This is a late update on my recent jaunt back to Europe -
On 23 June I took a quick trip to Cleveland for a wedding and then back to Minneapolis on the 24th where I met up with my colleague, K, changed planes, and headed to Amsterdam. We arrived on Sunday around 12:30 with time only to get through customs, freshen up, and on to the KLM cityhopper that would take us to Frankfurt. We arrived in Frankfurt around 3 pm - which, of course, was about 8 am body time. K got our rental car and off we went to our final destination, Trier.
We arrived around 5:30, having come through some dramatic lightning and light rain. We checked into the delightful Alstadt Hotel and got settled in. Should you find yourself in Trier, I highly recommend it. Perfect location, great rooms, terrific breakfast, and very reasonable. We went up to Tarforst for dinner at Weinstube Gehlen where I had a terrific whitefish and boiled potatoes. I’ll say right now so that I don’t keep repeating myself, I didn’t have a bad meal here. That includes the tiramisu eis.
I couldn’t quite believe that I had left Minneapolis at 1:30 on Friday and by the same time on Sunday I had flown to Cleveland, attended a wedding, flown back to Minneapolis, flown to Frankfurt via Amsterdam, and driven to Trier. Three flights, about 6000 miles, less than forty-eight hours. I’m not used to this kind of travel, but it’s worth it to visit Europe twice in one month!
On Monday we had meetings at the university beginning at 8:30 am. In the afternoon I got “K’s tour” of Trier including the Porta Nigra, the Dom, etc. That evening we had a 6 pm meeting with the faculty to give our presentation, after which we had dinner at a nice place in town – small sausages/wurst, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut – where K would have liked to hit on the server. She didn’t.
Tuesday we had a meeting at 9 am to see the video conferencing system that will allow a class in Saint Paul and a class in Trier to communicate with each other in real time and with a visual, as well as audio, connection. Now all we have to do is get the equipment in place on our end… Afterwards we zipped over to Luxembourg where we visited the American Military Cemetery and the grave of General George S. Patton. Then we went to the Germany Military Cemetery, just down the road. K has been here several times, most recently with her class of first year students last January.
Story from that trip: After seeing the U.S. cemetery where grave markers have either a cross or a Star of David on the top, student goes to German cemetery and says, “Uh, why don’t any of these markers have the Star of David?” Me thinks there may be a problem with K-12 history education.
Then we went into the city of Luxembourg and strolled around. It is really fun to see the original city wall, the buildings that sit down in the valley along the wall, and to actually see and hear from French. Note to travelers – if you are visiting this area of Germany by car, get your gas at the border in Luxembourg. What was 1.38 euro in Germany was 1.13 in Luxembourg. Tax differential. We came back and had a late lunch at one of K’s favorite places in Tarforst. I wasn’t going to leave without Jaegerschnitzel and pommes (French fries)! That was my favorite meal when I lived in Germany. We had a 7 pm meeting with a member of the faculty in Trier and then went to meet other folks at a café. When they finished eating we went to yet another café and watched some of the Spain-France World Cup match.
World Cup fever is beyond that I’m capable of describing. With Germany headed into the quarter finals and being the host nation, perhaps you can imagine what it’s like. We actually tried to change our tickets so that we could stay for Friday’s game, but were unable to do so.
So, back to Tuesday night. We left before the game was over – France won – and wandered back to the hotel. This morning K woke up feeling quite ill so we postponed our 9:30 meeting until 1 pm and I went shopping while she tried to rest. I bought some Birkenstocks that I had been eyeing and picked up a few trinkets for the family. K was feeling a bit better, the drugs having kicked in, and we had a quick lunch and headed to our fun and productive meeting with a couple of faculty who we hope can come to our campus next year and teach a short-term course. After that, more shopping, some currywurst for supper, our last tiramisu eis and back to the hotel to pack.
So, that’s it, my travels to Trier… and Cleveland. Next on the calendar – Saint Louis.
07 July 2006
09 June 2006
Catching Up!
A little catching up… On Wednesday went to Zandvoort and Haarlem; minus Kari and one student who had to run hither and yon to get a temporary passport. We caught the 9:25 train to Zandvoort and, upon arrival, walked over to the beach. After taking a photo of all the students with the North Sea as the backdrop, I walked up the beach by myself. Being the weekday and still early summer, there were very few people there. It was absolutely wonderful to roll up my pant legs and take a walk in the edge of the North Sea while listening to the Indigo Girls on my iPod. Ahhh… I walked farther up the beach, past the various themed “beach clubs.” These are areas on the beach, but marked by fencing, etc. in which you can grab a beach chair or little cabana and make your home for the day – as long as you are buying food or drink. They each have their own theme; e.g., the Venice Beach Club and Safari Club. There was one that was clearly made to welcome kids. 5YO would have loved it! I then strolled through town and ended up having a snack of tiny shrimp on a crisp roll – a mini-baguette of sorts called a pistolet. Yum!
After meeting up with the students we jumped on the train to Haarlem and I again walked the town. I found a delightful little housewares store and a terrific collection of melamine bowls, cups, spoons from a Danish company called Rice. I bought two periwinkle bowls and spoons for partner and myself and green for 5YO. I later ran into two students sunning themselves at a café at the Grote Markt. I joined them for a Diet Coke Light and ordered a brie sandwich. After a really long wait I wasn’t sure if there was a problem with my order if it was just that casual European approach to dining. As it turned out, my order, having been taken on a PDA-like device, had never made it to the kitchen. I eventually got my sandwich with huge slabs of brie and was able to make it to the station in time for our ride back to Amsterdam.
