photography – Page 55 – Snapping The Globe

Divine De Haar

Located in the center of the Netherlands near Utrecht, De Haar Castle, is a medieval fortress complete with towers, ramparts, canals, gates and drawbridges. Entirely restored and partially rebuilt in the 19th century, it is a sight to behold and quite unlike anything you would expect from the less than flamboyant Dutch.

Getting to De Haar Castle was so much easier than I ever thought. Worried about changing trains in Utrecht and then to a bus in Vleuten, I had put off visiting De Haar Castle for quite some time. Laying in my bed the night before, trying to decide what to do the next day and knowing that the weather was not going to be optimum, I decided that in the very least, it was something to do that was indoors and probably worth the trip.

The agents in the Amsterdam train station were extremely helpful when purchasing our tickets. While checking train schedules, I knew that there were certain trains that provided a better connection in Utrecht, however, connect time was only about eleven minutes. The agent informed us which Utrecht train to take for the better connection, but gave us a choice…wait in Amsterdam Central a little longer for that train or go to Utrecht on a train leaving sooner and have more time for the connecting train in Utrecht. We decided on the first train, in the event that the other might be running behind…better to wait in Utrecht!

Travel to Utrecht is a quick twenty-six minutes. The station is not very large and finding the platform for the Vleuten train was brief and uncomplicated. The journey from Utrecht to Vleuten is only ten minutes. Walking down from the platform, take a left, under the tracks and you will see the bus stop straight ahead on the left. The #111 bus to De Haar Castle (on certain days) runs approximately every thirty minutes and drops off right in front of the castle.

The ride to the castle is quite short, through the beautiful countryside. Before we realized, the bus was coming to a stop and we had our first glimpse of the castle’s outer walls. A short walk led us to the gatehouse, the courtyard and the ticket office. Walking toward the impressive castle through the front gardens, one can imagine how lovely it would be during the spring and summer months when everything is in bloom.

Tours begin on the top of the hour so there was some time to walk around and take pictures of the beautiful grounds and the castle’s exterior. After finally entering the castle, we found a coat check room and lockers for our belongings. We also found a sign stating that no pictures are allowed…very disappointing for this photography lover!

The hour long tour take you through different parts of the grand home, from the kitchen to the guestrooms and touches on the history of the castle. In 1890, De Haar was inherited by Baron Etienne van Zuylen who was wed to Baroness Helene de Rothschild. Plans were made to rebuild the castle which was in disrepair, with architect Pierre Cuypers in 1892, a project that took 20 years to complete. The castle has 200 rooms and 30 bathrooms, of which only about 10 are shown on the tour.

Interior photos (of course, we sneaked a few)

Surrounding the castle are magnificent gardens designed by Hendrik Copijn. Many waterworks can be found throughout as well as a formal garden modeled after those of Versailles. The village of Haarzuilens, formerly located where the park was to be built, was demolished for construction of the gardens, with the exception of the town church, and moved further up the valley, where it can be visited today. Most of the buildings were designed by Pierre Cuypers and his son Joseph. The coat of arms does not only live on in the colors of the castle, but also in nearly all of the houses in Haarzuilens.

Upon completion of our tour, we once again returned to the grounds, fighting the wind and drizzle, finding the chapel, which we had hoped to visit, closed. It was easy to imagine how returning during the warmer months would be extremely enjoyable, venturing out into the sunshine to encounter the Rose Garden, the Roman Garden, ponds, canals, bridges, vistas and impressive avenues. Reading somewhere that each season at the castle has its own charm, I can promise you that due to the ornery weather, winter’s charm was not going to be experienced during our visit…only winter’s misery!

Catching the bus at the same location, we returned to the Vleuten train station for the brief journey to Utrecht and Amsterdam.

One would expect a castle of this caliber to be found throughout other parts of Europe, not the Netherlands. Thanks to the Van Zuylen family, however, it is one that you can experience on a trip to the country most known for its windmills and cheese. If you are in search of history and architecture, then, De Haar Castle is worth the effort.

