Double U, Double E, D

No, no need to put the kids to bed; my Amsterdam blog is very G-rated.
There's a bit of my family history associated with Amsterdam in that my parents spent a fair amount of time leading tours there in the 70s. Yes, my parents...Amsterdam...the 70s...I'm fairly certain the course of humanity was somehow affected by this combination. In fact, in one of the great moments in the history of Chutzpah, my dad took his future in-laws on a tour of the Red Light district.
Yeah, it's true, the Red Light district is eye-opening. And yes, if you go into a coffee shop in Amsterdam in the evening you're bound to be greeted by enough pot smoke to bake an elephant. But the city is also incredibly charming. The rest of Amsterdam is pretty much a collage of canals, houseboats, cafes, flowers, wooden shutters, and Dutch people riding bicycles. And believe me, these are some serious bikes, people. The most popular model seems to be one with a huge basket on the front that can be loaded with groceries, a decent-sized dog, or several small children.
My favorite "sites" were the two art museums that I visted (one full of Dutch masters and the other full of Vincent Van Gogh), and the Anne Frank house. But I could probably have spent an entire day sitting next to one of the canals and just watching things go by.




Pictures: Flower Market, Family Car, Canals (day and night)

In Her Shoes

My sister, Amy, has a certain pair of Josef Seibel shoes that I have a special fondness for borrowing. How nice is my sister? So nice that she let me take her shoes on my trip! The shoes, so far, are having an excellent time. They were especially fond of climbing the bell tower in Bruges. Something they were not fond of in Bruges: the torrent of rain that took over the sidewalks the second day we were there. The shoes and their carmel-colored leatheriness were none too fond of the rain or the green wool socks I was wearing that day. Not to worry, Am; there was a shoe polishing stand at the hotel in Brussels so the Josefs got some nice lotion and buffing. The spa treatment probably came at just the right time, because the next stop was Amsterdam, and there's definitely some crazy stuff on those streets.

Left: the "Joes" take on the step at the bell tower.

Right: view of the city from the bell tower. Bruges, Belgium

Welcome to Belgium

My first stop on "the Continent" was Bruges, Belgium. It's a really charming town with plenty of canals, lace, chocolate, and a bell tower-oh yeah, and several dozen yummy restaurants. Order a coffee in Bruges and they bring you some really heavenly coffee plus some extra goodies. In one instance my coffee came with a whole tray of sweets (of course I was polite and ate them all), the next day at lunch, the coffee was accompanied by a shot of butterscotch liquer with whipped cream and some biscuits. Yeah, I could get used to Bruges. The town center is pretty much a collage of sidewalk cafes and horse-drawn carriages (both catering to the tourists, of course, but who cares!). There's also a medieval bell tower that, at certain times during the day, just rings, and rings, and rings... Very nice ambiance.

More London

The day I went to Windsor Castle was the same day they uncovered the plot to bomb all those Britain-U.S. flights via carry-on luggage. It seems the Queen's guards were none too keen on the possibility that someone might also try to take out Windsor Castle, so all purses, baby strollers, crutches, cameras, etc. had to be put in storage before going into the castle. The end result was an hour-and-a-half wait to get in, but that's about how long it took to get into Buckingham Palace, so what can you do? At least I wasn't at Heathrow Airport that day. The best thing about Windsor Castle is that the Queen lives there. I've been to other beautifully furnished castles before, but they were more like museums; nobody lives in them. It's much more fun and romantic to walk through a castle and know that a royal family still lives there.

Two other famous Royal landmarks that I visited and loved were the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. The Tower, Windsor Castle, and Westminster are all interrelated and should therefore share one blog entry. No, no, no, I'm not being lazy. The work best as a trio. Not convinced? I've drafted a small proof:

The Tower of London has the Crown Jewels, Westminster Abbey has the Coronation Chair, Windsor Castle has the Queen.
The Tower of London has the suits of armor of most of Britain's great kings, Winsdor Castle has their furniture, Westminster Abbey has their bodies.
Windsor Castle has the Royal Family's immense collection of tablewear and cutlery, the Tower of London has the chopping block where Anne Boelyne (sp?) was beheaded.

Pictures: Windsor Castle, Beefeater at the Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey

Treasure Chest

You are so beautiful to me: the Rosetta Stone
sorry, I've been trying to get the Parthenon pictures on for an hour and they won't upload. I've had enough. Maybe later

I went to two other fantastic museums in London. The first was actually the "treasures" room in the British Library. It's basically a bunch of old books on display. Ok, that's the understatement of the year. They have two Guttenburg Bibles, one of Leonardo DaVinci's notebooks, a hand-written copy of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures Underground," an autographed composition draft of Handel's "Messiah," the Golden Haggadah (a gorgeous illustrated Passover prayer book from the 1300s), and the Codex Sinaiticus (the earliest manuscript of the complete New Testament from around 350 AD). And much, much, much more! Needless to say, I really liked the British Library. Again, I don't have any pictures. But for those nerds who would like to see what I'm talking about, the British Library website has a feature where you can virtually leaf through some of their most prized books: www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/homepage.html.
P.S.-they also have a hand-written draft of the lyrics to "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by some dude name Paul McCartney.

