East-West North Carolina, November 2023

We didn't have a spring or summer vacation this year, so we decided on an autumn getaway. The beach is always great, so how about trying a new one? And how about making a long (for us!) round trip road trip? And see some new places? And visit with family? All those things are great!

On Monday, Nov. 6, we flew from Düsseldorf to Munich to Charlotte.  First, our usual breakfast at the D-dorf airport.  

And a bit of wise philosophy.

Then it was on to Munich. Probably for the last time, as it just seems silly to us to fly in the wrong direction like that. And also it makes for a damned long flight to the US.

Arrived all safe and sound in Charlotte. However, the immigration lines were very long and slow -- we arrive at the same time as a charter holiday flight returning from the Caribbean -- and I had to stand there shuffling along for 45 minutes. My knees and back were in agony by the time I met Norbert at the luggage pickup. He had gone through the non-US line much faster.

As we walked, or hobbled, along towards the rental cars, I said, "Next time I will get a wheelchair!" and 10 seconds later, I heard, "A wheelchair? Just wait right here, I'll get you one!" It was the woman in charge of some matters, and she had overheard me. I was embarassed, but gladly accepted the wheelchair. Then rolled all the way to the rental car counter!

The flight gets in late enough in the afternoon that we once again spent the night in the area. The hotel we were at the previous time had been impossible to find, and nowhere around to get a bite to eat or anything to drink. 

This time I took a Marriott Fairfield, which was very easy to find and very near stores, etc. As a member of whatever their club is, they gave me a free upgrade to a "junior business suite. Always nice to have a bit of extra space to stretch out, especially when you have just spent endless hours on an airplane.

We grabbed some drinks and snacks somewhere and ate in the room, our usual first night routine.

Up early the next day, thank you jet lag. The first stop of the day was about a 3 minute drive away. 

We then had an easy 3.5 hours drive across the state to Carolina Beach and our wonderful holiday apartment. More in the next post!

De Eemhof, 2011

Our trip to this park in December was in fact our third (and final) visit. We first went with Norbert's sister Reingard and her husband Herbert in 2008. 

Our second visit was in 2011, just Norbert and me, and I just ran across these photos.

Our bungalow: 

The grounds;

Birds gathering at the top of the swimming hall

A huge wind park 

It was a nice getaway, but as I said earlier, we were disappointed with our last visit and so will not return. I think we are beyond the stage of enjoying this kind of vacation park. We still like some of the smaller ones offered by other companies, that are more for rest and relaxation and nature, rather than Fun! Excitment! Action!

De Eemhof, December 2024, Part Two

 The weather did not cooperate with us at all. The whole week was gray, overcast, moist, and foggy. I had made a list of things we could see and do, but we saw and did none of them. We only left the the park twice, both times to the same shopping center in nearby Almere. We did visit different stores each time, though.

Every day we did take a walk around the park. Each park has a gathering area with a large swimming pool, various shops, registration, several restaurants (unbelievably expensive), and a cafe. We stopped at the cafe one morning for a coffee. It was more elegant that homey, so not really our style. Please not that the photo here does not show up, click on the area and it should appear.

 

There was a lot of lovely nature in the park, and being the Netherlands, there was water, too.

A swan boat!

A bee and insect "hotel".

Welcome to the Winter Wonderland.

All in all, not our  best vacation. We did get a lot of resting and reading done, so all was not lost. But it would have been nice to have been able to do more. We were also disappointed in the park, it all seemed so dreary and didn't offer anything we were interested in. Our third time there, and the last time.

De Eemhof, December 2024

 We decided we needed to get away for a few days, so we booked five days at Center Parcs De Emhoff in mid-November. We have been there twice before, once with Norbert's sister and her husband, and found it to be a quiet, nature-filled park. However, that was a number of years ago....

The week before we were due to go, I came down with the Sinus Condition from Hell. Norbert pointed out that it was pointless to go away, so with a heavy heart, we cancelled. Only to be told that they would be happy to let us come anytime within the next month, with only a relatively small cancellation fee and no other extra charges. It was obvious that the park was mostly empty during this depth of the very off-season. So of course we said yes, picked out our bungalo location of choice, and booked it.

