Monday – October 20.
The trains and construction cleared up enough for us to head back to Wageningen in the late morning. Spent most of the rest of the day unpacking and doing laundry from our trip to the U.K.

Tuesday – October 21
Pretty much a rest and catch up day – recycling cans, grocery shopping and some resting.

Wednesday – October 22
Sunrise: 8:10 Sunset: 6:28PM Beautiful day but partly cloudy conditions expected around 7PM Low was: 52 and the High: 58
Esther had a rough night of sleep because of her blood sugars and the calibration of her new sensor. She also had an industry talk and got picked up at 7AM for a 2 hour drive to the company headquarters – fun day for Esther.

Started my day by going to the open air market which is held every Wednesday from 8:30 to 1PM. What a great market with vendors selling all kinds of goods: fabric, shoes, veggies, bread, cheese, fish, meat, nuts, coffee, tea and all kind of gifty things.

Had a great ride to Arnhem and back today – not many pictures taken because I wanted to keep my momentum up so I could get a good workout to start burning the calories I consumed in the U.K. – the section along the Rhine River was especially nice. There were a few serious climbs in and around Arnhem.

Thursday – October 22
Sunrise: 8:16AM Sunset: 6:26PM – Windy conditions expected around 9AM. Wind gust up to 30mph are making the temperature feel like 49 degrees. Low: 47 – High: 57

I had planned to do a 24 mile ride today but I got a later than expected start and we had Maurice and Maartje coming over for dinner I decided to cut my ride short – with wind gusts up to 30mph the ride felt a lot longer than the 12.48 miles it was.

Friday – October 23
Sunrise: 8:18 Sunset: 5:47 Overcast, rain at times, cold and very windy today – wind gusts up to 30mph.
Esther registered me at the local doctors online then we rode our bikes to the office to see about making me an appointment about my chronic cough and possible sinus infection. I was able to get an appointment at 3:15 that day, Doctor checked my oxygen level(97), my breathing(lungs clear) and took a prick of blood to test for an infection – all was clear.
Rode my bike back to the bike store in Bennekom to get a helmet and saddle bags. It started to rain on my home and occasionally the wind was so strong I had real difficulty pedally against it.
Spent the rest of the day resting at home.
Dinner: roasted sweet potato, cooked cabbage with our leftover sausage and a salad with kol robi

Saturday – October 25
Went the the downtown market this morning to get some fresh trout and some other things we need and had lunch at Bisou Brasserie – I had the Stokbroodje Beenham and Esther had the Salade Carpaccio.
Dinner with Franc and Esther – It was a fun evening – they are great people to be around – fun to talk to. We arrived at their home at 5PM, amidst a driving rain and the evening started with tea, a piece of apple pie and a lot of fun conversation in the living room on the sofa. After a while we had some beer, cheese and crackers and Franc and I proceeded to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for dinner. Roasted pumpkin, onions, cooked fennel root, rice and salad- with goat cheese, figs and pine nuts – it was all very tasty.

Sunday – October 26
The weather called for a cold, windy and rainy day but at 9:30 there was blue sky and sun so Es and I decided to risk it and we rode the 14 miles to Kroller Muller museum. It was a beautiful ride and we both felt refreshed because of the extra hour of sleep we got because of daylight savings change back. About 2km away from the museum it started to rain pretty hard and we got fairly wet – so the hot cappuccino we got at museum tasted pretty good. The museum is the life-work of collector Helene Kroller-Muller and her husband Anton who between 1907 – 1922 aquired 11,500 artworks including Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Piet Mondriaan and others. The museum also houses the second largest collection of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings.

and that ends week 4 of our stay in the Netherlands – next week is when we move from one house to another – should be an adventure.

Monday, October 13
Sunrise: 7:58AM Sunset: 6:47PM – Cloudy conditions will continue all day. Wind gusts up to 9mph – low -54 high – 63.

