Images of Northern Wales

Trearddur Bay Hotel
Wandering Trearddur Bay
Beaumaris Castle - the perfect castle design

Penrhyn Castle - once a home
Castle Hotel - within the walls of Conwy
Plas Mawr - just steps from the Castle Hotel

Bodnant Gardens - one of the most beautiful in the UK
Trefriw Mills - family owned since 1859
Ples Maenan - what a view!

A beautiful drive through Snowdonia National Park
Portmeirion - a magical place
View from our window at Portmeirion

The historic Bala Lake Railway
Ruthin Castle Hotel
Ruthin Choir rehearsal

Cornerstones B&B
Canaling in Llangollen
Corn Mill Restaurant in Llangollen

Images of Dublin

Sweet Molly Malone
The River Liffey
Christ Church

The Post Offfice with a musuem
Guinness
Kilmainham Prison

Leprechaun Museum
The Taste of Dublin
Cooking with Catherine Fulvio

A hooley at Johnnie Fox's
Ritz Carleton in Wicklow
The River Walk at Powerscourt

Amsterdam and Beyond

Kikker- our houseboat
Small but comfy
Raising the bridge

Land of windmills
Beautiful homes along the canal
Kuekenkof tulips

Amsterdam
Anne Frank House
Red Light District

Van Gogh Musuem
Picturesque houses along the city's canals
Bols Cocktail Musuem

Amsterdam has something that will appeal to every visitor. With Europe’s largest historical inner city Amsterdam is easy and comfortable to explore without becoming overwhelming.

1. First stop: Stop by the Amsterdam Tourist office to purchase your I-Amsterdam City Card. Included is a Smart Card for free public transportation, free admission to some of the most popular attractions, discounted offers on other attractions and restaurants. It is available for one, two or three days.
2. Second Stop: Near the tourist office is the Holland International Canal Cruise dock. The one hour boat tour of the canals offers an excellent overview passing by mansions, churches and warehouses from Holland’s Golden Era.
3. Old Church: The city’s oldest monument and first parish church is Oude Kerk. Admire the beautiful stained glass windows in the Lady Chapel, the 1724 organ, and look for the grave of Saskia, Rembrandt’s wife, who is just one of the many buried in the church floor.
4. Church in the Attic: The chapel is located on the top floor of what was once a private home of a wealthy Catholic merchant named Jan Hartman. Catholic Mass was outlawed in Amsterdam in 1578 when the city became Protestant. However, Protestant authorities tended to be tolerant of private Catholic worship as long as it was kept hidden.
5. Anne Frank: Deeply moving is the story of Anne Frank who with her family and the Van Pels Family remained hidden from the Germans for 25 months during World War II. Only her father survived the war. Anne died in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp at the age of 15 just weeks before the camp was liberated.
6. Van Gogh: The Dutch have more than their fair share of famous artists including Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Vincent Van Gogh. The Van Gogh Museum has the most comprehensive collection of his work. Works of other artist are also on display.
7. Family: From a zoo to adventure lands to boat rides to Madame Tussaud’s there is plenty to keep families occupied for days. However, not to miss is NEMO, the science and technology center. Besides the hands-on activities there are great views from the deck of the ship-like structure.
8. Bols: Discover the world behind genever and liqueurs at the House of Bols, one of the world’s oldest distilleries. Experience the unique taste experiment in The Hall of Taste and visit the Flair Booth to practice your bartending skills. At the end of the short tour enjoy a cocktail of your choice.
9. Take a break: Consider combining location and history with a stop at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. Their lounge is perfect for afternoon tea or luscious hot chocolate on a cool or rainy day. Located in a building which dates to 1865 the Lounge offers a fantastic view of bustling Dam square.
10. Dining out: From Dutch pancake houses to the Hard Rock Café the dining options are numerous. For that special night out head to the Café In de Waag in Nieuwmarkt. Originally built in 1488 as the Weigh House the restaurant is aglow with 300 candles creating a unique atmosphere.

In keeping with Amsterdam’s long tradition of tolerance there is a Red Light District and marijuana use is overlooked but street prostitution and hard drugs are illegal. However, they are just small facets of a city filled with great art, beautiful houses, 47 miles of canals, and friendly people. For more information on Amsterdam and the Netherlands check www.iamsterdam.com, www.holland.com or call the Netherlands Board of Tourism in New York City at 212-370-7360.

Traveling in Turkey

Istanbul sights: The Blue Mosque, the Spice Market, the Cistern

Antalya sights: View from our Divan Room, Archeological Museum, Kaleici Museum

Sights to see in Kas: Amphitheater, Lycian tomb, harbor sights

Turkbuku: view from our Divan room, Bodrum Castle, Learning about Meze

House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, from our room at Radisson Blu, Cesme

There are times when I think a hotel sets the mood for a destination especially with a city hotel, which are often cramped and noisy. In Istanbul we lucked out by staying at the Barcelo Eresin Topkapi. It was reasonable for a 5-star hotel plus it included an expansive international buffet breakfast and had a spa with an indoor swimming pool. The best part was the location, which was quiet and next to the remains of the city walls built about 1700 years ago. I find city walls amazing in size and scope plus the fact that the massive remnants are still standing after so many years. I guess people have always been afraid of attacks. I liken the walls to the Home Land Security in the United States today.

The tram stop was across the street from the Barcelo making it easy to explore a different part of the city each day. The historic center has the most popular tourist sites including the impressive Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. We visited them when we were in Istanbul in the 1980s. This time I was most impressed with the Basilica Cistern, which was not open to the public during our last visit. It seems that in antiquity they built things to last. Emperor Justinian built the cistern system in 532 to store water for the palaces and surrounding buildings. The cistern is 470 by 215 feet. The roof is supported by 336 massive columns. Water was delivered though 12 miles of aqueducts.

One of the best views of the city is from atop Galata Tower built in 1348. From the tram stop we took a funicular to the top of the hill and walked down to the tower. An elevator took us nearly to the top where a winding staircase led to the narrow walkway that circles the top. The last time we visited Galata we were the only tourists and we got lost trying to find our way back to the main road so this time I paid special attention to the streets radiating from the tower so we wouldn’t get lost. It didn’t work. Medieval streets twist and turn but we kept heading down toward the water until we found our tram station.

Istanbul developed because of its location on the waterways connecting the Mediterranean with the Black Sea so it seemed only right to view the city from the water. We took two boat trips. One was a sightseeing tour that traveled along the European side of Istanbul and returned along the Asian side. Istanbul is a city that straddles two continents connected by bridges and ferryboats. Another day we took a four-hour ferryboat to the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara for two dollars. During the Byzantine period royalty were exiled on the islands giving them their name. Later Ottoman sultans were also exiled there. The boat stopped at four islands. There are no cars on the islands making them a welcome respite from car-clogged Istanbul. It was a beautiful sunny day and the ride was very relaxing.

We were very pleased with the changes in Turkey since our last visit. Today the shopkeepers, even in the Grand Bazaar with 4000 shops, seem less aggressive. The transportation system throughout Turkey is excellent and the friendly people were always ready to help a disoriented tourist.