Pink Sneakers on the Go

On the path to inspiration or on the road to somewhere but who exactly knows where?

Posted by Nora K ,

It should be easy, right? Or, was that Write? Or should I have instead turned left? On the road to nowhere and most definitely not to anywhere anytime soon… at least not today and perhaps not even tomorrow…

Stranded. Yet again! Do I sense a pattern here?

How does this happen? Well, perhaps Travel Bud and I should have consulted the timetable of when the last tour bus departed. But, nah, why bother with such trivialities, when one can instead spend the remainder of the day patiently (Hah!!) waiting for a bus.

After all, each journey is a brand spanking new adventure, with twists and turns and a whole lot of roadblocks and hurdles – that is – if you have the fortune (or was that misfortune?) of pounding the pavement with Pink Sneakers on the Go!

And this is where Write comes in. Scribbling madly in my journal, of roads not taken and paths still yet to discover, I am in my glory, as each misstep and stumble are just extra fodder for my blog.

Which adventure to document first? The list is endless...

Not my bus! Still waiting!

On the road to somewhere towards destinations off the map!

There's a map?? To where??

Wait! Wait for me!!

Inadvertently hopped on the wrong train? Yippee!! An unexpected journey far off the beaten path sure makes for some entertaining travel tales! And oftentimes, definitely worthy of three, if not more, blog posts!

Accidentally disembarked two stops ahead of designated destination? Double whammy! An entire series devoted to schlepping cumbersome luggage for weeks on end in abandoned train station. Somewhere. But, where? If only I had a map!

No map? No guidebook? No itinerary? No clue? No problem!

Just another day in the globetrotting life of cuckoo ol’ Auntie Nora.

Oops! Forgot to reserve accommodation! Oh, well. Just jostle with the pigeons for prime real estate on park benches and you’ve not only scored some cheap and cheerful digs but also a whole lot of insight on how to travel on a budget. Or, better yet, for free!

Travelling off-season? Don’t forget to forget your brollie, rain boots, parka and warm clothing. After all, some of my most memorable moments involve puddle jumping and marathon sprinting in torrential downpours.

Slip sliding in the rain!!

Brollie required to join the party!

I'll take all three! Gotta be prepared!!

Puddle jumping across a runway in Gibraltar.

You get the picture. Or not. Click!

Needless to say, I'm pleased as punch. Travel Bud. Not so much.

Come trip and stumble your way across the globe and add that extra level of adventure as you sojourn without a map, let alone without a clue as to how to get from Point A to Point B. Just a glimpse into a typical day on the road with the Clueless Duo…

Next blog – In three weeks!! What next?? Stay tuned!! Wednesday, October 5^th!!

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A tale of two agendas in Amsterdam

Posted by Nora K ,

Check. Check. Or not.

Checking off my checklist of things to see and do in Amsterdam. Pity then, that it was my last day in the Netherlands and I had a mere eight hours in which to meander, explore and soak up the sights of this canal lined city and I hadn’t a clue as where to tread first. Possessing neither an agenda nor intricately detailed plan as to which direction to take, I inadvertently fell back on the tried and true – indulging in satiating my out of control acquisitive habits as well as snagging the bargain of the day. Oh, and let’s not forget, imbibing in that celebratory vino or two – or was that three? – Focused not on gazing out the vitrine at the cobblestone rues in the quaintest of Dutch bistros, but fixated instead on admiring my recently acquired satchels, all neatly lined up in a kaleidoscope of hues.

Love that handbag!

Could it get any better than that?

Some would say that I squandered the day away in a frenzied sprint around town, darting from shop to shop on the hunt for that one of a kind bauble and trinket, but well, what else is a shopaholic to do when plans go array?

Plans. What plans? Like, an itinerary and an outline and a colour-coded map?

Lots of pens to check, check, check and then check some more!

Like, seriously?

Who does that?

Well, apparently, every other worldwide wanderer but me! A pink-sneakered globetrotter of some 30 plus years, who clearly fails at grasping the basics of “Travel 101”. You would think that by now I’d have figured it all out, my PhD in Traipsing around the World at least beneficial at imparting a smidgen of wisdom to those in need.

Nope. Nada. No help to me.

Yikes! Think I'm checking off a different city! No wonder I'm lost!

Cuckoo ol’ Auntie Nora’s Checklist:

There’s a checklist? What’s a checklist? A checklist of what?

Ok. If you insist.

First on the list, of course, would be: SHOP!! Till you Drop or run out of Euros, whichever comes first.

Oh, and how many Louboutins can I fit in my suitcase? On that note, might as well purchase a steamer truck. Better yet, make that three. Need extra space to haul all those Birkins home. (Sigh. I wish.)

