The Bridge Months

As it happens, even though it seemed like nothing happened, I have enough stuff (and pictures) to again split this installment into two entries. The second one will cover our Spring Break trip to the Canary Islands while this one will focus on stuff around Amsterdam.

After the flurry of activity that ended about the same time as NCAA basketball's regular season, March and April were definitely more laid back. Basketball is not a big sport here, and when you ask the bartender if they can put the NCAA tournament on the TV, you get a very blank stare. However... thanks to our handy Slingbox, we were able to watch all of the games - at least some of us.

U of L's first game was on a Friday night, so Lucy wanted to stay up and watch... But as usual the Cards traveled to the Pacific Ocean for their first round game, which is 9 hours behind Amsterdam.
Lucy didn't see the second half. But I love her enthusiasm!

On Saturday night, Holli and I went out with some friends to the one place in town that had the tournament (although we did have to ask them to put it on - there was a big Rugby tournament that weekend). Here's a good shot of Holli (under the TV, talking to the Wickenses) and Cal (on the TV), with our local peeps Gretchen & Leigh in the foreground.

The whole crew was ready for the Sweet-16 rematch against NC State.
This one was in Syracuse, but still had a late start.

I tried making some spicy popcorn - thought it might help the girls stay up for the game.
The popcorn turned out great, but my plan did not work out...

They didn't make it... The game started at 2:30 am locally.
But U of L won by 10 to advance to a surprising (to anyone who watched them all year) Regional Final!

The Cards beat the teams they should have, and lost to the elite teams - both during the season and in the tourney. NC State was marginal, and we split. Michigan State was as well, and we weren't able to maintain the first half lead. All things considered (including the fact that we were a missed free-throw away from another Final Four), a good finish to the season.


The end of March also marked the start of the new after-school/ extracurricular "semester" at ISA. Lilli started playing soccer for the ISA girls' team (the fall team was mixed - boys & girls). They have had two games so far, winning both handily. I think Lilli is leading the team in assists - several of them to Maya, who is leading the team with something like 7 goals.

All smiles here - Maya scores off the pass from Lilli! 

Another attempt a little later in the game.

In addition to gymnastics and basketball after school, Lucy is the one family member that is getting to swim. The Dutch take water safety very seriously, requiring swimming to be taught in 2nd through 5th grades (during school). The reason becomes obvious if you spend any time here - there are canals literally everywhere around the country, and it is very easy to fall in.

The kids must master multiple swim strokes, plus do all sorts of underwater acrobatics (like swimming under simulated ice, through tunnels, etc.) in order to get their diploma(s). And they must be able to do all of this fully clothed (shoes, coats, etc.). There are three diploma levels, and in order to be able to swim at any pool, you must have your A diploma (the lowest level). Otherwise, you must wear floaties on your arms AND have your parent in the pool with you at all times. This went over incredibly well on our first (and only) trip to a pool over the summer.

Fortunately, Lucy is receiving some good lessons and her swimming strokes are really pretty now. She has always been a strong swimmer, but she's really kicked it up a level over the last 8 months.

Here Lucy is getting dropped on her back into the pool - with shorts, a t-shirt, and shoes.
They then swim to the other end, get out, and do it again.

Eliza is doing "fun gymnastics" and soccer after school, and also getting some good playground time on the 2 other days that her sisters have activities. She has been learning good things at school, and is becoming a real bicyclist.

For the "Dress up as a character from your favorite book" day, Eliza choose Heidi.

Eliza and I took a jog/ bike through the Amsterdam Forest (Amsterdamse Bos) and wandered into this area marked "Schotse Hooglanders", which translates to Scottish Highlanders. Wonder what that is???

Oh... It's these! Walking and biking paths going right through this cattle farm, which is part of the Bos.
There are signs (in Dutch of course) to keep your distance. With horns like those, I will be sure to comply! 

In another part of the Bos that we discovered last Fall,
the cherry blossom park (Kersenbloesempark), the trees were spectacular!

Eliza's classmate Raphael had a birthday party at a petting zoo, which was a pretty big hit. Some interesting animals in addition to the sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs, geese, etc....

Another ex-pat (turkeys are not indigenous to Europe)!

Check out the feet on these guys!

Some other breed of rooster here - little guy with an attitude!

Ready for St. Patrick's Day! Not such a big thing here (about an hour's flight from Ireland) as it is in the US.
Also, this picture serves as a good "before" for the shots below!

Haircuts!

