Part 10: Oui, Oui!

The second trip planned with Dustin’s mom (Deb) and aunt (Sherry) was to Paris. Deb, Sherry, Jacob and I headed by train to Paris on Tuesday. It’s about a 4 hour train ride, so after leaving around 8am we made there by lunch time. The trip was pretty straight forward, but navigating through a new language (now French) can be challenging. So, while Sherry and I figured out how to get to our hotel from the train station, Grandma Deb fed Jacob.

After successfully finding the hotel and grabbing a bite to eat, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. It’s so much bigger than I imagined it; truly pictures don’t do it justice. It is unbelievably beautiful and probably the most famous structure in the world. We did some more sightseeing and then went back for a ride to the top at sunset.
In between our two Eiffel Tower visits, we visited some more famous landmarks. First was Notre Dame. As you can see, the cathedral is decorated with thousands of intricately detailed carvings, each with their own symbolic meaning. We didn’t stay long enough to try and figure out what those meanings are, but now know enough to bluff our way by most. Technically, pictures inside are not allowed, but there were so many others taking pictures, I thought I might as well give it a try. I was able to get a decent shot of one of the rose windows. They’re absolutely gorgeous. The day was quite warm, so I ended up stripping Jacob down to his onesie as you can tell by his bare legs. No shoes and no pants – a little trashy, but at least he was comfortable.
Across the street from Notre Dame, we enjoyed our first taste of authentic Parisian cuisine – crepes with caramel sauce. They were delicious and the best ones we had the entire trip!
After crepes, we headed for the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. The Arc is in the middle of a traffic circle where about 5 streets converge. It’s quite impressive and makes the roundabout in our neighborhood look like a playground. As you can see, this was one of Jacob’s favorite stops on the trip.
The Champs Elysees is the famous avenue where all the pricey shops are located. We took a stroll down the street but didn’t make it into any of the boutiques. It was fun to window shop and fantasize. Maybe one day I’ll actually go into one of those stores; I doubt it though, it would give Dustin heartburn…

We had dinner on the Champs Elysees at a restaurant that had an outside eating area. There were to young ladies sitting at the table next to us, and for about 20 minutes, Jacob decided he was a part of their conversation. It was so cute! He was leaning over in his stroller with his elbow resting on the side and his legs crossed. The picture below doesn’t quite capture all of it, but you get the idea. What a nosey little fellow! A flirt, too!

After dinner we went back to the Eiffel Tower to get a view of the city and a night shot of the Tower. Magnificent!

The next day, we headed to the Louvre (left). We saw all the highlighted items – the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory, the Venus de Milo, the Virgin of the Rocks, and a few more. We could have spent a week there and still not have seen everything, so we did the whirlwind tour instead. The Louvre was quite crowded and noisy as opposed to the Musee d’Orsay which we hit next. This museum is home to the Impressionists – Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh and more. I think Monet is my favorite. His work is so peaceful.

After the museums, we headed out to Versailles. It’s about a 20 minute train ride from Paris. A friend of mine was visiting her parents who now live in Versailles, so I wanted to head there to meet up with her for dinner. We took the audio tour of the Chateau which was quite interesting (I would recommend it). Talk about living in excess! The rooms are all ornately decorated: trimmed in gold, paintings everywhere, crystal chandeliers, etc. The gardens are quite impressive as well. The two disappointments were that the Chateau is under heavy restoration projects right now, so there was scaffolding everywhere (hard to get good pictures) and none of the fountains were on in the gardens. Apparently, they are on a schedule and put on a little show accompanied by music at certain times each day. We didn’t get to see that. Still, the visit was wonderful and well worth the train ride. Jacob had fun, too!

The next morning, we had a leisurely breakfast and walked through some shops looking for souvenirs. Then, we headed back to the train station for the trip home. It’s amazing. We didn’t have much time in Paris, but we sure did see a lot. Jacob was exhausted!

Part 9: Keukenhof (Part 2)

Like windmills and wooden shoes, everyone wants to see the flowers. So, since I had to work on Monday, Amanda, Mom, Aunt Sherry, and Jacob headed off to the Keukenhof.

