My picks for Queen’s Day in Utrecht

Sunday night and feeling a bit lethargic (in other words, lazy), we agreed not to head off to the Koninginnenacht (Queen’s Night) festivities in Utrecht. But this morning, we managed to move our bums and joined Utrecht for Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day, 30 April). This is a yearly nationwide event in celebration of the Queen’s birthday here in the Netherlands.

So what’s in store during this day? Street party, live music, stage shows, lots of drinking, dressing up in orange, spontaneous street acts and selling junk, well anything really.

Here’s my picks for Queen’s Day in Utrecht:

Little Miss Dutch Maid in the prairie.

Selling junk.

Like in most cities in the Netherlands during Queen's Day, there are designated areas and streets that one can sell their (used) wares. And well, some even offer blind date matching services.

Selling manicure services as well.

Dyed orange hair and a Netherlands flag boa are popular outfits for the day.

It was the first time in many years that it didn't rain during Queen's Day. 20C! These macho tattooed guys are definitely enjoying the day.

Street games - you hit the button and the girl in bikini goes down the tub of water.

'Zin in een vluggertje?' literally means 'Want a quickie (sex)?' but this one means a quickie chess game =)

I know, I know... I am almost 42 (in a few weeks) and I should not be wearing outfits like this. Just trying to be trendy for a day since I have no orange to wear. I don't think I will wear something like this next year.

I love this umbrella and I found a cocktail stall! Finally mojitos!

This man is just so cool. Orange bra is it.

Doing the rumba. Cuba here I come (in 2 weeks!).

Hollow Man has gone orange.

Boating is popular during Queen's Day. Unlike in Utrecht, in Amsterdam it gets hectic on the canals (read: boat traffic).

Best in channelling 'Oranje' and 'Nederland'.

'Hi, I am Miss Netherlands and we have lots of tulips!'

Best in creativity: Orange eyelashes for the win!

Live music of course. They are in every corner. Can you imagine the noise blaring from every corner, I mean everywhere? I am so getting old.

This man is brave enough to wear a (orange) ribbon on his head.

More boating fun on Utrecht's Oudegracht.

We didn’t stay long in Utrecht. Like I always say in this blog—we are getting old.

We don’t appreciate large crowds anymore. The noise is unbearable. It was nice for the first few hours though but after that I just want to escape and be back in the comforts of home. If you are young and reading this, you’ll understand when you get to our age.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Visit Period: April

Family Visiting Us in Florida

All of this talk about missing Austin while he visits family has reminded me that we've had family visiting us in the past few months. We are so used to not having any family living near us that it's a special treat when we do have that. In February (27th) my cousin Mike and his wife Brenda came to visit us. They brought their sweet dog, Boo, who has since passed away. I hadn't visited with my cousin in probably over 20 years so it was an extra special treat to have time with he and Brenda. They are some of the kindest, most positive people you will ever meet. They even gave me a gift of a CD with a gospel group singing a song that Brenda wrote on it. Sometime we want to get over there way to hear her sing and play with her band. Good times!



Then we had another visit today from my Mom and nieces and nephew. Ambir and Auburn drove up one day and we got to see them on top of the other family visitors. It was wonderful to have time together. We even got to play charades together.





Living the life in already HOT Florida!

Nene Way 8 - Barnwell to Wansford

With Marta. Weather fine, not sunny but warm. 14.44 miles, including short detour to Fotheringhay Church and shop in Nassington.





We started from Barnwell Country Park, crossed the old road opposite Oundle Mill and followed the Nene Way, which is pretty well marked, along past the marina, and locks, through some wide meadows, and over a footbridge into Ashton. The first part of the walk overlaps with this walk from Thursday, Aug 18,







Through the village and after a while we turned left at the 'Entrance Lodge' to follow the road which turned into a track, past a Rifle Range, past Tansor Lodge on an old Roman road and into Warmington. Coffee break (from a flask), part way along here.

When we reached Warmington village we turned right, then left coming out at the church, which is a big one.











































and on to Eaglethorpe with its 17th century limestone dovecote







After this we made our way under the A605, through a decorated underpass







and over the fields to Fotheringhay. We climbed up the castle mound

Two boats below Fotheringhay Castle mound

The pub does a good lunch, then we wandered around the church - there's an impressive historical exhibition in there, and it's much lighter than many churches.










The prospect of another six miles was a little concerning, but we've done over 12 recently. We left Fotheringhay on the Apethorpe road. The turning to the right is just before the speed limit sign, but easily missed. A track leads to Walcot Lodge, where we turned right again. About two thirds of a mile later, we were almost tempted to keep following the wider track which veers to the left, instead of going straight ahead. There is a Nene Way sign, but it's not immediately obvious. There's a short turn to the left, then right a little later, but once all this has been negotiated, the route leads down towards Nassington. We needed something to drink, so detoured to the local shop.

Back to the route proper, and onward to Yarwell Mill, with its boats and caravan site. These millstones are on the road leading out of the Mill.







