CHEMO #3

Well three weeks went by pretty quickly and I had my 3rd session today. I got started about 8:20 this morning and the nurse said I was on the fast track, which means that because I tolerated the first two session very well they speed up the injection of the medicines at a much quicker rate (1st one 8 hours this one 4 hours). They put in the same amount of medicine but at the quicker rate.  Everything went well and to my surprise the nurse came to me around 10:30 and said I would be all done by 11.  I felt quite tired in the afternoon and a little achy but after having supper I did recoup. Janet made me go out and shovel the driveway saying “that would make me feel better”  It was actually my idea (don’t want to get on the wrong side of the one who takes very good care of me).  We both took care of the driveway.

We had a great Christmas at BJAMS.  The food was great and of course our Family is just the best in world, topped off of course by our granddaughters Annika and Selena.

Hope everyone had as great a Christmas as we did and here’s wishing everyone a “Very Happy New Year”

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011

Brian and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas 2011!  Enjoy your time with family and friends over the Christmas season!  We also would like to take this time to say thank-you to all for your good thoughts and prayers over the last few months for Brian.  He is still doing amazingly well and we are very thankful for that.  Our Christmas starts this afternoon at BJAMS with David and Jenn and Breanne, James and grandkids – it will be an exciting day for Selena and Annika.  Hopefully we tire them out so they sleep well tonight so that Santa will come.  We are then back to BJAMS tomorrow for a '”quiet?” Christmas day with just BJAMS and us.  We are looking forward to it all!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Annika’s Christmas Dance Recital

We were all invited to watch Annika’s Christmas Dance Recital today and although at first she was quite timid and got a little teary eyed; she soon got over it and quite enjoyed her dance as did we!!  When I was taking the video, I didn’t realize that little Selena kept wandering into the picture, doing her own dance! Enjoy!

Sunday, December 10, 2011

Well, chemo #2 round went just as well as Chemo #1 round. I cannot believe how well Brian is tolerating this chemotherapy.  Other than a bit of nausea on Thursday afternoon for which I gave Brian the p.r.n. medication the doctor gave us for nausea; he has been feeling extremely well.  Brian is just as active as he normally is, doing all the things he would normally do in any given day.  I am the one telling him to slow down and just take it easy even just for a couple of hours but then the day I told him to do that and he listened to me; that was Thursday when after relaxing on the couch, he started to feel nauseated – so maybe staying very active is the thing to do and not lay around feeling bored and sorry for yourself! 

The last couple of weeks, we have been working a couple of hours a day trying to get the house in order to put up for sale and we accomplished a lot this weekend; laying carpet in the vestibule at the bottom of the stairs, cleaning out my “doll room” and packing most of my dolls, and then decluttering and cleaning the kitchen while Brian worked on the bathrooms and vacuuming and dusting.  We have a real estate agent coming over Monday morning to discuss our options and find our their opinion on what the house can sell for and when we should list it.  We actually would love to get it sold quickly, so then we can concentrate on more decluttering and slowly start our packing.  It actually feels good to finally get through all our years of accumulated junk although im some ways a little bittersweet when you come upon things you haven’t seen for years (like pictures) and then all the memories of all the happy times come flooding back and you realize how quickly time has passed by.  The memories of David and Breanne when they were young just mean so much to us now and it makes you realize how precious life really is and how much you actually miss the “old times”.  God is good though, that is why he gives us grandchildren, so we can start again and really really appreciate their innocence and enjoy every moment.  I came across one of my old picture albums of when David and Breanne were Annika and Selena’s age and I was so struck with how much Selena is so much like Breanne in looks, actions, expressions on her face, it is priceless!  I have to bring that album out the next time Breanne is over so she can see the resemblance. 

We also congratulate David on finally owning his first home!  He signed his mortgage this past week and now has the privilege of being a '”home owner” and all that goes with that!  David and Jenn are now only 7 months away from their wedding, so lots of plans still to put into place in the new year.  We finally went to church with David and Jenn last Saturday (they like to go to mass on Saturdays at 5:15) and it is the first time I have set foot in the Church of Our Lady and what a beautiful church it is.  It reminded me of all the churches we saw in Europe.  It was so moving to walk into the church with the organ playing, a lot of people sitting in the pews and when I saw the middle aisle, I could just imagine Jenn walking down in her beautiful wedding dress.   There certainly is something to be said for old churches and their magnificence and to be able to attend a mass.  We are not Catholic ourselves but I certainly did enjoy it and Brian and I plan to attend more often with David and Jenn. 

