It's been longer than usual since the last entry, so I am again splitting it up into two. Another reason this makes sense is that we had a couple of trips, so one entry each. With my new job, I am having more trouble finding the time to devote to the blog and I'm sure that the writing quality has declined to dismal and often long-winded. As Mr. Cobain said, "All apologies."
I believe that I'm picking up right about the time that I left for a business trip to New Orleans, leaving Mom here to wander the streets in relative peace for a few days. The girls (all 5 including Holli) made the short drive to Delft and came away impressed. I didn't get a detailed run-down but it is obvious that Eliza had fun.
Did I forget to mention that Ron and Clayton flew down to meet me in New Orleans?
This lady was on CC like white on rice when we stopped at Lucy's Surf Shack for dinner Saturday night! I was pretty sure she was a couple of cards short even before we noticed her stroller, which contained a cat!
Mom stuck around until the end of August and then headed home to embark on her next trip to see Justin in Washington. They tried out the new steak place a few yards from our front door just before she left.
Cool lights, huh?
Holli had one of those "work events" that this time around included a helicopter tour of Amsterdam. Looks miserable.
Kerry got to ride shotgun so didn't make it into this one.
Happy Birthday to me, the last in my 30's!
Holli looking very happy after finishing the 10-mile Dam to Dam run (with almost no training)!
Happy Birthday to Lucy (her first in double-digits)!
I couldn't be more proud of the young lady she has become!
Lucy had 5 good friends over for a romp at a trampoline place followed by a sleepover.
Venice (finally)
We had a long weekend at school due to some in-service days, so we took a short trip to Venice. I have always wanted to see this city, but was somewhat concerned that after living in a "canal city" for the last year that some of the charm might be lost on me. Amsterdam doesn't do canals the way Venice does, however; here the canals are part of the scenery while in Venice they are an integral part of everyday life!
Some background on the city... Italy (population ~60 million) is divided into 20 regions (think U.S. states). Venice is the capital city of the region called Veneto (pop. ~5 million). Veneto sits in the northeast part of the country - picture the back of the knee-joint at the top of the boot. Technically I believe that the city of Venice (pop. ~260,000) includes a good portion of area on the mainland in addition to the 118 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon. But practically speaking, when you go to Venice you are heading to the island of Venezia - the historic city. Around 60,000 people live on the island, which has no cars nor roads, other than the bus terminal on the western edge. Transportation is "entirely" by foot or by boat.
People began living on the islands as early as the 10th century BC, but it did not really rise to a powerful city until around the 12th century (AD). Despite being decimated (a Roman term by the way) by the plague multiple times, the city remained vibrant throughout the following centuries but from what I saw appears to be in a severe decline.
The surface level of the island is falling and the sea levels are expected to rise, which will only make the tidal flooding worse. While this may not sound all that bad, consider that a high percentage of the buildings that I saw had their entryway/ first level within 5 or 10 feet of the water level. Water has flooded the streets countless times, and a tidal increase of only about 8 ft will flood half of the island's area. I wonder how much this has factored into the condition of the buildings and infrastructure (both the damage itself and the lack of capital invested in repairs).
Venice has had its ups and down through history, but it is easy to see why it continues to capture the imagination as there is no place like it that I have seen. It is incredibly beautiful and has so much potential - I really hope that it makes another comeback!
I believe the operators told us that the gondolas cost between €40,000 and €100,000.
Incredibly hard to believe since it has no moving parts (nor gold lining).
You get an idea of how low the islands are from here.
The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore sits on the island of the same name (minus the church part).
We made a day trip to the island of Murano (10 minutes by boat? Very close...) where they pride themselves on their glasswork. Our first stop was at a factory - although I hate to call it that as it implies mass-production. Every piece is made by hand from molten glass on an iron pipe. Including the vase and horse in the photo that were made while we watched.
Unfortunately for me, Murano - like Venice - seems to be made up of about 45% glass shops and 49% carnival mask shops.
On the other hand, a good portion of that remaining 6% consists of places that sell Italian beer.
