Today I visited a lovely, very small town in The Netherlands—Veere.  Some spectacular buildings as you’ll see, but mostly clean and crisp older homes. The day started rather warm, turned cold, and then rained, finally cleared up again. Typical weather here they tell us. I was napping by the time the rain began; it was tough, but somebody had to do it.

Antwerp, Belgium, my friends, is a city where possibly 80% of the world's diamonds pass through. Alas, I bought not a single souvenir from that place--sad, right? But the old city is lovely as you have seen from the blog of May 1. Part of the city was heavily bombed during WWII, but much of the old city was spared. That is what you see in this blog--elaborate old buildings with elaborate architectural details standing alongside buildings of similar but different styles--a stunning sight! I think perhaps the buildings with all the flags is Town Hall. Around this plaza and on nearby narrow streets as well, were cafes selling foods of many nationalities--Argentinian steak, sushi, naan, etc., plus chocolates and frites. The fries are fried twice and the Belgian favorite topping is mayonnaise--not my favorite--but I did try Andalusian sauce, a spicy, mayo-based sauce. Not bad, but my low-class ways prefer ketchup. The pastries in the window looked magnificent, but dinner on the ship is always huge, so we passed.

Then the cruising began. I'd chosen this trip because I wanted to see the Low Countries of Belgium and Netherlands, so I'd forgotten about the cruising! Following dinner I was in the lounge for the talk about tomorrow's destination, and we began moving as the sun set. Such a smooth ride, and while no scenery of nature, the lines and shapes of these industrial buildings were lovely. Cruising is a pleasant way to spend and evening--relaxing and glorious.

The Surly Bond

This morning--which was long ago and far away--I climbed into a sky ship, said adieu to Reno and Mount Rose,

slipped the surly bonds of earth, and sailed into the sky! I am still almost two hours from Amsterdam and have not slept one wink! That's how it goes sometimes and nothing to do about it, nothing at all--EXCEPT to remember WHY I'm in this flying machine. 

And I have finally arrived! I'm sitting in my cabin trying to stay awake! It's only 5:00 p.m.! I need to get my clothes organized and go learn some names! (I know yours already!) I will sleep soundly tonight and explore Antwerp in the morning.

Note to you and to me: It seems I cannot put the title on the title line; I think we can deal with that, right?

The time is not yet come...

Tomorrow will be the day--off into the wild and distant blue yonder to Belgium and Holland!
Beer, chocolate, frites, cheese, flowers--acres of tulips! It will be spectacular! I'm certain it will rain at least once; I don't like being cold and wet, but I am prepared for weather--and it's Spring! It rains in Spring--showers make flowers! I will be delighted to have you join me. The blog will be available at jackiestravelingblog.blogspot.com.

No, I'm not quite ready...But I will be!