Thursday, September 16, 2010

Amsterdam















Outside a shopping mall in Amsterdam - photo copyright Bill Bennett ASC

I've moved on from Detroit and am now in Amsterdam. The past few days have been great. We are here with the IBC Convention. We have hooked up with Jannie van Wyk from South Africa. Jannie was one of the guys who helped us out tons in Cape Town. He and his wife Tracey let us stay with them the whole time and helped with just about everything else as well. Well Jannie works in the film industry and because of the big film convention going on over here he and a bunch of his guys were all here. It was great to see them. I had been so busy in Cape Town and it was nice to just go out and spend some time with everyone. They all flew back yesterday afternoon and so now we're on to museums and boat tours, all of which have been very fun.
















At the IBC Conference - photo copyright Bill Bennett ASC

It's a really amazing place here. I've had a lot of fun just walking around looking at all the crooked buildings. I have been wondering what will happen, most of the buildings here lean one way or the other. What will happen in a few more years if they keep tipping?!




















Photo copyright Bill Bennett ASC

Anyways, I know this is a really short blog, but there are tons of pictures and I slept in a bit this morning... gotta get going and make up for lost time!

Abby

















Outside the Rijksmuseum - the Rembrandt museum - photo copyright Bill Bennett ASC

64 comments:

  1. Hi Abby, Boy! You are logging more miles than a trucker.....Hope you are having fun with it, Keep on truckin' girl. Gus

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  2. So this may be a dumb question, but it sounds like you are taking the semester off of school? What a great opportunity to see the world! Not that sailing around the world wasn't pretty cool, but now you get to see the sights! :)

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  3. Hi Abby!

    Do all the buildings lean as much as the one in pic#3? That would mess with my head for sure. Weird indeed. Great pictures! Thank you for posting. You sure are cute/pretty!

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  4. The buildings were meant to lean-keeps the rain out and makes it easier to move (they move through the windows because of the narrow staircases). I spent 6 months there studying at the university- glad you love my city!

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  5. Wow! You sure are getting in some great travel!

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  6. Jessica is in London. That is a short flight away.

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  7. I would like to add that Jessica mentioned you in her latest blog. She met Zac and would have liked to meet you.

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  8. I see you are in Laura dekker's town have fun.The MacKlem's SD.USA

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  9. Beste Abby!

    I guess there is something wrong with my compass, nobody is where I expect them to be!
    Jessica met Zac in LA, but you were somewhere in between Detroit and Amsterdam. Next Jessica will be in London then in France (Paris?), where will you be then?
    And Laura ( who is from Netherlands) is in the Islas Canarias soon moving from one island to another.

    Looks like the world is too big for you people to meet! :-D

    You look good with a camera... get the hint? :-D

    Thanks to Bill Bennett (ASC) for the pictures and to Jannie and Tracey for showing you around.

    Groetjes van mij,
    45N73W

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  10. i travel a lot but nothing like you! have fun!

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  11. Hey Abby & Bill! I am on a big boat in Santa Barbara shooting 6 incredible men swimming non-stop 202 miles down the coast of California to San Diego! Wish you were both here! I keep looking for a Sunderland Sail Boat on the horizon! Have fun!

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  12. Thanks Abby.
    Enjoy your travels.
    Love ♥
    Richard

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  13. Hey Abby! Cool that you're in Amsterdam! Will you be here long? Are you going to speak at some place too? This would be an opportunity for me to come and listen (since I live very near to Amsterdam)!
    I hope you have a great time here!

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  14. Thanks Abby for sharing! Enjoy them tremendously!

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  15. Enjoy yourself, Abby!

    Where next?

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  16. Regarding what will happen if the buildings keep tipping, the trick is to visit one of the "special" coffee shops, then laugh about what will happen if the buildings keep tipping. Takes all the worry out of the situation! (grin)

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  17. cool abby!! sounds like a great trip -- enjoy!

    and love the crooked buildings ;-)

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  18. Hoi Abigail (that's it for my Dutch),

    Abby...if this keeps up I am going to have to hire an assistant just to keep track of you young "adventurers" these days:
    You...east coast, Port Huron then Amsterdam. Jessica...NYC, LA and now London then France. Zac...boat shows and in 6 months the NW Passage.

    Having never been to Amsterdam I wasn't too sure what all this "crooked" and "tipping" was about. I thought maybe photographer Bill had better start using a tripod to correct the problem...sorry Bill! But I goggled an explanation: "One of the first things you'll notice is that most of the buildings tilt outwards, sometimes alarmingly so. It's not subsidence or Amsterdam sinking like Venice, it's simply style. The wealthy burghers who built these places wanted to show off the facades to the passing gentry. There was a more practical reason as well. Furniture couldn't make it up the narrow staircases of these homes, so it was hoisted to the upper floors. Most buildings still have the hoist in place at the top of the gable and many are still in use today." Hey...so I learned something new today.