I found a couple of varieties that were OK (this one was a Sans Souci Export by Birra Moretti - I like the name!)
We did pony up for a gondola ride - I think these two had an OK time.
Lilli with the famous Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal in the background.
Like I said, this place is beautiful in a great way. But for me, 2 days would have been plenty!
A couple of random pictures...
Lilli had a class trip to Muiden Castle, where she had another opportunity to see some raptors up-close and personal.
Game day (night over here, but at least we could see this one!)
I got to take a bike ride while Eliza was at a birthday party south of Amstelveen,
and I came across these guys somewhere along the Amstel River. SO FLUFFY!
Baaas-tun
There was some very big family news in October as Holli's cousin Jessica got married! I was VERY sad to miss out, but Holli was able to make it to "Boston" and came back with some great pictures.
Hilary made it up too (also unencumbered by a husband or children)
My favorite wedding was also outdoors!
Jessica and Matt Person!
Proud Mother of the Bride & her sisters!
I love these guys (Jess's mom & dad)!
Jessica's brother Jason and his girlfriend (to whom he has not introduced me!)
Great lookin' couple! Congrats!!
There was a surprise waiting for Holli when she got back - she was SO EXCITED!
Late June through the end of July was a period unlike anything we have experienced as a family. School ended on a Wednesday, we stuck around Amsterdam through Sunday so that Lucy could visit Sweden with her bestie from school and the older girls could all see Taylor Swift.
First big concert for these two!
And here's where things got difficult. Since I started my new job, I have felt like I needed to work more hours despite the agreement I made with my boss. I like to feel like I'm earning it, so there was no way for me to be able to give the girls the proper amount of attention over the summer while working full time. (On a very-related side note - we REALLY miss having Leah with us!)
So, we had to get creative. When the family traveled home to Louisville, we left Holli behind. I spent the next two weeks back home with the girls and then flew back to Amsterdam solo, leaving the girls in their grandparents' loving care. It took another 4 days for me to see Holli since when I arrived, she was in Spain for a week-long meeting.
We were finally reunited on Thursday night, and we left for Malta the next morning for an extended weekend getaway. Our time together the following week was truncated as well because I had a work trip to Hamburg, Germany starting on Wednesday and Holli was headed to Louisville by the time I returned Friday night.
When she came back two weeks later with the girls and (my) Mom with her, I was - happy? excited? relieved? emotional? Lots of things, but maybe "whole" is the best way to put it. That first couple of nights here alone was really tough. I realized that I had not been apart from the girls for more than a single night (and then only once!) for the entire year that we've been in Amsterdam. And here I was now looking at several weeks of going at it solo. I know Holli felt the same way during her nearly 4-week stint - it's just not good.
It was interesting looking through the photos during this period as Holli, the girls and I all lived our parallel lives. Holli going through Vondelpark while we're swimming at Lakeside; me stalking a neighborhood hawk while Holli strolls through the canals at night; then later me visiting the American Cemetery in the Netherlands while Holli and the girls head to the lake with Hilary & her family. Life goes on and you make the best of it - or ride out the storm as best as you can.
On with it - here are some choice moments from a tough period:
Daisy celebrated the return to her hunting grounds with a vole kill.
Mom and I spent a morning at the AT&T store switching over the UVerse service and getting her first iPhone.
We happened to still be there when Mary Lou and Paul showed up to get some new phones as well.
Glad Mom has someone to play with (her first call was to Mary Lou from across the store)!
The biggest part of the time I spent in Louisville was filled with the sounds of children playing - lots of catching up!
Hannah and Chloe (from Kenilworth) stopped by for a while to hang out.
This was an anxiously-awaited moment - the girls finally got to meet Leah's daughter (and their adopted sister) Livy!
We got to spend some time with the Lewandowski clan. Basketball in flips is not recommended.
I was lucky enough to be around while Kristen and her kids (Juliette and Henri) were in town visiting her parents.
She brought her niece (Sophia) and nephew (Gabrielle) by one evening - it was great to see all of them again!
Lilli decided to start eating meat again after a 2 year hiatus. She held out for KFC for her first meal.
