Cliffs of Dover

Since we had 3 days in England, we decided to take a day trip. I had a book “The 25 Best Day trips from London” so I tossed it to Boyd and let him pick. We all figured he was more of the history person than the rest of us so he could make a good decision. He had a hard time deciding between Battle, where the Battle of Hastings took place and Dover, where the big white chalk cliffs are. It turned out to be a great decision on Boyd’s part.

We jumped a train for about an hour and a half ride down to Dover. We talked to the man on the train selling refreshments and he gave us the hints on where to go. We followed around the city map and went to the tourist information booth and they told us take the bus up to the castle because it is a long walk and when Europeans say that, we listen. After waiting a few minutes and staring into a pretty stream, we caught the bus up to the castle. When we paid the entrance they asked if we wanted to sign up for the War Time Tunnels tour free of charge. We said yes and then set off to explore the castle. The castle was really neat because everything was open. There were no rooms roped off and they had a lot set up like it might have been back in the day. The castle has served a lot of purposes over the year ranging for a place for royalty to stay all the way down to a prison. We also learned why a bathroom is called a W.C. (Water closet) because they kept their clothes where they used the restroom because the ammonia would keep the moths away. I’ve always wondered that, and now I have the answer.

After exploring the castle, and purchasing a bottle of mead, we headed to the tour meeting place to explore the tunnels. The tunnels were expanded and used during WWII and were going to be a backup plan during the Cold War in case nuclear war. Considering the cliffs are chalk, they determined that it wasn’t the best idea due to how porous the rock is. The tunnels were also used as a make shift hospital during the wars and offered suffered condensation buildup that would drip on the control rooms that helped communicate to the rest of the world and run missions for evacuating soldiers from France.

It was a great day exploring another part of England and drinking the mead on the train ride back. It was terribly sweet, but if someone offered me another glass, either iced or warm, I would take it. Room temperature wasn’t the prime drinking temperature. I don’t have any pictures because I let Karla the photographer take the pictures and we haven’t all exchanged pictures yet but trust me, they are great. If you want to know more about Dover, you can click the link HERE.

Malmö

Friday morning I enjoyed sleeping in, again, and didn’t get a very early start. Due to this late start I wasn’t able to go and see any more sights in Copenhagen. There were a few things that I would have liked to have seen but I guess I’ll have to see them next time. When I got to the train station, I had to stand in a line that did not move for my train ticket. I watch all the other lines around me moving quickly and by the time I got the courage to switch lines, that line would have gotten a new influx of other impatient travelers. Usually, whenever I switch lines it seems that one gets stuck for some reason and then my old line moves rapidly. I decided to be patient as I wasn’t technically in a hurry. I bought my train ticket to Malmö from Copenhagen which goes over the Øresund bridge which is the first non water (ferry) connection between Sweden and Denmark. The bridge started construction in 1995 and was finished in 1999 3 months ahead of schedule even though they ran into a few setbacks (finding unexploded WWII bombs on the sea floor and a skewed tunnel segment). You can check out more information on the bridge and see aerial photos of it HERE.

My guide book told me (again) to start with a canal tour and since this one left right across from the train station, that is exactly what I did after stashing my bag in a locker. I am getting pretty good at that now but I did have a few mishaps and lost about $5 due to the machine being mean. I headed over and bought my ticket for the boat but I had about a 20 min wait since I just missed the last one. I walked into the city square and took some pictures and grabbed a warm chi tea because it was FREEZING out. I then headed back to the boat dock and started bundling up and wrapping my scarf for maximum warmth since I knew it was only going to get colder being on the water. The water cruise was a bit over an hour long and like Copenhagen; their harbor area is becoming quite inhabited and new modern housing buildings are being built left and right. Malmö also has a few luxurious gardens, one of which is the King’s Garden that I strolled through. It was a quick few hours there but very enjoyable.

A fountain and pretty flowers in the King's Garden

Cute little houses

These ducks almost attacked me. I reas ready to start kicking but luckily they flew off before things got dirty.