It was a low key day for me today – after our 3 mile walk/run we had some coffee and breakfast, Esther went to the lab and I worked on cleaning. Hard to believe but we’ve been here for 2 weeks now and things are starting to look a little grimy – we are also leaving tomorrow evening for the UK and we want things to be clean before leaving. The washer and dryer are little challenging – only one can be plugged in at a time and the dryer settings are a little confusing but we are managing.
Went to town around 11AM this morning and even though the weather said only cloudy there was a very heavy mist or light drizzle – I bought 3 shirts, pair of jeans and some socks.
Dinner: Chicken breast, leftover couscous with onion, garlic and red peppers, and cooked cabbage.
After dinner we watched a Diane Keaton movie Something Gotta Give with Jack Nicholson with honor of her recent death.

Tuesday, October 14.
Sunrise: 8AM Sunset: 6:454PM – Partly cloudy conditions expected around 6PM. Wind gusts up to 6 mph. Low: 53 and the high: 62. Rode my bike into town this morning to buy a dress shirt for the formal event in Ropsley this weekend.

Wednesday October 15
Sunrise: 8:02 Sunset: 6:43 – Cloudy conditions will continue all day with gusts up to 5mph. 

We left the house at 6:30pm yesterday and made it to Gerard’s house in Aalsmeer at 8:30pm. Chatted and hung out with Esther’s dad until about 10PM then went to bed. We’re going to hang out here until 2PM then head to Schiphol airport for our flight to Norwich UK. We headed to the airport at 2pm by UBER – it was our first time not taking public transportation and costs only 8 dollars – pretty good deal.

At the airport we found out, the travel agent who booked our flight had misspelled Esther’s name so the name on her ticket didn’t match the name on her passport. We managed to get this fixed at the Schiphol airport and were told this would have a been a big problem if we were flying to the US – so note to self, double check the work of others.

Thursday – October 16
Norwich, UK
Norwich is a historic city in eastern England, located in the county of Norfolk. It’s known for its rich medieval heritage, vibrant culture and blend of old and new architecture. Once one of England’s most important cities during the middle ages, Norwich boast a stunning cathedral, a 12th century castle and a well-preserved medieval street layout.

Norwich was famous for having an extraordinary number of pubs – more than any other city in England for it’s size – In the 19th century, Norwich had over 600 pubs, with some estimates suggesting as many as 1,000 at its peak.

Churches – Historically, during the Middle Ages, Norwich had around 57 churches within the city walls, plus several more in the surrounding area. That made it one of the most church-dense cities in medieval England. About 31 medieval parish churches still survive – many now repurposed as art venues, community centers oe cafes.

Esther was invited to Norwich to give a talk to the John Innes Institute and the Sainsbury Laboratories (TSL) by her long time friend and colleague Sophien and his partner Soskia. Our hosts Sophien and Soskia took us out to dinner on the night we arrived to the Wildebeest a gastropub that was refurbished from one of the old pub. The Wildebeest – is a 3AA Rosette Restaurant, in Stoke Holy Cross, just outside of Norwich. Chef Patron Daniel Smith and Head Chef Fabio Miani take great pride in their kitchen serving the freshest ingredients, bringing dishes together that embrace every season and using all that is great and good from Norfolk. 

Esther and I had the pan roasted holkham venison, potato pave,jerusalem, artichoke purée, confit swede, CEP mushrooms, venison and chorizo ragout pie. 

And for dessert we had the caramelized apple crumble soufflé with crème anglaise – AMAAZING

Friday and Saturday – October 17 and 18
Ropsley, UK
David and Soraya had invited us to their family estate in Ropsley for their annual, formal English style bird hunt. Ropsley is a small village located in Lincolnshire, England, about 4 miles from Grantham. We got there late Friday afternoon and missed the clay pigeon practice shoot but, we weren’t planning on shooting anyway so it was all good. The estate was purchased, pretty much as is, by David’s parents as a investment. I estate covers about 3,000 acres, of farmland and a building that includes several kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms and probably 12 or more bedrooms. There are also several cottages on the estate. It’s a working farm with 5 employees and a trust was setup with a manager to handle all of the financial needs.