Gina and Joe were in town for a few days, and were lucky enough to benefit from Lilli's recent interest in baking.
Actually I think Gina mostly ate wine.
We had a little bit of excitement one morning while sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee: A man blew through the stop sign on Speed and hit the powerline pole across Speed - he never hit the brakes and he was shifting gears (well, it was an automatic, but he was still accelerating). This was the first time that I've ever called 9-1-1, immediately before Joe and I - and the guy that was following the car up Speed - pulled the man out. Miraculously he was conscious and appeared unharmed, but was obviously not in possession of 100% of his facilities. I sat my phone in an upstairs window to catch a timelapse of the flurry of activity over the next several hours:
This made me laugh out loud! An older couple that had walked through the crash scene drove back
later - with chairs - and sat on the opposite corner to watch the show!
Despite the seemingly-non-stop rain, I did get a couple of rides in - including one with Clayton.
Holli enjoying a work evening at the F.C. Barcelona facilities
Holli and Kerry feeling the football love - Champions League Champs!
Holli and I escaped for a 4-day trip to the island (and independent republic) of Malta about 12 hours after she returned from Spain. I was not terribly impressed with much of what we saw between the airport (kind of central) and our hotel (on the northeast coast) - it seemed a little run down. However, the resort and surrounding areas, including the beautiful, 500-yr old city of Valetta, was great. We did more relaxing than exploring, so not a whole lot to talk about.
Holli and I grabbing a drink before dinner.
Holli came across these man-made "pools" while out for a jog.
A nice shot of my beautiful wife relaxing on the Mediterranean.
A great view of the resort and the casino in the background. We might have gone in there once or twice.
Back to reality - and work... I accompanied my boss and a colleague in from Decatur on a 3-day trip to Hamburg. Some of the more interesting sights:
This is the Elbe Tunnel, which was constructed under the Elbe in 1911. Lifts (elevators) at either end carry people, bikes, and even cars up and down instead of having ramps like most tunnels. It is nearly 1,400 ft long and 80 ft below ground!
The less interesting "urinal with a lid" - first time I've seen one of these!
Back in Amsterdam...
Lots of beautiful sunsets here...
I decided to take a quick overnight trip to the south of the Netherlands to try out some highly-rated bike trails. There were a couple of places I've read about in the last year that I wanted to stop by and see during the trip - the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial and the Transparent Church (actually just across the border in Belgium).
Some of the thousands of grave markers at the Netherlands American Cemetery.
All too many of these.
The Transparent Church.
I did get a little riding in as well, although it was not as great as I'd hoped. There was a fun trail on Friday night - more of a flowing rhythm trail, but the one I rode on Saturday was miserable... Long boring climbs followed by uninteresting flats at the top and rutted-out, washout-ditch downhills that were often filled with mud and softball-sized rocks to avoid. Plus it was kind of rainy.
There were multiple crosses around the park (not so big as this one), which was
surprising since I hardly ever see them elsewhere in the country.
There are hills in the Netherlands after all!
When I got back to Amsterdam, I found that I had missed a pretty severe storm! Lots of trees down around the area, plus this mess on the roof! Note that the grill is being prevented from falling all the way over only by the hose connected to the gas bottle. An excellent justification for always turning the gas off at the bottle when you're done!
Holli, the girls, and Mom arrived in town just in time for the annual Gay Pride Parade, which goes right down the canal out front. As with last year, it was quite a show - but we were a little bit better prepared to enjoy it this time around!
Prime viewing location!
Mom and our neighbor Ingeborg watching the Netherlands Post Office float (!)
We left for Ireland the morning after the parade. I intended to publish this blog entry about the same time as I did that one, but time got away from me and we've had a few more adventures since so I felt compelled to include them here.
Holli left for a weeklong conference in Cambridge the day after we returned from Ireland, and I had to go back to work so it was up to the girls to entertain Mom during the day. I think that she felt thoroughly entertained by the time the weekend rolled around! We were monitoring her Health stats on her phone for steps and miles - she logged plenty!