When I returned to Amsterdam, I found Kari and we made our way back to Sauna Deco. It was late afternoon; the perfect time for a sauna. We paid, got our towels, robes, and locker keys, and made our way to the locker room. The eucalyptus scent wafting throughout the place was wonderful! After changing and showering we first went into the dry sauna where the temperature was about 198 degrees Fahrenheit. It was fabulous. We then went to the cold pool where Kari didn’t get in quite all the way and I went in up to my shoulders. That was enough! Then, at the foot bath we let our feet soak, soak, soak. We then went to the wet sauna for a while. As if this wasn’t enough pampering, we then each enjoyed a 15 minute hydro massage. This place is amazing! Not only are the saunas terrific, but it’s just a beautiful setting. Be sure to check out their web site for photos.
Now, for those of you who may be wondering, yes, this is a co-ed sauna, including the locker room. And, yes, people are completely nude. But, unlike my experience at a sauna in Germany many, many years ago, people were a bit more modest, wearing towels or robes to move from one section to another and while sitting in the non-sauna areas. Many people who have grown up in the United States (and other places, like Great Britain, for example), can’t quite imagine an environment where women and men are nude, but completely non-sexualized. It’s true. If you are reading and think you might ever find yourself visiting Amsterdam, make a note of Sauna Deco. It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump, by foot, from Centraal Station at Herengracht 115. You won’t regret it!
On Thursday we took the train to Utrecht for a meeting at the university’s School of Human Rights Research. We met with Cees Flinterman and Hans Wermolder. They gave us a nice overview of the work of the program and we had a very enjoyable conversation about human rights as well as about some of the other issues we’ve been considering during our visit to the Netherlands. For example, as the demographic composition of the country changes, might the traditional “gedogen” also undergo change? It was a wonderful opportunity! Again, I’m not quite sure that the students understand the stature of our hosts and how incredibly generous it was of them to take the time to meet with us. For example, Prof.dr. Flinterman’s bio reads:
“Cees Flinterman was an alternate member of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (1987-1991), Vice-Chairperson of the 49th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (1993) and Head of the Delegation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on the 49th and 50th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (1993 and 1994) and to the World Conference on Human Rights (1993) . . . . Since August 2002 he is member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).” In a word, wow.
After leaving the school, we sent the students off, encouraging them to explore Utrecht, a great “college town.” After a short stroll, Kari and I were heading back to Amsterdam to conduct a recon for Friday night’s activity. But, Kari struck gold when she found a liquor store that actually carried Dutch wine. Apparently none of the “major” liquor stores carry it because so little is produced that they would require too great an amount to stock their shelves. But, this little independent shop had it and she was able to get three bottles to take home. We continued on our way, stopping briefly to see our friend Albert Heijn (aka the Al, or the grocery store) for water.
We got on the train… and sat, and sat, and sat. After about half an hour they announced that folks going to Amsterdam Centraal Station should change trains. We were fortunate to get on the InterCityExpress (ICE) and, thanks to Kari, in a compartment with great seats. The young man sitting across from us was, I noticed, wearing a Twins baseball cap so we started chatting. Turns out that he and a friend from school have been traveling here for three weeks. It’s not, I’ve discovered, original, but his comments, along with some of my experiences these last two and half weeks, made me think of the expression “Generation Whine.” More on that next time. For now, this crotchety old woman is off to bed!
After meeting up with the students we jumped on the train to Haarlem and I again walked the town. I found a delightful little housewares store and a terrific collection of melamine bowls, cups, spoons from a Danish company called Rice. I bought two periwinkle bowls and spoons for partner and myself and green for 5YO. I later ran into two students sunning themselves at a café at the Grote Markt. I joined them for a Diet Coke Light and ordered a brie sandwich. After a really long wait I wasn’t sure if there was a problem with my order if it was just that casual European approach to dining. As it turned out, my order, having been taken on a PDA-like device, had never made it to the kitchen. I eventually got my sandwich with huge slabs of brie and was able to make it to the station in time for our ride back to Amsterdam.
When I returned to Amsterdam, I found Kari and we made our way back to Sauna Deco. It was late afternoon; the perfect time for a sauna. We paid, got our towels, robes, and locker keys, and made our way to the locker room. The eucalyptus scent wafting throughout the place was wonderful! After changing and showering we first went into the dry sauna where the temperature was about 198 degrees Fahrenheit. It was fabulous. We then went to the cold pool where Kari didn’t get in quite all the way and I went in up to my shoulders. That was enough! Then, at the foot bath we let our feet soak, soak, soak. We then went to the wet sauna for a while. As if this wasn’t enough pampering, we then each enjoyed a 15 minute hydro massage. This place is amazing! Not only are the saunas terrific, but it’s just a beautiful setting. Be sure to check out their web site for photos.
Now, for those of you who may be wondering, yes, this is a co-ed sauna, including the locker room. And, yes, people are completely nude. But, unlike my experience at a sauna in Germany many, many years ago, people were a bit more modest, wearing towels or robes to move from one section to another and while sitting in the non-sauna areas. Many people who have grown up in the United States (and other places, like Great Britain, for example), can’t quite imagine an environment where women and men are nude, but completely non-sexualized. It’s true. If you are reading and think you might ever find yourself visiting Amsterdam, make a note of Sauna Deco. It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump, by foot, from Centraal Station at Herengracht 115. You won’t regret it!