They put cats and fountains on the stairs so that people feel less lonely sitting on them enjoying the river

I had to include a Swedish viking ship

Copenhagen

Well, last Wednesday evening I flew out of Schipol direction Copenhagen for my first trip alone. I have travelled alone but I have always had somebody waiting for me on the other end. This time, I was all on my own. I didn’t arrive in Copenhagen till around 11 pm and I caught the train ticket agent just before they closed. I got situated and hopped on the right train and headed into town. Thinking back, I’m surprised how easy it was. I guess once you figure out these European systems, the rest goes pretty smoothly. I forgot my papers with the map to my hotel but I have a visual of it in my head and I start walking off in the direction I see hordes of drunken teenagers walking. I figured that would be a good sign of the direction of city center, or at least a bar. Thursday, May 13th, was Ascension Day which is a pretty big holiday across Europe I guess everyone was making the most of their day off. My hotel was super easy to find, right on the main square in downtown Copenhagen. I was going to go for a hostel, but I chickened out and after seeing how everyone was partying, I am sort of glad I was able to seclude myself from the masses.

I had big plans for Thursday but really nothing planned. I just wanted to go out and see the city. Well, my plans got delayed a bit by my love for sleep so I took advantage of the free time and slept in. I then enjoyed a not-cheap breakfast and headed out into the city. The book said to take the canal tour first to get situated with the city but I decided to stop by the royal area first. The 3rd major palace is located in the area as well as a few royal museums. Since it was a holiday, most things were closed. I didn’t think about that one. However, in the palace you can go down into the cellar/basement area and see the foundation remains from the 2 previous palaces that were built in the exact same spot. It seems that history repeats itself, though, because they both burnt down due to stove pipes not being cleaned properly and catching on fire.

My guide book recommended a few cafés to take a break at while following their recommended walking tour. I figured, if the book says so, it must be good. It was. I took a break at Cap Horn one of Copenhagen’s first organic restaurants. It is located by the old harbor, Nyhavn, with outdoor seating over looking the water and boats. One of the Danish staples is Smørrebrød and they had a wide variety of them. It means bread and butter which it is usually a piece or dense rye bread with butter and topped with fish or meats. I went for pickled herring, salmon, and roast beef. I had to eat herring once while I was in the area and it was quite delicious. They all were in fact. Since I enjoyed my lunch for 2 hours I ended up taking a late boat tour that was only supposed to last an hour but ended up going for about 1.5 hours. This isn’t usually a big deal but it made me late enough that I wasn’t able to go into anything else because everything was closed. I enjoyed the tour, though, and learned a lot about the city and its history. In the evening, I made my way back to the hotel slowly enjoying the city and an ice cream on the way. For dinner my book recommended visiting Tivoli gardens and a restaurant located in there.

Tivoli gardens are basically a large, classy theme park. They have rides, roller coasters, performing theaters, games, and a wide variety of food establishments ranging from vendor carts to gourmet restaurants. The nice part about going North is that spring is just now arriving and their tulips are just starting to bloom. I loved being surrounded by flowers…again so I had to take plenty of pictures. I decided not to go with the guide book and go with the happening resteraunt which is usually a good sign according to “Restaurant Roulette” and this time it didn’t disappoint. I read my book while having a peaceful dinner glancing up at families with running, screaming kids and thankful I didn’t have to worry about those yet. After dinner I walked through the park and even treated myself to a small Candy Floss (cotton candy) because I hadn’t had any in YEARS and I figured I was in the right place for it. I also remember why I probably won’t have any again for another several years. The sticky fingers just aren’t worth it! I have included more than enough pictures and I hope they aren’t boring. Tomorrow, my trip to Sweden!!

This is the town hall with a world clock inside that has 14,000 moving parts displayed between a double sided glass case. It was closed though, so I didn't witness it.

The 3rd of the Copenghagen palaces, of which the ruins from the first 2 are located underneath it

The royal library

Nyhavn

Nyhavn

This is the only picture I have of me in Copenhagen (the downside to travelling alone) so I thought I would include it as proof. I feel like it makes me look old and displays my future crows feet. I need to invest in some of that anti wrinkle cream!

The old harbor was historically industrial and the city is trying to make it into the new, hip area. Many modern buildings are being built, including this one, the new theater.

