Weekend Roundup

 Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveler

My last rounds were coffee and beer. So it's time for some food and sleep!

1. Starts with "W"
2. A Favorite
3. WINDOW - chosen by Tom


Starts with "W"

WINDMILL Inn Lynden WA

FAVOURITE

WICKED 

Aria Casino Las Vegas NV

WINDOW

Coffee and cake in Speyer Germany

Déjà Brew
A catchall for leftover beer, coffee, food, motels and whatever catches my fancy!

The WINDING Road Restaurant Baldwin St. Toronto

Travel Photo Thursday

October 2012 - Amsterdam

FEBO is a chain of Dutch walk-up fast food restaurants of the automatiek type. Founded in 1941 in Amsterdam, FEBO is most notable for this automatic format: a counter is available for purchasing French fries, beverages, and hamburgers. Other FEBO snacks can be bought from the automats. The primary automat-vended items are krokets (croquette), frikandellen (minced meat hot dog), hamburgers, Kaassoufflés (melted cheese in a wrap, breaded and deep-fried), and similar items.

The FEBO motto De Lekkerste (Dutch) is translated as "The Tastiest".

According to the company website, FEBO has almost 60 shops all over the Netherlands, with 54 being franchises. There are 22 shops in Amsterdam alone.

FEBO was originally a bakery named "Maison FEBO" after Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam, founded by Johan de Borst (1919-2008). While the concept changed, the name was shortened to just "FEBO".

Travel Photo Thursday

I'm posting over at The Budget Travelers' Sandbox 

October 2012 - Heidelberg, Germany

Some random photos from the town on a leaden cloudy day.

Time Travel Thursday

I'm posting at Budget Travelers' Sandbox.

Time Travel Thursday


October 2012 - Sailing the Rhine Germany

It was a rainy afternoon as we sailed the Rhine but we still managed to get some photos of the magnificent castles.



Pfalzgrafenstein Castle is a toll castle on the Falkenau island, otherwise known as Pfalz Island in the Rhine river near Kaub, Germany. 

The keep of this island castle, a pentagonal tower with its point upstream, was erected 1326 to 1327 by King Ludwig the Bavarian. Around the tower, a defensive hexagonal wall was built between 1338 to 1340. Later additions were made in 1607 and 1755, consisting of corner turrets, the gun bastion pointing upstream, and the characteristic baroque tower cap.

The castle functioned as a toll-collecting station that was not to be ignored, as it worked in concert with Gutenfels Castle and the fortified town of Kaub on the right side of the river. A chain across the river forced ships to submit, and uncooperative traders could be kept in the dungeon until a ransom was delivered. The dungeon was a wooden float in the well.

Unlike the vast majority of Rhine castles, "the Pfalz" was never conquered or destroyed, withstanding not only wars, but also the natural onslaughts of ice and floods by the river. Its Spartan quarters held about twenty men.

Oh, the PLACES I've Been!

The Tablescaper dropped by and invited me to post at her weekly meme Oh, the PLACES I've been!


October 2012 - Dusseldorf Germany




Sculpture dedicated to the jesters of Carnaval.

The Dusseldorf Carnival also known as the “fifth season” is one of the biggest cultural events and long-lasting traditional festivities in the Rhineland, Germany. 

Another highlighting part of Dusseldorf Carnival is the climax Rosenmontagszug (Rose Monday) Parade or Mardi Gras where about a million Jesters ‘fools’ dressed in screaming colors and uniforms make their way around the city, shouting out the traditional ‘Helau’. A Large number of spectators line the pavements for more than two and half kilometers long to watch this spectacular view, hoping to catch the candies thrown from the various floats.

The Dusseldorf Carnival comes to an end on Ash Wednesday when the mourning fools get together to burn the Hoppeditz, the statue of an eloquent jester and get themselves ready for the next year’s event.

Whimsical Windows and Delirious Doors

I'm posting over here this week!

October 2012 - Basel Switzerland

Our World Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

October 2012 - Basel Switzerland


Doorbells outside an apartment in downtown Basel.

Cologne Germany

Begun in 1248, the construction of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany which  is a Gothic masterpiece took place in several stages and was not completed until 1880. Over seven centuries, successive builders were inspired by the same faith and a spirit of absolute fidelity to the original plans.

Construction halted in 1473, leaving it unfinished. Work restarted in the 19th century and was completed, to the original plan, in 1880. It is 144.5 metres (474 ft) long, 86.5 m (284 ft) wide and its towers are approximately 157 m (515 ft) tall. The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires and largest facade of any church in the world. The choir has the largest height to width ratio, 3.6:1, of any medieval church.

In 1996, the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of culturally important sites. In 2004 it was placed on the "World Heritage in Danger" list, as the only Western site in danger, due to plans to construct a high-rise building nearby, which would have visually impacted the site. The cathedral was removed from the List of In Danger Sites in 2006, following the authorities' decision to limit the heights of buildings constructed near and around the cathedral.

Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the central jamb of the door.

Copy of the finials in the square (same size as the two atop the Cathedral)

Travel Photo Thursday

I'm posting over at The Budget Travelers' Sandbox

While waiting for the Hop On Hop Off tour in Waterlooplein  in Amsterdam October 2012 traffic began backing up. Being curious, we turned around and realized that the bridge over the canal was lifting. I have tried to figure out what the writing means.

UPDATE - as Karen at 21 Wits mentioned in the Comments, I followed up on the link she mentioned and that is the same bridge mentioned in the article on City Poems.

The writing is a city poem on the Vaz Diasbrug  bridge on the street considered to be Amsterdam's ugliest street Wibautstraat. You can read the poem at the link above.

Monday Mural

Posting at Monday Mural


Amsterdam October 2012, I googled this but couldn't find any information on it.

Whimsical Windows Delirious Doors!

I'm posting over here this week!



These colorful, blobby creatures, called Flossis, are climbing the Roggendorf House in Dusseldorf Germany! Designed by artist Rosalie, the installation of playful figures can be seen climbing the exterior walls of many buildings in Düsseldorf. Taken October 2012.

Thirsty Thursday

The Purple Giraffe is a new site I found for linking up our travels which include some imbibing of adult liquids.


We have visited many breweries in our travels, but I think that Heineken Experience is one of the most fun. 
They have a "ride" where you become a bottle being filled and shipped.

Travel Photo Thursday

I'm posting over at The Budget Travelers' Sandbox


The Royal Theatre Carré (Dutch: Koninklijk Theater Carré) is a Neo-Renaissance theatre in Amsterdam, located near the river Amstel. When the theatre was founded in 1887, it was originally meant as a permanent circus building. Currently, it is mainly used for musicals, cabaret performances and pop concerts.

Photos were taken in October 2012.