    Having worked in film/video production years ago I thought Bill's photo of you with the camera was cool. The technology sure has come along way as well as the price for it I am sure!

    Don't forget to set your alarm Abs...have fun!
    john, Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario

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  19. Abby in Amsterdam, I was surprised!
    Don't waste your time on all the stupid museums with even more boring paintings and enjoy Amsterdam itself! The buildings next to the canals have always been leaning a crooked... they won't tip over. Regards, Sjoerd (Netherlands)

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  20. Abby, What a big surprise you are now in Amsterdam. Isn't it beautiful? I have a similar photo as the one with the sheild and ribbon over head. My brother is married to a dutch lady, thus has lived in the Netherlands for years with his family. I have been there, twice, and I love it. But also you need to see also England, hopefully. So great you are getting this chance to see the world as you are. Your blogs my be short at times, but also full of interesting stories and travel. We all love them. Have fun and stay safe.
    Dee in Santa Clarita, Ca.

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  21. The Rijksmuseum has a lot more than Rembrandt in it. Maybe you meant this as two separate places?
    (I recall a Rembrandt House that had a lot of his etchings.)

    My Rijksmuseum favorite was http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/catalogue/_catalogue_static/SK-A-3841-web-xl.jpg which depicts a much smaller, but probably more accurate, "Golden Calf," than most of us picture when we read the story.

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  22. That's great Abby. I guess traveling is your hobby. Amsterdam is my favorite destination. I had spent 3 years with my friends and we enjoyed lot.

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  23. Dear Capt. Abby,
    We are very pleased you are getting such a far flung exposure. It's exciting to share these experiences. Note that I have stopped telling you what you ought to be doing... this does not mean I've forgot about it. Follow your dreams skipper, we'll be watching you.

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  24. Great Pictures Abby! Thanks for sharing them.By the way you look great! Have fun!
    Virginia

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  25. Chris the Dutch PirateSeptember 17, 2010 at 3:06 PM

    Hallo Abby!

    Wow, leuk dat je in Nederland bent :p (Nice to see you are in The Netherlands!)
    I hope my people are good to you!
    From Detroit to Amsterdam..thats like a major culture-shock haha
    Too bad the Scheepvaart-museum (The Maritime Museum)is closed due-to construction...its my fav museum in the country. It shows a lot of great history, not only about our maritime history, but also our countries history in general, because 'boating' made us rich haha
    I can recommand that to all your readers. But you gotta be patient til 2011, before they will re-open their doors. After 350 years the building could use some maintenance.

    I hope my people are sweet to you once again!
    And enjoy your world-travels!

    Chris

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  26. Wow, that's quite a trip you're taking, Abby with so many interesting places and people. It's good that you were able to reconnect with your Cape Town contacts again. Keep us all posted on your travels.
    ~Brian & Phill
    Vancouver, Canada

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  27. Hi Abby,
    World traveler!!! Wow! Ya know you could just do that and write about it for a living. There are enough of us who support you and are interested. Honest. You and your brother are just facinating to read about and listen to. I met Zac at the Long Beach boat show and he let me go aboard Intrepid. That was great. I also met Jessica Watson and bought a signed book. I will be waiting in line to buy yours when it comes out and hopefully you will sign it.
    Carry on skipper. Have fun.
    Rusty
    Dana Point, Calif.

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  28. Hello Abby,
    you and your life are looking good!
    I haven't checked your blog for a while, because I am busy with my own adventure moving to another continent!
    I wish you well, in whatever you do!
    I can imagine, that fresh water sailing would be different to sailing in the great wide ocean!
    But you will get your chance again!
    In the meantime, keep well, busy and happy,
    all the best,
    Trudy, Austria/Australia

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  29. Ha, ha, funny.
    In case Abby had been in the Netherlands (NL) I would have definitely heard of it, you can be sure of that. There are about 11 towns in the US with the name Amsterdam  Most probably she was in trying google: Amsterdam US NY State. The first entry you see is a map.
    Solo circumnavigator Laura Dekker is now at the Canarias waiting for the end of the hurricane season. Monday its her birthday and she will be 15 then.

    I enjoyed your tour and your blog, dear Abby.
    Go on with live and do interesting things. According to your blog you’re successful in that and that makes me feel good.