And now for the motherload of all treasure hunts: the British Museum. This place is like a scrapbook of the history of human civilization. Mummies?-check. Rosetta Stone?-check. Parthenon sculptures?-check. Assyrian carvings?-check. Stuff from Ur?-yeah, we still haven't figured a lot of this stuff out yet, but check. Aztec masks?-check. Buddhist statues?-yep. Collection of art by big names like Michaelangelo and Rembrandt?-but of course.

How Great Thou Arts

London: Day Four. Thanks to some unfortunate bug bites I have spent the last 5 days and 8.2 kajillion miles in my flip flops. I now have 13 toes. But does this stop me from embarking on my pilgrimage through London's museums? Oh no. No it does not! Nothing that spending the next 6 months in support hose and orthopedic shoes can't fix.

I went to the National Gallery first. Excellent! Incredible collection of paintings-I probably got about 1/3 of the way through the place. I'm guessing no one wants me to yap about all the pieces that I liked, especially since I don't have pictures (no photos allowed). I can't pick one favorite, but if you ever get to London's National Gallery make sure that you see Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens. You can find digital images of it online and get the general idea, but seeing it up close is really breath-taking. Bonus from today: I went to a free piano concert at the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Yes that's right, classical music lovers, the St. Martin-in-the-Fields (no, I did not see Sir Neville Marriner).

The picture is from Trafalgar Square, right in front of the National Gallery. On the tall column is Lord Nelson who defeated the French at the battle of Trafalgar (where he also died). The man on the horse is Charles I (who I'm sure has some choice words for Lord Nelson and his monument).

And the Band Played On

The third day I was in London, I visited Buckingham Palce (or "Buck House" as those of us in the Queen's intimate circle of friends like to call it). First, I got to witness the ever-poular Changing of the Guard. Very fun to see, especially if you like watching uniformed British officers march around and play band instruments. First the old guard marches in with a band, then their replacements march in, and then the Horse Guard trots in. Then all three groups parade around, the old guard passes the Buck (hehehe) to the replacements, the band plays a few numbers, and everyone marches back out.

I'm not sure what the band's usual program consists of. On this day, they marched in playing several patriotic marches. Ok, yes, very appropriate. Then, after the guard changed, they played maybe one more march and then broke into a rousing rendition of Copacabana! Nope, not kidding. Then they went right into a very moving, dignified version of Elgar's "Nimrod." And then my head exploded.

Maybe H.M. the Queen is a Fanilow?

Eye See London

The first night I was in London, I went for a little stroll down to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. So exciting! Especially Big Ben because it's one of those landmarks that I've seen, and seen, and seen on TV, postcards, in books, etc. my whole life. And now I get to see it in person!

Then I went for a ride on the London Eye, a 450-foot-high ferris wheel that gives you an incredible view of the London skyline and the Thames. Bonus: thanks to the heinously long lines, I got to the top of the Eye just as the sun was setting...

A bit more York

...More charm, more cobbled streets, more big wooden cat doors?




Left: Part of the old city wall. The little wooden swinging cat door-type thing at the top was for the archers. They could lean out, fire on the enemy, and then the door would swing back down to cover them from return fire.

Right: The Shambles. Former meat market street, now a shopping street.

Days of Yor(k)

I spent a few days in York last week, which was time well-spent! What a great city! It's very charming with lots of narrow, cobbled streets and half-timber style buildings, a good portion of midievil wall, and a very cool gothic cathedral.
There's also quite a bit of history in York. Constantine The Great was named Emporer here (back when there was a Roman fort on the current cathedral site). York Minster is actually the fifth cathedral to be built on this site. Building on the current church was started in 1220 and took 250 years to complete. How long has it been since the US Constitution was signed? 230 years? Yeah, that's right. Cathedral building was no small event. Several people died during the construction (would you want to be laying stones on a tall building back in the 1200s? Not especially safe). I love looking at churches like this one and thinking of all the work and dedication that went into constructing it- not only the building itself, but the ornamentation . When you first step inside a large gothic church, it's immediately impressive: lots of stone columns, stained glass, high arches. But the stone carvings that decorate the walls, pillars, windows, and everyplace in between are what really get me. The carved figures aren't always what you would classify as typical religious images. The stone in York minster, for instance is dotted with crazy faces, wild animals, and all sorts of mischevious, gouhlish creatures. Here are some pictures of the detail, starting up close and zooming out: two little stone heads on top of a spire, the spire in between two arches, several arches under a window, several windows lining one side aisle of the church.

One Classy Lady

My mom, that is. How classy is she? So classy that she shares a birthday with the Queen Mother (may she rest in peace). And today is that special day! Happy Birthday, Mom! Since I can't volunteer to teach Bible School or Sunday School right now, I figured the next best way to give you a thrill would be to go have some fancy tea at a proper English tea house. So here I am at Betty's in York sipping Ceylon Blue Sapphire (and only slouching a little bit, look!). I'm sure you were there in spirit because what else could have motivated me to make a spectacle out of myself and take this cheesy picture in a busy public place? Cheers to you on your special day. I love you, Ma!