On Thursday we took the train to Utrecht for a meeting at the university’s School of Human Rights Research. We met with Cees Flinterman and Hans Wermolder. They gave us a nice overview of the work of the program and we had a very enjoyable conversation about human rights as well as about some of the other issues we’ve been considering during our visit to the Netherlands. For example, as the demographic composition of the country changes, might the traditional “gedogen” also undergo change? It was a wonderful opportunity! Again, I’m not quite sure that the students understand the stature of our hosts and how incredibly generous it was of them to take the time to meet with us. For example, Prof.dr. Flinterman’s bio reads:
“Cees Flinterman was an alternate member of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (1987-1991), Vice-Chairperson of the 49th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (1993) and Head of the Delegation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on the 49th and 50th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (1993 and 1994) and to the World Conference on Human Rights (1993) . . . . Since August 2002 he is member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).” In a word, wow.
After leaving the school, we sent the students off, encouraging them to explore Utrecht, a great “college town.” After a short stroll, Kari and I were heading back to Amsterdam to conduct a recon for Friday night’s activity. But, Kari struck gold when she found a liquor store that actually carried Dutch wine. Apparently none of the “major” liquor stores carry it because so little is produced that they would require too great an amount to stock their shelves. But, this little independent shop had it and she was able to get three bottles to take home. We continued on our way, stopping briefly to see our friend Albert Heijn (aka the Al, or the grocery store) for water.
We got on the train… and sat, and sat, and sat. After about half an hour they announced that folks going to Amsterdam Centraal Station should change trains. We were fortunate to get on the InterCityExpress (ICE) and, thanks to Kari, in a compartment with great seats. The young man sitting across from us was, I noticed, wearing a Twins baseball cap so we started chatting. Turns out that he and a friend from school have been traveling here for three weeks. It’s not, I’ve discovered, original, but his comments, along with some of my experiences these last two and half weeks, made me think of the expression “Generation Whine.” More on that next time. For now, this crotchety old woman is off to bed!
06 June 2006
Den Haag/The Hague
I posted an account of today's journey on the class blog, so click on "Amsterdam 2006" if you'd like to know more. I'm off to bed!
05 June 2006
Just outside of Amsterdam...
This morning I took a little field trip to IKEA-Amsterdam, just to see if it was any different from the stores in the states. Nope. Well, actually, I think the ice cream cones in the states might be $1.00. Here they were 50 cents!
Kari and I met around 1:00 with the hope of going to a sauna, Sauna Deco. We took a nice walk along the Herengracht, but, alas, as today is a Dutch holiday it was closed. We decided to go to Centraal Station and simply see where the next train to a nearby town was headed. We bought tickets for 7,50 euro and hopped the train to Purmerend. We arrived and, as we walked from the station toward the center of town, we saw people walking in the same direction and then, we heard music! Score! We had happened upon something like a small festival in the square. Well, yes, sort of...!
Imagine our surprise when we got closer and saw an area of about 20 yards square where a small border about a foot high had been installed and sand dumped within. Picture a very large sandbox. Then, picture two horses and people taking rides across, around a 50 gallon drum and back. There were a couple of vendors with tack, belts, etc. and lots of people in cowboy hats, boots, black clothing, silver paraphernalia, etc. There was another “booth” with dream catchers and other Native American items. There was even a “moon walk” kind of thing with inflated saguaros on the sides! We couldn’t believe it. We had come to the Netherlands… and found Texas!
On the other side of the square was a raised platform and, hold on to your hat, a multi-talented guy was playing, not at the same time, a variety of instruments – flute, guitar, and a few I don’t recall – to recorded music while… dozens of people were line dancing!!!! I am NOT kidding. Men, women, some very old, one with a cast on her arm, some in “costume,” some holding children. But, they were all line dancing and they knew the dances! One of the songs I recall was Yankee Doodle Dandy. It was so strange! But, they were having a blast!
We wandered around the otherwise quiet town and then, discovering that the restaurants, though open for drinks, weren’t serving dinner for another hour, headed back to Amsterdam. I made my third trip to the Ristorante Pizzeria La Traviata near the Rembrandtplein and we each had a great pizza followed by some of the best tiramisu I’ve ever had in my life! Yes, it’s great fun to eat one’s way through Europe…!
Tomorrow we have to leave to hotel at 7:30 to take the tram and two trains to Den Haag/The Hague! for our appointment at the International Criminal Court. So, I’d best make it an early night. Here are a couple of snapshots -
Riding in the center of Purmerend.
Line dancing in the center of Purmerend.
Good night!
Kari and I met around 1:00 with the hope of going to a sauna, Sauna Deco. We took a nice walk along the Herengracht, but, alas, as today is a Dutch holiday it was closed. We decided to go to Centraal Station and simply see where the next train to a nearby town was headed. We bought tickets for 7,50 euro and hopped the train to Purmerend. We arrived and, as we walked from the station toward the center of town, we saw people walking in the same direction and then, we heard music! Score! We had happened upon something like a small festival in the square. Well, yes, sort of...!
