Crazy Vacation Stories

We have returned from our vacation in Scandinavia.  And what a vacation it has been!  Pictures will follow in the coming days, but in the meantime...

My husband an I were marveling at how many things happened to us when we were away.  So for a point, what two things did not happen on our trip?

Were invited by a Swede to knock on the door of the palace and ask for the royal family.
Ate reindeer.
Partied with scientists in a sauna.
Witnessed an accident and helped the wounded as the ambulance was called.
Saw a sunset after 11 PM.
Were held at gunpoint.
Listened to a Beatles cover band.
Ate bear.
Fell in the Baltic Sea.
Gave a moose a hug.
Saw a picnic in the pouring rain.
Talked to a Queen.
Talked to a German horse owner and bought a horse.
Spoke in 6 different languages.
Saw a space invader.
Saw a group of dancing and singing Hare Krishnas.
Received a Nobel Prize.
Checked into a hotel before 8 AM.
Listened to a Swedish military band.

I'm on a Boat!

Another part of my Dutch training took place this past week - for the first time in my life, I rode on a sailboat.  To add to the Dutchness of the event, even though it's summer, this outing took place when it was 45 degrees F and raining.  No Dutch day out is complete without being cold, being wet, or both.

Luckily, the boat had ample room where you could hang out "inside", complete with hot tea and coffee.

We gather around outside for orientation before we leave - which mostly consists of "where not to stand so you don't get hit by the boom as it comes flying over the deck".  One person asked what happens if you get hit by the boom.  The response was "you'll probably fly off the ship".  But he persisted - "Will it kill you?"  The owner of the boat responded simply, "Just don't try it."

Preparing the ship for departure by taking the sails out of their covers.

The raising of the sails.

We begin our trip.  We head out along an "artificial lake" made by setting up dikes, cutting off the sea from this new lake.  Over time, it freshens, and becomes a true lake.  On either side, we watch the "wildlife" as we sail past.

Even though it was raining, there were plenty of other sailboats out and about.  Rain doesn't stop the Dutch.  It just makes them complain about the weather more.

This one is manned by no other than Captain Jack Sparrow.

The owner of the boat steers the boat, and sports a truly waterproof suit.  Note my Greek friend in the background - not wearing waterproof gear.

This caused him to be soaking wet and cold.  He heads to the bottom part of the boat to warm up.

Windsurfers, taking advantage of the "slight breeze".

Explaining how the boat works as the rain continues (and my camera grows wetter and wetter).

Here are the locks on the main dike.  On the other side is the ocean.

The boat did a lot of tipping.  Here you can see my tea slanting severely.  Luckily, it's on a slip-proof matt!

Very clever!

But in general, I spent a lot of time on the boat, taking in the scenery and earning the respect of my Dutch colleagues for being able to survive the cold, rain, and wind.

Trying to hold on with the boat slanting.

I give work at sea a go.

Turn!  Turn harder!

Adjusting the sails.

After that adventure, we earned some time to warm up.  We enjoyed high tea - with delicious cranberry tea and biscuits with cream!

And here's my short movie entitled "I'm on a Boat!"

Some Old Rocks, Where Are You Taking Us?, and Other Stories

When my parents were here, we visited the Hunebedden, megalithic structures built 5,000 years ago by the very ancient Dutch.  These dot the countryside, so to visit them, we had to head far from the big cities.

On the way from the bus stop, we pass an interesting tree.

Multi-layer!

Many of the roofs in this town were made from thatch, similar to what was even used thousands of years ago!

While some like to mix modern with age-tested.

Finally we reach the first, and largest, Hunebedden   These rocks are all that is left.  5,000 years ago, the inhabitants of the area would search out large rocks.  When they found them, they would move them over a series of logs and compose a man-made cave, sort of like a mini-stonehenge, where the large rocks were placed on supporting rocks.  Cracks were filled with smaller rocks, and then the entire thing was covered in dirt.

Inside the Hunebedden.

This is what the chamber would have looked like thousands of years ago.

They were used as ancient burial chambers.

At the museum, there was a reconstruction of what a house of members of this community would have looked like.

It reminded me a lot of similar dwellings that we saw in Wales.

A really gneiss rock.

Sorry for my geology humor.

When the Hunebedden were made, rocks were transported by rolling them on a series of logs, like this.

After the museum, we head out into the country-side (on foot) to find more Hunebedden!

My dad begins to question whether I know where the heck I am going.

Of course I do!  Muuhahaha!

The local wildlife.

Before too long, we find a few smaller Hunebedden in a cluster amid the trees.

This one has a huge tree growing around it today.

And a point if you can name the name of the people who made these Hunebedden 

Heading on our way back,

and even passing more windmills!

Windmilli?

New York Round Up

All in all, we really enjoyed our weekend in New York City.

Everybody dance now!

We took a ferry to pass by the Statue of Liberty, which is still closed due to the hurricane.

But we could see it from a distance.

Along with Ellis Island.

On our way back, we saw something a bit frightening.  This ferry, much like ours, was listing wildly to one side.  I was happy it didn't tip over!  A point if you could guess what would cause such a big boat to tip like this.

Approaching the spectacular skyline of New York.

Within the concrete jungle.

Bram, thinking about something deep, I'm sure.

We also walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, afterwards eating pizza in one of the many famous Brooklyn pizzarias directly under the bridge.

The view of Manhattan from Brooklyn.

Who better to spend the weekend with?  He's a special guy for sure.