Wow, it's May already! The highlight of our week was visiting Keukenhof gardens in Holland (The Netherlands), so more flower photos coming soon!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Project 365: Week 18
Monday, April 26-Sunday, May 2
Wow, it's May already! The highlight of our week was visiting Keukenhof gardens in Holland (The Netherlands), so more flower photos coming soon!
Wow, it's May already! The highlight of our week was visiting Keukenhof gardens in Holland (The Netherlands), so more flower photos coming soon!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
What Frank saw in Germany
Some photos Frank took while in Germany...I'll have him post some descriptions later.
OK, here they are:
I did take a little trip to Oberammergau, Germany recently. Not having traveled by myself for a while, I had some difficulty remembering how to pack just my own clothes. What I did not remember to take was a camera. Luckily, a colleague loaned me his so that I would not get in trouble for neglecting to document my trip.
I thought this scene said "idyllic German village". I will not say this car was representative of what I saw in Oberammergau, but it did speak to my inner pack-rat who never discards anything, no matter how old.
This is the local Tex-Mex restaurant. It was good, but not like any Tex-Mex I have eaten before. They definitely put a German spin on a burrito. I did find it ironic to be eating at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Germany as I myself am a Ger-Mex-Tex-ican...
These are some of the local buildings. The town makes most of its money from tourists coming in to see their passion play. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberammergau_Passion_Play) Long story short, the town made a deal during the 1600's to end the plague and has been living up to their end of the bargain ever since. Quite a few of the buildings are painted with these ornate murals.
There was also an organized tour of a local castle, about an hour away. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle) It was a very interesting tour, although I do have to fault the designers for putting it on the top of a rather steep mountain instead of on a nice flat field. They also neglected to put any room for parking at the top or to install a ski-lift system. I took a nice climb to the top. Here I am at about the 3/4 point up on the path getting my picture taken (and catching my breath).
I finally reached the castle and took some pictures outside (no pictures allowed inside). If you take a careful look at the floor plan, you can see that while the designers neglected parking, they did thoughtfully include a cafe and gift shop.
The drive back from Oberammergau actually had us traveling through Austria for a few miles/kilometers. Unfortunately, I don't think that you can tell just how magnificent the mountains and lakes looked in real life from these pictures, but you get the general idea.
And of course, no trip would be complete without souvenirs. These two traditionally-attired Bavarian bears were about the only thing I found that I thought the boys would have difficulty breaking...
OK, here they are:
I did take a little trip to Oberammergau, Germany recently. Not having traveled by myself for a while, I had some difficulty remembering how to pack just my own clothes. What I did not remember to take was a camera. Luckily, a colleague loaned me his so that I would not get in trouble for neglecting to document my trip.
I thought this scene said "idyllic German village". I will not say this car was representative of what I saw in Oberammergau, but it did speak to my inner pack-rat who never discards anything, no matter how old.
This is the local Tex-Mex restaurant. It was good, but not like any Tex-Mex I have eaten before. They definitely put a German spin on a burrito. I did find it ironic to be eating at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Germany as I myself am a Ger-Mex-Tex-ican...
These are some of the local buildings. The town makes most of its money from tourists coming in to see their passion play. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberammergau_Passion_Play) Long story short, the town made a deal during the 1600's to end the plague and has been living up to their end of the bargain ever since. Quite a few of the buildings are painted with these ornate murals.
There was also an organized tour of a local castle, about an hour away. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle) It was a very interesting tour, although I do have to fault the designers for putting it on the top of a rather steep mountain instead of on a nice flat field. They also neglected to put any room for parking at the top or to install a ski-lift system. I took a nice climb to the top. Here I am at about the 3/4 point up on the path getting my picture taken (and catching my breath).
I finally reached the castle and took some pictures outside (no pictures allowed inside). If you take a careful look at the floor plan, you can see that while the designers neglected parking, they did thoughtfully include a cafe and gift shop.
The drive back from Oberammergau actually had us traveling through Austria for a few miles/kilometers. Unfortunately, I don't think that you can tell just how magnificent the mountains and lakes looked in real life from these pictures, but you get the general idea.