Imagine our surprise when we got closer and saw an area of about 20 yards square where a small border about a foot high had been installed and sand dumped within. Picture a very large sandbox. Then, picture two horses and people taking rides across, around a 50 gallon drum and back. There were a couple of vendors with tack, belts, etc. and lots of people in cowboy hats, boots, black clothing, silver paraphernalia, etc. There was another “booth” with dream catchers and other Native American items. There was even a “moon walk” kind of thing with inflated saguaros on the sides! We couldn’t believe it. We had come to the Netherlands… and found Texas!
On the other side of the square was a raised platform and, hold on to your hat, a multi-talented guy was playing, not at the same time, a variety of instruments – flute, guitar, and a few I don’t recall – to recorded music while… dozens of people were line dancing!!!! I am NOT kidding. Men, women, some very old, one with a cast on her arm, some in “costume,” some holding children. But, they were all line dancing and they knew the dances! One of the songs I recall was Yankee Doodle Dandy. It was so strange! But, they were having a blast!
We wandered around the otherwise quiet town and then, discovering that the restaurants, though open for drinks, weren’t serving dinner for another hour, headed back to Amsterdam. I made my third trip to the Ristorante Pizzeria La Traviata near the Rembrandtplein and we each had a great pizza followed by some of the best tiramisu I’ve ever had in my life! Yes, it’s great fun to eat one’s way through Europe…!
Tomorrow we have to leave to hotel at 7:30 to take the tram and two trains to Den Haag/The Hague! for our appointment at the International Criminal Court. So, I’d best make it an early night. Here are a couple of snapshots -
Riding in the center of Purmerend.
Line dancing in the center of Purmerend.Good night!
04 June 2006
A few snapshots...
This is one of the more residential streets in Aachen, though still in the center of town. I was particularly struck by the "old/new/old" of this stretch of buildings.
This is also Aachen, taken from the steps of the city hall, or Das Rathaus.
I didn't really get any photos in Köln that do justice to the Cathedral and by the time we got to Maastricht the light was fading, but the above is one of the photos I took of a church there.Köln, Aachen, and Maastricht
I’m really tired, but I’ve just got to write this down before another day passes and I begin to forget some of the detail!
On Friday afternoon, as you will know if you’ve been following the class blog, “Amsterdam 2006,” my colleague, Kari, and I picked up our rental car and made a quick – and both fun and productive - visit to Haarlem. After a short night’s sleep, we arose for a 5 am departure on Saturday morning. We were driving to Köln, Germany. We stopped several times hoping to find some fresh bakery goods along the way, but, alas, we did not. So, immediately upon arriving at a very serene Köln, we visited Backerei Merzenich for a quick bite. I had one of the brötchen that I remember so well from my Germany days, along with cheese. Anyone who says you cannot live on cheese and bread is just plain wrong, but that’s a story for another time.
Kari gave me a quick tour of the town, starting at the Köln Cathedral. For some great photos, not taken by me, click here. She showed me several of the 14 churches that one formed, as I understand it, the boundary of the city. Apparently you couldn’t enter the city without coming through a church. We saw the mosaic that had been unearthed and around which the G8 leaders had a meal during the summit in 1999 (I think). She showed me some of the Roman road, ruins of gates, the GLBT info centre, and, of course, we did some shopping.
They were setting up the scaffolding for the large screen “televisions” that will broadcast World Cup events. As you can imagine, as it’s almost impossible to go a block on Amsterdam without seeing “Hup, Holland, Hup” and orange, orange, orange, the presence of the event is even more so in the host nation of Germany. In fact I broke down and got an “official” FIFA/Adidas match ball replica for 5YO and a Dutch “fan flag.” Even when you’re not a football (aka soccer) fan it’s hard not to get interested!
At 11:30 we had lunch with four delightful folks to talk about a possible exchange program. Kari had promised me the best bratwurst in the world so I soon found myself at the Brauhaus Sion sharing a 1/4 metre of bratwurst accompanied by incredible wirsig and bratkartoffeln; that's some kind of kale dish and roasted potatoes. It was fabulous! We had a great time visiting and soon hit the road.
On to the fabulous town of Aachen! We walked, and walked, and walked. I bought some Nobis Printen. It’s like a chewy gingerbread and comes in a variety of types; e.g., chocolate covered, iced, with nuts. Here we also visited a cathedral.
From the web: “Aachen Cathedral suffered relatively little damage in the war. . . . In the gallery of the chapel is the marble throne thought to be Charlemagne's; it was long used for coronations. Charlemagne's tomb is marked by a stone slab over which hangs a bronze chandelier presented by Frederick I Barbarossa in 1168. The cathedral treasury contains examples of fine medieval workmanship and sacred relics (including the supposed swaddling clothes of Jesus, as well as his crucifixion loin cloth) that are displayed to pilgrims every seven years.” For a history buff, this was an incredibly cool place to visit! To imagine that Charlemagne was buried on this very spot in 824…! Wow.
We then visited – on the “Eat Your Way Across Germany tour” - a small eis café with the most amazing ?? – “desserts” doesn’t really do them justice. These were… eis sculptures? They had eis desserts that looked like spaghetti and lasagna; that had many, many fruits and brilliant colors; that were just indescribable. I wanted to buy a menu just to be able to show them to people! We shared a rather simple chocolate sundae and continued on….