Well enough said for now; I will blog again at least once more before Christmas.  I can’t believe it is only 2 weeks today before Christmas!  I”m happy to say though that most of my shopping is done!  Have a great week!

Dec 6 – Chemo round #2

Yesterday, we had an appointment at GRCC to have blood work done and then to see Dr. McCarron a couple of hours later.  Dr. McCarron likes to have the blood work done so that she has the results before she sees you; so we took advantage of the time difference to do a bit of Christmas shopping at the Conestoga Mall and actually did get some shopping done!  We saw Dr. McCarron and she told us how pleased she was with Brian’s response to treatment. His white count yesterday was right in the normal range at 5.9 and the electrolytes,  liver function and kidney function tests were completely within normal range and she is making no changes to the treatment since Brian is responding so well.  We were very pleased with the news of course!

Today, we arrive at the chemo suite shortly after 8:00 this morning and the nurse told us that the second round will be infused slowly at the start and as long as Brian doesn’t have any reaction, they will speed the timing of the Rituximab so that meant he would probably be there for at least 6 hours.  Brian was feeling bad that I would have to sit around for so long so after some discussion back and forth, we decided that I would come home and he would call when he got his last bag of Saline that they use to flush through him and I would head over to pick him up at the front door, hence save on parking!  We both get frustrated with the amount you have to pay for parking each time we go; so now we have decided that I just drop him off each time and then come back and get him when he is done!

Brian called me about 1:30 to say he was almost done and he is feeling great; in fact, he came home once again full of energy and is now getting all the garbage together for garbage day tomorrow. I told him to stop but he said “yeh, like you really want to do it”; not that I do really but everyone close to us knows that Brian is the “garbage nazi” as David and Breanne would call him as it has to be done right or he is not happy.  In Guelph we have to sort our garbage into three different colored bags and Brian has it down to a science where the rest of us don’t and we tend to put the wrong things in the wrong bag and if the garbage-man sees you have something wrong in the bag, he doesn’t take it and leaves it on the curb!  So, I’m not giving Brian too much argument about getting it done although I will offer to put it at the curb in the morning but if I haven’t done that by at least 6:30 a.m., I KNOW that Brian will be up getting it out there and giving me a hard time about it. 

One thing I did forget to mention was that the nurse told Brian today that he is what they like to refer to as the “classic patient” meaning that he is reacting to the drug exactly as it is intended to and having such an excellent response to it.  I still say that Brian being so healthy otherwise and having such a good mental attitude about this whole cancer diagnosis; is going a very long way in getting him into hopefully a LONG remission!  I also know that everyone praying for Brian and sending him good wishes is also playing a role in his recovery. 

This time we only have to go for blood work next Thursday and then Brian will be “normal” again until December 28th when we once again go for blood work and to see Dr. McCarron and chemo round #3 starting on December 29th.  This has all worked out beautifully so that Brian can be completely well through Christmas! 

I will update our blog on the weekend to let you know how Brian has reacted to this round of chemo and we are hoping it will be no different than the last one!

November 30 – Rebuilding Week for Brian

Brian has been feeling very well this week as this is the last week before chemo starts again next Tuesday.  Brian is so enjoying being off drugs for a week and he feels really good.  This week Brian has been working on the basement apartment, prepping walls and finally finished the painting today.  Some of you may not know this yet, but we are going to be selling our house early in the new year.  We have bought a brand new Executive Style Townhome Condo in Westminster Woods, just around the corner from Breanne and James and David and Jenn.  We actually bought this condo a few months ago, before Brian’s diagnosis; and at the time were worried that we were making the right decision.  We wanted to downsize as the house seems too big now that the kids have flown the coup and  Breanne was on our case about buying one of these new condos around the corner as they would be “perfect for you and dad” – she said!  We were not sure we were ready for living in a higher density area in a condo but they are really beautiful condos and being so close to the grandkids with dreams of them dropping by whenever they wanted and visiting after school when they were old enough was very tempting and with our dreams of doing more travelling, it seemed the right decision to make – we could lock the door and go; so we decided to go ahead with it.  Now, in hindsight, we are very glad we made this decision as neither Brian nor I want to be worried about the upkeep of a big house and garden and now are looking forward to the move. 