It's about a two-and-a-half hour drive northwards,  The park is in the province of Flevoland, the newest province, being added only in 1986. It is all "polderland", recovered from the water. Earlier this was part of the Zuiderzee.

We arrived an hour or so before the official check in time of 4 pm, but this being the non-busy off-season, we could go right into our bungalow. They have a new electronic system, where each member of the party is given a "digital armband", which unlocks the bungalow door, and no doubt does other things as well. It worked out quite well and being an armband, more difficult than an armband to lose.

This is a non-car park, with a large lot near the entrance. You can drive in to move and then again to move out, but no parking at the house.

We had a two-bedroom bungalow, and I must say, the other bedroom would have been a tight squeeze for anyone other than child.

You enter through an unheated foyer, with the trashcans underneath the coat hooks, and a window into the living room Through a door, you enter into the living area, the "kitchen" on the right and dining room table on the right. Turn right at the table into the living area. The far wall was mostly windows, looking out onto the patio and grounds -- lovely trees. 

The bedroom was smallish but at least there was enough room to comfortably walk around the bed. 

As is common in the Netherlands, the toilet is in a separate room the from the bath. In this case, as we have often experienced, the word "room" is not really applicable. "Closet" may be better. There was barely room to even sit down and stand up. A major negative for us. 

The rest of the plumbimg was right next door. Nice sink with lots of space, and an interesting tub with a curved-out section with a glass wall, to make showering easier.

The view outside.

More to come.....

Florida 2014

 In January 2014 Norbert and I took our first winter vacation to Florida. It turned out to be a wonderful idea and one we continued for several years.

A number of photos have disappeared but there are enough to give you an idea of it.

We flew to Miami and spent the night in a hotel near the airport. The next day we drove south to Homestead, and then on the Everglades! 

To be honest -- we liked it but no more than that. I know that the Everglades are technically not a swamp but a "river landscape". We had just visited the Okefenokee Swamp the May before, and had fallen in love with it.

Anyway, we love to see nature in all its variations. This was our first time to see mangroves, and how fantastic they are! 

We spent the night in Homestead and the next morning drove down to the Keys. Our first stop was the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. We had hoped to take the glass bottom boat tour, but the first one was one cancelled and we didn't want to wait 2.5 hours for the next one. So on we went.

This trip was so long ago that I really can't recall everything we saw or did, or when, so this will be more of a "highlights" report.

We stayed at the Sea Shell Motel in either Marathon or Islamorada, I don't remember, directly on the ocean. We had a waterfront "apartment", three small rooms, and an absolutely wonder patio where we spent a lot of time. Perfect for morning coffee and evening drinks. Unfortunately it was later damaged by a hurricane, and then later by another that was bad enough that it had to be torn down.

One day we drove down to Key West. So chic, so in, so quirky -- so NOT our thing! But frequently amusing. 

This bar happened to be next to the Hemingway House, which I had to visit. (Norbert skipped it.) But mainly to see the kitties! 

After the Keys, we headed back to Homestead for a night. On the way, we stopped at the Everglades Alligator Farm, where we took an airboat ride (not really worth it), and admired all the alligators.

We then continued north, spending the night somewhere along the way. Our next and final destination was Cocoa Beach, where we stayed at the Sea Aire Motel. It was an old-fashioned place, like we used to stay at in the Outer Banks in the early to mid 1960s -- two double beds, a kitchenette, and chairs and a table. Loved it!

It is still there but all modern and updated as the Salt Aire Oceanfront Inn. No doubt still very nice, but no longer has the charm for me.

One day we visited the Jungle Adventure Park in Christmas, Florida. Lots of fun! 

The highlight of our tine there was the Kennedy Space Center. We had last been there in 1999 with Lucas, and not suprisingly, it had changed massively in 15 years. The bus trip through the grounds, the space shuttle film and exhibit, the moon landing experience and exhibit -- fantastic!

We opted to also visit the VAB, or Vehicle Assembly Building. Good thing we did, as it was closed to tours very shortly thereafter. A gigantic building, where they literally assemble the space ships! It is basically empty inside, and one whole side of the building opens to let them roll it out on train tracks. For us it was a fascinating look at the technical aspects.

We loved this visit and in fact returned to KSC several times in the years to come.

We drove to Orlando, probably spent the night there, and then flew home, happy with our nex experiences,