Amster-, Amster- Sh, sh, sh!

So this was a special trip for my older brother Rob to show us around his mission. We went to the Netherlands, Belgium and Koln, Germany, but I somehow have no pics from the latter two places.

Dad and Rob in the rental car at the airport. See how excited we were to be there?

At the train station in Amsterdam (hereafter to be called A-dam, for brevity's sake). And this photo is important to me on another level, because pretty much everyone says I look like my dad, which is a compliment, but look how much my mom and I look alike here!

I've heard A-dam called the Venice of northern Europe, because it is a city of bridges. Therefore, we took a boat ride to tour the city and see what there was to see. Rob being punk on the boat.

Dad being punk.

I don't know what any of these buildings are, but I really appreciated the architecture in A-dam.

My sentiments exactly:

Several (if not all) of the buildings had these hooks at the top of the structures, because the buildings are so narrow and squished together: you can't bring furniture of the stairs, so you have to use a pulley and hoist them up and bring them in through the windows.

The tulip fields at Keukenhof (K-hof). We went in May, but apparently that's the end of the tulip harvesting season, because, as you see, the fields were bare. But there was still a beautiful park/garden to walk around.

This lady was making these HUGE bubbles. I'd never seen anything like it before and it was amazing.

Can you even believe that?

Pretty Mom!

Beating up Rob. What's a little sibling rivalry here and there?

View from our hotel in Noordwijk, which was actually my favorite stop on our whole trip and I didn't get any pictures! It was an adorable little coastal town, where I finally tasted bami, an Indonesian dish that is popular in the Netherlands. YUM! The food on this trip could take up an entirely different post. In fact I think the only bad meal I had on this trip was at an Egyptian restaurant in Antwerp (which, by the way, means "Hand-throwing" in Dutch). I tried lamb. It was rubbery. And I don't want to think about it anymore.

We also visited Delft, the setting for Girl with a Pearl Earring, which I read while I was there, not knowing it was going to take place there. That was a really neat experience. Delft is also origin of this well-known fashion:

We also went to the beautiful city of Brugge (in Dutch, Brugges to the French-speaking part of the city). This was another beautiful city of bridges and is lucky to be preserved. So much of the Netherlands and Belgium were damaged during WWII, but Brugge escaped bombing because this is where Hitler kept Eva Braun. And, alas, I have no pictures. But there we ate real Belgian waffles, and my mother fell in love with one of our waiters one night when he pronounced her name, "Juaneece." This is also the city where I infamously ordered the "Kass schotel" for dessert, thinking it was a cheese Danish. Imagine my surprise when they brought me out a GIANT platter of an assortment of cheeses. Which were very tasty, but nothing like a cheese Danish. My dad and brother still laugh when they recall the expression on my face. I mean, this platter was HUGE!!! Oh. And apparently, this city holds the cup of Christ's blood from the cross (along with a dozen other European cities, right?)

Waxing Nostalgic

Today my mother and sister leave on their British adventure. Jealous is not exactly the right word, perhaps wistful. In any case, in their travels, they will be visiting my old stomping grounds at Cambridge, a town I dearly love. So I've taken the opportunity of uploading some photos of my trips there. Warning: Lots of photos to follow.

This is the mathematical bridge. It is engineered to be self-supporting; it rests perfectly stable on the rock slabs on either side of the River Cam without any need of anchoring/fastening it to them.

Cambridge University is made up of 31 colleges, operating independently under the banner of Cambridge University. Each college has its own library and chapel and bridge (if it straddles the river). This is Wren Library at Trinity College (I think), which houses the original manuscripts to A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Clare College bridge, my favorite bridge along the River Cam.

Entrance to Trinity College (my favorite of the colleges), which was built under the reign of Henry VIII, from the Backs. The more prestigious universities have these beautiful back entrances lined with trees all the way up to the river.

I really miss this guy. Every day you'd find him playing from a different garbage can around town.

King's College Chapel. Famous not only for its political history, but its musical as well. It is this space of green which inspired the Pink Floyd song, "Lunatic." "The lunatic is on the grass..." The green in front is reserved walking ground for the fellows of the college--people will actually stare at you as if you were crazy should you attempt to walk across it. I need to convince my dad to take just one more skip across the pond after his Italian adventure this summer, just so he can stand here and check out the quaint and historical hometown of his favorite band.

The Old Lab at Newnham College, where many a woman has swooned listening to one Simon Browne rave about Thomas Tallis, Shakespeare, and "Spem in Alium". Newnham College is where Mom and I stayed on my second stint to this incredible university. The Old Lab is for theater students, and I'd like to think Emma Thompson, who attended this once all-girls college, practiced here.

Punts along the river.

Punting is the British version of gondola rides. God bless the British for their restraint: none of the punters sing, they just tell you the history as you punt past it.

My room at Mallory Court in Magdalene College, where I stayed on my first visit.

My private sitting room at Mallory Court. I'd sit here each night, write in my journal and postcards to friends.

The Round Church, one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. I believe it dates to the 12th century.

Selwyn College Court. Selwyn was where most of my classes were held.

The Bridge of Sighs, bridge to St. John's College. There is one of these in Venice, I understand, but I'm guessing this is the one Sting sang about.

The River Cam.

So... now we're in London. The Tower Bridge. I was lucky to get this photo, as this ship docks only 12 times each year. And I was riding on the Big Red Bus, so it's pretty much a miracle it's in focus.

Tower of London. Definitely the most worthwhile tourist attraction in the city. I'd so love to go back now that I know more of the history. I'd want to see the Tower Green (where Anne Boleyn and many others were executed) and the room Elizabeth Woodville's prince sons were staying in when they mysteriously disappeared, never to be heard from again. This complex houses an amazingly exciting history.

Leaving London... for Stonehenge! This picture is making me want to cut my hair like this again. What do you think, huh? It also must be said that my mother was thrilled to be at Stonehenge as well, if not for the mystery, then for the fact that it was a mere stone's throw from Sting's (and that pesky Trudy's).

This is a good image of what the whole structure might look like if it were still intact. All these portals let sunlight in at specific times of the year, casting light on a rock in the center, making this some kind of calendar... and that's pretty much all they know about it. Some people believe the mythical and mystical King Arthur built it; some believe the aliens put it here. Oh, and the moss that grows on the rocks doesn't grow anywhere else in the world (cue Twilight Zone music....NOW!).

Avebury, a similar monument not far away. Since it's less famous, you can walk around the rocks.

Me at Avebury. I think this was called the kissing rock. Mom? Do you remember?

Mom on the alleged kissing rock.

Castle Combe, and guess what? Now there's no need to go! Because this is the ENTIRE town.

The town of Lacock, where part of the Colin Firth P&P was filmed (yes, please!), and the abbey here served as part of Hogwarts in the filming of Harry Potter.

And if this wasn't enough, I found my Amsterdam pictures while looking for my England ones... so you can pretty much expect a post about that, too. :)