So we have a very busy year ahead and sometimes it feels overwhelming with the amount of things we have on our plate and now with Brian having chemo adding to the mix!  In the next six months, we have to de-clutter the house, sell the house, move into a condo end of May, and get ready for David and Jenn’s wedding in July, plus get Brian through 4 months of chemo!  But we are up for the challenge and come next August, we should feel relieved everything is over and done with – then I think it may be time for a relaxing vacation again!

I will probably not update the blog again until after Brian’s chemo next week.  Stay tuned….

Nov 24, 2011 – Good news day!

We haven’t written in the blog for a few days but things are going incredibly well for Brian.  Not only did he have a good “first week” after chemo, his second week was even better.  We were waiting to get a “second wave” of not feeling well which the pharmacist at the chemo clinic says sometimes happens.  I thought that may happen too since Brian finished his last Prednisone doses on Sunday but incredibly he feels pretty good.  He says that if there is anything he has it is a very dry mouth, his taste is different and his sense of smell seems to be affected.  Brian is now drug-free until December 6th, when we do it all over again. 

I phoned the supportive care coordinator at the Cancer Clinic today as I was very anxious to know how his blood counts had changed since chemo.  Brian had blood work last Thursday and this past Tuesday.  What I found out completely astounded me.  When Brian had his original blood work in September, the abnormal results were a high white count of 43.3 (normal 4.0 to 11.0) and an extremely high lymphocyte count of 34.1 (normal 1.1 to 3.3), and a low hemoglobin 126 (normal 135-180). These counts were even worse when we went to see the oncologist in October and along with an enlarged liver and spleen; why she recommended chemo start right away.  Well, by last Thursday – two days after chemo – his hemoglobin had dropped to 105 (this is expected after chemo), but his white count had dropped to 17.4, his platelets to 55 (which is expected too) but his lymphocyte count had dropped right down to 4.9 which is a huge jump from 34.1.  I was very happy to see that.  The blood work on Tuesday showed his white count to be 10, his platelets still low at 212, his hemoglobin up to 120, WBC 10 and lymphocytes further reduced to 3.9. His electrolytes were normal and his kidney function was normal.  (I am writing these in here for our purposes in case we need to look back again in a few months).  Anyway, we are very very happy with the results and that Retuximab-CVP seems to be doing the job it should be doing. 

The other good thing from Brian’s point of view is that his “itchy skin” which he has had for over a year and is one of the symptoms of lymphoma is completely gone.  He is not driving me crazy with his constant scratching anymore!  Brian was feeling a little antsy today, so decided to try running and he did 4 and 1’s (if you are not a runner – it means he runs 4 minutes, walks 1 minute and repeats) and ran 4K; came home and was feeling great!

So now we have one more week of feeling “normal” and drug-free before it starts all over again and we hope that we get the same reaction to the chemo with absolutely no side effects but we are still saying that with caution as maybe the more times you zap the body with these drugs, the body may start to say ‘wait a minute, not this again” and maybe start to give Brian a few of those side effects! 

DAY FIVE

Just a short note to let you know I’m doing fine. This is the fifth day since I had my chemo and so far other then tiredness and a little sore in my mouth I feel great (touch wood, I’m touching my head).  Went to my granddaughter Selena’s first birthday yesterday and what a wonderful day it was, she is such a sweetheart.  I also went out for my first run today and felt good.  Went about 3 kms with some walking mixed in, muscles and breathing wern’t up to par but felt good to just get out.  That’s all for now.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY SELENA!

We can’t believe a year has gone by already and our little grand-daughter Selena is now 1 year old!!   We had a great day celebrating her birthday at BJAMS! 

Here is a little video I put together. Enjoy!

NOV 18 – 3 DAYS AFTER CHEMO

This is so utterly amazing – Brian has yet to have ANY side effects from his chemo treatment!  I had read that sometimes it takes until the third day to feel some effect but Brian felt perfectly fine once again when he got up this morning.  Mind you, he is taking all the “home medication” that he was given which is suppose to help with side effects so I am sure that must help.  It is quite amazing how the medical profession has this down to an art of knowing what patients should take in order to feel well.  He takes his last prednisone on the weekend but continues to take allopurinol until next Thursday.  Since prednisone is a steroid that is probably what is helping him feel well and the allopurinol is apparently to prevent gout and/or kidney stones as the chemo can cause a patient to have high uric acid which can cause those ailments.  After next Thursday, he will be completely “drug-free” until December 5th when we do it all over again.  Brian says he feels like he is a walking pharmacy! I can’t say I blame him. 