All tuckered out. Parched. Gotta take a well-deserved break and indulge in a vino or two. But heck, who’s counting?

Choices, choices, choices.

I'll take them all! Are there more colours?

Will they all fit in the overhead bin of the airplane?

Checklist of what I never had a chance to see in Amsterdam:

Dining with the Tsars: Fragile Beauty from the Hermitage – Happened to randomly notice a poster advertising this anniversary exhibition only at the end of the day. Drats! It was just after 5:00pm and the museum would be locked down and shut by the time I would have high-tailed it there. So much for having the opportunity to experience this once in a lifetime exhibit, for I was jetting out of town in the wee hours of the morn. Guess I’ll just have to venture to Le Hermitage in St. Petersburg, where the permanent collection is housed. Hmmm. There’s a thought!

The exhibit I never got to see.

Anne Frank House – A must-see when visiting Amsterdam! The line-ups are long so make sure to purchase your ticket online to avoid the crowds. I first visited some twenty or so years ago and a return visit is definitely on my list!

Van Gogh Museum – Well, in my own defense, I actually did place a pink-sneakered tootsie inside, but that was more than a decade ago and who can really remember that far back? Check!!

Museum of Bags and Purses – You’re kidding?? There’s an entire museum devoted to handbags? How could I possibly have missed an excursion to this mecca of satchels galore? Still crying in my soup.

And there you have it. A tale of two agendas and how I spent my day in Amsterdam.

Come hang out in the Venice of the North and pose for selfies by the picturesque canals – 165 to be exact, the Canal District is a UNESCO World Heritage designated site! Make a list and have a plan and discover all that Amsterdam has to offer! Or, if you’re like me, just park yourself in a charming café and scribble the afternoon away.

Next blog - In three weeks! Wednesday September 7th! Stay tuned!!

Yikes! Due to unexpected circumstances, I will not be able to get this week's blog post out today. Stay tuned for the continuation of the escapades of cuckoo ol' Auntie Nora and Sidekick Oz, to be posted next week, Wednesday, Sept 14th!!

Well, at least I've got lots to scribble about!!

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Klein Centraal - Five star gastronomic cuisine by the railway tracks in Overveen

Posted by Nora K ,

Now what?

I’ve scribbled about storms, hail and gales galore and let’s not forget about schlepping cumbersome luggage up and down those dratted stairs, all the while enduring countless stares along the way. No Pink Sneaker globetrotting sojourn is complete without some type of roadblock or annoyingly inconvenient disruption along the way, with twists and turns and curve balls just an expected part of the course. So, it oftentimes comes as a complete surprize when hitches and glitches take a holiday from delay and interruption, gifting me a much needed – albeit temporary - reprieve and break.

A Pink Sneaker adventure wouldn't be complete without RAIN!!

So, it therefore seems fittingly appropriate that our last night in Overveen found us fine dining along the tracks of the local railway station, chowing down not on scavenged leftovers and scraps, but on five-star gastronomic cuisine. Say, what?

Well, to be perfectly honest, we weren’t exactly shivering outside in the biting cold, but nestled cosily in the quaintest of cafés, our picturesque window seat over-looking said tracks. Our birds-eye view of the comings and goings of harried passengers darting for the train made for quite the entertaining spectacle, especially when an all-out battle with over-burdened baggage kicked up the drama a notch or two!

Desperate for a café au lait one bitterly frigid and rainy morn, yet later than late and on a marathon sprint to catch my train, I was faced with the prospect of once again boarding without my customary jolt of caffeine. With not even a second to spare to hightail it to Klein Centraal to grab my much-needed Java, I could only stare longingly out my carriage window at the patrons milling about the conveniently located café.

So close and yet so far from my Java.

Just yet another run of the mill coffee shop strategically situated at the crossroads – or so I mistakenly thought – this non-descript edifice was so much more than just your average café. Little did I know that it was the talk of the town and home to the most scrumptious of Dutch fare and cuisine. Reservations were most definitely in order, and you’re so out of luck if you think you and a party of five could just stumble on in on a bustling Friday or Saturday night.

But, if you happen to be the Clueless Duo, you just saunter on in and ask to be seated in the most coveted of locations in restaurant prime real estate, nonchalantly requesting a table with a view!

And, so we dined – or was that gorged? - on escargots and wine on a random Tuesday eve in Overveen, watching the world skedaddle on by.

Come hang out with Travel Bud and I as we inadvertently end up in random pubs and diners on our gastronomic tour of the world. Whether imbibing in copious amounts of vino or languishing the afternoon away in abandoned railway stations, our adventures were far from dull and mundane – or, in retrospect, escapades worthy of a chuckle or two – checking off the check list of yummy cuisine!

Check. Check.