Keukenhof
I apologize in advance for the excessive number of pictures from this short (~2 or 3 hour) trip, but it is nothing short of awesome. Seemingly every possible color, texture, and shape of tulip was on display. The outdoor gardens were pretty and impressive, but to me the indoor areas where each variety was growing in a ~6' square plot was much better.

Holli and the girls working their way through the pine(?) labyrinth, with a small petting zoo in the background.

The statue behind Lucy was alive. Very "un-lifelike" and a little spooky! 

The waffles may have been the highlight of the day for some... 

Some of the gardens 

Small, Medium, and Large  

Hydrangea blooms the size of basketballs!

The indoor area - each species has its own area - all beautifully maintained!

Perhaps this is why we have so many pictures from here...

Huge blooms!

Georgia O'Keefe? Nope. Live flowers.

After returning from Tenerife, the girls and I settled back into the routine while Holli had fairly a quick turnaround for a long trip to San Francisco. After a couple of days of work and CLE sessions, she and her old buddy Kristen got to spend the weekend together catching up and seeing the sights.

Back home, we put Eliza's biking skills to work as we pedaled to the Artis Zoo - our first return since our visit during Spring Break last year.

This video is not my best work, but it does capture Eliza's first ride through the city: One of those events where you simultaneously enjoy tremendous pride, joy, and terror. Drivers here are infinitely more careful than in the US and always keep an eye out for bikers (especially little ones), but accidents can and do still happen. 

Needless to say, I always try to pick out the safest routes with separated bike lanes. 

The pink pelicans remembered us. :)

I don't remember the butterfly building from last year - but they have some of the same species as the Rotterdam Zoo.

Never have a staring contest with an iguana.

King's Day
So it turns out that the Netherlands has a monarchy, of sorts. The king (or queen) is involved in government workings to some extent, although individual ministers are ultimately responsible for any decisions made. The Dutch love their monarchs, and to celebrate the king's birthday the country is more-or-less closed down and the residents (and tourists) take to the streets in bright orange clothing to buy and sell goods, eat bad food, drink Heineken, and generally enjoy themselves. Given our location, it seemed prudent to invite some friends over to safely watch the revelry from above, so we did!

The things that pass for boats really surprised me. I can't imagine this would be legal in the states!

This one is not much better....

This appears to be made from plywood sheets strapped to foam blocks, with a 2x4 rail going around it. It passed the house a few times, and with each pass the gap in the middle grew as the rear of the "boat" dropped.

There's a full band in the front of this one - at least it is a real boat!

The crowd on the streets grew until it became difficult to get around (think Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras, without the hostility). Everyone arrived safely however, and we enjoyed a great afternoon of sun and fun. The crowds started dying down around 8:00 (this was a Monday, and so a school/ work day the next day), but the noise persisted until midnight. The Dutch love their EDM.


Other Stuff Around Town
Our good friend Sarah had a big milestone birthday, and her thoughtful husband Brent imported some friends from California, rented a party boat, and surprised her with a canal cruise followed by a fantastic dinner. The masks were mandatory. Most of my pictures from the night were, well, blurry.

You feel lucky, punk?

One of the things I love about the Netherlands (well, at least Amsterdam - I'm not sure how the rest of the country is) is the fact that they - the government - clean things. Public things. Like lamp posts (with scrub brushes). I'm not saying that Amsterdam is a clean city - the tourists and even the residents leave tremendous amounts of trash and garbage on the streets and in the parks. What is amazing to me is that it is picked up so quickly.

Here a crew is cleaning the glass on the tram station. I'm guessing they do this once every month or two.

I continue to see interesting vehicles around town!

We ride a different kind of four-wheeler back home. But I bet this one is fast!

I had to look this one up - it is called a Carver One, kind of a combination car/ motorcycle. Sadly, no longer in production.

And here's a Mercedes, eh, something.

This luxury canal cruiser features Lambo doors.

A couple of sights from my bike excursions:

Sint-Urbanuskerk (Ouderkerk aan de Amstel)

This is a bike and pedestrian bridge to the east of town, crossing the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal. Incredible & beautiful design.

In a parting bit of big personal news, I started a new job on May 1 with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) at their production facility in Rotterdam. I am now a Process Control Engineer supporting about 10 sites across Europe. I wasn't aggressively looking, but this spot came along that was a near-perfect fit both for me and ADM - they really needed someone that knows the Novatech D3 system, which very few companies use. Rohm and Haas's (now Dow's) Louisville plant is one of the few.

It is way too early to see how well things will work out however... Rotterdam is about an hour's drive from school, and my first priority will continue to be the girls. ADM seems very willing to work with my schedule however, so I am very hopeful (as this is exactly the kind of work that I like to do)!

Tot ziens!