We certainly aren’t letting our guard down though; we know that he is now immunocomprised so we still have to keep him healthy and free of infection; so we are staying away from heavily populated public places and if our grandkids even get a little sniffle, Breanne is going to keep us away.  I too have to make sure I don’t pick anything up, so I am being very careful as well. 

Brian is a dream to take care of, I basically do nothing other than keep track of him taking his pills on the right schedule (although sometimes he has to remind me that it is “pill time”!),  he is drinking a ton of water, his appetite is very good and his “bathroom ablutions” as my dad would say are right on track!  Brian is even exercising.  He went out for about a 30 minute walk yesterday and said when he came home that he actually felt like running but thought he better not try it just in case but he said that next week and the following week, he is going to run as long as he feels well.  What a trooper, eh!!  This is one amazing guy I married!

I must say that both Brian and I have felt some of the stress go away too.  Now that we know the procedures and as long as Brian continues to feel this well after each treatment, we feel Blessed that things are going so well! 

THE FIRST SESSION

I won’t go in to a lot of detail as Janet has already covered most of the details.  Everything went much better then I expected except for the period were I got cold and had uncontrollable shakes, that did scare me as I was trying to stop the shaking but couldn’t, I looked at Janet and I could tell she was very concerned , also the nurses reacted very quickly In contacting my Doctor, they un-hooked my chemo injection and gave me some other medicines and everything calmed down. and after about half hour they hooked me back up to the chemo.  The rest of the day went very well with no more reaction, I was rather drowsy (I didn’t realize I was acting a little drunk maybe there was something else in the chemo?).  Got home and felt good but by nine o’clock was tired so went to bed and watched the Leafs and they basically put me to sleep. 

This morning I feel very good and hope it continues, they have me on drugs for the next few days and I go to see the Doctor next Tuesday to see how I’m doing.

As Janet said I appreciate all the kind thoughts and prayers coming from everyone, it really does raise my spirits.

Nov 15 – BRIAN’S FIRST DAY OF CHEMO

We were up bright and early this morning and surprisingly both of us slept pretty well last night!  We were both feeling a little apprehensive how the day would progress and overall it went well.  We met with the pharmacist who once again armed us with a load of handouts about the drugs Brian will be taking and what side effects may occur and how to treat them.  I now have a binder full of information and am learning very quickly all about non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (I wish we knew what type and Stage Brian was at) although maybe it a good thing we don’t know so that I don’t spend half my time on Google! You do have to be careful what you read. 

We were then taken to the Chemotherapy Suite which is a huge room with beds and recliner chairs around the periphery of the room and the nursing station right in the middle.  It is a nice bright room with huge windows to see outside and the nurses are tremendous.  They tell you everything you need to know and are very attentive to the patients needs. They started the infusion and Brian was good up to about 1 to 1 1/2 hours when he started to feel a little tightness in the chest and just feeling uncomfortable.  He got up to go the bathroom (as they are pumping Saline into you all the time as well, so going to the bathroom was frequent!) and when he came back, he did not look well at all, he started to shake and said that he felt extremely cold.  The nurses immediately stopped his infusion, covered him with warming blankets and called the oncologist.  They immediately gave him some Decadron and Benadryl and within minutes he had calmed down.  At this point, Brian decided he might be better in a bed instead of the chair recliner, so we got him moved into a bed and he was definitely more comfortable.  About 30-45 minutes later, they started the chemo infusion again and from that point on everything went smoothly, no more reactions and in fact he was rather funny as it was like he was drunk.  He became very animated and talkative and was very upbeat about the whole process. 

By 4:15, all drugs had been administered and they gave him one more bag of saline and then they disconnected the IV and we were out of there!  So far, he is still feeling relatively good and once we got home, he started to do things like helping me with supper, getting the garbage ready for garbage day tomorrow and I had to get him to stop! The nurse had warned me that he will feel pretty good but may crash later tonight and had even told Brian not to overdo it and just rest.  Anyway, he is now resting on the couch watching T.V. and we will wait to see how things progress over the next few days. They said it takes about 2-3 days for the majority of the drugs to leave his body and he may have some side effects but I’m hoping that the only side effects will be fatigue and nausea as both of those are very controllable.  I will blog again tomorrow to let you know how he is doing. 