A short time later we found ourselves back in the Netherlands, in Maastricht. Although each town had its own charm, I absolutely loved Maastricht. It had (at least) two very large, open plazas surrounded on at least one side by cafes. There were, of course, churches. There were statues, and bridges, and incredible, incredible architecture. And, yes, World Cup mania. Some of the buildings that now house very upscale retailers were built in the 1600s. Although we didn’t plan to visit on a Saturday afternoon, I saw the building that houses the Center for Gender and Diversity at the University of Maastricht. One of the things that was particularly striking about the town was that, as it sits in between Belgium and Germany, but in the Netherlands, there is an interesting mix of languages being spoken, signs, and people. I don’t know when, but I definitely hope to get back to Maastricht sooner rather than later.
We left around 8:30 and made our way back to Amsterdam, arriving around 10:30. Unsure of whether we were too tired to eat or too hungry to go right to sleep, we opted for a walk up to the Leidseplein and a quick visit to Walk to Wok. Of course it was busy, but the line moves quickly. I ordered whole wheat noodles with shrimp and black bean/soya sauce. At 6,90 euro it is quite a deal! We headed back to the hotel, ate while watching a bit of the Jon Stewart Daily Show: Global Edition, and called it a night.
Tomorrow – a report on a quick visit to Zandvoort!
On Friday afternoon, as you will know if you’ve been following the class blog, “Amsterdam 2006,” my colleague, Kari, and I picked up our rental car and made a quick – and both fun and productive - visit to Haarlem. After a short night’s sleep, we arose for a 5 am departure on Saturday morning. We were driving to Köln, Germany. We stopped several times hoping to find some fresh bakery goods along the way, but, alas, we did not. So, immediately upon arriving at a very serene Köln, we visited Backerei Merzenich for a quick bite. I had one of the brötchen that I remember so well from my Germany days, along with cheese. Anyone who says you cannot live on cheese and bread is just plain wrong, but that’s a story for another time.
Kari gave me a quick tour of the town, starting at the Köln Cathedral. For some great photos, not taken by me, click here. She showed me several of the 14 churches that one formed, as I understand it, the boundary of the city. Apparently you couldn’t enter the city without coming through a church. We saw the mosaic that had been unearthed and around which the G8 leaders had a meal during the summit in 1999 (I think). She showed me some of the Roman road, ruins of gates, the GLBT info centre, and, of course, we did some shopping.
They were setting up the scaffolding for the large screen “televisions” that will broadcast World Cup events. As you can imagine, as it’s almost impossible to go a block on Amsterdam without seeing “Hup, Holland, Hup” and orange, orange, orange, the presence of the event is even more so in the host nation of Germany. In fact I broke down and got an “official” FIFA/Adidas match ball replica for 5YO and a Dutch “fan flag.” Even when you’re not a football (aka soccer) fan it’s hard not to get interested!
At 11:30 we had lunch with four delightful folks to talk about a possible exchange program. Kari had promised me the best bratwurst in the world so I soon found myself at the Brauhaus Sion sharing a 1/4 metre of bratwurst accompanied by incredible wirsig and bratkartoffeln; that's some kind of kale dish and roasted potatoes. It was fabulous! We had a great time visiting and soon hit the road.
On to the fabulous town of Aachen! We walked, and walked, and walked. I bought some Nobis Printen. It’s like a chewy gingerbread and comes in a variety of types; e.g., chocolate covered, iced, with nuts. Here we also visited a cathedral.
From the web: “Aachen Cathedral suffered relatively little damage in the war. . . . In the gallery of the chapel is the marble throne thought to be Charlemagne's; it was long used for coronations. Charlemagne's tomb is marked by a stone slab over which hangs a bronze chandelier presented by Frederick I Barbarossa in 1168. The cathedral treasury contains examples of fine medieval workmanship and sacred relics (including the supposed swaddling clothes of Jesus, as well as his crucifixion loin cloth) that are displayed to pilgrims every seven years.” For a history buff, this was an incredibly cool place to visit! To imagine that Charlemagne was buried on this very spot in 824…! Wow.
We then visited – on the “Eat Your Way Across Germany tour” - a small eis café with the most amazing ?? – “desserts” doesn’t really do them justice. These were… eis sculptures? They had eis desserts that looked like spaghetti and lasagna; that had many, many fruits and brilliant colors; that were just indescribable. I wanted to buy a menu just to be able to show them to people! We shared a rather simple chocolate sundae and continued on….
A short time later we found ourselves back in the Netherlands, in Maastricht. Although each town had its own charm, I absolutely loved Maastricht. It had (at least) two very large, open plazas surrounded on at least one side by cafes. There were, of course, churches. There were statues, and bridges, and incredible, incredible architecture. And, yes, World Cup mania. Some of the buildings that now house very upscale retailers were built in the 1600s. Although we didn’t plan to visit on a Saturday afternoon, I saw the building that houses the Center for Gender and Diversity at the University of Maastricht. One of the things that was particularly striking about the town was that, as it sits in between Belgium and Germany, but in the Netherlands, there is an interesting mix of languages being spoken, signs, and people. I don’t know when, but I definitely hope to get back to Maastricht sooner rather than later.
We left around 8:30 and made our way back to Amsterdam, arriving around 10:30. Unsure of whether we were too tired to eat or too hungry to go right to sleep, we opted for a walk up to the Leidseplein and a quick visit to Walk to Wok. Of course it was busy, but the line moves quickly. I ordered whole wheat noodles with shrimp and black bean/soya sauce. At 6,90 euro it is quite a deal! We headed back to the hotel, ate while watching a bit of the Jon Stewart Daily Show: Global Edition, and called it a night.
