I was passing through, a ship in the night. In the rain and drizzle I wandered the canals and pleasing pedestrian cobbled streets.

It’s nearly unchanged since the last time I was here. The window girls now have mobile phones. But they are just as disingenuously pleased to see you ogle as they were in 1976.

Lonely Planet:

… this beautiful city has found its old self – quirky, creative and open-minded. ….

Not long ago the Netherlands swung towards the right, with crackdowns on immigration, religious freedom and red-light districts. Even in freewheeling Amsterdam, people were asking themselves: is too much tolerance a bad thing?

You can breathe easy: the soul-searching is over. The core values of Dutch society that we knew and loved have emerged intact. Newcomers who integrate are welcome; practising a faith is OK, as is the right to turn away from it. …

What’s the result of all this permissiveness?

The Dutch, so far as I can see, are the nicest, most relaxed, nationality in Europe. I’ve never had a bad experience with anyone from the Netherlands.

Though I enjoy the local cuisine (Stropwafle McFlurry and Donairs) this climate sucks. It makes Vancouver seem a fun sun destination. Yet all the hostels are full. What are these dopey backpackers doing here?

I booked a flight to sunny Portugal.

Travel tip: In Amsterdam don’t enter a “coffee shop” for coffee.

Did I sample?

… I’m pleading Ribliatti.

And don’t enter a Starbucks for coffee. The Pikes that costs $2.10 in Canada will drain your fannypack by over $4 in Europe.

I spent almost 2 weeks in the port city. My first night I met a group of architecture students from Beijing. They come regularly to Netherlands to study the creative gambles here.

During World War II, the German army invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. Adolf Hitler had hoped to conquer the country in just one day, but his forces met unexpectedly fierce resistance. The Dutch army was finally forced to capitulate on 14 May 1940, following Hitler’s bombing Rotterdam and threatening to bomb other Dutch cities.

The heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by the Luftwaffe …

Rotterdam was gradually rebuilt from the 1950s through the 1970s. …

I did a lot of walking. And gawking. Gawking at the extreme and unusual architecture.

This is a High School.

One night I stayed at a hostel in the Cube Houses.

The highlight for most of us was the Erasmusbrug bridge.

More interesting photos tagged Rotterdam.

My photos did not turn out very well. Again.

I like Rotterdam. But the ghastly weather made me want to guzzle a bottle of Absinthe. And slice off my own ear.

Did you know that many Dutch don’t appreciate Van Gough?

I spent a night in this seaport town, one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours.

Tourists tend to pass through as quickly as possible en route to the Cinque Terre.

… Yet on a Sunday afternoon, I found it an interesting and engaging town, with many pedestrian walkways.

Parents rented these weird bicycles devices for their young kids:

see a few more pics on flickr

I visited this neglected, backwater region of Italy.

Lovely.

… But don’t tell Clooney. We don’t want the suitcase bus tours to discover it. That would be awful.
🙂

Sienna cathedral (Duomo) Romanesque-Gothic architecture (1380)

more interesting photos of Sienna

I stopped in Rome for one night to take care of some errands.

A picnic of Gorgonzola, marmalade and baguette at the Trevi fountain was a highlight.

I’d not been to Rome for over 30yrs. It was completely unfamiliar.

Surprisingly the main attractions are quite compact, walkable.

Surprisingly the city is quite civilized. People wear the mandatory murdercycle helmets. They stop at red lights. The streets are not much littered.

Best was the Roman Forum at night. Very quiet.

The biggest surprise to me was the internet. You must log in with a passport or driver’s licence. That’s big brother.

Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio, Latin: Mons Vesuvius) is a stratovolcano on the Bay of Naples, Italy, about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) east of Naples …. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting. …

Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. …

The last major eruption was in March 1944. …

Next time?

The PLAN is an emergency evacuation of 600,000 people.