Both Brian and I would like to thank all of you for your prayers, positive thoughts and energy today.  Your e.mails and phone calls to show how much you all care is very much appreciated by both of us. 

The Day Before

Well I'm only one day away from the start of my Chemo Therapy and I must admit I am getting quite nervous and feeling very apprehensive on how my body is going to react to the treatment. There has been alot of reading material I have gone through and they tell you all the side effects that might occur and some of them are kind of scary. I am feeling very healthy at this point so hopefully that helps me get through this first treatment (did I mention they will be injecting me with drugs for seven hours) Janet is coming along with me (she is such a big supporter and helps me through the down times) and I have my book to read and some music to listen to, I am looking at it like a long airplane ride to Europe or some far off place and hopefully getting off the plane feeling pretty good. Well that's all for now - I will let you know how the "plane ride" went in a couple of days. Brian

BRIAN’S HEALTH ISSUES – NOV 10/2011

Well, after such a wonderful vacation that we both enjoyed immensely, we came home with some trepidation as just before we left for vacation, Brian had been having some concerning health issues for which he went to see the family doctor and after quite a few investigations (blood tests, CT, x-rays) we were told that he had enlargement of his spleen and the blood tests were showing some blood irregularities which were indicative of leukemia (cancer of the blood).  Our family doctor called a hematologist/oncologist at the Cancer Clinic in Kitchener and after reviewing the results, she told us that we could still take our vacation since Brian was feeling relatively well and she would see us upon our return.  We went to see her the day after we got back and she was a little concerned that Brian’s spleen was a little larger than 5 weeks ago on the previous CT scan and she also felt that his liver was also somewhat enlarged and she sent him for another CT scan and further blood tests.  Yesterday, we went for a follow-up with the oncologist and she indicated that Brian has low grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (not sure what type) which was starting to act aggressively as he now also had enlarged abdominal lymph nodes as well as the liver and spleen.  Usually at this point, they like to “stage” the disease by doing a biopsy of the nodes or liver but she felt that Brian did not have time to wait for a biopsy since the cancer seemed to be acting aggressively and recommended that chemotherapy start immediately. 

The one good piece of news was that the chemotherapy regimen had a 90% success rate meaning that although lymphoma cannot be cured, it can be put in a dormant state or remission.  We then went into information overload and it was a good thing that we had Breanne with us to keep it all straight and organized as I think Brian and I were just a little stunned. 

So starting next Tuesday, Brian starts his chemotherapy.  We have to be at Cancer Clinic at 8:30 when we talk to a pharmacist about all the drugs he will be taking and how they may affect him and then the chemotherapy starts and the first day the infusion will take 8 hours as the drugs are given slowly throughout that 8 hour period, making sure there are no adverse effects.  As long as that goes as planned, he then returns every 3 weeks for a total of 6-8 treatments which will take him into March/April of next year.  Then he should be in remission and I think he then is just followed up and has maintenance therapy every 3-6 months.

Brian and I have decided that we will blog about our experience, not only for our purposes of keeping track of his progress but also for family and friends that follow our blog to know how he is making out.  Brian will occasionally write some of the blogs himself. 

In the meantime, we so appreciate everyone’s concerns and it really means a lot to us that you are all keeping us in your prayers during this time.  I have complete faith in Brian’s ability to fight this cancer and get it in a dormant state so that we can then carry on with our happy life and get back to normal things again! 

Yesterday we lost a friend who will be dearly missed - Jerry Friesen. He was founder of the running series organized by his company Instride and was also affiliated with the Subaru Triathlon Series, not to mention the Cruise to Run vacations in the Caribbean. Always a friendly smile and eager to talk, I always searched Jerry out when I was at a triathlon. He would bike in front of the lead runner in the triathlons and lead them into the finish line - my son David was lucky enough to win many races and be led in by Jerry, you could see them talking and laughing away as they neared the finish line, he became a true and cherished friend of the Sharratt Family. Jerry will be missed by many people but will always be in our hearts and thoughts. God Bless you Jerry and your Family