Even though it was the second time for Amanda and Jacob to see the garden, it didn’t matter. You just can’t get enough of the flowers. Plus, this time the tulips were in full bloom.

I think it is pretty clear from the pictures that Mom and Aunt Sherry had a good time too.

Part 8: A friend's old home town...

Dustin’s mom (Deb) and aunt (Sherry) came to visit us at the end of April. So, we took this opportunity to plan some trips. Our first trip was to Maastricht, a medieval town in the south of Holland. As it turns out, one of Dustin's good friends from Rice actually lived in Maastricht for 6 months.

We drove down Friday afternoon after their arrival and planned to stay for 2 nights in a bed and breakfast.

Maastricht is the only place in Holland whose landscape has some contour. While the hills are pretty small, it is still a welcome sight from the north. If you have been following the blog, then you can look at Holland as the geographical antithesis to Sorrento.

The neat thing about Maastricht is that the old town center is still surrounded by the original fortress wall. Canons line the wall in some areas and most of the ramparts are still in tact. When we walked from our apartment to the city center, we walked past a “moat” and through the fortress gate.

As you can see from the pictures, even the people of Maastricht knew better than to let me into the city. I knocked, pulled, and yelled, but still no one answered. That probably comes as no surprise to most of you…

Every city has its unique features. In Maastricht we ran across this working water mill. It operated very similar to the windmills that we saw in Zaanse Schans. As you can see from the pictures, Mom, Aunt Sherry, and Amanda were very intrigued by the water mill.

Downtown Maastricht was pretty cool. It is a huge cobblestone area surrounded by a big church, town buildings, restaurants, and a couple of hotels. While eating on Saturday night we saw a wedding in the center pavilion. There wasn’t a lot of entertainment, but it was fun to just hang out, relax, and talk… I don’t think we do enough of that anymore. In fact, that is probably something I find most difficult: sitting and relaxing. It really irritates Amanda when I can’t sit still or need a constant stream of things to keep me busy. Maybe Europe will cure my Attention Deficit Disorder.

On Saturday morning we got up around 9am (early by European standards) and embarked on the Maastricht city walk. It was kind of like the Freedom Trail in Boston. You followed the “red-line” on the map and walked passed all the historical sites. Most of the sites had an information plaque telling you why it was famous. The only difference is all the plaques were in Dutch. Needless to say, we didn’t learn much on the walk (but, we did enjoy the sites).

Probably the best part of the trip (for me) was Fort St. Peter and the Caves. In the past Maastricht was a strategic city because of its proximity to Germany, France, and Belgium. Based on the stories, Maastricht seemed to be under a constant siege from 1200 – WWII.

Under Fort St. Peter literally lie hundreds of miles of limestone tunnels. The limestone was mined to fuel the construction industry: to build castles and walls and stuff. During a war / siege, the people of Maastricht would retreat to the fortress and hide in the caves. No one could find their way through the caves without a map.

In fact, our guide told us a couple of really good stories about the cave history. The first is a sad one, but illustrates how dangerous the caves can be. He said that every year the guides will get a call because somebody’s son(s) have not come home. Nine times out of ten it is because the children have gotten lost in the caves. Approximately 25 years ago 2 boys were lost (and eventually died) for 3 weeks. He said one boy was 100 meters from the exit and the other was 60 meters away.

The second story is much less gruesome, but details the strategic importance of the caves. During one of the feuds between the Dutch and the French, the French military tried to destroy the fortress with explosives from the caves underneath. Apparently though, the French miscalculated the distance to the fortress and ignited the explosives 200 meters too far north. The French say that they only missed the mark because of an iron deposit layer in the caves messed up their compasses. The Dutch agree and say “it just proves you should never follow the French”. During that battle the French never took Fort St. Peter.

The last story comes from WWII. During WWII the Germans were walking all over Europe and while Hitler was notably interested in preserving the world’s arts, buildings, etc., those against Hitler still tried to hide the precious pieces. As a result, famous art like Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and DaVinci’s “Virgin of the Rocks” were stored deep inside the caves.