School started on Thursday, with the girls entering 1st, 4th, and 7th grades.
Last year's picture for some perspective... They have grown!
We celebrated Lilli's birthday that night - again on a boat. But this time there was a huge event out on the Ij called SAIL. Tall ships from all over converge on the harbor here once every five years - it was supposed to be quite a show so we took our little electric rental boat out to see it!
Lucy was in charge of snacks.
Mom loved seeing the city from this perspective - probably in large part because she wasn't walking with 3 unruly kids!
There were a few military ships - all Dutch as far as I could tell.
Lots of authentic old ships as well!
One submarine - this one operational, unlike the old Russian one on the other side of the Ij.
Earlier in the day, there was some sort of parade that made its way through the city while the girls were at school and I was trying to work. I kept having to get up and wander over to the window...
Firetruck boat.
Tandem-bike-powered boat.
Whale boat.
Astroturf backyard patio with lawn chairs and grill boat.
E30 BMW in Netherlands colors boat.
And finally... the Tractor boat. And yes, the tractor was powering it via makeshift paddlewheels!
Mom and escaped Friday for a weekend in Paris - I think she enjoyed herself (although we put in quite a few miles of walking)!
We stayed near Notre Dame, so this was her first glimpse of the old city.
We walked all the way across to the Eiffel Tower
And went up! First time that I've done that - worth the 3 hours it took. Once.
You can see quite a bit from up there - even at night!
After breakfast at a nearby cafe the next morning, we walked through Notre Dame before making our way to the Louvre. After seeing the things shown below, I had to do some research since I thought they must be some third-rate re-creation of a castle base.
The Louvre was originally built as a fortress between 1190 and 1202. The defensive curtain wall was 9 feet thick and was surrounded by a moat. Inside the curtain wall there was a round keep 50 feet in diameter and 100 feet tall, with 13' thick walls - a very solid place to withstand an attack! What I was very surprised to learn was that the base of this fortress was intact - apparently uncovered during the massive excavation in 1984. Since the moat was filled in by King Francois I in 1528, there were hundreds of thousands of artifacts uncovered that could be precisely dated in addition to the structure itself.
The walkway is where the moat was 800 years ago. The round sections are the bases of two of the ten towers that were built into the walls.
The Salle Saint Louis - just around the corner from the previous picture. The ornate columns are original and in remarkable condition.
One of the many texts that decorate the area (warning: rough translation!): One can see the wall only by parts, the whole is in the spirit. The text does not become complete until you arrive at the crypt.
On to the Egyptian exhibit. Mom was doubtful that there were any artifacts left for Egypt to display - they all seem to be here!
We made a quick pass through the top floor of the Musee d'Orsay, which I missed completely on my previous visit over the summer. It turns out that is where all of the great paintings are - there must be over 20 from Monet alone (I just looked it up - there are 86!) Then many from Manet, Degas, Cezanne, Gauguin, Renoir - artists I've actually heard of. And they were incredible to see at such close range.
We made the short stroll to the great spot below Pont Alexandre III for a couple of beers before walking back towards Notre Dame for a great dinner at an outdoor cafe. Mom's duck confit was the perfect end to a nice weekend!
We decided to extend the weekend a bit on the return trip with a short stop in Bruges - had to give her a little Belgian flavor!
The Beer Wall - all Belgian, but not all of the wall is shown!
Mom having a "Distinct Beer" - Kwak!
A better view of the place where we sat to have our drinks. Note the hotel to the right - where the guys stayed in that movie...
Back in Amsterdam, Holli and the girls made their way to the beach to take advantage of the best day of the year. Since Mom and I took the car, they got to use the trams for the first time and I think it was pretty easy!
On the bus ride home from school Friday
Reality set in today... There was a torrential downpour around the time school let out. Made for an interesting ride home for a lot of folks!
Lots of bike paths-turned-pools.
The bright side of all that rain followed by intense sunshine! Great shot Holli!
Etc..... Small car of the month
Cool boat of the month that was not involved in a parade:
The Sauna Boat (looks like a hot tub to me, but what do I know?)
