Heads up...I've added the last days in Dubai to this page and re-published
Wednesday Sunny again
Our last full day in France so we've hit the road again to a National Park, it's near a thermal spring which in the past many of the well heeled of Lille visited for their health. There is still a therapy centre on the site. St Amand des Eaux is the town closest to the park.

Abbey at St Amand des Eaux

Once again a town with a lot of it's historic buildings intact. There is an archaeological dig happening in the market square in front of the Abbey ruins. They are relaying the cobblestones and I imagine there would always be an archaeological investigation beforehand.

National park

There are some trails though the park, and one that takes us up to the top of a hill, which is interesting as there are very few hills in this part of the world. Up we go...round and round the paths getting steeper as we go, in the end I took a break and Rick went to the top of what is actually a re-forested slag heap left from the mines that stopped working her in about 1900. The views are pretty far, as I said not many hills in the way.
We came home late via Roubai, which is a very ordinary town, the Town Square is impressive as most of them are but it's a hard working town by the look if it.

Roubai Cathedral getting a clean up

We hadn't figured out anything for tea and in the end picked up a couple of frozen meals and even though they were Lapin Chasseur and Beef Borgingion (sp?) I did feel a  bit embarrassed to be walking through a French city street with frozen meals.
Home means packing up again ready for the off tomorrow.

Thursday travel day
So when I left you we were getting ready to leave Lille, which turned out to be really simple and hitch free, even if I did get a bit anxious waiting for our train to arrive.
As it was a 'Feast Day" public holiday there was no traffic, at last and we made it into the Avis car drop off easily, then on to the station.

Beautiful Antwerp Station.

Our first train took us to Antwerp, which is a truly beautiful station (which is something not often said of railway stations). After an hour we hopped on board another on to Amsterdam. We were sitting next to a young American couple and we chatted all the way to to our stop at Schipol Airport station .Arriving at 4.30 pm it took another quick train from the airport station to our hotel. After a long day doing not much on trains we decided to stay in and have a quiet night, after a couple of beers and a huge GnT.

Friday Amsterdam. sunny.
Well it's been 40 years since I was last in Amsterdam (and then only for a day or so as I remember) and for Rick about 30 years too. I'm keen to see how much has changed as much as I am to see what I remember.

Amsterdam Railway Station

The old part of the city is pretty similar to the one I remember and any changes seem to be improvements in view of the massive number of tourists here everyday. Because of this we've decide to go straight to the Rijksmuseum, in case the line to enter is too long. We have pre-purchased passes so it's not too much of a problem getting in. The last time I was here it must have been a day the museum was closed as I never managed to see it then.

Rijksmuseum

I'm kind of glad I've waited as I think I really appreciated the splendour and magnificence of the collection much more now. It's four floors of Dutch art and artifacts from the middle ages to 1950 ish.
Luckily for us there we've managed to be here for the last week of the 'Alle Rembrandt' Exhibition. All of Rembrandt"s drawings and many of his paintings on display for the 350th anniversary of his birth.
While his paintings are well known, the sheer volume of his pencil and paper drawings on display is fantastic, it quite a feat that so many still survive in such wonderful condition.

Rembrandt, Night Watch

We had a couple of hours to wait between visiting the main museum and 4pm when we could get in to see the Rembrandts, so we  had waffles for lunch and then took a canal tour. Our museum tickets let us come in and out again  (very civilised)
Of course there is also the odd Vermeer and Van Gogh as well.