You can see from the pictures below that there are a lot of drawings on the cave walls. These are charcoal sketches made to illustrate the stories on the tour and also a few random pieces by some local artists. The interesting point is that there are still several really old drawings. Keep in mind the charcoal picture would be easily erased if someone wiped their hand across it.

We left Maastricht Sunday morning and decided to drive back home via a different route. This time we drove through Belgium and stopped in Antwerp for lunch. By luck, we parked just a block from the town center.

We walked to the center and were shocked with what we found; it was beautiful. Everyone talks about how nice Brussels, Gent, and Brugge are, but no one says anything about Antwerp. If they are right and those other three are better than Antwerp, then we will be spending quite a bit of time in Belgium over the next 2-3 years.

The most notable item was the cathedral in the center. Services were just ending and outside the church, there was someone pretending to be a part of an existing statue (you will find these people everywhere – Houston, New York, London, and Antwerp). He/she was quite good at blending in.
We ended our short time in Antwerp by eating lunch at a local Italian restaurant. The food was delicious!

After leaving Antwerp, we headed toward Kinderdijk (just outside of Rotterdam). Kinderdijk is the location of 19 old style windmills that were used to pump water out of the lowlands. It’s actually really neat to see all of those windmills in one place. Spectacular!

Part 7: Bellisimo Bambino

We have now lived in Holland for 3 months and trust me it has been one of the most difficult and most rewarding times in our lives…

Over Easter break (Europe Easter = 2 days of company holiday), we decided to check out Italy. Everyone that we know who has been there says nothing compares. Our good friend Phil (who has lived in England for 2 years and is moving back to the States this June) said his two favorite places to visit were Iceland and Naples. So, with that advice in mind, we were off to Naples.

This trip to Italy was a bit difficult. We booked the trip late and over a very busy holiday weekend, so our “cheap” transportation options were very limited. In the end, we did find a fairly cheap ticket, but it involved stops in Milan and Rome before Naples. That may sound cool on the outside, but people aren’t raving about Milan and Rome’s airports.

At first we didn’t know what we had gotten into. After we arrived in Naples and caught the first bus to Sorrento, the bus driver drove us through 90 minutes of the most jam-packed, graffiti polluted, low-income neighborhoods we have ever seen. It looked just as bad as the most depressed areas in Houston. I guess we just assumed everything in Italy was going to look like paradise; it didn’t.

Luckily, our final destination looked much different. Just as you might expect, Sorrento was beautiful. The town is built on a mountain that quickly dives into the Mediterranean Sea. Clay rooftops and waterfalls speckle the landscape with narrow 3-4 story buildings lining the speedy two lane highways. And, the mix of lemon trees and salty sea air created the perfect cap to this tropical paradise. It was like walking into a movie.

The greatest aspect of Sorrento is that you’re not limited to the city itself. Within a 30 mile radius you can also find the Almalfi Coast, the Island of Capri, and Pompeii. Since we had three full days in the area we decided to spend 1 day at each location.

The first stop was the Island of Capri. Capri was made famous when Tiberius “the resentful” Caesar (14-37AD) claimed Capri as his imperial villa. He ruled from Capri for many years and built his palace on top of Capri’s highest point. Today, the ruins still lay and are a great spot for tourists.

On Friday morning, we arrived in Capri by boat. Wow! Neither of us had seen the Mediteranian before, so we were completely amazed by the deep blue and clear water. You could see the bottom through 100 ft of water and the blue was dark like a “blue” Crayola crayon.

There isn’t much to do on the waterfront (except take pictures of the scenery), so we hopped on the cable car for a ride to the city center. The center-top and bottom-right pictures are just after the cable car ride.

From the city center you basically have two options: (1) take a bus to the opposite side of the mountain to see the Grotto and (2) walk to Tiberius’ ruins. We opted for the ruins and started that way. Before going, however, we had a slight detour.