A formal English bird hunt – often referred to as a driven shoot or game shoot – is one of Britain’s most traditional and ceremonious countryside pastimes. Here is what it involves.
The Setting – Usually takes place on a country estate or manor grounds
The participants
– Guns – the shooters (guests or invited sportsmen/women).
– Beaters – who flush the birds out from cover.
– Pickers-up – handlers with trained gundogs to retrieve shot birds.
– Gamekeeper – manages the estate and oversees the day.
The Days Structure
– Morning meet – Guns gather, often with coffee or a light breakfast at the lodge/
– Safety briefing – Conducted by the gamekeeper or captain (Alister)
– Drives – Several organized sessions where beaters drive birds over the guns’ line.
– Elevenses – A mid-morning break with drinks(Slo Gin) and snacks in the field.
– Lunch – A formal sit-down meal, in the estate house.
– Afternoon drives – followed by tea or drinks to close the day
Dress Code
– Tweed jacket or shooting coat
– Breeks (knee-length trousers) or plus-fours
– Long shooting socks with garters
– Collared shirt, tie and waist coat
– Sturdy boats or brogues
– flat cap or fedora-style hat

We had a traditional full English breakfast – Over easy eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes

On Sunday morning we took UBER, the train and bus to get back to Norwich for our flight home. There was a little train delay back to Wageningen due to construction so we went to Gerard place, spent the night and traveled back on Monday morning – and this ends a very busy week 3.

At the end of September, Esther and I met our good friends Jen and Andy in Milan, Italy. Jen and Andy were our neighbors on Lake Oglethorpe, and over the years we developed a close friendship. When Esther and I started dating, she fit right into the group, making our time together even more enjoyable. This trip gave us a wonderful opportunity to reconnect while exploring one of Italy’s most vibrant cities.

Milan is often thought of as Italy’s business and fashion capital, but it is also rich in history, art, and culture. We spent our first few days exploring the city and visiting some of its most famous landmarks. The highlight was undoubtedly the magnificent Duomo di Milano. Standing in the main square, gazing up at the cathedral’s intricate Gothic spires, was truly breathtaking. We also had the opportunity to see Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Last Supper. Viewing one of the world’s most celebrated paintings in person was an unforgettable experience and a reminder of Italy’s incredible artistic heritage.

On Sunday morning, we rose early for a day trip to Lake Como. We took the train north to Varenna and then boarded a ferry across the lake to Bellagio, often called the “Pearl of Lake Como.” The weather was beautiful, and the scenery exceeded every expectation. The deep blue waters of the lake, framed by steep mountains and elegant villas, created postcard-perfect views at every turn.

Bellagio itself was charming, with its narrow cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, and flower-filled balconies. We spent the day wandering through the town, enjoying the lakeside atmosphere, and taking in some of the most spectacular scenery in Italy. It was easy to understand why Lake Como has been attracting visitors for centuries.

Our return journey, however, became an adventure of its own.

Around 4:00 PM, we headed back to the train station, hoping to beat the evening crowds and get back to Milan at a reasonable hour. Unfortunately, a train had been struck by a falling boulder, forcing the closure of the railway line. Because it was Sunday, it took considerable time for crews to arrive and assess the situation.

What followed was a long and complicated trip home. We were directed onto buses that bypassed the damaged section of track and then transferred back to trains on the other side. Every bus and train was packed. Most of the journey was standing room only, and each transfer seemed to add another delay. What should have been a pleasant evening trip turned into an all-night journey. We finally arrived back in Milan close to 2:00 AM.