The Sharratt's

HALLOWEEN 2011

Happy Birthday to James!!!  Breanne invited us over for dinner tonight to celebrate James birthday and to participate in Halloween with them all.  Since we would not be home, we put our candies in a box on the porch and left for the kids in our neighborhood to still get their candy.  The box was completely empty by the time we got home!   We had a really nice night at the Loarings. One nice thing about their neighborhood is it is a young neighborhood, so there were many many little ghosts and goblins trick and treating.  It reminded me of the days when David and Breanne were young and our neighborhood was full of young children too.  Here is a small video of our fun evening:

HOME SWEET HOME

We had such a fabulous time on our holidays but it certainly was nice to get home again and sleep in our own bed!  We arrived home on Thursday night and we had a very nice surprise at the airport.  David and Jenn were picking us up as arranged but when we walked out after picking up our luggage, there was David and Jenn and little Annika dressed as a fairy princess holding a sign saying “Welcome Home, Nana and Papa”.  What a wonderful surprise that was! 

This was Annika waiting for Uncle David to pick her up and bring her to the airport with her sign. 

We are very happy to be home and have the beautiful memories of our once in a lifetime vacation to Europe.  It truly was one of the best trips we have ever taken.

I also want to thank everyone for reading my blog and the great comments and e.mails I received at how they enjoyed reading it and looking at the pictures.  The YouTube video I made of the cemetery visit seemed to catch everyone’s emotions as it did ours but it will definitely be a keeper that we will play and I will post on my blog every Remembrance Day in honour of all the veterans that gave their lives so that we could all live in relative peace today. 

I will continue to blog about things that happen in our lives, so feel free to check back often. 

FINALLY, THE VIDEO IN HONOR OF BRIAN’S DAD

 

DAY 17 – VISIT TO THE CEMETERY

What a beautiful day it was for us today visiting the Cemetery.  Brian at long last had his dream of honoring his father at his gravesite.  The Dutch people are to be commended for what they have done for the Canadian Fallen Soldiers.  It is a beautiful beautiful place in the middle of a forest and is just so peaceful.  Both Brian and I had a few tears today but they were good tears.  I am putting together a YouTube video which I hope to finish by this evening and post it to my blog later (so please return to see it!).  In the meantime, I will put on a few pictures below:

On our way….

 

In the Museum, you can find all the soldiers in the cemetery.

This picture is of Brian with his Father’s medals which we brought up on the screen.

These are the little wooden shoes that Brian’s dad had sent to him from Holland before his passing.  Brian cherishes these shoes. 

Name on the wall of fame….

This is the entrance to the cemetery but at the moment it is under construction, so we took the picture inside the museum.

The Regiment his dad was in.

 

Carole (Brian’s sister) asked us to bury these coins in honor of her father.  Carole would have loved to have been here too.  This is for you Carole!  We had you in our thoughts all day.

Brian alone with his dad…this is where I lost it.  I think of my own dad and what he sacrificed for the war and I am so thankful to still have my dad here with me at 89 years of age. 

Brian’s dad, my father-in-law – Rest in Peace!

 

Row upon row….

Thank you Rens and Annemieke for all you do in taking care of the grave-site and for letting us stay with you and helping Brian realize his dream.  We thank you from the bottom of our heart.  May God Bless You!!

We stopped at a cafe to celebrate after our visit to the Cemetery!

This was the perfect ending to a wonderful holiday!  We will be on our way home tomorrow.

DAY 16 – OUR STAY IN AMSTERDAM

We disembarked from the ship on Monday morning and were taken by bus to the Krasnapolsky Hotel where we were staying for Monday night.  We were due to meet up with Joan at 2:00; so after we got our room and deposited our luggage, we meet up with our friends, Richard and Roseleigh, in the cafe for a coffee and then the four of us walked around Amsterdam together.  Since the Red Light District was close by, we decided to take a stroll through there first only just to say we saw it.  It is really sad to see girls sitting in the windows and everywhere you walk in Amsterdam, you smell Marijuana, since both prostitution and marijuana is legal. We were all a bit uncomfortable walking through the district but we didn’t stay long, just long enough to walk down the street.  The only other thing that I wanted to do while in Amsterdam was to see Anne Frank House but when we got there, there was at least a 2 hour line-in to get in.  It is unbelievable how busy Amsterdam is; what with cars, bikes, pedestrians and tourists; you had to keep your wits about you.  I was disappointed that we could not go through the house, but nevertheless, we were able to take a picture of us standing outside in front. 

