We are on a tour of Nuuk today, and will report tomorrow with photos.  For now: Nuuk is the Greenlandic word for cape. Known as Godthab in Denmark, a name used until 1879, when home rule was established. Capital and most populous city with 20,298 people, or 36% of Greenland.  The population has doubled since 1977. First occupied by pre-Inuit Saqqaq culture as far back as 2200 BC. Norse settlers came around 1000, but disappeared  for uncertain reasons during the 15th centtury. City established in 1728 by Danish-Norwegian  royal governor Claus Paarss and missionary/merchant Hans Egede. Moravian missionaries came in 1733. Paarass's colonists were mutinous soldiers, convicts and prostitutes, and most died of scurvy and other ailments in the first year. In 1733 and 1734, a smallpox epidemic killed most of the native population, as well as Egede's wife.   Hans left Greenland to return to Denmark in 1736, leaving son Poul Egede ( right) to continue his work. Godt...

Although I've now been retired for 26 years, I still enjoy Saturday the most.  Don't know why, but it still feels like a day off.  Every day these days are a day off, so it shouldn't matter, but. Not only am I retired, but I live in a senior's community, where, for an entrance fee and monthly charge, there is nothing for me to do, for we are served three meals/day, apartment weekly cleaned with bed linen changed and new towels, have guards and a lot of cameras to protect us, numerous activities to keep us occupied, or not, for I tend to mostly avoid them, and lifetime security, for they have promised to take care of me until I die.  Of course, they won't let you in unless your finances are such that they are secure. You would think I am joking, but after returning from our recent trip, where one portion was a long Oceania cruise from Yokohama to Vancouver, I came to a conclusion that the best place to eat was at 15 Craigside.  Oceania is known for its fine cuisine, ...

I'm now fully recovered after a ten-hour sleep, partly because I opted out of the Windmills of Lomderdijk tour because I already saw an ancient windmill at Keukenhof.  Yesterday was just too much for an old man.  But let me first quickly review our visit to Keukenhof Gardens, then move on to our Maritshuis Museum exhibition and gala dinner next door at a high end men's club. I left you yesterday with a hodgepodge of photos from Keukenhof.  Today, a more organized and limited summary. The motor coach took us an hour to get to the gardens.  I use motor coach because these buses we're the latest state-of-art vehicles.  Really posh. A couple of shots as we approached Keukenhof. Is there such a thing as a BLACK tulip?  The answer is that the  Paul Sherer tulips can get very dark, but are not quite black. Similarly,  BLUE tulips do not exist .   Nor blue or aqua orchids , Well  this article hints that you can find blue orchids , though th...