One of the most memorable parts of the experience was watching Andy handle the situation. As a self-described homebody, I expected the unexpected delays and crowds to test his patience. Instead, he took everything in stride, maintaining a positive attitude and good sense of humor throughout the ordeal. His calm approach helped keep everyone’s spirits up during a very long day.

A few days later, on Wednesday, September 24, our paths separated. Esther and I boarded a train to Turin, where she was attending a conference. Meanwhile, Jen and Andy traveled to Florence to meet their daughter Carrie, who now lives in  Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a fitting conclusion to a wonderful few days of friendship, sightseeing, and shared adventures.

Looking back, what I remember most is not just the beauty of Milan or the stunning scenery of Lake Como, but the joy of experiencing it all with good friends. Even the travel mishaps have become part of the story—one more adventure to laugh about and remember for years to come.

Monday October 6
Not sure Esther’s cold is getting any better – she woke up not feeling great. The weather was cool and rainy and she decided not to go into the Lab this morning. After coffee, oatmeal and a shower I rode my bike downtown to a bakery where I had seen slices of apple pie that I wanted to get to celebrate Andy’s birthday. When I got the bakery there was only 2 pieces left but was told they would have more in an hour – it was going to be close because I needed to leave for the airport to pickup Jen and Andy by 1:30. I rode to the grocery store went home, had lunch and hung out for a while before biking back to the bakery only to find out that I had to specifically order the pie – oh well I settled for a apple/pear tart that was very good. instead.

I took the public transportation to Schiphol airport to escort Jen and Andy back to our place around 1:30
Dinner – Esther made roasted root veggies, porkchops and a salad for dinner – it was verytasy and nice to have Jen and Andy around.

Tuesday October 7
Both Esther and I are struggling to get over our colds so the prospect of a low key day was sounding pretty good. Esther headed for work around 9AM and Jen, andy and I hung out before heading downtown to explore. The weather was cloudy with a little drizzle but not too bad. After visiting some shops we decided on a place for lunch and Esther joined us.

I talked to both Robin and Greta today

Wednesday, October 8
Our trip to Amsterdam and the Rijks Museum today.

We took the museum audio tour and it was a amazing to hear about the individual pieces of art, the artists and symbolic items in the paintings. I was very interested in seeing the work of both the older and younger Willem Van de Velde and their naval pieces.

Some of the other great pieces of art at the Rijksmuseum that we saw; The Night Watch, Rembrandt(1642) but it was being restored at the time, The Milkmaid, Johannes Vermeer(1658), The Jewish Bride, Rembrandt, The Threaten Swan, Jan Asselijn(1650), The Little Street, Vermeer(1658), Women Reading a Letter, Vermeer(1664), Winter Landscape with Skaters, Hendrick Avercamp(1608), The Windmill at Wijk Bij Duurstede(1670)

The 17th century saw a surge in great Dutch painters due to a combination of economic prosperity, a thriving and competitive art market, and the rise of a wealthy merchant class. The Protestant Reformation also shifted the demand for art away from the church and towards secular subjects that could be bought and sold on the open market. This led to an increased number of artists and a focus on everyday Dutch life, leading to the “Dutch Golden Age” of art. 
We had a late lunch at this little cafe and the weather was nice enough for us to sit at a sidewalk table – they were delicious open faced sandwiches.

Thursday, October 9
I was still a little high from the previous day but I had enough faculties to navigate the buses and trains to get Jen and Andy to the airport in time for their flight home. The quickest way home. after dropping Jen and Andy at the airport, was to take a train to Utrecht, take another train on platform 19 and take the 103 bus – it’s pretty easy using the NS.NL app.

Had some lunch, spent some time cleaning up and finished drying and putting on the sheets for our bed. At 3:30PM I left for my meeting with Zazana for a possible house to rent in December (5th through 17th). She was a very nice person and the place was not great but it would probably do for just 12 nights.

Esther got home about 5:30 we had a beer and heated some leftovers for dinner, watched a little comedy with tea and went to bed at 10PM. Esther didn’t sleep that well but I was out for most of the night.