This used to be the largest ship building factory in Denmark. Now, it is modern apartments

These used to be cannon boat houses. Since the slope towards the water, the cannons could easily be rolled out onto boats and ships quickly if needed. Now, they are offices, meeting rooms and apartments.

Amalienborg, the queen's residence. I think the name correlation means something

The inside area of palace area

A building in Tivoli park. During my visit there, I got to watch a pantomime performance about arranged marriages and giving your first born child to the devil. Quite interesting

Couldn't skip the flowers

The roller coaster and chinese house in Tivoli. Also, bumper boats. They didn't look like much fun since one could probably row faster than they moved.

More pretty flowers :)

The main characters from the most famous Danish author, Hans Christian Anderson. I even bought one of his books there containing his 14 most famous stories including the Little Mermaid, the Ugly Duckling, and The Emporer's New Clothes. I didn't get to see the little mermaid sitting on the habor shores because she was in China at the Danish World Expo exhibit. I am still a bit dissapointed

Joe & The Juice have the right idea. I don't know if you can read, but some of the juices have interesting names. One way to sell your product!

I definitely couldn't miss taking a picture of a pink tulip!!

Liberation Day

Yesterday, May 5th, was Liberation day or, as the Dutch say, Bevrijdingspop. It is celebrated once every 5 years and I’m not totally sure why but I was told because they were in habited for 5 years by the Nazis. Wikipedia says they celebrate every year with a 2 minute silent memorial every year on May 4th for those who have died in war but I know they only get off work once every 5 years. I got lucky. So, it is a big deal and another reason for the Dutch to party so that’s what goes on. In Haarlem they have the biggest celebration in the whole country. It turns out; it all took place in the park across the street from my apartment.

I had a lot to do/see since we got the day of work and I had to go see the flowers again before they are out of season. I decided to start my Liberation day with flowers. As you can probably tell, this day will be stretched into multiple postings. First, you get happy flowers. I went to Keukenhof again. I just love that place! It closes May 18th and I’ve got a lot of plans between now and then so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it over there again or not. I had to see St. Basil’s cathedral in bloom since I had seen it at all of the other phases. It was beautiful and I’m glad I went. Maybe I’ll try to get there one more time before they close. I forgot my camera so I had to take pictures with my phone. Most of them turned out pretty well considering the circumstances, but some of the pinks look like purple. I’m not a fan of purple flowers, nor do I see them a lot. So picture them a vibrant pink and it is more accurate. Enjoy the happy flower pictures!!

St. Basil's Cathedral in bloom...finally!

It's a Plane!

(I meant to post this a few days ago, but something happened and it didn't work. I just noticed. Sorry!)

Yes, flying is back to “normal” around here. There are flights taking off and landing now, but I still feel that the skies are quieter than normal. Maybe the clouds are obscuring my view, but there are usually 5 planes in the ski at any given time and now, there are like 2. At least they are flying though. I’ve got a plane to catch in 2 weeks so I hope things are back to normal then. Shoot, I hope the airlines are still in business then! I’m very happy my industry is not dependent on the airlines. Granted, oil and natural gas has its own challenges but I cannot imagine how these 5-6 days of no flying has affected everything from hotels and caterers to airport shops and restaurants. Well, for the airport places maybe they made a killing having people trapped inside for days. This is just another reason why one should travel with a carry on at all times. At least then you’d have a spare set of clothes and tooth brush. You can survive with a few things.

At work, the radio is set on my desk so I get control of the music. I keep telling everyone I’m going to burn a CD with country music that they have to listen to ALL DAY. Maybe I’ll save it for my last day. They might kill me otherwise. Either way, I don’t have any blank CDs and have no idea if my computer can even burn CDs. I have begun to censor songs. There are two that I just CANNOT stand so if they come on, I shut the radio off. They are “The Winds of Change” and the stupid Firefly song. I don’t care, but any song that sings about being kissed by 10,000 fireflies does not deserve to be heard. The group generally doesn’t mind too much but they still give me a hard time. I’m sticking to my censorship though. I don’t want to be put in a bad mood because of a stupid song!

