What Kind of Flower Grows On Your Face?

A Tulip, of course!

We saw many, many, many tulips last week at Keukenhof Garden in Lisse, Netherlands. I highly recommend the destination; however, don’t take a bus trip and don’t go on a Saturday.

Keukenhof is a beautiful botanical garden that is open only 2 months out of the year, when bulbs have emerged from their winter slumber. We enjoyed perfect sunny weather. Because we were on a bus tour, our time in the Garden was quite limited. Because it was a sunny Saturday, it was incredibly crowded.

All around the garden are fields of flowers.

This was not a trip that the whole family was enthusiastic about, but there was plenty to do besides look at tulips.

How often do you get to wear giant wooden shoes?

Or meet a world famous rabbit?

Or play on a playground? (Actually, that happens just about daily but it is still fun.)

Or see a really cool bridge?

Or check out some water fountains?

We took lots of photos and tried not to get in the way of the thousands of other people taking photos. It was not easy.

And though they might not admit it, I think the boys had a good time.

I absolutely loved Keukenhof! This was one of my favorite experiences in Europe so far. I’m already planning to come back next year – by myself, in a car, on a weekday.

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10 Fun Things To Do In Norway

What else is there to do in Norway? Here are 10 ideas…

1. Head Inland. The moutains are beautiful. The boys wanted to get to the snow but that was a little too far.

2. Shop for Norwegian Sweaters. Marvel at the workmanship – and the prices. Buy mittens instead.

3. Recall the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

4. Renact it.

5. Find something to climb on. Pretend you’re a Viking.

6. Make a candle. Or at least put the finishing touches on one.

7. Meet some locals. Don’t be offended if they are not very chatty.

8. Look at the waterfalls. Stop the car frequently to take pictures.

9. Climb on some rocks. If you’re not climbing, worry that someone is going to fall.

10. Take a plenty of pictures.

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Geopark

The oil industry is big in Stavanger, Norway. There is quite an international community thanks to the employment opportunities, and even an Oil Museum. We did not go to the museum but we did check out Geopark next door. This is an outdoor “playground” made of old drilling equipment, decorated with graffiti. (I’m not sure if the graffiti is intentional, but it did add color and a grunge/industrial flavor to the park.) The boys loved climbing all over and had it not been raining, I’m sure we could have spent hours here. It was Mom and Dad who were ready to quit first.

These photos are captionless because I have no idea what the original use of the equipment was. There were some signs and placards but not in a language I could read or understand. However, pictures speak louder than words so check out the coolest playground in Stavanger, Geopark!

 

 

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A Three Hour Tour (a three hour tour…)

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale of a not-so-fateful trip. It did start at a port (but not a tropic one) and was three hours long, but that is where any similarities to a 1960′s sitcom end. There may have been a millionaire and his wife aboard, or possibly a professor and a movie star, but they were incognito. I may or may not have called Jeremy “Lovey” during the trip.

At any rate, the fjord cruise we took while in Norway was a great experience.

The brochure said it was “The world’s most beautiful adventure.” I’d bet this was true when it is sunny because even with clouds and occasional rain drops it was pretty amazing.

We were surrounded by hills.

At first we saw some signs of civilization – a small home here and there – but the landscape became all about nature as we went farther into the fjord.

This was an interesting rock formation. It was called a pothole and we were told that it was used as a bathtub for area residents heading to church.

Hills, water, rocks, occasionally another boat. That is the scenery we enjoyed while playing many games of Go Fish. (For the record, I didn’t win a single game.)

This is Fantahala, Vagabond’s Cave. A group of citizens were on the run from the authorities took shelter here. Apparently they did not pay their taxes. Sales tax is currently 25% so I can understand why. Look closely in the middle of the picture to see what looks like a person – I assure you, it is just a mannequin.

These goats are just as much of an attraction as anything else on the tour. They are well trained – as soon as a boat is nearby they come running!

Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) is a very interesting rock formation – it’s the squared off part that juts out over the edge. Many hike up to the top but my acrophobia prevented us from doing so. Legend has it that if seven brothers marry seven sisters it will fall down into the fjord and cause a tidal wave. Thomas worried about that happening for the rest of our time in Norway.

There’s still snow on top of the mountains but it is melting and the waterfalls formed by the runoff are beautiful.

The water is clean and drinkable – the staff took a sample with a bucket and gave everyone a drink. Andrew said it tasted like ice.

This photo is a reminder that when you ask a stranger to take a photograph, you never know what you’re going to get. All four of us were lined up and smiling, but only Jeremy and I made it in the picture. And yes, it was very windy, why do you ask?

Soon three hours had passed and we were back at the dock.  There’s more Norway posts to come, but excuse me while I hit YouTube for some reruns of Gilligan’s Island.

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Have it your way, Norway

For our second Spring Break adventure we headed north to Stavanger, Norway. Never heard of it? Neither had we until our friends were sent there courtesy of the U.S. Air Force. Since we were neighbors once again (albeit a little more distantly than when we lived in Biloxi, Mississippi) we hopped on a train, then a monorail, then a bus, then a couple of planes and headed for a visit. Unfortunately we did not see any reindeer, Vikings, or trolls.

For those without an atlas handy, Stavanger is in the southwest corner of Norway, along the North Sea.  It is along a fjord (no surprise there) and there are plenty of lakes around. These three swords were erected to commemorate the unification of Norway back in 872. (Norway didn’t become an independent country until 1905!)

 

According to the  boys, the highlight of their visit to this beach and possibly the whole trip was that Jeremy found this clam. They named him “Clammy” and really wanted to bring him home as a pet. (Sorry, no.) They also wanted to come back and visit him and make sure he had found another clam because according to Andrew, “Everybody needs at least one friend.”

