Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Dancing Shoes
Maren's first pair of shoes were a pair of brown skidders with pink polka dots. These shoes are designed in the form of socks with rubber soles to make them easy to put on with just enough protection for the bottom of the kiddo's feet. I remember when I brought them home and showed them to Maren for the first time. She knew exactly what they were for and immediately plopped down on the floor, raised a foot in the air, and couldn't wait for me to put them on her feet. She was so proud. And her love of shoes continues. Last time grammy came to visit she brought 3 pairs of new shoes: kiddie converse (my favorite), white sandals, and pink shoes with big sparkles (ugh!). Of course Maren loves putting on those sparklers! She walks around the room half bent so she can keep an eye on her sparkling feet.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Melmo & Joos
It's official. We are once again a family of four. Mama, Daddy, Maren, and our newest addition: Melmo. It was all started by one of my co-workers who innocently handed down an Elmo DVD that her son had loved. I used that disc to test out the DVD player in the van one day and thus started Maren's obsession. Every where she goes now it's "Melmo? Melmo? Melmo?" When she wakes up, "Melmo?" After breakfast, "Melmo?" When we turn on the TV to skype family, "Melmo! Melmo!" What have I done!?! At least it's not a large purple dinosaur named Barney.
Another thing Maren can't get enough of right now is juice. Orange juice, specifically. When Brent went to Great Grandma Elaine's 90 birthday party in Arizona he came back with bags of fresh oranges from her trees. Grandma Gill made Maren a special treat with those oranges - fresh squeezed orange juice. She drank glass after glass and kept asking for more. Now it's the first thing she asks for when she wakes up in the morning and the last thing she wants before going to bed. She brings her sippy cup over to me, pulls my finger and says "Up! Up!", and drags me to the refrigerator where she pleads her case for more "joos". It's actually one of my favorite parts of the day because it's one of the few times she still curls up in my lap to cuddle while she guzzles the magic elixir.
Another thing Maren can't get enough of right now is juice. Orange juice, specifically. When Brent went to Great Grandma Elaine's 90 birthday party in Arizona he came back with bags of fresh oranges from her trees. Grandma Gill made Maren a special treat with those oranges - fresh squeezed orange juice. She drank glass after glass and kept asking for more. Now it's the first thing she asks for when she wakes up in the morning and the last thing she wants before going to bed. She brings her sippy cup over to me, pulls my finger and says "Up! Up!", and drags me to the refrigerator where she pleads her case for more "joos". It's actually one of my favorite parts of the day because it's one of the few times she still curls up in my lap to cuddle while she guzzles the magic elixir.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Europe 2011 Third Stop: Normandy
Arrival, Monday, April 18, 2011
Normandy. Standing on the hill overlooking Omaha beach. Speechless. My grandfather landed at Omaha. He did not go ashore the first day of battle, or we probably wouldn't be here. He went ashore June 8, 1944 as part of a medical unit. Today, I wade through water. Yesterday, he waded through bodies. Standing here, I feel out of place. It's a beach that belongs to someone else, a place we don't belong. A place we don't deserve. The thousands of men buried on the hill, the other thousands of men with memories buried deep. They own this place. I roll up my jeans and tip toe through pools of water collected on the shore. They rolled up their pants and marched through death. Welcome to Normandy.
Normandy. Standing on the hill overlooking Omaha beach. Speechless. My grandfather landed at Omaha. He did not go ashore the first day of battle, or we probably wouldn't be here. He went ashore June 8, 1944 as part of a medical unit. Today, I wade through water. Yesterday, he waded through bodies. Standing here, I feel out of place. It's a beach that belongs to someone else, a place we don't belong. A place we don't deserve. The thousands of men buried on the hill, the other thousands of men with memories buried deep. They own this place. I roll up my jeans and tip toe through pools of water collected on the shore. They rolled up their pants and marched through death. Welcome to Normandy.