Another downside to our “late-planned / multiple stop” flight to Sorrento was the airline lost our stroller. The luggage came without any problems (thankfully), but the stroller was gone. Originally, we thought we could get by without it and just carry Jacob in the Baby Bjorn. After about 30 minutes of walking we changed our mind and bought another stroller.

The Chicco dealer was very close to the city center and had the most incredible view of the ocean (I can’t imagine the overhead). They were extremely pleasant people. They helped us find the right stroller and also pointed us in the right direction for Tiberius’ ruins. And, even after we left, the owner tracked us down and retuned Jacob’s jacket that we left in the store - truly kind people.

By the way… In case you were wondering… We did successfully negotiate with the airline to reimburse us for the new stroller. Actually --- Amanda pulled that one off.

The walk to the ruins was about 4 miles long and all uphill. But, it was a nice day and worth the extra effort. Along the way we found this great little restaurant built into the mountain. Amanda had the ravioli and I the seafood pasta; it was the best meal of the trip. The seafood was fresh and the pasta was homemade. Unbelievable!

With the ruins in sight we kept trudging up the hill. Thankfully, we passed lots of great picture places. This gave good reason for breaks and a needed distraction from the difficult trek. The ruins didn’t disappoint us. There is just something odd about walking through 2000 year old structures. One thing is certain - the ruins weren’t built for strollers. So, we carried Jacob (and the stroller) up every step in the place - probably 200-300 steps.

We ended the day with a return trip boat ride back to Sorrento. We thought nothing could be more impressive than Capri / Sorrento’s coastline, but we were wrong. We hadn’t seen the Almafi coast yet.

If you look at a map, Sorrento is on a “kind-of” peninsula. It isn’t like Florida, but still has water on three sides. It is a very mountainous region with very high cliffs. The Almalfi Coast lies on the opposite side of Sorrento.

The hotel recommended a bus ride to and from Almafi. The bus ride was a little rough: very winding, lots of speed changes, and tons of hills. It was the kind of ride that will really turn your stomach. On the other hand though, the scenery was breathtaking.

We weren’t able to get any pictures on the bus, but we did find a few good shots after we got there. The pictures below are of both Amalfi and Positano.

Once we got to Almafi we learned it had something for everyone: small town atmosphere, beautiful scenery, a grotto, kayak polo, and good ice cream.

The pictures below are of the side trip to a Grotto. A grotto is a sealed cave (no light enters through the air) where the “cave opening” is under water. As the light goes through the cave opening it casts a deep blue glow on the entire room. This particular grotto was featured by 60 minutes about 20 years ago.

While we were there a group of people were playing kayak polo. The game was really impressive because the only used the oars to move the ball. They passed it back and forth without dropping and threw it toward a cage raised off the water ~10ft.

Probably the most unexpected piece of the trip was the Amalfi Church. We almost didn’t make time for it; the boat back to Sorrento was leaving in 1 hr and we would have to carry Jacob up 30 steps. It was almost too much to work up the energy for.

As churches go it was good, but not incredible. I mean the paintings were old and neat looking, but not differential to other churches. The differential part was the basement crypt. This crypt held St. Andrew – the disciple of Jesus. The top left and right pictures are the tomb under which St. Andrew’s head (or skull) is still kept.

If you think that walking through a 2000 year old building is impressive, imagine standing within 10ft of Jesus’ disciple. Incredible!

The last day in Italy was saved for Pompeii and Vesuvius. Almost everyone has heard of Pompeii. It is the Roman town that was buried under 30-50 feet of ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. And, true to its form and the documentaries, it is still in the same position it was when the town was buried.

Amanda and I found the engineering and the artwork surprisingly sophisticated. The Romans really had a good life back then. I guess it is easy for us to think life 2000 years ago was just open fires in cold, dark caves. Pompeii proved to us they really had a comfortable life. They had (a) running water in lead pipes (lead wasn’t such a good choice, but as soon as the calcium deposits built up, the people stopped dying of poisoning), (b) well constructed stone buildings, (c) artistic mosaic tiling, (d) elections (papyrus political propaganda – posters – were found in the ashes --- there was an election just around the corner when Pompeii was buried), (e) water basins with iron keys to seal the edges, (f) street signs, (g) neighborhoods, (h) fountains, (i) theatres, (j) centralized city planning, etc.