And of course, no trip would be complete without souvenirs. These two traditionally-attired Bavarian bears were about the only thing I found that I thought the boys would have difficulty breaking...
Monday, April 26, 2010
Project 365: Week 17
Monday, April 19
Gabe and his lil' chompers
Tuesday, April 20
Success with cereal!
Wednesday, April 21
Zach loves to grab our hands and dance, going around and around and around. We put on new pj's after his bath, and I just thought that he looks so big!
Thursday, April 22
More dancing...
Friday, April 23
Iggle-Piggle and the rest of his friends make an appearance at least once a day.
Saturday, April 24
I pureed and froze some baby food: apples, pears, bananas, and sweet potatoes so far.
Sunday, April 25
Enjoying ourselves outside.
Gabe and his lil' chompers
Tuesday, April 20
Success with cereal!
Wednesday, April 21
Zach loves to grab our hands and dance, going around and around and around. We put on new pj's after his bath, and I just thought that he looks so big!
Thursday, April 22
More dancing...
Friday, April 23
Iggle-Piggle and the rest of his friends make an appearance at least once a day.
Saturday, April 24
I pureed and froze some baby food: apples, pears, bananas, and sweet potatoes so far.
Sunday, April 25
Enjoying ourselves outside.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Project 365: Week 16
Last week was a little unusual in that Frank was gone all week (to Germany, for work) and Lisa was here until Wednesday. I was glad to have the company and help with the boys. She got out of Europe just in time, less than a day before the volcano erupted, and said that they flew over Iceland and it was beautiful :) Though I would not have minded if she were stuck here!
Monday, April 12
Little Gabriel was loving all the attention :)
Tuesday, April 13
We were out and about and found a slide for Zach. I think he could have stayed and played on it all day.
Wednesday, April 14
One of my favorite parts of the visit was buying chocolates at this shop downtown. If I remember, next Easter I want to look for some particular chocolate eggs that were possibly the yummiest Belgian chocolates I've had.
Thursday, April 15
One of the moms got a great idea to create a ball pit at playgroup using an inflatable pool.
Friday, April 16
I was certain that a tiny rosebush I'd planted last year had either been eaten by animals or mistaken for a weed by the gardener. What a surprise that it's actually growing! Hoping for actual roses soon... Gabe is *this close* to being able to sit up by himself, which I think will make him a little happier. He's frustrated by laying on the floor anymore.
Saturday, April 17
Daddy's home! Interestingly enough, Zach didn't start asking about Daddy being gone until Wednesday or Thursday, when Lisa was gone, and I told him "no" or something else he didn't want to hear.
Sunday, April 18
We're still all about the choo choos.
Monday, April 12
Little Gabriel was loving all the attention :)
Tuesday, April 13
We were out and about and found a slide for Zach. I think he could have stayed and played on it all day.
Wednesday, April 14
One of my favorite parts of the visit was buying chocolates at this shop downtown. If I remember, next Easter I want to look for some particular chocolate eggs that were possibly the yummiest Belgian chocolates I've had.
Thursday, April 15
One of the moms got a great idea to create a ball pit at playgroup using an inflatable pool.
Friday, April 16
I was certain that a tiny rosebush I'd planted last year had either been eaten by animals or mistaken for a weed by the gardener. What a surprise that it's actually growing! Hoping for actual roses soon... Gabe is *this close* to being able to sit up by himself, which I think will make him a little happier. He's frustrated by laying on the floor anymore.
Saturday, April 17
Daddy's home! Interestingly enough, Zach didn't start asking about Daddy being gone until Wednesday or Thursday, when Lisa was gone, and I told him "no" or something else he didn't want to hear.
Sunday, April 18
We're still all about the choo choos.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Project 365: Week 15
Monday, April 5
I've lost track of how many times and how many different Hard Rock Cafes we've been to...but we always have a great time. We have a decent-sized collection of these cups.
Tuesday, April 6
Our main day of sightseeing. Photo by Lisa. Zach has started wearing his monkey like I wear Gabe--too cute :)
Wednesday, April 7
I don't know if Zach will continue to be this excited about trains, but it was fun to watch. Also, "wawking wi' Daa-eey" was a big theme of this trip. He repeated that phrase many times, namely when it was time to put him back in the stroller.