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De Haar Castle

http://www.kasteeldehaar.nl/english-version/
Opening Hours: January 4-March 13, daily, 11:00-17:00. March 14-June 30, daily, 10:00-17:00. Tours depart on the hour, last tour 16:00.
Admission: Castle entrance and all day park access, Adults, 14,00€, Children (ages 4-12), 9,00€, Children (under 4), free
Admission: Park entrance only, Adults 4,00€, Children (ages 4-12), 3€, Children (under 4), free
Getting there: Trains depart for Utrecht from Amsterdam Central station regularly. From Utrecht Central Station take the train to Vleuten (train destination: Den Haag Centraal, not the intercity, but the sprinter). At Vleuten station, go down the stairs and turn left to the bus station. Take bus #111 on Wednesday, weekends and special holidays. Bus will drop you right next to the castle. For other days, take bus #127 to Breukelen and get off at the “Kasteel” bus stop at Haarzuilens. From here, it’s a 15 minute walk to the castle.
Additional option: On a nice day, rent a bike in Utrecht and ride to the castle, about one hour and 15 minutes.

A Nice Weekend

France for the weekend? Yes, let’s go!

Working for an airline most definitely has many upsides and downsides. Being on the front lines, flight attendants sometimes endure our passenger’s cordiality and sometimes their wrath. There have been days that I have returned from my trips vowing to my husband that I was quitting my job. Why didn’t I, you ask? Simply put…I enjoy seeing the world.

Ever hear the phrase, “Marry me, fly free”? Well, it’s true…or almost true.

Each airline policy regarding employee travel varies. My airline, for example, offers free travel to employees and their families from the very beginning of their career. Domestic travel incurs no charge; however, taxes are paid for international travel, for the specific city. Italy’s taxes tend to be the cheapest, while England’s are some of the most expensive…about $160 difference between the two. That being said, paying the taxes versus buying an international ticket is definitely a plus! Travel, however, is not confirmed. Employees check flights for available seats and place themselves on an employee standby list for that flight. The employees are assigned seats just before departure in order of seniority. No available seats? No go! So, employees definitely must have flexible travel plans and travel in off peak time periods. But, having that ability offers us the chance to go to places on a whim that most people spend months planning.

Travel benefits are also extended to our immediate family. Again, while policies vary between airlines, my husband, parents and children are also offered benefits. Over the years, we have taken many wonderful vacations…some we could have never afforded if we had had to purchase five tickets. Unfortunately, as my children grow older, I realize that this will eventually come to an end. Our benefits are extended to our children until the age of 26, if they are actively enrolled students or in the military. If they graduate at 22 or 23 and do not seek advanced education, they will no longer be covered by my travel benefits. It is no wonder that many airline employees’ children seek airline employment later in life.

When the children were younger, it was much easier to travel when school wasn’t as much of an issue. On many occasions, we packed up on a Thursday night and went to Grand Cayman or some other exotic locale for the weekend. I remember the preschool teachers thinking that our children were making up stories about their travels. Not many people can travel to far flung destinations, just for a weekend.

Last week, my oldest son turned 19. He is currently in college and his benefits will run out in about three and half years, unless he opts to pay for continuing education. Trying to take advantage of his school break, I decided that he and I should try and travel somewhere that he has never been. Checking flight availability, I noticed that the flight to Nice, France had a large number of seats open on Friday and a large number of seats open three days later, returning from Nice. Standing in the doorway of his room, I offered to take him to Nice for the weekend. We would only be there for half a day on Saturday, the whole day on Sunday and would be returning on Monday. Take it from a flight attendant; you can most certainly squeeze in a lot of sightseeing in that time frame. I was shocked when he declined my offer, stating that he had plans with friends.