May 5th is the Dutch Independence day. As I was writing this, I realized it is the same day as Cinco de Mayo so I had to Google to find the reasoning behind it. It is Liberation Day which marks the end of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands after WWII. Liberation day is generally celebrated every 5 years. Wikipedia said they it became recognized as a national holiday in 1990 to be celebrated every year, but the guys explained it to me as only being celebrated every 5 years. Well, I guess I got lucky then, I get the Wednesday off. There is a large outdoor looking concert in Haarlem on that day so I might go find that and see what it is all about. Hopefully the weather will be nice. It has been sunny the past few days but only about 10C which is 50F. That is cold enough to not make a person want to enjoy the outdoors.

Prague

Mom and I arrived safely in Germany on Thursday afternoon just in time for a dinner with Doris' family and a small celebration for my birthday. Doris' mom makes amazing food and cakes so we got treated very well. My mom also got to meet Klaus' (Doris' brother) new fiance. They will be having a wedding in September, I hope I can make it back!

Doris looked up the Prague special online and called the train station to confirm. You can buy the tickets at the automats and they leave about every 3 hours. We decided the 9:20ish train would work perfectly for us so we headed to the station with a good 30 minutes extra so that we had time to buy the tickets. What the lady didn't tell Doris was where to find the tickets on the automat. Since it was a holiday, hardly anybody was working and the train station was packed. Time was ticking away and we still hadn't found out how to get the tickets. They were tucked away in some odd little area on the machine and we couldn't find them. We were on the verge of missing the train and about to give up hope but I found a nice man helping stranded travellers and he showed us how to get the tickets. We had about 7 minutes till the train left, it was already waiting up on the platform. That started our 5 hour journey on a cramped, hot train to Prague.

Minus being squished between people, we were happy to have a seat. The train was an older one with cabins that contained 6 seats each and a hallway that ran the length of each car. There were 3 of us travelling and there wern't a lot of seats open in 3s. We got lucky and found some but that didn't leave much room. We were happy though, because as the train went on it only got fuller and people were camping out in the hallways by the end of it.

We finally made it to Prague!

Doris, Mom, and I in front of the Charles Brige, the Vtlava river, and the city's Castle.

We checked into our room at the Olympik hotel. It wasn't in the main part of the city so that we could keep it cheaper, but the hotel also lacked a bit of "elegance." The hotel was a bit out of date and after looking at 2 rooms we chose the "suite." We got a room with a king (two singles pushed together) and a couch that pulled out into a bed. The cute little bell boy that helped us didn't speak English or German so we were left to basic words and actions. He split the king bed apart to two single beds and told us "No Sex!" We all laughed. Then he pulled out the couch and showed us how that worked and how "soft" that was. Mom tested it, it wasn't soft. The little man went and got some cushions (similar to couch cusions but the size of a twin bed) to put on top of the couch bed. He put 2 side by side then informed us that that bed was the "Good Sex!" bed. We were happy to have that clarified, it was a very confusing fact we were pondering. Mom gave him all her change as a tip and he seemed happy.

We decided to head off into the city. You could buy tickets at the metro stop or the lady sold them. Well she only sold day tickets and wouldn't give us change for buying gum. I actully wanted gum! So I bought a bottle of water and gum then she had to give us change. We finally got enough for tickets and headed into the city to see the bridge and the old plaza. Everything was packed! Not just busy, but unpleasantly, elbow throwing packed. It was aweful! We made it 1/4 of the way across Charles bridge then decided to turn back and headed to the square where we just fought more crowds. We wanted a restuarant and tried to find one but it was booked up the whole night and asked for a recomendation and he sent us to one around the corner. It was quite tasty!

My mother and I on the Charles Bridge. The weather was amazing the whole time!

Doris and I on the old plaza where the Easter market was taking place

Doris and I with our duck

For dinner at the restaurant we had a started with duck. It's quite popular here and Mom had heard that it was tasty so we got a plate. I have never really had it but it was very declicious! We all had traditional food consisting of goulash, potato paties, sausages, and cabbage.

We wondered around the square more and saw the historical astrological clock. We couldn't handle the crowds any more so we headed back to our hotel. Since it was out of the city we had to take the subways everywhere. Their system is pretty good but they decided to build it 6 miles under the ground! These were the steepest, fastest escalators I have ever seen.