Such a favourite Vermeer of everyone

As we left at about 5pm Rick said ' If you'd said I would spend all day in a museum, and enjoy it, I'd have laughed at you. But it was brilliant'
Afterward, we headed into the 'Red Light District' which while still there, isn't quite so down at heel as it once was. And the girls in the windows don't appear to be quite as conspicuous as they were. However the stale smell of dope fills the air from all the smoking 'Coffee Houses' along the street.
After we've found somewhere for tea, we're heading back toward the shopping area as I still need to find some bathers for the rooftop pool in Dubai...Trying to find my size in a pair of bathers when I feel like shopping is a pain, made worse here as I really can't be bothered trying them on (but I must as the sizes are nothing like those I know). Anyway after more disillusion with what I think might fit and feeling like one of those well upholstered Russian ladies at a hot Spring Spa, I finally have found a pair I can finally be seen wearing in public. So happy days I can swim in Dubai...😃
Rick gets a shirt and I also find a pair of shorts. Then it's back on our train and home, tired and pleased with ourselves.

Saturday is Heineken Day 25C and sunny.  The Dockers Beat the Pies!

Your favourite thing that happened today. @ Heineken

Now we've seen how beer's made a few times now so I was just along for the ride really. Well the Heineken Experience is not just about how beer is made, there's some of that of course but along the way there's fun and games too. By the time we made it to the bar at the end we're ready for a beer.
The bar's great, the beer's good and with the funky 70's playlist in the background all they need is a dance floor! We left there a giggly couple of kids. Needless to say the footy result helped the beers go down too.

After lunch (and a little lie down in the park) we visited the Van Gogh museum, more brilliant paintings and drawings. I've always liked Van Gogh and the originals are brilliant.

 The Sunflowers is so wonderful the yellow is golden and it absolutely glows. I have seen the Irises at Perth Art Gallery years ago, and I always loved that but I think now Sunflowers outshines it, pun intended.
( Unlike most other museums we weren't able to take photos in the Van Gogh Museum.)
More wandering the city and enjoying the sights then home again to put our tired feet up.

Sunday, 30c hot and sunny

Windmills

Along the Zaan

Last full day in Europe today, we've walked our feet off, and seen more old buildings than I can remember, so we took a ferry ( two actually) to Zaandam, and it's Windmills, where there is a living museum of Old Holland, people actually live full time in the village as they would have hundreds of years ago. This was a timber mill town and so the houses are all timber but the architecture is very decorative, most homes are dark green and white or black and red, all gardens and farmlets are very neat and tidy. They all butt on to canals, so within the village transport is either walking or boating. Sunday is fair day, there's a book market, masses of free activities for kids, the usual touristy stuff and of course the windmills, all 6 of them. Each has a different purpose, a grain mill, timber mill water mill etc.

We had thought we'd do another canal trip to fill in the afternoon, but by the time we returned to the city, home was the better option. Our last night we wandered to a nearby hotel to have dinner and home to make sure the cases aren't too heavy....it's close.
It's a very popular place on a sunny Sunday in Amsterdam and surrounds. After we returned I put some pics on facebook, immediately a reply came back from Bob Riebe. He and Wendy had been there this morning too, and were now at the airport on their way to Iceland. It's a shame we didn't catch up with each other, but honestly we would have been very lucky to see anyone we knew in that crowd. Small world indeed.

Monday, and we are off to Dubai this afternoon, it's overcast and cool, so time to move on to the sun.
See you in Dubai.

Tuesday 2am  Dubai, hot hot hot
Checked in to our palatial 'junior suite' at the Park Regis and fell into bed.

Rather more space than we are used to 

 It was a good flight, we had three seats so could spread out a little and the 6 hours went by quite easily.
So breakfast at 10, a swim on the roof for about an hour. I had to laugh, you'll remember my comments on buying bathers? Well there were a few Indian ladies in the pool, we got chatting and one asked if I was ....Russian. Apparently, I am well upholstered 🤣

We took the train to Dubai Mall, OMG words cannot do it justice, Huge Glittering, Outrageous I could keep going. Anyway we hung around here doing a bit of gawping, at the Aquarium, The Waterfalls (2) and The Ice Skating rink, and a bit of shopping. It's also air-conditioned so no point going anywhere else ( the temp outside must be close to 50C). After dinner we took a night bus tour around the city, new and old, to the Palm complex. Dubai is a bit like a massively huge Las Vegas
 ( without the alcohol and gambling) totally over the top, but more real somehow.