I enjoyed our time in downtown Stavanger. It was a nice mix of historic (like the oldest church in all Norway, as seen above)

and modern, like this hip phone booth. On second thought, maybe the phone booth is historic also. Who uses a pay phone anymore?

Since it was Spring Break we did go to the beach.

And since our boys got to help decide where to go we did visit some WWII sites, including a collection of bunkers.

We had three jam-packed days in Stavanger and I’ll draw that out into at least 3 posts. So stay tuned to hear more about our fjord cruise, the adventure in the hills, and maybe even more excitement!

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Back to the Bis-Bis

We still love the second-hand stores in the area, and although we haven’t found anything as big as this lately, we have found a few little treasures:

This metallic mold is probably for chocolate, but I was thinking it would make a fantasti butter lamb, even if it is so large it might be hazardous to one’s cardiac health. (If you’ve ever spent Easter in Buffalo, NY you know exactly what I’m talking about!) The candles were intended for our advent wreath, but alas, they are too skinny. I can either get creative with wax-molding or we can use them for a birthday cake where we sing “Happy Birthday” really, really slowly. (They were only 95 Euro cents. I can’t remember the price of the lamb.)

Jeremy is collecting beer glasses. Apparently a fermented beverage will taste better if partaken in a specially designed glass. It’s not too painful to build a collection at 50 cents each.

These are intended to be future gifts for people who will remain nameless.

A couple of reuseable frozen cooler things. We used to have a whole stash of these but during past road trips I think we’ve left them in various freezers around the country. Only 75 cents!

If only we had a record player…Check eBay for these treasures sometime in the future!

I needed a teacup for a tea party I was attending. A Euro for the pair.

Nice jacket for a 9-year-old. So far we haven’t convinced him to wear it, but perhaps his discriminating taste will see how practical and stylish it is. 4.50€.

And the big find of the day: Cross country skis! 7.95€ per pair! There are great paths around for skiing. Now we just need to get some ski boots and some snow. Maybe next winter.

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Bonn There, Done That

On our way back home we stopped in the city of Bonn. This was once the capital of West Germany, and was also the home of a noted composer, but there were two other things we wanted to see.

The first was Heerstrasse, a street that caught my attention while browsing on Pinterest. The original photograph was so stunning that I found the name of the photographer and sent an email inquiring exactly when and where the photograph was taken.

We were there less than one year later (April 3rd vs April 10th) and while beautiful, the scene was just not the same. I am not familiar with the life-cycle of a cherry blossom tree so I am not sure if we were too late or too early. The trees had leaves but no blossoms (making me think I was too late) but there weren’t any petals on the ground (making me think we were too early.) Ah well, we’ll try again next year.

The second stop was on that was a bit more appealing to the taste buds (and the children): The Haribo Factory Store. Tucked away in a low-key neighborhood on the south side of Bonn, this little treasure was not difficult to find. Sadly, there was no factory tour, but the store had virtually every gummi product made by Haribo – all at discount prices!

In one corner of the store there was a display about the history of the company. I’m sure it would have been quite informative if I understood German. This bear was orating on the virtues of gummi candy.

There were a few little rides for the kiddos. And they were FREE! (emphasis: Thomas)

The display paled in comparison to what really brought us to this destination: the CANDY. I got a sugar-high just breathing the air.

  

To say the selection was immense was an understatement. Fortunately, this section allowed us to limit the damage by purchasing just a few pieces at a time instead of a whole package.

The store was quite crowded with French schoolkids. Their tour bus pulled up just as we arrived. They were doing their part to keep the German economy rolling. Considering how much candy they were buying, I’d venture to say there were a few cases of bus-sickness in their future.

Thanks, Haribo, for living up to your slogan.

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Spring Break Quick Trip

It’s spring break! Yay for 2 weeks off of school. Our first adventure was to head to Ramstein Air Base for a couple of nights. Of course we indulged in shopping and American food, but we did see friends and take in a few of the sights.

We stayed in Landstuhl and decided to explore a nearby castle. It was a lovely walk in the woods and it took us about 15 minutes (including time spent looking for walking sticks. checking out dead beetles, and crying over lost Skittles.)

There’s a great view from the top. Can you see what caught Andrew’s attention?

The castle at the top is just ruins which really suits two boys perfectly. They aren’t so interested in old furniture and tapestries any how! Unfortunately, the castle is closed on Mondays so we couldn’t go inside.

We just took a lap around, took some photos, and then headed back downhill.

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One Year!

It was one year ago that we moved to Germany.

This anniversary seems like a momentous occasion. Thomas suggested that we have a party. I can’t disagree, but at the same time I’m not sure what exactly we’re celebrating. Is it that we survived what was probably the most challenging move to date? Is it that we’re one more year closer to moving back to the U.S.? Perhaps a remembrance of the amazing year we’ve had – great experiences, wonderful travels, good friends? (For proof of that, just look through the archives of this blog!)

I once read that the brain perceives time by the visual images processed. The more new things you see, the more time the brain senses has gone by. (This is why it seems like driving to a new place takes a long time, but the return trip seems so much faster.) This make sense when I think about how the year seemed to go. The first few weeks crawled by. I remember at one point thinking, “We’ve only been here a month? How will I survive the next 35?” Then, as things became more familiar and less intimidating, the pace picked up. The last 6 months have flown by. At this rate we’ll be packing those suitcases for our return trip in the blink of an eye!

P.S. To our friends and family: This is a gentle reminder that you have just 24 more months to visit Germany with free lodging and brilliant tour guides.

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