Nothing I said would change his mind. “You do realize you will lose your benefits in three and a half years?” “Don’t base your decisions in life on others.” “This is your birthday present!” and all the “Mom” things I could muster. His friends said, “Wow, I’d go to France in a heartbeat, if I were you!”

Still, nothing would persuade him.

Frustrated, I realized that an opportunity could pass by. Having been to Nice many times myself, my husband and younger sons had never been. Why couldn’t the four of us go without my oldest son? Secretly though, I was assuming that if my oldest son saw that we were going to go without him, he would alter his plans and come with us after all.

Securing hotel rooms, plans were quickly put into place. We decided to leave on Friday afternoon and travel to New York. Our flight would depart at 9:20 pm and we would be arriving in Nice at 11:10 am the next morning. My oldest, sadly, still refused to travel with us.

After departing New York’s JFK airport and a seven hour flight, we were soon standing outside of Terminal 2 and boarding a bus enroute to Gare de Nice-Ville train station. Arriving a quick 20 minutes later, the walk to our hotel was a quick five minutes.

Having only opened last July, our hotel was modern, clean and perfect for our short stay. The hotel presented us with adjacent rooms and was very helpful in providing us with information on local activities.

After quickly getting settled, we were on our way to explore Nice, Monaco and St. Paul de Vence.

Although, it was a quick weekend, I was so thankful to be able to give the gift of seeing a different city to, at least, most of my family. All too soon we were back on the bus, returning to the airport for our return trip to New York and Richmond.

My oldest held down the fort while we were gone, taking care of the dog and the laundry. He inquired about our trip when we arrived. He even asked to see the pictures from the trip. I thought that maybe he would have regretted his decision a bit and maybe he did…but we will never know. I just hope that he realizes what an amazing opportunity he passed on and doesn’t continue to do so in the future. It would be a terrible shame to be further in life and look back with remorse stating, “I wish I would have taken the opportunity to travel when I had it.”

My two younger boys, however, enjoyed the fact that they benefited from his passing on the trip. They posted pictures of their adventure on Facebook. They had a wonderful time and were eager to share their exploits with their friends. For them, it is thrilling to know that they have been somewhere where many of their friends have not. To quote a friend of theirs, “You went to Nice for the weekend? Who DOES that?”

We do!!!

Group Shot SPDV — Me and my family in St. Paul de Vence.

Delta Airlines provides service to Nice three to four times a week during winter months and daily during the rest of the year.

http://www.delta.com

Transportation from Nice to City Center

Bus 99 departs Terminals 1 and 2 every half hour and travels directly to Gare de Nice-Ville
For other transportation information: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187234-s301/Nice:France:Arriving.And.Departing.html

Ibis Styles Center Gare Hotel information

Rates vary from high season to low season
Located 4 minute walk from the Gare de Nice-Ville
15 minute walk to Old Town.
10 minute walk to Promenade Anglais and beach area
Brand new hotel offering modern, stylish accomodations
http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-9907-ibis-styles-nice-centre-gare/index.shtml

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Oh…Koh Samui

Since our next day was a travel day, we were up early and out the door, heading for Don Mueang airport.

Although we were only in Bangkok for two “half” nights (arrival after midnight and leaving hotel at 3:30 AM) I was sad to leave the Ibis Nana hotel. Last time I was in Bangkok, I stayed at the Mercure at the Skytrain Stadium stop. It was an extremely nice hotel that I booked thru Delta Perks, a site that offers us airline discounts with certain hotel chains. I absolutely loved this hotel and its location! This time, I decided to try another Accor hotel, the Ibis Nana. The Ibis offers clean, Scandinavian style rooms. Our price was around 30 dollars per night, more than half of the Mercure’s price. Since our stay was short, this seemed like a more reasonable choice.

What I liked most about this hotel is that there are lots of restaurants and bars in the area, so after a long day of sightseeing, you can go back to your room, freshen up and then you don’t have to go very far for a good meal or for nightlife.