Friday, October 10
We got up and went on a 3 mile run / walk this morning – it felt good. I got 32 miles of riding in today. Esther wanted me to buy a stamp and mail a sympathy card for her and when I Googled post office a bunch of locations should up but those were just mail boxes. I finally asked someone who pointed me to a bookstore that also sold stamps and mailed packages. After that errand I rode my bike out to the Ede-Wageningen train station to see how hard of a ride it would be – not a bad 4.5 mile journey. Then I rode out the the VRBO we rented in May,

Had to make 2 trips to the grocery store because we where out of some many items and I still didn’t get everything.

Saturday, October 11
Sunrise: 7:55AM and Sunset: 6:51PM Cloudy with a high of 64 and a low of 54 – up at 5:30 2.5 mile walk at 8AM while listening to my book. We had an early lunch around 11:30 in town at the Bagel & Bean we both had the bagel with avocado and smoked salmon – it was good. We then went shopping at the open air market they have every Wednesday and Saturday – we got some fish, bread, cheese and apples.

We had an early light dinner because we were going Esther(#2) birthday party – Sea scallops, we got at the open air market, couscous with onions, garlic and red pepper – and of course a salad. In hindsight I wish I had put the rest on the mushrooms. I left, on our bikes, for the party at 6:30 – it was a 4.5 mile ride. The party was amazing and it reminded a little of Esther’s(#1) party at Hendershot’s. There was cake and coffee, tea when we got there and any kind of coffee from the bartender and servers were delivering beautiful petit fours to the guests on silver trays. There was a short speech from Esther, the birthday girl, a prosecco toast and a live band with plenty of dancing, beer and wine. We rode our bikes home a little after 10PM. There was a pretty descent climb on the way back and Esther put her arm on back to help me up the hill with her e-bike – I wasn’t sure how much it was helping until she took her arm away.

Sunday, October 1
Sunrise:7:57AM Sunset: 6:49PM
Went to bed at midnight last night and got up around 8:30 – Esther made us some eggs with cheese and lot of veggies for breakfast then we booked our train from Norwich UR to Grantham and back to Norwich – on Sofian’s advice i downloaded the Trainline’s app (it’s suppose to be good all over Europe). Then we booked our whole trip to Vienna – taking the night train there (about 459 euros for the both of us), then our hotel Stefian (one of the oldest in Vienna 1600) then our KLM flight back home.

I downloaded the fietsroutenetwerk, a biking, app today – this cycling route network has over 9,000 junction points in the Netherlands, Belgium and the border region of Germany. You can create your own route or use one of there many routes of different lengths – I decided on 38.5 km ride that starts close to our house.

….. and this officially ends the busy week 2.

Tuesday, September 30
Gerard, Esther’s dad, drove us with the bulk of our luggage, the hour long drive, to Wageningen where we met with Hanny and Roy, our host, and so we could drop off our luggage. It was a good meeting and Hanny and Roy showed us all of the ins and outs of their house. Gerard hit it off with Roy, like he does with most people, and they talked the whole time. After a couple of hours at the house and before heading home, Aalsmeer, we drove the short distance to Bennekom for lunch. Walking back to the car after lunch we stopped at a bike store, Hartman, it was the same store I stopped in back in May. I looked at and rode several bikes before settling on the Gazelle Chamonix C8 L57 Metallic. They call the color orange but I say it’s burnt red and I like the color and it should be ready for pickup on Friday.

We drove back to Aalsmeer and had some leftovers at Gerard’s place. I wasn’t feeling great with maybe the beginnings of a sore throat so we went to bed early – I didn’t sleep well that night – just couldn’t quit thinking about things.

Wednesday, October 1

Gerard drove Esther and I to the Schiphol airport so we could catch a train to Wageningen – we just had our small carry-on bags. Esther spent some time showing me all about the trains, buses and how to read the schedules. Esther has gotten me a Flex ticket which means I can travel free by public transportation during non peak times (9AM to 4PM then after 6:30PM) .