It was time to head back to the Krasnopolsky to meet up with Joan and her friend, Nell.  It was great to finally meet Joan whom I have been corresponding with over the last couple of months.  She took us on a walking tour of Amsterdam and showed us two places that I was interested in seeing and we also strolled through a flower marketplace.  We decided to a take a little break and we went back to our hotel and agreed to meet up with Joan again around 6:00 for dinner.  Nell’s son, Peter, was also going to meet up with us at supper as Peter lives and works in Amsterdam.  It was great to meet Peter as he told us more about Amsterdam from a young person’s point of view.  After dinner, Peter suggested that we should walk the Red Light District at night as it is much different at night; at first we were reluctant as we were not that comfortable with it but then decided that we would.  It definitely was different and considering it was a Monday night, we could not believe the amount of people walking around.  We could only imagine how busy it must be on a Friday and Saturday night.  Here are a few pictures from today:

One of the many canals through Amsterdam. 

Red Light District – there is where the girls sit.  You are not allowed to take photos of the Red Light District if the girls are sitting in the windows.  This is enough said about this area, I’m sure you get the picture.

This is standing in front of the Anne Frank House

Looking straight up the building.

To prove that I actually was there even though we didn’t get a chance to go through it!

This is the Hotel Krasnapolsky where we stayed Monday night. 

This is where Joan took us – Our Lord in the Attic.  When the Protestants took over which I think was in the 12th Century, they banned the Roman Catholic Religion and a man who owned this home, built a “hidden” church in his home so that the Catholic people could worship there. 

This is the main church and it actually goes up three levels.  It is amazing how they built this church within a house and actually tore floors out to make the three levels. 

This was one of the bedrooms in the home. It truly is amazing what they go do with small spaces!

This is Nell, Brian and Joan. 

We then walked over to another peaceful church setting in another part of Amsterdam but I cannot recall the name.  This depicts David and Goliath. 

This little Sanctuary was where only girls or women lived of the Roman Catholic Faith. They were not nuns but when they decided to marry, they could not live here anymore, they had to move out.  Apparently during the Protestant rule, they did not disturb this area and allowed the women to live here freely and worship but turned a blind eye to it.

   This too was almost like a hidden church where the women of this area worshiped. 

For supper, we had good old fashioned hamburgers!!  They were delicious!

Brian, Joan and me.

We then said good-bye to Joan, Nell and Peter and they walked us back to our hotel. 

Tuesday morning, we met up with our friends, Richard and Roseleigh, in the Hotel Restaurant for our last breakfast together and then had to say good-bye.  Meeting Richard and Roseleigh was one of the best parts of our trip and we promised to keep in touch and one of our goals was that we would visit with each other either in Canada or Australia, whoever gets the chance first.  Meanwhile, we will keep in touch on Facebook and Email.

Joan then met us at 11:30 Tuesday morning to take us to the train to get to Holten.  Joan was gracious enough to travel with us by train which we were so thankful for as I am sure we would have been lost trying to figure out the train system!  Rens and Annemieke met us at the train station and it was great to finally met them.  I was a bit concerned about getting all our luggage in their little car but we managed with some luggage on our laps! We have had a great afternoon getting to know Rens and Annemieke and the language barrier isn’t too bad at all.  We are getting along well and if we say something they don’t understand, we get out an English/Dutch translation book and figure it out!  It is great fun.

Tomorrow is the big day when Brian finally gets to see his dad’s grave site.  I will blog again later in the day tomorrow. 

DAY 15 – AMSTERDAM!!

We woke up this morning in Amsterdam!  Our excursion was suppose to be the bike tour but as Brian was not feeling that well and it was cold outside, we decided to forego the bike tour and go for the Windmills and Wooden Shoe Factory Tour and we were glad we did.  We were on the bus for about an hour as they toured us around the outskirts of Amsterdam and we also stopped in a Cheese Factory along the way where they make Gouda cheese (pronounced as “Houda” cheese here).  It was interesting to see how they made the cheese.  We were soon on our way to the Windmills.  We toured around the Windmills and then headed for the Shoe Factory Store. 