Our flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani was booked with Nok Air. There are many discount airlines to choose from and most operate from Don Mueang airport which is closer to the city of Bangkok. Our flight was a steal at $67.
The good thing about booking a flight that departs at 6:10 AM is that there is no traffic at that time of the morning. Our cab driver was not happy when we had him turn on the meter…I suspect that he hoped to charge us a much higher fare than the 300 baht that was showing on the meter when we arrived.

Nok Air does not allow you to carry on your rollaboards, however, they do not require you to pay to check your luggage. The excellent thing about this is that with hardly any luggage being brought on board, the boarding process takes hardly any time at all.
The plane was impeccable and the bathrooms were immaculately clean.
On this short flight (1 hour) the flight attendants served a small breakfast snack, did a coffee service and even sold Nok Air products. Grant it, we were not full, maybe 2/3, but they were amazingly quick and efficient.

When we arrived, our bags were quickly delivered to the baggage claim.
We had booked the plane-bus-ferry option. It wasn’t long before we were loaded onto our bus and driving towards the Lomprayah ferry.

At the Lomprayah ferry terminal, we purchased the transfer option (150 baht) to take us from the arrival ferry pier to our hotel. The ferry was very nice and there was s snack bar for purchasing food, drinks and food.

After our docking in Koh Samui, we were met by the Lomprayah agents and escorted to our bus. 30 minutes later, we arrived at our hotel, Montien House.

We were told that our rooms would be another hour, so we went off to have lunch. Before long, we were checked into our rooms. I had specifically requested a room near my friend’s and facing the beach side of the property however, neither request had been met. In addition, someone had spilled something all over one of the walls and the room generally did not seem clean.
I went downstairs and explained what had happened. Thankfully, they were able to move me to the room across from my friend’s room, although it wasn’t beach facing.
Although I was unsure about the hotel at first, it quickly grew on me and I came to love the staff. Every day, they wanted to know my plans and when I came in, they wanted to know how my day was. The room was always cleaned very well and if there was something I needed, it was quickly taken care of.
The hotel was conveniently located near many shops, restaurants and nightlife.

On my last night, I went downstairs to go to the beach to release my lucky lantern. I was alone and the front desk was occupied by one of the young men who worked at the hotel. He saw my lantern and asked if I needed help with it. I asked him to show me what to do. He explained that it was easier if there were two people. I responded that my friends were not there to help me. What he said to me, was very touching, especially since I had had such a trying day. “The staff here can help you. We are your friends too!”

Maybe it wasn’t the most luxurious hotel, but little things like that mean so much to a customer!

Ibis Nana

www. accorhotels.com

Nok Air

www.nokair.com

Montien House

www.montienhouse.com

The Floating Market

Once we indulged our appetites, we got a little bit of sleep. I knew that we wanted to be at the tour desk when it first opened so that we might have a chance to book a tour to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, something neither Nicki nor I had done on our previous trips.
As tired as I was, my internal clock must have coaxed me awake, because at 7:00 am, my eyes opened wide.
I quickly dressed and went downstairs. Since we had not booked twenty four hours in advance, we were unable to book the official Floating Market “Tour”, but we were informed that we could book a private car, longtail boat and tour to the market. Much better!
Quickly we dressed and returned downstairs to meet our driver, whom we had been informed, was to leave by 9:00 am.
Because it was a national holiday, Chulalongkom Day (the king’s birthday), traffic was horrendous. A trip that would have taken one and a half hours, took three and a half.
Finally, we arrived at the floating market and were escorted onto our boat.
Driving through the canals, we had a taste of local life. Many houses were built on stilts and some were connected by pier walkways. As usual, the friendly locals met our passing with beautiful smiles and enthusiastic waves.
A stop at the Coconut Sugar Farm gave us insight into how…actually, I am not going to make this up. I have no idea what they do here, besides sell souvenirs and give out free samples of a coconut drink.