I feel a cold coming on so I took a packet of vitamin C (1,000mg) and slept pretty good in our new bed. The house is very dark at night making going to the bathroom in the middle of the night a little scary especially with the stairs right by the bathroom door.
Dinner: Pan seared salmon, mashed potatoes, calliflower, salad.

Thursday, October 2
Woke up, dressed and went downstairs around 6:30 – got up twice to use the bathroom. Made some coffee and oatmeal for breakfast, did a load of laundry and rested most of the morning. I was felling better than last night but wanted to catch up on some rest.
Went out on a bike ride and to check out a new grocery store(Lidl) – it was nice and bought a few grocery items.
Came home for lunch – made a ham and cheese sandwich with lots of lettuce. Esther got home around 2PM and did her zoom meetings with students from here. I rode my bike to Bennekom to see about my new bike and when tomorrow it might be ready.

Dinner: Chicken breasts, rice, zucchini, salad, onion, and garlic

Friday, October 3
Got up at 7 this morning, dressed and went on a maybe 2-1/2 mile walk, Esther did some running back and forth and got in about 3-1/2 miles. It’s day 3 and I feel we are starting to settle in and getting a routine going. So far the weather has been perfect but I think its about ready to change.
Esther left for the lab around 9:30 – just in time for coffee – which we laugh at. The lab has a coffee time at 10AM where everyone gets together, has coffee and shares information – Esther seems to always get to the lab in time for coffee – maybe next week we will be settled enough for her to get in a little earlier.
I left for Bennekom to pick up my new bike around 10:20 and I was proud because I navigated the public transit system all by myself.
Dinner: Chicken vegetable soup with cauliflower on the side because we had a big head of it. The soup had onions, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, puree tomatoes and a chicken breast. I made the stock with water and chicken bouillon and was very happy with the results.

Saturday, October 4
Slept in till 7:30 this morning – I still have the remints of a cold and it’s 55 degrees, windy and rainy outside – welcome to the Netherlands in the winter.
I found some very tasty treats at the grocery store.

After the rain stopped Saturday morning we rode our bikes to this small local market and got some root veggies, apples and some locally made mead. We then rode our bikes into town to a meat market and to a bakery for some fresh bread – the rain has stopped, it’s about 55 degrees and very windy outside.

After getting the beer I went for a beautiful bike ride out in the country. There was some wind and heavy gusts at times and the skies were a threatening but it was quiet and peaceful with miles to ride on roads like this. a little cool it was very quiet. On my way home a heavy storm blew through with heavy winds, rain and hail – it only lasted 10 minutes or so but I had to take refuge behind a road side building.

Dinner: roasted cauliflower with garlic, turmeric and other spices, leftover rice dish, small pork fillet and a salad.Tea after dinner and some Youtube comedians before heading to bed,

Sunday, October 5
Esther woke up coughing and sneezing this morning – I think she got my cold. We had an egg frittata this morning with all of our leftovers, rice, pork, cauliflower – I figured out how to use the broiler and used it this morning. Gerard and Menno are driving out to see us and we made a very yummy soup for them with carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes, celery, bean sprouts, chicken stock and tomato puree.

Gerben and Menno drove down for a visit and had a late lunch(3PM) with us – we made a chicken, tomato soup – our first guests to host. Esther’s still not feeling great. I rode to the grocery store to get some oranges and a few other things we needed and a pizza we could have as a snack later. After our pizza and salad we were having some tea when the door bell rang – I was startled. Who would be ringing our doorbell at 8PM on a Sunday night? It was Annemieke, Esther’s friend and college roomate, she lives close by and rode her bike down to say hello and welcome us. Her mother-in-law had passed away on Friday and she and William, her husband, were busy attending to her. She had some tea and cookies with us – it was a short visit. This concludes week one.