2010 Vibrant Europe: The Dream lives on . . . Thank you so much Everyone!

Whoo Hoo!  I'm off on my 2010 Vibrant Europe Trip! 

I will be spending two wonderful weeks in Amsterdam in an apartment near a beautiful canal called the Prinsengracht (Prince's Canal).  There are 50 museums located in Amsterdam and my sightseeing will include a visit to the Van Gogh museum, Rijksmuseum  and the Anne Frank House.  I'll also check out some cool and charming museums like the  KattenKabinet ("Cat Cabinet"), the Houseboat museum and  another let's say more "colorful" museum. 

There are 2,734 miles of navigable rivers, canals and lakes and an amazing 18,019 miles of cycle paths.  In Amsterdam the bicycle is considered king over cars and pedestrians with their own lanes and traffic signals and I love it!  I'm going to wander about and do some window shopping and check out some cool markets and with all that exploring I'm going to be hungry so I'll be trying some delicious Indonesian cuisine called Rijsttafel (Rice Table). I even did some research and found a restaurant in my neighborhood to dine in.  Yummy!  And lastly, a day trip to the charming town of Harlaam and Zaanse Schans to see the famous Dutch Windmills will also be cool.  

Moving on . . . next, I'll travel by train for a two night day trip to beautiful Bruges, Belgium and yes I will be traveling on Tuesday. :)  And the closest thing to Italy that I will be seeing on this trip will be the very beautiful Madonna and Child marble statue in the Church of Our Lady by Michelangelo.  If the weather permits I will try to do a canal cruise during my visit.  And I'm pretty certain there will be some delicious Belgium Waffles and Chocolate making an appearance on my itinerary.

And finally I will make my way on a very long train ride (6 hours) to Berlin, Germany.  Here I will get to see a city transformed from the divisiveness and destruction of war to a city reunited , a city that is young and vibrant and a city that continues to evolve into this very contemporary, artistic and cool community . . .  without forgetting it's past.  I'll be making my way to the top of the highest structure in the city, the Berliner Fernsehturm where I'll be able to check out the city's layout.  I know that I'll be emotionally moved by some of the sights I have on my must see list like the Holocaust Memorial, but that too is very much a part of the travel and learning experience for me.  I'm going to see the longest remaining section of the famous Berlin Wall by visiting the Eastside Gallery.  And since I'm there in December I'll be able to experience an authentic German Christmas Market. 

I want to say a big Thank You to all of my blogging friends for helping me to make my 2010 Vibrant Europe trip to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany possible.  My heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all of you for giving me such great tips, advice, recommendations and for sharing your own personal experiences and photos.  I am always inspired  by reading your blogs and I learn so much not only on travel topics, but in life itself.  

Many thanks and appreciation to the Slow Talk Community and to founder Pauline Kenny who created Slow Travel.  As usual I found a lot of valuable information to help me prepare for my trip.  Pauline currently runs a great  Travel website called Slow Europe which I also used to help prepare for my trip.  And finally as always to my family, friends and co-workers many thanks for your encouragement and support.  

I plan to blog on the road because I think it is fun and also because I enjoy sharing my experiences with all of you.  I'm also challenging myself to do a tweet each day during my trip, which is why I moved my Twitter feed to the top.  You don't have to be a follower to read my short tweets.

I previously posted a music video of a group called Dead Pixels and here's another group called Doghouse Roses from Amsterdam Acoustics. I love this performance. Hey, the music scene may just be worth checking out!

Thank you so much everyone. My next post will be direct from Amsterdam, Netherlands.  My 2010 Vibrant Europe Adventures begins now . . . .