More Pics of Gouda

One of my favourite food groups...kaas (cheese) and some of the best in the world is made in Holland.

I forget what these travelling musical makers are called but they are always at the markets in Holland. Dh says they are called draaiorgel http://www.draaiorgel.org/english/index.htm

When you order a 'sandwich' this is what you get!

I luv a Dutch cappuccino in the downtown market. It's fun just to sit and enjoy watching all the shoppers. There are no cars allowed. I wish North America would adopt that idea. Quebec has some nice places like that.

A Little Bit of Knitting

I am knitting another pair of 3ply handspun alpaca socks. The yarn is a blend of grey alpaca, white corriedale fleece and nylon.

Since arriving back from vacation, I have finished spinning and plying my Rose Grey alpaca and seasilk yarn. It's hard to capture the colour and the shine in pictures.

I have started knitting a lace scarf with it. The pattern is a free one from here http://www.purlbee.com/checkerboard-lace-scarf/

My Lack of Yarn Shop Pics

This is a Dutch yarn/craft shop nearby Gouda. The one in Gouda has even less yarn. When I lived in Holland, these were pretty much the only kind of double point needles I could find. Not great for sock or mitten knitting because they are so long. I still have a few sets.

This is the wall of yarn.

My only yarn shop purchase...real Dutch wool.

A swan.....a common sight in Netherlands. I remember when my son and I first moved to Holland and we were riding our bikes along a bike path. All of a sudden a swan came crashing out of the bushes to attack us! We rode our bikes as hard as we could to get outta there! We didn't realize it was mating season and the swans had little ones to protect. That's when they can become aggressive.

Anyhow back to my lack of yarn shop pics. I did finally manage to visit la droguerie in Paris but they were closed! It's quite common in Europe to have shops close for the summer holiday and also some will close on a Monday. I didn't find any yarn shops in the part of Switzerland and Italy that I visited. I am not dissappointed though because I have the Knitter's Fair coming up in September and there will be lots of goodies there. I will be a vendor for Hubbert Farms.

Paris

The view from our 5th floor hotel room.

This was just outside the Louvre.

DH taking pics inside the Louvre.

Mona Lisa!

Inside the Louvre

Outside the Louvre

Another museum we visited had a huge, amazing collection of armour.

One of the bridges in Paris.

A cemetary where there are many famous people buried.

DH and I by the Eiffel Tower at night.

BTW.....DH and I flew back to Toronto on Saturday, Aug. 8 so I am at home now.

Lugano, Bellagio and Laglio

Me in Laglio, Italy on Lake Como. George Clooney's villa was here but unfortunately I did not know exactly which house was his! DH, me and stepdaughter in Bellagio, Italy enjoying our morning cappuccino.

DH and I on the top of Mount Generoso, Switzerland.

Our view from the top of the mountain.

Stepdaughter Vera and I in Bellagio, Italy.

We took a train partway up Mount Generoso and decided to hike the rest of the way up the mountain. It was very hot and scarey too if you looked over the edge.

I took a several photos of the pretty cows that were eating grass on the mountain.

No fear of heights!!

I am enjoying the delicious Swiss chocolate that comes from these cows, as I am writing this post :)

Back in Lugano, Switzerland and on our way to supper. It was uphill walking and hot, but what a beautiful place to be!

Next stop........ Paris.