On we drove, stopping locals in their boats for various food items, and stopping at market stalls along the way. Nicki and Angie snagged some clothing items and carvings…since I have been craving Thai food, I had more Pad Thai and then, coconut ice cream! It was more delicious than the last time I had it!

Because we had arrived so late, some stalls were closed and there were not as many boat vendors in the canals. Still, it was an amazing experience!
After leaving the main area of the floating market, we then went for a visit to Wat Prok Charoen buddhist temple and returned to the dock for our drive back to Bangkok.

Wandering…

Wandering is one of my favorite things to do while in many cities. Setting out with a map in my bag, is a necessity only if I am truly lost or just need a little guidance. I love going out with only a general plan in mind. Sometimes you never know what you will find!
Last week, I was in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich is a very pristine and charming city and I love walking along the river in the Old Town area and along the northern shore of Lake Zurich. The last few times I have been to Zurich, it seems that I have only been there on Sundays. Most shops are closed and the streets are very quiet.
Taking the train into the city center, my goal was to find the free bike rental location. Years ago, I rented a bike from one of these free rental locations and rode along the river with a few of my coworkers. This time, I was alone and decided that I would use my bike to further my wandering.
Finding the bike rental location was a bit challenging and I thought that I would have to abandon my plans, but soon enough, I managed to stumble upon the area in which it was located.

https://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/sport/zurich-on-wheels
Many years ago, Züri Rollt Free Bike Rental secured the rental with a driver’s license or identification card, meaning they kept it until you returned the bike. They have now changed the process. They still require an identification card or passport. Your information is recorded and you are given a copy of the form, however, you now keep your means identification. You are also required to pay a $20 Swiss Franc deposit. When returning the bicycle, you give back the copy of the form and your $20 Swiss Franc deposit is returned.
After the formalities, I was finally on my way. Since it was Sunday and there wasn’t much traffic, I found it quite easy to navigate the streets on my way to the lakefront.
With an admiring glance out towards the Alps, I decided to head to the right of the lake. There are many bike and pedestrian pathways along the lake.
After riding for a while, I saw the bike rider in front of me take a left turn. I looked down the alleyway in which she had turned and noticed lots of graffiti. Now, I am a sucker for good graffiti, so I had no choice but to check it out. There was an entryway of sorts and the walls were lined with amazing graffiti. I walked with my bike throughout the area and down along the lakefront. I had no idea what this area was until I asked a local Swiss woman who was walking through the area. She informed me that it was called Rote Fabrik.
Rote Fabrik, or Red Factory, is a former factory in Zurich, which is now used as a music venue and cultural center. It is so named because the buildings are made of red brick, but also because left-wing parties were part of the campaign to turn the location into a cultural center.

After snapping many photos, I decided to head back to the city, return the bike and wander on foot.
Venturing through Old Town, I passed the Grossmunster and the Church of Our Lady (Fraumunster). Neither were open, but they offer themselves up for many a beautiful photograph. Along the Fraumunster, I spent about 15 minutes photographing the carvings on the side walls.

Finally, all that cycling had worked up a mighty appetite. Now, if you’ve ever been to Zurich, then you will know how expensive it is. Meals can run, on average $35-40 US (no drinks included). The last time I was in Zurich, we found a cute little place called Thai Bamboo right near the river on a side street. Address: Schoffelgasse 3, Zurich, Switzerland. Previously, I had the Pad Thai, which was good. Compared to other Pad Thai I have had before, I can say that I have had better. This time, however, I decided to try the Red Curry. Oh my goodness! I have been to Thailand and I can tell you that this ranks up there with any Red Curry that I have ever had in that country. The best part was that my Red Curry and two beers came to a grand total of $25! That’s a steal for
Zurich! Now mind you, it’s not a five-star restaurant…you select your meal from a counter-style serving area. You grab your drink from the refrigerated cooler and you seat yourself. But, I will trade all that for a very good meal served at the right price.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-bamboo-z%C3%BCrich-2

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