Europe 2011 Second Stop: Brugge
Arrival, Sunday, April 17, 2011
We rented a Eurocar for the drive to Brugge and Normandy. Got lucky and didn't have to pay the intercountry fee of 400 euro since somebody from France had just dropped the car in Amsterdam. We loaded up and drove about 2.5 hours to Brugge. Along the way we saw field after field of flowering yellow plants that were obviously being harvested for something. Decided to ask Aurelie. We parked at the city train station and took a bus 5 min to city center. Cobblestone streets and medieval architecture. There were several lace shops, belgian beer stores, and of course chocolate for which the region is famous. We partook of beer and chocolate but left the lace behind - the lace I liked was "antique" and started at 975 euro!
We wanted to walk up the bell tower from the movie "In Brugges" but the line was too long. So we did a walking tour of the city instead and stumbled upon a flea market. Decided to sit down and do some people watching and we ended up in front of a group of local townies. People kept stopping by to chat, waving hello from across the street, etc. It seemed like the entire local population was walking the streets, hanging out on the sidewalk bars. A fun look at how the locals live. There weren't many American's in the crowd.
After we checked out the two dutch windmills in town we went back to our hotel around 16:30 (7:30am PST) for our daily Skype with Maren. Then we start our beer tour. First stop: De Garre. It's hole in the wall tucked away off a narrow alley that would have been difficult to locate if we hadn't been warned. Here's a YouTube video De Garre (taken by someone else ) to get an idea of what the bar was like…and Margo was actually our server too. We ordered the house beer for Brent and a blond for me and spent an hour pouring over the beer menu. We got to talking with a local couple and then a student that wandered in - it just happened that she was from Carlsbad attending college in London. The local couple was very friendly and knew English so we all talked until they left. Then another group came in - another group of locals with one guy that was from Del Mar. We chatted with them 
for a bit and then continued our belgian beer tour, heading to t' Bruges Beertje (Little Bear). There we met an engineer from SF, and couple from Gent (he) and London (she). We all chatted for several hours before we decided the belgian beers had done us in.
Overall, the picturesque-ness of Brugge surprised me. I could spend another day hidden behind the lens exploring what she has to say. But on to Normandy and Paris. The following morning we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant which is a total rip-off, but none of the cafes/restaurants open until 8:30-9am. If you're on a schedule that's a late start so the hotels capitalize on tourists.
We rented a Eurocar for the drive to Brugge and Normandy. Got lucky and didn't have to pay the intercountry fee of 400 euro since somebody from France had just dropped the car in Amsterdam. We loaded up and drove about 2.5 hours to Brugge. Along the way we saw field after field of flowering yellow plants that were obviously being harvested for something. Decided to ask Aurelie. We parked at the city train station and took a bus 5 min to city center. Cobblestone streets and medieval architecture. There were several lace shops, belgian beer stores, and of course chocolate for which the region is famous. We partook of beer and chocolate but left the lace behind - the lace I liked was "antique" and started at 975 euro!
We wanted to walk up the bell tower from the movie "In Brugges" but the line was too long. So we did a walking tour of the city instead and stumbled upon a flea market. Decided to sit down and do some people watching and we ended up in front of a group of local townies. People kept stopping by to chat, waving hello from across the street, etc. It seemed like the entire local population was walking the streets, hanging out on the sidewalk bars. A fun look at how the locals live. There weren't many American's in the crowd.
After we checked out the two dutch windmills in town we went back to our hotel around 16:30 (7:30am PST) for our daily Skype with Maren. Then we start our beer tour. First stop: De Garre. It's hole in the wall tucked away off a narrow alley that would have been difficult to locate if we hadn't been warned. Here's a YouTube video De Garre (taken by someone else ) to get an idea of what the bar was like…and Margo was actually our server too. We ordered the house beer for Brent and a blond for me and spent an hour pouring over the beer menu. We got to talking with a local couple and then a student that wandered in - it just happened that she was from Carlsbad attending college in London. The local couple was very friendly and knew English so we all talked until they left. Then another group came in - another group of locals with one guy that was from Del Mar. We chatted with them 
for a bit and then continued our belgian beer tour, heading to t' Bruges Beertje (Little Bear). There we met an engineer from SF, and couple from Gent (he) and London (she). We all chatted for several hours before we decided the belgian beers had done us in. Overall, the picturesque-ness of Brugge surprised me. I could spend another day hidden behind the lens exploring what she has to say. But on to Normandy and Paris. The following morning we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant which is a total rip-off, but none of the cafes/restaurants open until 8:30-9am. If you're on a schedule that's a late start so the hotels capitalize on tourists.