The tunnel going down. It would have made a great ski slope!

On Saturday we headed up to the castle. It's a bit of a hike up and Mom and Doris were a bit tired we we took it slowly. We apparently had the same plan as the rest of the tourists and by the time we made it up there it was packed with lines coming out of every which way. There was a HUGE line for the info office! Last time Doris and I went there were no crowds. We visited the castle at night and were the only ones there. It was almost creepy. Not this time, people after people after people. We didn't go into the church or museums or anything with a line. It wasn't worth it.

Doris and I at the castle.

A view of the city from the castle. It was so beautiful!

Doris and I with a view of the Charles bridge and castle in the back ground.

After fighting the crowds at the castle we walked down and headed the direction of the Charles bridge. We had to walk across it at least once for mom. On our way we found a cute restaurant near the water with a great view of the bridge. The sun was shining and we wanted to take advantage of it and sit and enjoy it. We had some wine, beer, and hot coco and wanted to split a cream brulee. Well minus the fact it took an hour for the desert, it was very enjoyable. We then walked across the bridge and headed to the plaza for a look around. Doris wanted to take us to her favorite restaurant but it turned out to be closed down. There was a place in my book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die, called U Fleku. The book said to go, that the beer was brewed and only served there (not bottling or distribution) and they just serve you. You don't order, or have a choice. You sit down, get a schnapps (similar to Goldschlagger) and have a beer. It is a dark beer but light and tasty.

We made it to U Fleku!

We all ordered something for lunch and it turned out to be pretty decent. Mom got more duck, and I went for sausages. Doris munched off our plates. There was more than plenty of food for all of us! An older man came and played old classics from different countries on the acordian. It was a great time.

An ancient Jewish cemetary

After lunch we wanted to see an old Jewish cemetary in the Jewish quarter but since it was Saturday, everything was closed (Sabbath). We did get a glimpse of it though, from a museum window. It was an odd museum that had old clocks and clothes, and advertisements from hundreds of years ago. There was also and exhibition of the lady who created plastic blow up toys such as pool rafts. Yup, somebody had to invent those, and she was from Prague.

On Sunday we just hung out in the square. We wanted to go see the cemetaries, but there was a line so we just went and had some ice cream instead. It was a great time. On the train ride back, we got there early and was able to secure a cabin for ourselves for the entire journey home. The window worked so it never got too warm and we were able to snooze and read and enjoy the company.

Doris' mom had dinner prepared for us on Sunday evening when we returned and we got a sneak peak that the cake she had prepared for Easter lunch. It was a great trip and I'm glad Mom finally got to see Prague, after Doris promising to take her there for 10 years. It has become more expensive since it has become a tourist destination, but definitely still a place to see before you die!

Belgium

On Tuesday (March 30) Mom and I headed to Bruges, Belgium for a short excursion. Kelly and I had wanted to go see this medieval city for awhile now because it was the only town in Belgium that any Dutch person recommended. We left around 8:30 Tuesday morning and started our journey. We got into a bit of traffic and road construction but for the most part it was an uneventful 3 hour drive. TomTom took us right to our hotel and we had picked a wonderful centrally located hotel. It was right on the Burg which is the big historic plaza in the middle of the city. Right outside our window we could see the town hall. It was such a beautiful building! See below…

The city hall

The canals, buildings, and bridges were just so beautiful and old!

The most famous/pretty point in Bruges. Canals and buildings and my Mom! A girl can't ask for much more......

I had downloaded a walking tour of the city so we set off on our destinations and tourist book recommendations. The tour took us along the old canals and buildings and bridges. It was such a quaint city that was very peaceful. The streets had people, but not obnoxiously full like in Prague (future post). We met some teachers from Virginia who were visiting on Spring Break. We had to go to at least one museum so we hit up the Groeningemuseum which was a neat place with many old paintings. Many museums start to look the same so we didn’t spend a whole lot of time there. We were on a schedule! After the museum our tour took us to the Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan, a local brewery. Now, THAT is an important stop! Mom and I had a beer…or two….and let our feet have a break. After we had built up our energy we headed off for more walking and touring. After the break we headed to the Church of Our Lady in Bruges for a viewing of Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child. It is the only statute to leave Italy during Michelangelo’s life time. It was bought by a family of wealthy cloth merchants who were from Bruges, one of the leading commercial cities in Europe during the time.