We should have taken a path across a field at this point. Instead we continued to the road, and turned right towards Yarwell. Not much difference in the distance. From here it's about a mile across fields - lots of horses grazing,



and Wansford Bridge soon comes into view.










































Phew, Wansford Bridge - that's the Northants Nene Way done and dusted.

A Tree?

I think my 3 black cats thought I had gone nuts for putting up a tree in the house even if it was an artificial one. They helped me decorate it and then undecorated it.

Light is always right

It doesn't matter if you are sport climbing at your local crag or in the greater ranges, light is always right if you want to push the limits of what you are capable of.



Every trip outreinforces that mantra to me. It doesn't matter if the object under discussion is a super light weight forged wire gate carabiner,your climbing pack,the helmet or clothes you choose. All of them add up to significant weight as a whole. How you decide to climb, be it unroped, scantily protected or lacing it up matters as well. Are your skills up to the task and your chosen style?



How fast you climb will define what you bring for food and water. How you dress will define that equation as well. Too warm and you'll need more water and your body won't work as efficiently. Too warm and you'll climb slower.



Going lightmeans speed in the mtns. And speed in the mtns is all in the details which includestaying aware and alert top to bottom. Are the ropes organized? Did you bring enough gear but not too much gear? Will the climb push you or will you push on the climb?



The picture is a scan from the 1984 Wild Things catalog. It is worth a dbl click to read or reread.







In April of I publisheda "weight list" here on the blog. I didn't do it for anyone but myself. I update it it as needed and refer to it myself all the time. If you don't write it down and keep track of the info you'll never know what you carry or how much it weights. And what it weights matters if you what to push yourself. It is a habit worth developing.



My list:

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//04/weights.html



If you are reading this blog then likely you are aware of the amazing climbs getting done in the alpine. If you aspire to those sorts of climbs it also pays to look at the gear and systems the major players are using.



There are few Willo Walzenbach's going off on their bicycles and using wool over coats to climb the big north faces these days.



There is how ever a ton of technology available to us today. All ofthe most recent hard climbs have depended on that same technology to some extent. Saying that takes nothing away from the climbers involved. It has always been that way. Modern gear and the resulting technology has just allowed us to push the envelope farther. Just as it has previous. Take a look at your "favorite flavor". I've mentioned or posted pictures of mine on the blog any number of times or just check the other links. The same guys that aregenerally pushing hard and going extremely light.



You don't have to climb at a professional level or in distant mountains to take advantage of what I am suggesting here. And to get good at it you need to do it in small doses, locally first.



Gear doesn't climb mountains, men do.



Alpine climbing (or any climbing) is a thinking man's game.



Smart climbers think about what gear they use, what it weights, the tactics they will try to use on the climband why. If you aren't doing all of that, you are missing well over half the game.

Exploring by Bike: Alternative to Touring

While I both travel and cycle a great deal, I have come to the conclusion that bicycle touring is not for me. This is not to say that I have anything against bicycle touring at all; it sounds like fun for those who enjoy it, and I love reading others' accounts of it. But it does not appeal to me personally for the same reason I've never liked touring in general: I am not satisfied passing through places. For instance, the idea of touring Ireland - that is, trying to see as much of the island as possible by going from town to town - would leave me feeling disoriented and empty. I enjoy getting to know a place, connecting to it in some way. And I don't feel that I can do that via sight seeing and moving on.






The way I see bicycle touring, is that it is first and foremost about traveling by bike. But what if we want to delve deeper rather than go further? Exploring by bicycle could be a rewarding alternative.






My idea of exploring involves choosing a location of significance, and committing to staying there for whatever length of time is sufficient in order to feel settled. For me that means a minimum of a week. The key is then to have something to do there other than sightseeing in of itself. A work-related project. An artistic, literary or research pursuit. Relatives or friends to visit. Something that anchors me to the place and provides an occupation.






Long ago I've noticed that when we approach a trip as a vacation, we expect the place we are visiting to entertain us. But that approach cannot possibly reveal what this place is truly like. For that we need to actually experience it in a real-life setting, as a temporary resident with a purpose rather than as a tourist. We will still get to see all the sights while there, but everything we see will attain a far greater sense of context and personal meaning.





We will also be much more likely to notice nuances that might have otherwise evaded us.







So where does the bicycle come into all of this? Well, to me the bicycle makes an ideal tool for exploring, in that it allows me to set my own pace and to vary that pace spontaneously. I can go as fast or as slow as I like. I can cover long distances or I can ride around in circles. I can carry all that I need with me for the day, transitioning easily between cycling for the sake of cycling, exploring, and transportation. On my first day on the Antrim coast my travel radius was tiny, but I rode quite a bit. Another day I might find myself 50 miles from my home base.





On my bike, I can feel the landscape open up and reveal itself to me as it never does with any other mode of transportation. I can also ride to the grocery store - or to the pub, or to the library, or to a meeting, or to a friend's house.







The bike allows me to feel at home, comfortable, and entirely independent in the place I am exploring and I couldn't ask for more. Maybe I will tour some day. But for now I prefer to stay put and go deep. The bicycle is as perfect of a companion for this kind of travel as it is for touring. The possibilities are endless.