Europe 2011 First Stop: Amsterdam
Arrival Friday, April 15, 2011 5:53am
After an 8 hour flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam we arrive to a nearly deserted airport. Quickly passed through passport check and customs. Tried to purchase train tickets with Mastercard but card not accepted. Found a cash machine and hopped our train to Amsterdam Central. Only two or three other people on the train. It's 7am. The city is still sleeping.
From the train station at Amsterdam Central it's a 5 minute walk to our hotel. There's a foul smell in the air. Reminds me of Dublin. There are bikes piled everywhere. We cross a bridge. Not much foot or road traffic right now. We stop by the hotel to see how long until our room is ready and head back out to explore. Immediately start noticing garbage piled in the streets. Trash strewn across the sidewalks; bottles, cans, plates, flung here and there. The source of the stench.
By now it's 7:30am and still it's like a ghost town. There's no place open for coffee or breakfast. No convenience stores open. I see a few shop owners unlocking doors, starting to set tables and chairs outside. But still an hour from opening. Looks like this is a city that parties late into the night and starts the day late.
We wander through the red light district. See many women in stalls donning leather and lace, trying to lure the clientele. Around 8:15 we head back to the hotel restaurant for fuel. By then the city's starting to clean up. There are men using stick brooms to sweep all the random trash into the street where it's picked up and a cleaning crew follows, one guy driving the water truck while the other walks around spraying the streets clean. Better to stay out of their way.
After breakfast our room still isn't ready so we give them our phone number and head out to explore. By now it's 9:15 and the city is bustling with people. Most of the locals ride bikes to get from place to place - that explains all the bikes lining the sidewalks and piled in front of buildings. And the multi level bike parking garage I saw by the train satiation! All the bikes look pretty much the same: old, black, and rusting with a saddle bag on the back or a wooden box secured to the front for caring things. Some are modified with large wooden carts on the front that can hold two small children. Bikes/bikers are literally everywhere. That is the thing that really stood out about this city. The streets are designed with both bikers and cars in mind with specific lanes and lights for each. We quickly learn when you cross the street in Amsterdam you're looking not only for cars but more importantly for the bikes coming from every direction.
We head the opposite direction from the red light district. Here the streets are lined with design stores, bakeries, flower shops, etc. The canals are lined with house boats. The trees are blooming. Again, there are bikers everywhere. After checking in at our hotel we ate lunch and stopped at a street cafe for a beer. We ended up sitting next to some ladies from the San Diego area. It's a small world.
Later that night we went to Ardensnest for a few beers before dinner. Discovered them online - experts in Dutch beers which is unique. Located on the "good" side of town and more of a local bar. Exactly what we were looking for. Very few tourists around. Fantastic selection of beer. From there we wandered through the streets and stumbled upon a tapas restaurant for dinner. Pidgeon, vegetables, clams, rabbit - very different from our everyday life and very good! From there we checked out a coffee house, people watched in the red light district and headed back to the hotel.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Second day in Amsterdam. Woke up around 9:30am. What a treat to sleep in. Had breakfast at a cafe across from the hotel (they played Mariah Carey concert on TV - lame!), then we toured the city by boat. A tourist trap but fun. Learned they actually planned to build the houses leaning forward so they'd look bigger and to avoid damaging the furniture when they're lifting it up. The houses are tall and narrow so they all have a hook hanging off the gable to lift furniture through the windows. Got off the boat at one point and went in search of a street market. Wandered a few miles only to discover we were walking down the wrong canal! Oh well, fun to explore. Next time I'd try to rent a private boat/taxi for a 1 hour tour - could share with a total of 6-8 people.