Thursday, April 8
We were completely wiped out. I actually could have taken all my photos for the next week of us on the couch. Lisa spent a lot of time entertaining Gabe, which was a big help. Thank you!
Friday, April 9
Frank and I had the opportunity to get out of the house, and I chose for us to go shopping at IKEA. Not terribly exciting, but I wanted to look at all the kitchen stuff that I never get to when we go with the kids. We ate there...I love the Swedish meatballs, and this pie/cake/whatever was excellent.
Saturday, April 10
Capturing the blossoms outside our window.
Sunday, April 11
One of Zach's biggest desires right now is just to go outside. But it's not like we can just let him out in the back yard because it is not completely enclosed, and he tends to want to run/roll down hills and venture into the street. We definitely do not go out if it is just me and the boys, unless Zach is in the stroller. Our neighbors probably think it's odd if they see us following him around our yard the whole time, but it's what we have to do! On this day I took him for a walk around the block and had to snap a photo while still holding onto him.
I've lost track of how many times and how many different Hard Rock Cafes we've been to...but we always have a great time. We have a decent-sized collection of these cups.
Tuesday, April 6
Our main day of sightseeing. Photo by Lisa. Zach has started wearing his monkey like I wear Gabe--too cute :)
Wednesday, April 7
I don't know if Zach will continue to be this excited about trains, but it was fun to watch. Also, "wawking wi' Daa-eey" was a big theme of this trip. He repeated that phrase many times, namely when it was time to put him back in the stroller.
Thursday, April 8
We were completely wiped out. I actually could have taken all my photos for the next week of us on the couch. Lisa spent a lot of time entertaining Gabe, which was a big help. Thank you!
Friday, April 9
Frank and I had the opportunity to get out of the house, and I chose for us to go shopping at IKEA. Not terribly exciting, but I wanted to look at all the kitchen stuff that I never get to when we go with the kids. We ate there...I love the Swedish meatballs, and this pie/cake/whatever was excellent.
Saturday, April 10
Capturing the blossoms outside our window.
Sunday, April 11
One of Zach's biggest desires right now is just to go outside. But it's not like we can just let him out in the back yard because it is not completely enclosed, and he tends to want to run/roll down hills and venture into the street. We definitely do not go out if it is just me and the boys, unless Zach is in the stroller. Our neighbors probably think it's odd if they see us following him around our yard the whole time, but it's what we have to do! On this day I took him for a walk around the block and had to snap a photo while still holding onto him.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Amsterdam highlights
First, let me say that I think 43 photos in a post is a record for me. But it was either just spend the time uploading them or spend the time trying to narrow them down more, and this way you get to see them :)
We had a really good time, though I was so exhausted by the end of the days that I doubted I would remember much. But we saw and did a lot for only being there about 48 hours with two small children!
The train ride: It's always a relief to get from our house to the train station via public transportation (an hour or more) and then be able to sit down and just ride for a couple hours. The boys were good, the food was good, hanging out was good. Zach gets so excited about the train, saying "chugga chugga chugga chugga, choo choooooo!" and "monkey riding train tooooo!" It was adorable.
Our arrival: The first thing Amsterdam has going for it is the Starbucks at the train station! Luckily, Lisa is just as hooked on caffe mochas as I am on lattes, and Frank even joined us in the caffeine break. We found where to get 2-day passes for the trams, and it was nice to not have to worry about tickets each time we wanted to ride. Believe me, with the baby, the stroller, bags, etc we had enough to deal with. Then we were off to the hotel. Nice, near a park and museums, nice rooms, good breakfast buffet. Zach bunked with Lisa.
Museums: We saw two of the best museums in Amsterdam, the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh museum. Couldn't take photos inside, of course. With the boys we were used to moving through quickly and not getting to take in every detail, but we enjoyed the time we spent.
Hard Rock: We ate at the cafe the first night (gotta love potato skins) and bought all the t-shirts we had promised people. Then, the second night, when Zach was uber-crabby and we just needed to go somewhere quickly, we headed straight back to the Hard Rock. It was so close to our hotel. There wasn't much of a wait, the music both distracted Zach and covered up any crying, and he got crayons. Do I feel like we missed out on a more traditional Dutch restaurant experience? Maybe a little, but I'm completely okay with it.