When Brian was a baby, his father  who was in the Canadian Army, helped the Allies drive the Nazi’s out of Holland.  While here, he knew of Brian’s birth and sent over these little tiny green wooden shoes and he wrote on the bottom of the shoes “to my son, love daddy” and it was the only present Brian ever got from his father as he was killed shortly after.  Brian cherishes these shoes and while in Holland he wanted to buy his two little granddaughters a pair of wooden shoes as well.  We picked out the wooden shoes that he is going to give to Annika and Selena and a few other things in the store.  The store clerk told us to just leave the things we had bought on the counter while we continued to shop.  While I was still looking around, Brian told the store clerk the story of his father never meeting him and how it was his life-long dream to come to Holland to see where his father is buried in Holten.  This store clerk was so touched by the story, when we went to pay, she asked us to pick out a couple of more little things which they wanted to give us as a memento of our visit to the Wooden Shoe Factory.  She told us that she was so honored to hear Brian’s story and it was a moment in time she will never forget. 

We came back to the ship in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day relaxing, knowing that we had to pack our bags ready to disembark in the morning and sadly say good-bye to all we have meet.  The cruise was truly something we will never forget.  Here are some pictures from today:

The Cheese Factory where they make Gouda Cheese

Where they make the cheese.

The Windmills

The Windmill we walked through

The narrow staircase to get up to the top of the windmill

The wooden shoe factory

The entrance of the Wooden Shoe Factory

The store clerk who was so touched by Brian’s story.

A ship that sailed by our ship this afternoon

Along the river we have seen many swans and ducks.  I think they are very used to the cruising boats and come right up close, hoping to get some morsels of food!

So that ends our Riverboat Cruise on the Danube.  We were very very impressed with the tour company – Scenic Tours.  They were extremely well organized, the tours and excursions were great and the food phenomenal.  We now disembark in the morning and head to the hotel we have for tomorrow night and where we will meet Joan who is going to show us a bit more of Amsterdam tomorrow and then take us on the train to Holten to meet Rens and Annemieke and then Wednesday will be the day that Brian has been waiting for forever – the day he sees his father’s grave. 

I hope that I can write my blog sometime this week but if I do not get a chance, I will catch up our last week in Holland by next weekend. 

It will be the end to a perfect holiday! 

DAY 14 -COLOGNE, GERMANY

In Cologne, we relaxed in the morning and then around 10:00 a.m., we took a little walk into the city.  It was quite chilly today but the fresh air felt great.  Cologne is Germany’s fourth largest City with a population of almost one million people and as soon as we docked and looked out at the city, it was differently a “modern city”.  Gone were all the little towns and villages we had seen in the last couple of weeks.  Cologne was what I would call very Americanized.  We even came across a Subway and Dunkin Donuts!!  The most beautiful part of Cologne was the Cologne Cathedral and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. 

 

What strikes you most about this cathedral was how big it was.  It was impossible to get the whole church in one picture.  Of all the churches we have seen so far on this trip, this definitely took the prize for the most beautiful impressive church from the outside. 

This is the back half of the Cathedral. It really takes your breath away.  It is beautiful.

Another angle – looking up from the bottom.

The front entrance. 

This was taken from the front of the church looking back.  See how high it is.  You almost fall over backwards trying to see the ceiling!

This was another smaller church down the road.

and this couple just got married!! 

One of the Bakeries – everything looks so good!

Who would have thought you would see a Dunkin Donuts, A Subway and “The Body Shop” along the streets of a German city!!!! 

A courtyard with a lot of cafe’s and restaurants although it was too chilly for people to be at the tables outside.  What is quite interesting though is that some of the cafes actually have blankets on the chairs so you can still enjoy your hot drinks outside in the fresh air and wrap yourself up in a blanket to keep warm. 

Well, sadly enough all good things have to come to an end and we are nearing the end of a fabulous trip. Last night was the Captain’s Farewell party and dinner on the ship.  One of the best things that have come of this trip is our new friendship with Roseleigh and Richard..  We thoroughly enjoyed each other company’s and had a lot in common and were never lacking for conversation!  It is going to be sad to say good-bye tomorrow.  Roseleigh and Richard live in Australia and we all agreed that if we travel to each other’s country, we will be spending some time together.  Of course, Roseleigh and I are already friends on Facebook!

This was part of our meal last night – it was Ravioli stuffed with something I can’t remember.  None of us were too impressed with this though!

Chateaubriand was the main course and it was delicious!

Last but not least Baked Alaska!

As we were having our Farewell party, the ship was heading to the Netherlands and in the morning we port in Amsterdam.