archery station and some boy about my age tout me how to shoot a bow and arrow! I wasn't so good at that. Ended our day at the Fitzwilliam's museum in Cambridge with lots of coins and artifacts from the period in history we are all listening to podcasts on (Anglo-saxon and Vikings in England).

Punting in Cambridge

Tudor reinactment at Kentwell hall

Tudor stew

Kentwell hall

Isa's Tudor archery practice

Fitzwilliams Mueseum Cambridge

Aug 21-23
So the night in Lumley castle was the worst ever. Besides the ghost stores mum was up late at 12:00 wen there was a black out. Me and daddy were a sleep, and mum got sort of spooked so she woke us up. Dad tried to get the power on but we dint know there was a black out, then the alarm went of and mom and I were spooked out of our socks! Then daddy went out in the pitch dark of the castle to look for help. the only light he had was the dim light of the exit sings he saw nobody and he was completely alone! the next day we were out the door before you could say, rruunn!!! good bye Lumley, and hello york! we walked around town and went to Jamie Oliver's again. Then a viking experience that was cool! we had some sleep to catch up on!
ZZzzzzzzz

York

today I got a stomach bug and we were going to go to the horse racing but i was bed bound!
while daddy was out at the races me and my mom finely got room service.
Then went to a mystery play. I had to go because we bought tickets! But it was good! iyt was tree hours out side and it was sooo cold!!!

Park near Lumley Castle

St John's College Cambridge Eveningsong

St John's College

Cambridge back alley (typical)

Aug 20: Today we went to Durham Cathedral. The cathedral is a beautiful place and big too. Then we went up the tower and there was a breath taking view, we could see the shape of the cross because we were so high. After that we went for a walk and saw the chocolate river (not really chocolate). Then we saw the Castle which is now the college, it looks like the Harry Potter school! We had a really nice guided tour of the castle and we did quite a walk to get there!  

Durham Cathedral 

View from the tower down onto the Cathedral

View of the Castle Hold from the Cathedral Tower

Chocolate river - River Wear

Nice walk - finally some warm weather

Durham Castle

Aug 19
Left Edinburgh in the sun shine and it was horribly rainy this afternoon when we were walking along Hadrian's wall.  The wall was built just after 100 AD by Hadrian's roman army to keep the northern barbarians out.  Lots of sheep near Hadrian's wall but they would not let us pet them.  Then we went to Lumly castle that supposedly has a ghost. i am a little spooked but i really don't believe in evil ghost, but spirits of the deceased could be possible plus I have to sleep here tonight. Not sure if Lumley is named after my grand dad or not.

Trying to get close to sheep

chasing sheep at Hadrian's wall

Lumly Castle 4 poster tonight