Visit Amsterdam, several places including boat-cruise, learns the Dutch history and took several pictures….Light-switches are much bigger and toilet flush drain is at the front side of the bowl. Old buildings have no house numbers but landmarks. Offices in Amsterdam are mostly old buildings, but not in the suburb. The train system is very systematic, clean and well-equipped. Comfortable and timely. Love the countryside more because in Amsterdam many people smoked hash on the street, restaurant, bars and train stations. Quite congested, but breathable. Did you know… export Heineken are made with canal water? Ha…ha… just kidding…. Fashion? I love the way they dress for “autumn”. Very neat-fashion. I am going to buy some when I leave for Berlin.
In the country side is much more environmentally friendly. Many people ride bicycles. Every train stations and bus stations have multi-story bike parking lots. Very organized and clean. People do not stare at each other and also say “Hello” to each other. Holland is an affordable, compact and progressive country with hundreds of 17th-century houses, canals and museums…churches are mainly Protestants.

Alkmaar, The Cheese Market

Take off to Alkmaar to see my brother’s family. My nephew is now 10 years old and very good looking boy. He doesn’t know me at all (I think). We go around the old-city, cheese-market and enjoy the Gelati ice-cream with some pate’. Visited real fish market (photo). It was a good experience. I'm loving it here...

What do you call a group of dairy longshoremen who put on white uniforms, don straw hats with colored ribbons, and carry wheels of cheese to and from a 14th Century weighhouse on wooden barrows suspended from their shoulders?
In Alkmaar, they're referred to as "cheese porters" (or the Dutch equivalent), and members of their various guilds have been helping to bring cheese buyers and sellers together for at least 600 years.
Today's Alkmaar Cheese Market is more show than substance, if only because Dutch cheesemaking has been a mass-market industrial operation since the 1960s.

8888 Comradeship

Reunion with Burmese friends in Nieuw Vernnep. Talk a lot, eat a lot, and drink a lot. Very friendly and very hospitable (as always). Comradeship! Still very tide. Recalled many chapters of 8888...

Arrived Amsterdam, The Nederlands

23:45 hrs – Settled in a hotel (Amsterdam), a room with 3 beds, my brother, Raymond and me. The Hotel building has very nice architectural design, a century old, narrow stair cases with tiny metal arts all around the corners. Cost only €90.00 for 3 of us. Cool! We had Dutch snack Kroket, Sausage and Beer.
http://www.thehollandring.com/food.shtml

Leaving UK

01:00 hrs – I am meeting my brother in Amsterdam at 22:15 hrs, tonight, but I haven’t got the ticket yet. Will have to go online and book. Will let you know…
05:00 hrs – We woke Craig up (grumpy a bit) to drive us to the train-station cuz there’s no local bus running yet. I discovered that there’s a ferry leaving at 7:30 am to The Netherlands. Cool! ₤50/person but if you book 7 days in advance, its only ₤25/person from Liverpool Street station to Amsterdam CS.
http://www.stenaline.com

Piccadilly Square, London

Do some work during the day and head out to Covent Garden: “Road House” restaurant for awesome din-din with Craig, Karen and Raymond. It was a lot of fun, many handsome guys. Bar tenders are cool, crafty and skilled. But their buttocks are much smaller compare to Canadians. Tonight theme is “real 80s’ at the restaurant. So it’s filled with many memories of my own. English dance tamer than North American but they can drink a lot more. I like the sour-whisky. Very tasty and yet no hang-over the next day. The market place is so adorable, so English. Love the hallways, love the side walk, reminded me of “Gas Town” in Vancouver, BC. Arrived home midnight. Nighty Night!

Countryside, driving around the plains

Berkimhamshire countryside: Driving around the plains, terrians and folks-of-sheep, lovely narrow-winding country road. The country road is called “C” way. This means smallest type of motorways, single lane only. “A” way is express “B” way is city roads. Really enjoy the view and country smell….Their semi-trailers are taller, narrower and cleaner looking. English people drive fast, assertive yet lesser accident rates compare to North America. Churches are mainly Anglican.

London, England, UK

The city itself has many places to visit. Nice size, not too big not too small. I walked entire day from 7am to 11:30pm. A lot of fun! Covered several places including famous tourist areas. I love the way they name their stores and houses. Very practical. Off course, just like many other cities, some part of the London city has Brooklyn alike. People are very friendly during non-rush hours. The most greasest and soggiest food I ever encountered “Fish & Chips”. “Beans on toast” is okay. LOVE the 1667 Kronberg Beer. Taking buses around town and witness the city planning and realized “oh… this is how the English laid their city planning in Burma”. Starting from bricks, window frames and glasses…

Olney town, UK

Slept until 4pm, do nothing but sleep. Oh…but had some beer and “potato cups” at the local bar in the evening. Really quaint, old English pub. I like the washroom, the door is made of real old wood, and handle is made of “castle bars”. You can see blocks of wood across the ceilings. Had a very good conversation with Craig. Craig is from Melbourne pursuing Master Degree in Avionic Engineering at in Cranfield, UK. Craig married to one of Raymond’s cousin from New York City. Nice couple. Raymond mother insisted that we stay at Craig house if we are in UK. So here we are…
Take a look at the one-and-only gas station at the town of Olney, UK. did yu guys see the pipes? Yup, they really make efforts to maintain the old-styles...

Berkinghamshire, UK

It’s so good to hear BRITS speak.
Near by town at Gatwick airport reminds me of Winnipeg, MB. The airport washrooms have no mirrors and the sinks are 1/2 the size of what I am use to. You need to pay 20 pence to enter the public washrooms. Everything is smaller in size. Even though the buildings are constructed with mostly bricks, the commercial goods are mostly American brands.
I love this little town, Milton Keynes, so far. I enjoy walking in the cool breeze with few drizzles. The window frames reminds me of “Wuthering Heights”. I haven't noticed any other English thing here except the "pub culture" (very easy to make friends). Looking forward to head out to the city tomorrow...