There are mostly European travelers. Not many Americans. Most locals speak English so it's not difficult to communicate.
After an 8 hour flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam we arrive to a nearly deserted airport. Quickly passed through passport check and customs. Tried to purchase train tickets with Mastercard but card not accepted. Found a cash machine and hopped our train to Amsterdam Central. Only two or three other people on the train. It's 7am. The city is still sleeping.
From the train station at Amsterdam Central it's a 5 minute walk to our hotel. There's a foul smell in the air. Reminds me of Dublin. There are bikes piled everywhere. We cross a bridge. Not much foot or road traffic right now. We stop by the hotel to see how long until our room is ready and head back out to explore. Immediately start noticing garbage piled in the streets. Trash strewn across the sidewalks; bottles, cans, plates, flung here and there. The source of the stench. By now it's 7:30am and still it's like a ghost town. There's no place open for coffee or breakfast. No convenience stores open. I see a few shop owners unlocking doors, starting to set tables and chairs outside. But still an hour from opening. Looks like this is a city that parties late into the night and starts the day late.
We wander through the red light district. See many women in stalls donning leather and lace, trying to lure the clientele. Around 8:15 we head back to the hotel restaurant for fuel. By then the city's starting to clean up. There are men using stick brooms to sweep all the random trash into the street where it's picked up and a cleaning crew follows, one guy driving the water truck while the other walks around spraying the streets clean. Better to stay out of their way.
After breakfast our room still isn't ready so we give them our phone number and head out to explore. By now it's 9:15 and the city is bustling with people. Most of the locals ride bikes to get from place to place - that explains all the bikes lining the sidewalks and piled in front of buildings. And the multi level bike parking garage I saw by the train satiation! All the bikes look pretty much the same: old, black, and rusting with a saddle bag on the back or a wooden box secured to the front for caring things. Some are modified with large wooden carts on the front that can hold two small children. Bikes/bikers are literally everywhere. That is the thing that really stood out about this city. The streets are designed with both bikers and cars in mind with specific lanes and lights for each. We quickly learn when you cross the street in Amsterdam you're looking not only for cars but more importantly for the bikes coming from every direction. We head the opposite direction from the red light district. Here the streets are lined with design stores, bakeries, flower shops, etc. The canals are lined with house boats. The trees are blooming. Again, there are bikers everywhere. After checking in at our hotel we ate lunch and stopped at a street cafe for a beer. We ended up sitting next to some ladies from the San Diego area. It's a small world.
Later that night we went to Ardensnest for a few beers before dinner. Discovered them online - experts in Dutch beers which is unique. Located on the "good" side of town and more of a local bar. Exactly what we were looking for. Very few tourists around. Fantastic selection of beer. From there we wandered through the streets and stumbled upon a tapas restaurant for dinner. Pidgeon, vegetables, clams, rabbit - very different from our everyday life and very good! From there we checked out a coffee house, people watched in the red light district and headed back to the hotel.Saturday, April 16, 2011
Second day in Amsterdam. Woke up around 9:30am. What a treat to sleep in. Had breakfast at a cafe across from the hotel (they played Mariah Carey concert on TV - lame!), then we toured the city by boat. A tourist trap but fun. Learned they actually planned to build the houses leaning forward so they'd look bigger and to avoid damaging the furniture when they're lifting it up. The houses are tall and narrow so they all have a hook hanging off the gable to lift furniture through the windows. Got off the boat at one point and went in search of a street market. Wandered a few miles only to discover we were walking down the wrong canal! Oh well, fun to explore. Next time I'd try to rent a private boat/taxi for a 1 hour tour - could share with a total of 6-8 people.
There are mostly European travelers. Not many Americans. Most locals speak English so it's not difficult to communicate.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)