The Skating Rink and Mini Golf

The tour ended back at the Mall which was heaving with people ( mostly young men) as it's Eid, the end of Ramadan today.

Mosque

Honestly the crowd would have been 95% young men under 25, very few women. The crush to get to the train at 9pm was unbelievable and I was a little bit (read quite) anxious, until we saw that the crowd control was letting women ( and husbands and families) through first. They literally stopped the young men, and let us all through to the train. As massive as the crowd was, everyone was so very respectful. On the train a couple of women made sure we were able to get off at our stop, the crowd just parted and let me through,( Rick had to push a bit).
We had hoped to be back in time for another swim tonight, that'll have to wait till tomorrow.

Wednesday, Hot hot hot again.
To keep out of the heat as much as possible we set out early-ish, for the Mall, Rick has a ticket to ascend the Burj Kalipha a tower of 148+ floors, he's going up to 124, and I'm wandering around the Mall, hoping not to get lost. This is a Mall like few others, I don't need to shop to be entertained, as I said there are Waterfalls,

 an Aquarium,

 a Souk, a Skating Rink

 and a mini Golf course.. Amazing
There are five floors of every imaginable high end shop and then some. Honestly just waking through the department stores is entertaining. The clothes, the colours, the shoes, the jewellery, the people. There's all kinds of everything.

It's a long way down.

As for my time at the Burj Khalifa. I took the express elevator all the way to the viewing platform on floor 124. It took less than a minute and several ear poppings. As the lift doors open you stare out to a revolving door which leads to the open air. As the air is above 40, it's more than a little breathtaking. As with everything in Dubai's tourist areas, it's quite packed. The viewing deck is in two parts, one outside stretching about a third of the way around, and the rest of the circle is inside, with a cafe (of sorts) and the ubiquitous souvenir shop. The view is a little clouded as the air at this time of the year is 'dust-filled' with sand being blown from the surrounding desert, but it does allow you to see this city is planted right on the edge of that desert. It was difficult to get close to the windows to get some photos, as everyone was standing in several different poses while either using a selfie stick or waiting for the partner to get the right angle. I eventually got some film and some photos though and then headed back to the Dubai Mall to try to find Karen. 

Our 20 floor hotel is the white building to the right and up from the golf ball in this picture.

I tried to text her to find out where she was, but for some reason I couldn't get through. Same when I tried to ring. Now what to do? This mall is bigger than huge and it's spread over 5 floors with honeycombing avenues of shops and people. Lots and lots and lots of people. Luckily I texted Brett to send a facebook message to get a message. Phew! It worked.

Spice Souk

We did go out to the Gold and Spice Souk in the old town but as it's still the Eid holiday, there wasn't much open.
After an incredibly hot walk to the next bus stop, we hopped back on the bus and continued the tour to almost our front door. It was two very hot bodies who hit the pool late this arvo.
Rick had booked us a special dinner for tonight so we spruced ourselves up and had a lovely meal on the 19th floor overlooking the display as the lights came on in the city.
The view always reminds me of the drawing we used to see of people's idea of the future city. It's quite 'space-age' in a way.
Dubai is a fabulous city and I urge everyone to spend a few days here, it's been a perfect end to our epic.

Not sure what to call it but I love it.

Dubai by night

The view from our table.

Last Day.  hot again 47C apparently.
Took and early morning train to city and then a Dhow down the Creek for about an hour, more of the same as the bus tours, but life along the creek is as it always was in some areas. Dhows transporting freight to and from the port. Water taxis transporting people up and down the creek.

We check out tonight so it's a quiet day indoors till it's time to head to the airport.
It's been a fabulous 2 months of adventures, and while we are happy to be going home, it will be no time before this will seem like a dream., that is except for the masses of photos we've taken between us.