Tomorrow – a report on a quick visit to Zandvoort!
29 May 2006
Amsterdam
I've had major technical issues for most of the first week. Today I seem to be, at least for the moment, in luck. Here's a photo of 5YO sharing his "Puffy" fish with another child playing at Museumplein. Note: Puffy was later lost when thrown on top of a skaters' "half pipe" which had no way of being accessible by 5YO's parents!
16 April 2006
Postscript
Well, we had planned to do the great Southwest Road Trip in August so that partner could see Arches, Bryce, and Zion, on our way to grandma and grandpa's in Tucson. But, after our Spring Break trip, we came to the conclusion that five 12-hour days with 5YO would not a fun trip make. So, we're currently checking air fares and will probably fly to Arizona in August. But, in the interim we'll be in Amsterdam and Saint Louis, MO and I'll be in Chicago, Cleveland, and Montreal so check back to see if we/I manage to make those travels without unraveling. Cheerio!
Spring Break 2006, Part III
We returned to Branson and spent Thursday evening and Friday there. Nothing eventful to report except that we set up TiVo. Let me just say that TiVo is about the best creation in the world, with the exception of the Internet/WWW. It beats the iPod by a country mile and then some. I LOVE TiVo. Since I'm writing this late, let me provide an example.
I thought that Commander in Chief - a poor, but tolerable substitution for West Wing - had been cancelled. Then, thanks to Newsweek I saw, on Friday the 14th, that it had been broadcast the night before. In LBT (life before TiVo) that would have been a crisis. But TiVo, programmed to record Commander in Chief - by program, not day/time - "knew" that it had been broadcast. A quick check of our "Now Playing" list and there it was! Hooray for TiVo.
Yeah, that may not seem like a real travel tidbit, but I can't tell you how great it is to use the Season Pass and then not have to worry about checking the times, making sure the tape is at the right place, etc. TiVo rocks!
Well, back to travel. On Saturday, we did the 12 hour haul back to Saint Paul. For lunch we stopped at Gates BarBQ in Kansas City. It was good, but I definitely prefer Memphis-style BBQ. And, yes, there is a theme here. One, this trip was about authentic BBQ. And, two, I'd like to try to travel and not each every meal at some national chain that you can see from the highway.
We were pretty tired when we got to the Twin Cities so we did - for better or worse - cave and stop at one of our favorite chains, Panera. In a word - or two - asiago focaccia. Yum. Of course, this was actually a fitting end to the trip, perhaps, since Panera actually began its existence as the St. Louis Bread Company.
That's it for now!
I thought that Commander in Chief - a poor, but tolerable substitution for West Wing - had been cancelled. Then, thanks to Newsweek I saw, on Friday the 14th, that it had been broadcast the night before. In LBT (life before TiVo) that would have been a crisis. But TiVo, programmed to record Commander in Chief - by program, not day/time - "knew" that it had been broadcast. A quick check of our "Now Playing" list and there it was! Hooray for TiVo.
Yeah, that may not seem like a real travel tidbit, but I can't tell you how great it is to use the Season Pass and then not have to worry about checking the times, making sure the tape is at the right place, etc. TiVo rocks!
Well, back to travel. On Saturday, we did the 12 hour haul back to Saint Paul. For lunch we stopped at Gates BarBQ in Kansas City. It was good, but I definitely prefer Memphis-style BBQ. And, yes, there is a theme here. One, this trip was about authentic BBQ. And, two, I'd like to try to travel and not each every meal at some national chain that you can see from the highway.
We were pretty tired when we got to the Twin Cities so we did - for better or worse - cave and stop at one of our favorite chains, Panera. In a word - or two - asiago focaccia. Yum. Of course, this was actually a fitting end to the trip, perhaps, since Panera actually began its existence as the St. Louis Bread Company.
That's it for now!
11 April 2006
Spring Break 2006, Part II
On Tuesday, 4 April, after lunch at the cafe, we took a drive up Canal Street and then over to the Ninth Ward. I was curious to see if I could see much change in the almost two months since I had been there before. We passed one of the Common Ground locations, the one where we had unloaded water back in January. We passed a lot of houses that looked, from the outside anyway, just as they did in January. I noticed in today's New York Times that they are still finding bodies that were missed on the first, or even second, search. That's just about as depressing as it gets. To imagine someone's mother, child, friend, neighbor... having been there for seven months, undiscovered. Even having been there before, it's just overwhelming to try to consider the scope of things. We made our way back to the hotel.
Although it seems horrendously incongruous, we then went for a walk in the French Quarter. Keeping in mind that 5YO was in tow, although the point of the trip was to deliver the donation and for partner to see what I had witnessed in January, we had to try to fit in some "fun." We tried to go to the Central Grocery - home of the muffuletta - but it had already closed for the day. After stopping in a few of the shops that are open for business, we went to Cafe du Monde for the requisite coffee - or milk, depending - and beignets. Now, watching 5YO eat - and pronounce quite well - beignets was a real delight.
