Edward continues to try to catch up!

8/30th--First full day in Amsterdam doesn't begin very early. The phone rings and it is Leschelle from Cape Town. She is confirming the last aspects of arrival in Cape Town, the shuttle from the airport and the delivery of the rental car. And it is 10 AM! We never sleep this late. Seems we are still adjusting to the time change. No matter, we are on our own schedule for a few more days. By the time we get things in order we have missed the hotel's breakfast service and so head onto the streets to get something to eat. To Cafe Ole we go and cheese/ginger pancakes and a chocolate croissant with burned bacon do quite well. The choice was raw or burned? Guess who ordered which!

Then we head toward the Tulip Museum and the flower mart. The Tulip Museum is a little place with numerous steps. I go in to look around and two couples come by and see Marcia on the sidewalk out front and the men decide they can get her inside with no trouble. Well, with a little struggle and some straining by the fellow whose idea this was she and LRW were inside the gift shop. The museum itself was downstairs and not at all doable. By the time we were ready to go the two couples had gone. Not to worry, we were able to enlist another shop visitor and the store keeper to assist in our departure. And away we went. The museum was quite informative, by the way!

Over the cobblestones and the canals we went and made our way to the floating flower mart. Stall after stall filled with beautiful bulbs and other plants for sale. Marcia was a bit disappointed as she was expecting to see more cut flowers. Fun nonetheless.

More wandering and a stop for Australian hand made chocolates and then a run through some of the University of Amsterdam. After a bit of rain when we set off the day became quite pleasant though cool.

After a brief stop at the hotel we headed toward the central train station and passed many of the tour boats that take folks through the canals. Quite a sight. Following the advice of what appeared to be a local couple we headed down one of the side streets. Very soon we found ourselves in the The Great Swan ordering Danish split pea soup. Perfect choice for a cool evening. We finished the walk down the street but bypassing the red light district this time.

8/31st--Up a bit earlier today but still not on the new time yet. Had breakfast in the hotel and then headed to the train stop to go to the botanical garden, Hortus Botanicus. Had to wait for one of the new trains that had a wheelchair ramp and one of these that had space. And it was cold, windy, and rainy. One came and the staff was very helpful and off we went. We began with the plants of South Africa and then made our way through most of the garden. Made time for lunch, of course, and by early afternoon the weather was much nicer. Headed back to the hotel at what must have been rush hour on the trains. Took some time to get one with space. Then a quick roam around Dam Square and a stop for an ice cream float. That was good. Back to the hotel to get ready for the flight to Cape Town in the morning.

9/1st--Up early, 5 AM, after trying to sleep most of the night but not very successfully. Oh well, we will have 12 hours on the plane! Had tickets for the airport shuttle but it didn't run as early as we needed it, so a taxi we took. Got to the airport with plenty of time. Retrieved our luggage after a few tries with the credit card reader. Beat the rush to check in with KLM and LRW made more friends. After the other luggage was checked we took LRW to the baggage desk and the two men there had a great time as we took it apart and boxed the controls and the support rod. LRW was in good hands. After breakfast and visiting some of the numerous shops we went through minimal security and the KLM gate check. All of the KLM folks we dealt with were great, and it would only get better. We loaded first but with a bit of a hitch as there was no aisle wheelchair other than the one in the plane. We made do with that and then we watched as the rest of the 300+ passengers found their seats and got settled. Amazing! And Sunshine got to ride in the body of the plane for the first time! Off we flew. And for the next 11+ hours we ate, watched movies and other programs, and tried to sleep, and ate some more. I am not sure how many meals we actually had, but nobody went hungry. And then we were in Cape Town!

Seems there were a number of folks headed to conferences or other work related events as once we cleared customs and headed to the exit there was a sea of signs looking for folks. Fortunately the shuttle driver knew what to look for and found us. He got us loaded, all luggage and two wheelchairs, with no trouble. The nice young man who wheeled Marcia from the plane through immigration, baggage, and customs also helped. He seemed very interested in helping me put LRW back together. Then away we went to find The Garden Room. The plant silhouettes were teasing us as we drove, but that would be for days to come. We had a bit of a time finding the cottage, but as we approached what seemed to be the place we saw a woman on the phone in her front door looking about. That was Jenny Ross. And we were there. We got everything unloaded and into the cottage and she gave quick instructions on procedures and where things were and then bid us good night. She had flowers out and food in the fridge and on the table. It was easy to see we had been provided with a guardian angel who would take good care of us. We were really in Cape Town! And it was time to get some much needed sleep.

And it is time again for me to quit so that I can get some sleep so that I can function tomorrow. As I will soon explain, Marcia and I have work to do and so I can't stay up all night boring you with our doings!

Later,
Edward