The Zoo: The photos probably say it better. The main attraction was monkeys, monkeys, monkeys. We had a heck of a time trying to get him to put his head in that cut-out board so we could take a picture. He does a great elephant impression; I'm still trying to get that one on video. I think he did enjoy seeing all the animals, and you'd think that it would be a place (maybe the only one!) where we could let him run free, but he kept either getting too far from us, or too close to a pond, or trying to climb under fences, etc. I'm finding that even places that are geared towards kids are not really Zach-proofed.
Other stuff: We walked around some, went to a big park the second evening. We only popped into a few souvenir shops. We didn't go into any "coffeeshops." We quickly passed by a woman in the window of a building in the red light district--it was both funny and a bit scary. The canals are very pretty, but it's a little confusing because all the streets look kinda the same. And we never saw so many bikes and cyclists before. Women in business skirts and heels and everything else you can imagine. As we walked around and crossed streets I was always standing in the bike lane--couldn't get used to it being there instead of a sidewalk. We fell into bed around 9 or 9:30.
I would like to go back to see some of the other museums (I know, never gonna happen with the kiddos), but I think we saw a little of everything. And now I can say I've been to the Netherlands!
We had a really good time, though I was so exhausted by the end of the days that I doubted I would remember much. But we saw and did a lot for only being there about 48 hours with two small children!
The train ride: It's always a relief to get from our house to the train station via public transportation (an hour or more) and then be able to sit down and just ride for a couple hours. The boys were good, the food was good, hanging out was good. Zach gets so excited about the train, saying "chugga chugga chugga chugga, choo choooooo!" and "monkey riding train tooooo!" It was adorable.
Our arrival: The first thing Amsterdam has going for it is the Starbucks at the train station! Luckily, Lisa is just as hooked on caffe mochas as I am on lattes, and Frank even joined us in the caffeine break. We found where to get 2-day passes for the trams, and it was nice to not have to worry about tickets each time we wanted to ride. Believe me, with the baby, the stroller, bags, etc we had enough to deal with. Then we were off to the hotel. Nice, near a park and museums, nice rooms, good breakfast buffet. Zach bunked with Lisa.
Museums: We saw two of the best museums in Amsterdam, the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh museum. Couldn't take photos inside, of course. With the boys we were used to moving through quickly and not getting to take in every detail, but we enjoyed the time we spent.
Hard Rock: We ate at the cafe the first night (gotta love potato skins) and bought all the t-shirts we had promised people. Then, the second night, when Zach was uber-crabby and we just needed to go somewhere quickly, we headed straight back to the Hard Rock. It was so close to our hotel. There wasn't much of a wait, the music both distracted Zach and covered up any crying, and he got crayons. Do I feel like we missed out on a more traditional Dutch restaurant experience? Maybe a little, but I'm completely okay with it.
The Zoo: The photos probably say it better. The main attraction was monkeys, monkeys, monkeys. We had a heck of a time trying to get him to put his head in that cut-out board so we could take a picture. He does a great elephant impression; I'm still trying to get that one on video. I think he did enjoy seeing all the animals, and you'd think that it would be a place (maybe the only one!) where we could let him run free, but he kept either getting too far from us, or too close to a pond, or trying to climb under fences, etc. I'm finding that even places that are geared towards kids are not really Zach-proofed.
Other stuff: We walked around some, went to a big park the second evening. We only popped into a few souvenir shops. We didn't go into any "coffeeshops." We quickly passed by a woman in the window of a building in the red light district--it was both funny and a bit scary. The canals are very pretty, but it's a little confusing because all the streets look kinda the same. And we never saw so many bikes and cyclists before. Women in business skirts and heels and everything else you can imagine. As we walked around and crossed streets I was always standing in the bike lane--couldn't get used to it being there instead of a sidewalk. We fell into bed around 9 or 9:30.
I would like to go back to see some of the other museums (I know, never gonna happen with the kiddos), but I think we saw a little of everything. And now I can say I've been to the Netherlands!
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