On the morning of the 5th, needing a few gifts, we picked up some pralines at Aunt Sally's and started out of town. Now, I'm a pretty risk averse person and driving with the fuel light on is not my idea of a good time. But, there we were, headed East on I-10 on vapors. Did I mention that a lot of the gas stations in the area are not operational. With empty apartment complexes on either side of us and stores, including a Wal-Mart, boarded up, we cruised toward Slidell. Fortunately we made it over the bridge and into a functional station, filling up before continuing on our way toward Ocean Springs, MS.
We had lunch at the Mellow Mushroom and picked up some afternoon snacks at the Tato-Nut Donut Shop. Then, we drove over to the beach area so that 5YO could run around a bit. I noticed that a few of the homes that had been destroyed but, as of January, not cleared were now gone. As I said in January, you just can't believe what the wind and water can do.
We left Ocean Springs and went over to I-90 in Biloxi - up to I-10 and west because the I-90 bridge is gone - and drove along the coast to the US-49 access in Gulfport. I didn't think that things looked much more cleaned up than in January. I did notice a few places where some clearing was done, some reconstruction has started, but mostly it's just devastating. 5YO, as we explained to him about "the storm" said, "It's like a nightmare." I think this is a line from one of his DVDs, but found it interesting that he made the connection. Yes, it's a nightmare.
From Gulfport we headed north on US-49 toward Jackson where we picked up I-55 to Memphis.
Although it seems horrendously incongruous, we then went for a walk in the French Quarter. Keeping in mind that 5YO was in tow, although the point of the trip was to deliver the donation and for partner to see what I had witnessed in January, we had to try to fit in some "fun." We tried to go to the Central Grocery - home of the muffuletta - but it had already closed for the day. After stopping in a few of the shops that are open for business, we went to Cafe du Monde for the requisite coffee - or milk, depending - and beignets. Now, watching 5YO eat - and pronounce quite well - beignets was a real delight.
On the morning of the 5th, needing a few gifts, we picked up some pralines at Aunt Sally's and started out of town. Now, I'm a pretty risk averse person and driving with the fuel light on is not my idea of a good time. But, there we were, headed East on I-10 on vapors. Did I mention that a lot of the gas stations in the area are not operational. With empty apartment complexes on either side of us and stores, including a Wal-Mart, boarded up, we cruised toward Slidell. Fortunately we made it over the bridge and into a functional station, filling up before continuing on our way toward Ocean Springs, MS.
We had lunch at the Mellow Mushroom and picked up some afternoon snacks at the Tato-Nut Donut Shop. Then, we drove over to the beach area so that 5YO could run around a bit. I noticed that a few of the homes that had been destroyed but, as of January, not cleared were now gone. As I said in January, you just can't believe what the wind and water can do.
We left Ocean Springs and went over to I-90 in Biloxi - up to I-10 and west because the I-90 bridge is gone - and drove along the coast to the US-49 access in Gulfport. I didn't think that things looked much more cleaned up than in January. I did notice a few places where some clearing was done, some reconstruction has started, but mostly it's just devastating. 5YO, as we explained to him about "the storm" said, "It's like a nightmare." I think this is a line from one of his DVDs, but found it interesting that he made the connection. Yes, it's a nightmare.
From Gulfport we headed north on US-49 toward Jackson where we picked up I-55 to Memphis.
Spring Break 2006, Part I
On Friday, 31 March, we headed South; destination: Bethany, MO - a mere pit stop on our way to Branson, MO. Question: Does anyone successfully travel the interstate highways without stopping at McDonald's? Okay, anyone with a five year old in tow? After a night at the Super 8 (where the wireless was less) we arrived in Branson on Saturday, early afternoon. After the requisite stop at "grandma's house" we went and checked in at Sunterra's Plantation at Fall Creek. The concierge looked - I'm not kidding - absolutely crestfallen when I told her that we would not be needing a copy of the show schedule, thank you very much. I don't think she could believe it. Yes, it's true. Much as I might have liked to see a taping of the Jim Bakker Show... So, our first day and a half were spent visiting with family. I say Fellini; partner says Tennessee Williams. Need I say more?
On Monday, 3 April, we left promptly at 6 am, headed toward Memphis. It was actually a great drive, winding our way through northern Arkansas, down to Little Rock, and then east. But, make a note - Exit 7, I-55, Jim Neely's Interstate Barbecue. You can't go wrong there, trust me! After a fabulous lunch we continued on our way south, right through the heart of Mississippi. Let me say that it occurred to me more than once that I was glad to be driving a rental car and not our little Civic with the Howard Dean bumper sticker and the Unitarian Universalist Uncommon Denomination/Civil Marriage is a Civil Right bumper sticker. Call me crazy.
Now, Mississippi was quite pretty. Maybe it was the green - Minnesota does have long winters and there was still some snow when we left. Maybe it was the fact that they use inmates to keep the highways neat and tidy. But, it was weird to be thinking about the events that took place in Mississippi during the 1960s as we sped down the highway. That very week on my campus was Social Justice Week honoring Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney. It was just weird. And, then, those Barbie moms at the McDonald's play area... scary.
We arrived in New Orleans around 7 pm and made our way - after a brief and unintended detour over the bridge to the West Bank - to the Country Inn & Suites on Magazine Street. I highly recommend this place for anyone who appreciates renovated spaces. This hotel was created out of seven historic buildings dating to the mid 19th century. But, free wireless, room safes, comfortable beds, and a great location make it one to consider if traveling to NOLA. The valet only parking is a bit pricey, but I just tried to think of it as my contribution to the NOLA economic recovery.
