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It actually is raw herring in a hot dog bread with onions and pickles. And oddly enough, it was even edible. Like, almost good. Even though Mr. P prefers his food to be cooked.

It has become little of a recurring feature on this trip, my visits to the botanic gardens in the cities I go to. Amsterdam’s Hortus Botanicus became my fourth. Hortus Botanicus started as an herb garden for doctors and apothecaries in 1638. Today it has a tightly planted, wide selection of trees, a couple ofContinue reading “Day 12: Hortus Botanicus”

Mr. P in front of Rijksmuseum. He, being a bear with a very classical kind of taste, enjoyed the visit very much. Mr. P on a bridge, just by the Red Light District. He did not like it at all, not the drugs nor the women, not one bit of it. He’s conservative that way.

The central library in Amsterdam, situated across a canal from the science museum and more or less next to the central train station, is brand new. And it is a wonderful place in this lovely city. Wonderful! Architectually, it is modern. From the outside, it looks a bit odd, with the arch-like structure in front.Continue reading “Day 11: The wonders of Centrale Bibliotheek Amsterdam”

After the chock of the Red Light District, I just happened to walk by a shop selling frozen yoghurt. And I felt that that was exactly what I deserved. Last year at the farm in California, I shared a room with Sarah, and later I got to crash on her and her boyfriends futon inContinue reading “Day 11: By the canal”

I had been told that the weather could change quickly in Amsterdam – and I sure got to experience that during the course of the afternoon I spent checking out the typical tourist attractions. It had been pretty cloudy in the morning when I walked with Alison (the family friend who I was staying with)Continue reading “Day 11: Following the tourist trail in Amsterdam”

I had read in the guidebook that the queues to the national art gallery Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam could be mental, like, waiting for hours. So I decided to do that first of all, get up early in the morning and be at the museum right when it opened. So I was. Nine o’clock. And thereContinue reading “Day 11: Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam”

Today (24/6), I’ve traveled through England, France, Beligum and the Netherlands. I’ve received three different text messages welcoming me to the new country and informing me of the prices of calling, receiving calls and texting. The prices are exactly the same, but, I guess being welcomed to the new country once I cross the borderContinue reading “Day 10: Report from a train II”

On the train again. After a smooth, but very thorough check-in at the Pancras International railway station, I got on the Eurostar train to Brussels. The green fields and sheep of England were soon left behind, we spent just, like, 20 minutes in a tunnel and here I am now, racing through the French countryside.Continue reading “Day 10: Report from a train”

After visiting Kew Gardens, Maija went back home and I went to meet up with Marie, another old friend who is now living in London. I’ve written it before, but I can’t stress it enough. Internet communities such as Facebook and Couchsurfing are really great inventions for world travelers like me. How else would IContinue reading “Day 9: In another part of London”