Nothing really rhymes with Hadrian...

...except Adrian. And I don't know anyone named Adrian. So there goes my plan to write an inspiring and eloquent poem about Hadrian's wall.
Anyway, around 130 AD the Romans were the force to be reckoned with in England, and the Roman emporer Hadrian fancied that it would be nice to build a large stone wall across Northern England. The main purpose of the wall was probably to keep out invading Scottish clans from the North (and all of their hairy coos). The wall stretched for 75 miles, with a gate and castle at each mile.
I wasn't quite up for inspecting all 75 historic miles, but I did visit the ruins at Housestead's fort (near Durham). Definitely cool to see, and, as is the case with most castles and forts, there was a great view. Dad, you asked for a picture of me and the wall. Since I'm such a devoted daughter, I got two.

"Hairy Coos to the right, arr!"

And now, ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the section of this blog where we discuss the most majestic of Scottish beasts: the hairy coo. Ok, so officially they're called highland cows, but that doesn't roll off the tounge as nicely as hairy coo. Below is Hamish, king of the hairy coos. So beloved is he that he has appeared on TV several times, has his own gift shop full of Hamish merchandise, and has several "lady friends."
Look how lovable! Note the massive amount of unruly, reddish hair. I feel your pain, dude.

Martin, the Scottish tour guide, was especially fond of pointing out whenever the bus drove by a field with hairy coos. "Hairy coos on your right, everyone, hairy coos on the right, hairy coooooos!"
Another thing Martin was fond of saying: "Arr!" (yes, like a pirate)
It seems that "Arr!" is a most versatile exclamation. Depending on the circumstances, it can either mean "Heck, yeah!" or "That sucks!"
Lesson 1:
"Would you like to stop for tea and biscuits?" -"Arr!"
"You have to pay to use the toilets." -"Arr!!"
"Hairy coos to the right!" -"Arr!!!"

Bonnie Scotland

The parts of Scotland that I saw on the bus tour were intensely beautiful. Very green, with lots of hills and mountains, lakes, huge skies, and heather all over the place. I had a hard time choosing which pictures to post, partly because I'm a marginal photographer so none of the pictures quite do justice to how gorgeous it really is. The first two pictures are on the Isle of Skye (on the West coast), the third is at Glencoe in the highlands, and the fourth is the obligatory Scottish bagpiper.

Bus tours: a shout out.

Thanks, Dad for pointing out the Radical Travel website on the last post. Don't know why I didn't think of that earlier. I'll put it in my Links. If anyone is headed over to Great Britain or Ireland, and wants a cheap, lively way to experience the country, I recommend these guys. All you need is a sense of humor and a willingness to sleep in hostels. Want a better idea of the atmosphere on a bus tour? Allow me to illustrate:

Shamrocker tour friends in Ireland

Haggis Tour friends in Scotland
Dave the bus driver hunting Haggis in the Highlands (don't ask questions, just laugh)

I'm selling my story to Dateline

Loch Ness in the evening: behold the mystery.

*Gasp* "Look out the window! It's that terrifying Scottish she-beast of the Lake, Nessie! Stay below deck-we're all going to meet a watery demise! Oh, the humanity! Save us, Lord, from this terror from The Deep! "

Friends on the boat after the bone-chilling Nessie hunt.

Actually, there are some creepy things in Loch Ness. As you can imagine, researchers have done umpteen dives, scans, etc. in the lake, and the boat that we took has a live 3-D sonar monitor that you can watch as you cruise the water. There are a couple kinds of rather large carnivorous fish that live there, as well as a family of 18 "large creatures" that live near the bottom.

Two days after the boat ride, we went back to the lake and stood on the shore shouting, "Come to me, come to me, Nessie, Nessie!" to see if we could inspire an appearance. (No, it wasn't my idea. It was the Scottish bus driver's-I promise!" No luck, though.

After much careful thought and logical deduction, I've decided that Nessie probably isn't after human flesh. Seriously, with all those big fish taking up space in her lake, why bother with a couple of polyester-coated people? I'm sure she just surfaces occasionally to monitor for urban sprawl, check the latest Spring fashion trends, and find out who won the World Cup. You know, the usual.

Edinburgh: great city! It's just fun to walk around and take everything in-a good intro to Scotland! Here's Scott's Monument upclose and personal, and a view of the city from Edinburgh Castle. The Castle was OK as far as castles go. Pretty over-priced, actually. Ok, I take that back; it was worth the money during the hours that I visited. There's a tiny little midevil chapel at the top of the castle grounds. Apparently, members of the military can use it for weddings, and there was one going on when I got there. Tourists can't go in the chapel (obviously) while there is a wedding taking place, so there was a big group of site-seers that just kept growing and growing on the hill outside the chapel waiting to see the bride and groom come out. Finally, when the wedding party and guests came out of the church, they were met by this huge group of strangers who just started cheering and applauding. Great moment.

I like the Scott's Monument (for Walter Scott the writer) because it just sits in the middle of a big shopping street and looks glorius in the sun.