After unloading our stuff we wandered over to the French Quarter for a bite. We stopped at Cafe Maspero's because it looked kid friendly, or at least as kid friendly as any place in the French Quarter can be. This much was true. But, I had a catfish sandwich that was horribly bland. Famous Dave's BBQ back in Minnesota has better catfish. Partner had red beans and rice that were okay, but not fab. And, five year old (hereinafter 5YO) had a grilled cheese that was actually quite good. One thing of which we took immediate notice was the smoking. Yup, just days after Saint Paul enacts its smoking ban, we go to New Orleans to suck in somebody else's poison. Go figure.
The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we headed over to the First Street United Methodist Church to meet Reverend Lance Eden. I had a donation to deliver and was anxious to turn it over to them. Well, I called his cell and, as it turned out, he had had to run up to Baton Rouge. After hanging out in the Hands On space for a bit, we connected with Miss JoAnn and delivered the goods. Yippee!
We then made our way to Westwego, over the bridge. Wanting to include something for 5YO I had booked a swamp tour with Westwego Swamp Tours. This was way better than I expected. Before boarding "Captain Tom" showed us an alligator snapping turtle and a few other reptilian creatures. Our cruise director, "Captain Gary," grew up on the bayou and provided a very informative and colorful narrative as we cruised the water watching for alligators. We saw probably 9 or 10 'gators. He tried to grab one and get it in the boat but it escaped. Note: He has the photos to prove earlier success. One tip I picked up was this migraine treatment: find a white willow tree, drive a nail into it - leaving some sticking out, lean your head against the nail and it will "suck the migraine out of you." I highly recommend this activity - the tour, not the headache treatment - if you're looking for something to do besides wander the French Quarter. There's a nice cafe as part of the operation where you can get a great Po-Boy. I had crab cakes with a terrific remoulade and onion rings that were perfect.
That's it for now. In the next post I'll talk about our drive around New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
On Monday, 3 April, we left promptly at 6 am, headed toward Memphis. It was actually a great drive, winding our way through northern Arkansas, down to Little Rock, and then east. But, make a note - Exit 7, I-55, Jim Neely's Interstate Barbecue. You can't go wrong there, trust me! After a fabulous lunch we continued on our way south, right through the heart of Mississippi. Let me say that it occurred to me more than once that I was glad to be driving a rental car and not our little Civic with the Howard Dean bumper sticker and the Unitarian Universalist Uncommon Denomination/Civil Marriage is a Civil Right bumper sticker. Call me crazy.
Now, Mississippi was quite pretty. Maybe it was the green - Minnesota does have long winters and there was still some snow when we left. Maybe it was the fact that they use inmates to keep the highways neat and tidy. But, it was weird to be thinking about the events that took place in Mississippi during the 1960s as we sped down the highway. That very week on my campus was Social Justice Week honoring Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney. It was just weird. And, then, those Barbie moms at the McDonald's play area... scary.
We arrived in New Orleans around 7 pm and made our way - after a brief and unintended detour over the bridge to the West Bank - to the Country Inn & Suites on Magazine Street. I highly recommend this place for anyone who appreciates renovated spaces. This hotel was created out of seven historic buildings dating to the mid 19th century. But, free wireless, room safes, comfortable beds, and a great location make it one to consider if traveling to NOLA. The valet only parking is a bit pricey, but I just tried to think of it as my contribution to the NOLA economic recovery.
After unloading our stuff we wandered over to the French Quarter for a bite. We stopped at Cafe Maspero's because it looked kid friendly, or at least as kid friendly as any place in the French Quarter can be. This much was true. But, I had a catfish sandwich that was horribly bland. Famous Dave's BBQ back in Minnesota has better catfish. Partner had red beans and rice that were okay, but not fab. And, five year old (hereinafter 5YO) had a grilled cheese that was actually quite good. One thing of which we took immediate notice was the smoking. Yup, just days after Saint Paul enacts its smoking ban, we go to New Orleans to suck in somebody else's poison. Go figure.
The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we headed over to the First Street United Methodist Church to meet Reverend Lance Eden. I had a donation to deliver and was anxious to turn it over to them. Well, I called his cell and, as it turned out, he had had to run up to Baton Rouge. After hanging out in the Hands On space for a bit, we connected with Miss JoAnn and delivered the goods. Yippee!
We then made our way to Westwego, over the bridge. Wanting to include something for 5YO I had booked a swamp tour with Westwego Swamp Tours. This was way better than I expected. Before boarding "Captain Tom" showed us an alligator snapping turtle and a few other reptilian creatures. Our cruise director, "Captain Gary," grew up on the bayou and provided a very informative and colorful narrative as we cruised the water watching for alligators. We saw probably 9 or 10 'gators. He tried to grab one and get it in the boat but it escaped. Note: He has the photos to prove earlier success. One tip I picked up was this migraine treatment: find a white willow tree, drive a nail into it - leaving some sticking out, lean your head against the nail and it will "suck the migraine out of you." I highly recommend this activity - the tour, not the headache treatment - if you're looking for something to do besides wander the French Quarter. There's a nice cafe as part of the operation where you can get a great Po-Boy. I had crab cakes with a terrific remoulade and onion rings that were perfect.
That's it for now. In the next post I'll talk about our drive around New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
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