Toward the end of the tour our guide showed us the “masterpiece of Pompeii” (shown in the bottom left picture below). This was uncovered just 150 years ago. Amazing, right? The painting was perfectly preserved in the ash.

Another interesting point was that Pompeii was lost for about 1600 years. It wasn’t until a farmer accidentally tilled up an artifact in the mid-1700’s that they realized what was beneath the ground. The picture on the top-right shows what it looked like before it was found – just a grassy knoll.

It seems odd that Rome or other neighboring towns wouldn’t have record of it, but I guess it was forgotten.

Unfortunately, an earthquake devastated the town in 62AD and the town was still trying to rebuild from that point. So, you can’t get the full appreciation of the architecture because much was lost in the earthquake.

You can’t visit Pompeii without seeing Vesuvius. So, after walking through the ruins we bussed over to Vesuvius and started our walk up the volcano. The walk was much more difficult than we expected (especially with Jacob in the Baby Bjorn). But, we started the hike.

It is interesting to be so close to an active volcano. The experts say the volcano should erupt every 30 years and the last explosion was in 1944. So, the volcano is overdue. It is also interesting to see all the people living on the Volcano. They know they will be killed if the volcano erupts, but they stay because tourists are a good source of cash flow.

We got back from our excursion at ~6pm, ate at the hotel restaurant and hit the sack early. The next morning we caught a cab to the airport at 6am. The vacation was over.

Part 6: Windmills and wooden shoes...

You will find two items at the heart of Holland; windmills and wooden shoes. Granted while these cultural icons are often nestled in a perfectly manicured tourist trap and away from all the Dutch residents, you still have to go at least once.

So for our second day with Phil, we headed to the well-known and highly acclaimed “real” Dutch town called Zaanse Schans (we still haven’t figured out to pronounce that one).

Zaanse Schans is located just north of Amsterdam in a rural setting and host to a number of historic sites and shops.

As you drive in, the first notable landmarks were the three working windmills. All three have been in service for ~150 years and are still being used for their original purpose. Like you probably learned in grade school, windmills harness the wind and spin. Inside the windmill is a fairly elaborate gearing mechanism that transforms the power so it can be used for work. At the end of the gear, they typically attach a grindstone, saw, or pump.

We only visited one of the three windmills. This one is still used to grind soft stones to be used as pigment in paints. It is the only remaining “pigment-grinding-windmill” in the world.

The other two mills were used to pump water. This is the most common use for windmills and the reason the Dutch became so famous for using them. Sixty percent of Holland is under water, so early on the Dutch got quite good at building dikes and pumping out the water with windmills. So good, in fact, the Army Core of Engineers actually consulted Holland Levee Engineers when rebuilding New Orleans.

After strolling through the windmills, we found ourselves at the wooden shoe factory. This was a really interesting shop because the Dutch developed a way to automate the shoe making process. The days of hand carving a block of wood into a shoe are long gone. And, quite frankly, the days of wearing wooden shoes are long gone too. Nevertheless, the process involves tracing a finished shoe with a curser that is attached to a lathe, circular saw, and grinder.

After two minutes the craftsman has a perfectly copied replica that will never be used in practice, but instead bought by thousands of tourists for 10 euros per pair. Ahh, you gotta love capitalism – one guy gets a shoe, one guy gets rich, and everyone goes away happy.


Of course they have hundreds of variations: cowboy boots, painted shoes, high heels, sports cleats, etc. Like I mentioned before, a typical tourist trap – and yes – we got suckered into buying a pair.

The day ended just as anyone who knows Amanda and Phil would think it would end --- with a stop for ice cream. This stop was a little more exciting than the normal “Cold Stone Creamery”, because this guy has been in the same spot, selling the same ice cream for 32 years.