Stay tuned for the continuation of the escapades of cuckoo ol’ Auntie Nora and Sidekick Oz in the Netherlands.

Next post – In three weeks! - Wednesday, August 17^th. Stay tuned!!

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First night in Overveen with lock-outs, storms, gales and golf-ball sized hail

Posted by Nora K ,

Do I sense a pattern here? Have those mischievous Gremlins of Travel Disruption hopped on our tail, trailing us all the way from Brussels? We had now been driving around the outskirts of the outskirts of Overveen for a little more than an hour, and we were nowhere near our long sought for digs. It was now approaching dusk, our tummies were grumbling and we were later than late. Hitches, glitches and calamities of the annoyingly disruptive kind had tripped up this journey from the Get-Go. What else was in the forecast for the Clueless Duo? So glad you inquired. Looming ominously on the horizon was inclement weather, sprinkled with a rush of storms and gales, not to mention wind shear and golf ball sized hail. Hail? Just wait. More on that later…

Somewhere in Overveen...but where?

Starting out in Haarlem enroute to the Outskirts of somewhere

Surely Mr. Taxi Driver could speed it up a notch, consult a map or two and whisk us to our destination. Was that too much to ask? Apparently so, for the old chap hadn’t even an inkling as to which direction to take, let alone go right or left or just continue to spin round and round in circles, trapped in an endless cycle of confusion and disorientation. On the road to somewhere and on the path to nowhere with anticipated arrival at our destination not anytime soon and most likely never! Should we just jump on out right now and try our luck at pounding the pavement, over-burdened luggage in tow? On second thought, best to stay dry and snug in our snail paced cab, as we had neither rain boots nor umbrellas and the darkened skies were threatening to unleash a tsunami of a downpour. Nothing like a deluge of hail to brighten one’s day! Hail, you say? Just wait. More on that later…

Should we bicycle there? Nope. No bike. No helmet. No wheels. No direction.

So, there we stood. Two drenched rats pounding furiously on the guesthouse door, hoping beyond hope that Miss Landlord will take pity and invite us on in. We could only hope and pray that our suite was still up for grabs and not rented out in haste to travellers of a more disciplined nature, respectful of check-in and check-out times and who rarely were late. Yikes! Looks like the welcome mat had been yanked out from under the gate, as the edifice appeared to be locked down and shut, with nary a flicker of a light in sight. Now what?

Do we hail a cab? No can do, as we haven’t a phone! Do we embark on a quest to search for another hotel? Like, seriously? In the middle of the outskirts of nowhere? Should we hop back on the train to Amsterdam? A superb idea if one only knew where exactly the station was located. Even Google and Maps were no help at all, as WIFI was needed to connect to the Net! And I had absentmindedly forgotten my handy dandy guidebook, which was now collecting cobwebs and dust back home on the shelf. Useful or what?

Almost there!! Where?? In the Outskirts....

As luck would have it, whom did we see cycling up the path but the concierge herself, out on a mission to search for the wayward Canucks. The rain had temporarily subsided and so out she ventured, her initial fury at her MIA guests replaced with angst and worry over their disappearance – or was that non-appearance? And, after explaining about the hurdles and roadblocks that we had encountered on our disastrous journey, with forces beyond our control sabotaging our punctual arrival, our initial misunderstanding now smoothed over and the key to our palatial digs graciously presented.

We're finally here!! We hope. Really not sure...

Knock. Knock. Anybody home?

A celebratory feast was now in order – along with an over-due scrub in the tub – followed with a quick change into dry attire before scooting out for that much anticipated grub. The closest eatery was a convenient hop, skip and a jump away, so off we scampered, oblivious to the ominous rumblings far off in the distance.

A drop. And then another! And, just like clockwork, the floodgates burst open…

SPLAT! SPLASH!! DON’T FORGET TO DUCK!!!

Looks like those mischievous gremlins of travel disruption were up to their hilarious ol’ shenanigans yet once again!

Hailstorm!! Stuck in pizzeria at least until breakfast. Yikes!

Splish splash in the bath. Or NOT! Just jump right into puddles the size of lakes as you dodge gumball sized hail, and slip slide – or was that paddle? – the next couple of metres into the closest pub. Pity then, that the diner we were headed to was closed down and empty, leaving us stranded yet once again. NOT singing in the rain. AGAIN? Yep, as expected, we were living proof that history does, in fact, repeat itself, oftentimes, more than once!

Next blog – In three weeks - Wednesday, July 27^th!!

Stay tuned for the continuation of the escapades of the Clueless Duo. After all, there are only a limited number of hours that one can remain sequestered in pizzeria waiting out the storm. Let’s hope they don’t run out of vino! The saga continues, as does the incessant rain…