    HenkM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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  30. Hi Abby -- I was just reading your story about talking in front of the large group, and having done that quite a few times (and also being a musician and former radio DJ), I learned to think of a crowd as a gathering of people who only hear you one at a time. They may sit and respond together, but they hear and think the same as if they were there alone. So on your next talk, just talk to "one person," although all the "one persons" out there are going to hear you. It can make the crowd seem much smaller. Just like on the radio, I talked to one person, because that's who was actually hearing my voice. We also read your blog one at a time, even though thousands of us read it in total. And I thoroughly enjoy it! Best of luck -- Larry in Richmond, VA

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  31. Hi Abby,
    Good to hear that you are having a great time and what a surpise to see you in Amsterdam.
    It is a very interesting City, so have fun and take in as much as you can.
    Regards,
    Ingrid, Tyreso, Sweden

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  32. Dear Abby,
    I'll type A Full Message sometime Sunday.
    I just wanted to say that I Hope You Get A Chance to Meet JESSICA while you're over there. She's in London at the moment and then she's going to France for some Sailing: So hopefully you'll be able to meet up with her in France.

    Cheers,
    Neville M. (Sydney, Australia)
    xx

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  33. 09-18-10 @ 18:59
    Hi Abby,
    You sure are moving around fast Mon. in Detroit, Thur. you’re in Amsterdam. How are you doing on the ‘Jet-Lag’??? Take care of yourself
    WOW, that sure is a fancy looking mall, but they’re very nice pictures. Thank you for them. I was able to go into New York and see Jessica at the Jess-a-holics dinner that we had for her. It was very nice and we (naturally) did a lot of talking with Q&A. She’s a very personable person and I sincerely hope that you two girls can meet someday. I know that you would enjoy each others company.
    That was pretty neat that you ran into Jannie and Tracey, sometimes it’s a very small world. The buildings are what amaze me, I would really love to see them, not so much the ‘tippy’ ones just the well constructed ones…lol…
    Enjoy yourself Abby and take good care of yourself, where are you bound for next???
    Loads of love and hugs, and remember God is always with you.
    Your faithful friend, fan and follower.
    Michael (75) from Kingwood, WV

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  34. Abby, thanks for the great pix. You're certainly getting around.

    If you plan to be in Seattle, please give us a heads up. I'd love to come hear you speak at whichever yacht club you'd be visiting.

    And once you get used to it, doesn't matter how big the audience is! Just like if you can swim, it doesn't matter whether the water is 10 ft deep or 10,000.

    John

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  35. Abby you are noting short of being a fantasitce preson. You are amazinng I would of probably done better traveling and see my extented family in the Netherlands more, but H gave flight fobia. that is not fun to have going that many miail in the sky. But it was really treat coming home. I guess it was a shorter time. Ha.
    enjoy the best of ability wity ther friends their. A chance comes along only once as we age.

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  36. Hi Abby,

    So happy you are enjoying your travels. I love reading your blogs and seeing your pictures.

    Your friend,
    Clare, Spokane, Wash.

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  37. i bet your passport is filled
    and hope you take part in one the airline frequent flier programs you have rack up
    a lot points for sure

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  38. Abby not only have you sailed many miles and visited lots of interesting places you continue to travel finding new and exciting things to see and experience and yet there's no place like home! Cheers ! Best Wishes ! John

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  39. i wanna come with you on some of these trips!! they look like too much fun! XD be safe now, yah hear?

    -TojC

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  40. Hi there Abby!!! I now have a blog. Yeah..no picture yet. Give my till monday. Im new at this!! Have a good day Abby!!!

    Art Romero

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  41. Hello Abby, it does indeed look like you are still fulfilling your dream, to sail solo around the world; just not in a Sail Boat! Circumnavigating through all those airports and airport security....you are really brave. It is a dangerous world out there, whether on land or at sea. have fun, but please be careful too. You never know when a young, pretty, face, can pick up an unknowingly admirer, that may not be thinking, with a full deck, upstairs.
    It's great to have fun in life, but you have to come back to reality and think about your education too. Stay sweet, stay young, you're sweet 16 years are, just about behind you. You'll be the big 17 here in a few weeks. Have a Happy Birthday!

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  42. Abby, please enjoy your travels. You really deserve to have some fun. Have you any news on Wild Eyes at all? Has she ever been found?

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  43. Abby,
    Are you going to meet Jessica while you are in Europe?

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  44. Dear Abby the Eight wonder of the world

    abby I just thought of a great adventure for you the youngest to do the IDITAROD IN ALASKA maybe you might mention it to Zac also I know you can do It your so adventuress give It a thought and hope to here your comment on this IDITAROD

    your loyal Subject














    william K. Hass
    mystic_seas92805@yahoo.com

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  45. Dear Abby..:)

    You are such a beautiful young woman,and I wish you all the luck in the world on any quest you might partake in.

    I prayed for you the whole time while you were out on the ocean sailing,and will always be wishing you luck.

    Sheri in Minnesota..:)

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  46. ahhhhh!!!! its october 2... and no new post! i'm dying here! ;)

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  47. Hi Abby,
    How are you Champion Girl ? What's been happening lately ? ..... You haven't Posted anything on here for ages. I've missed reading all about The Fun You are having.
    When are you going to Make A Photo Album on Your FB PROFILE With Photos of Your TRIP ? .....
    Where are you now, and where are you going next ..... and when are you Coming To Australia to Visit All Your Fans out here ? .....

    By the way, I've Arranged A FB EVENT for Your 16th Birthday ... This is the LINK ...
    http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105563976173839&index=1 I hope you can Join Us. Anyway, Abby, Bye For Now ....... Signed: "YouCan DoIt Too" ..... Nev. M.. xx

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  48. Dear Abby,
    Getting close to that Birthday of yours. Hope a big party is planned. Then let us know how it went.
    Haven't heard much in a while, I hope that Eureopean weather has not gotten you watered down to much. Its not like California weather, for sure.
    Love to hear how your traveling is doing about now. You and your companions be safe.
    Dee in Santa Clarita, Ca.

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  49. Hi Abby and followers,

    Sounds like you have been on the move once again. I liked to post about sailing on Lake Huron the time before. For about 18 months I was stationed in that area with the USCG both at Belle Isle(8 months) and Detroit River Light(when it was manned)for about 10 months. If you get back in that area please wave to my old home. I am glad to see the adventures of Abby are still going on. Have fun and keep us in the loop. It is a much better travel log than some of the TV shows. At present I am around China Lake CA and should be in the South Bay area in November..

    Travel Safe
    Dane

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  50. 10-03-10 @ 17:18
    Hi Abby,
    WOW, here it is October already and pretty soon we’ll be into 2011. Time sure does have a way of moving along pretty fast as you get older.
    Missed hearing from you, I hope all is well and that you’re just having a good time. Nothing wrong with that!!! So what’s new with you and what do you have planned for the near future?? Take good care of yourself and hope to hear from you soon, maybe even some pictures….yes?? I really enjoyed the last one’s that you sent.
    Loads of love and hugs, and remember God is always with you.
    Your faithful friend, fan and follower.
    Michael (75) from Kingwood, WV

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  51. hi abby how are you doing i just bought a new lap top acer aspire 5745, it's fast. i'm working for a doctor now i clean his house and look after it for him.i'm ordering a headphone amp from michigan the name of it is vince vacume tube 5 watts of power for $500 dollars. please wright back soon ok i miss your blogs.

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  52. hi abby how are you doing today, i hope you wright soon i miss your blogs it's not the same.

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  53. You sure are getting in some great travel!

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  54. ahem.. It is now 10/10/10, and as a faithful follower I'm getting worried that you have forgotten about all of your other faithful fans, of course I know you are out having loads of adventures and I'm glad your having fun, but....i'm dying here! just a short post, just a sentance, thats all i'm asking! ;)

    From,
    Madi(14)from WI,U.S

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  55. You are so cute and looks very enjoy your trips.

    See u
    Cheers
    Rara

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  56. 10-18-10 @ 08:18
    Hi Abby,
    Just thought I’d drop you a line and see how things are going??? Haven’t heard from you for a while and I just hope all is well. But when you’re traveling about I guess time can get away from you. Not much happening back here, the weather is changing and winters-a-comin’. Take good care of yourself and enjoy the scenery in your travels.
    Loads of love and hugs, and remember God is always with you.
    Your faithful friend, fan and follower.
    Michael from Kingwood, WV

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  57. 10-19-10 @ 01:51
    Hi Abby,
    I’m very sorry but I forgot to wish you a “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” in my last post to you. So “HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY”, do you feel any older…lol… Take good care of yourself and enjoy your special day.
    Loads of love and hugs, and remember God is always with you.
    Your faithful friend, fan and follower.
    Michael from Kingwood, WV

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  58. Abby: My name is Al from Als Poem Zone and I wrote a couple of poems one titled "Abby sunderland" and the other "wild Eyes" I'm not sure if you have read them in any case I'd like to publish a Poetry book in the near future how do you feel about them being in the book Please contact me at thank you so very much Al

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  59. hola Abby,well after a long time away from the cp,i never forgat obout you,i was wondering.so the first chance here im to said im glad that you are ok,take a good care of your fine self i will keep in touch, visit me at my face book josde luis nevarez gonzalez.

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  60. Hi Abby
    You are a poem!!!

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  61. This is your poem
    Heading out this morning into the sun
    Riding on the diamond waves little darling one
    Warm wind caress her
    Her lover it seems
    Oh Abby, Dreamboat Abby,
    My little ship of dreams
    Oh Abby, Dreamboat Abby
    My little ship of dreams

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