The detail of the statue was amazing! The way the cloth draped and the faces were formed. He was really a talented artist!

After that, Mom and I were tired so we made our way back to the Market and we wanted to take a carriage ride around the city. It was reasonably priced so we hopped in. Now, our driver was not an animated happy man which led to a slightly less than amazing tour and explanation of the city. He also over emphasized his “Rs” so he sounded slightly Scottish and like he might have been from a cartoon. As it turns out, though, that Mom and I had hit most of the city highlights on our walking tour. The few that we missed happened to be right around the corner of where we turned around and headed to the Market. The horse stopped to take a break by the beguinage ‘De Wijngaard' (the vineyard). The flowers were blooming so it was a beautiful sight.

The Beguine

Shops along the Market square

The sun was setting and we were tired and getting hungry. We headed to the room for a little break then re-gathered our things and headed to the Market for some mussels. The skies had taken a turn for the worse but just as we had reached the Market it started to poor rain and the wind REALLY kicked up. Mom and I hurried to the protection of a restaurant and ducked in just in time. We sat there in the warmth and dryness and watched people scurrying across the square and umbrellas blow inside out. We were happy where we were. We had ordered the local style of mussels which meant they were cooked in some sort of garlic curry broth and they were AMAZING! It was such a nice treat! After that Mom and I headed to another restaurant for dinner. It had stopped raining by then so we figured we should make a go of it while we could. Well, the book told us about this nice place that cooked all their food with beer and served complementary beer to the food choices. We figured anything with beer was a safe bet so we headed that way. Turns out this place is pretty fancy and coveted! It was a Tuesday night and we only got in by luck. They originally said they were full so we turned to leave and then she happened to find a table for us. We know why they were full; they only serve each table once per evening. I think we had a 3 hour dinner with 4 courses, which included 4 glasses of beer. After that we were stuffed and really tired so we waddled our way back to the hotel and rest up for Wednesday.

On Wednesday we had planned to head to Ghent and Antwerp because Ghent came as a recommended city as well and I wanted Mom to see Antwerp and the cathedral (and diamonds). Well, they weather was still nasty and windy and cold. We were both drained from the long day in Bruges and Mom was a bit toured out from all of her previous excursions in Africa. We stopped in Ghent and walked downtown to see the St. Bravo Cathedral that houses the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, which is considered to be their most famous works. The church also housed paintings from Peter Paul Rubens. We didn’t last long wondering the city fighting the wind and rain.

We skipped Antwerp all together and headed back for a relaxing afternoon in Haarlem where the weather was considerably better. Mom and I did a bit of shopping after a nap then had a small bite to eat. I also got a pretty watch for my birthday. It’s big, shiny, and has a pink watch band, my new favorite. It is also automatic so it charges itself by movement and you can see all of the gears in it. Pretty cool!

On Thursday mom and I had tickets to fly to Germany to see Doris and her family and take an Easter weekend trip to Prague. Those stories and pictures to come later! Stay tuned!

Keukenhof

Last Thursday, March 18, Kelly, her mom, her Mom's friend, and I headed to Keukenhof. It was officially opened the day before by Princess Maxima and Mrs Svetlana Medvedeva, wife of the President of the Russian Federation. It has been a long cold winter so we wern't sure how many flowers would be blooming but we took our chances and headed there on opening day.

It is a beautiful garden that is rather large. There are ponds and fountains and trees and a windmill. Most of the flowers wern't in bloom yet but there were still several indoor structures that housed many flowers and flowerbeds. Those were decked out and in full bloom. There were also pots of plants scattered throughout the park to add color and beauty.

Of course I had to take a picture of the pink tulip!! I'm working on my photography skills and trying to be more creative. I'm not sure how it is working, but I do like the tulip picture!!

They had a group out singing under the windmill. They were singing fun, upbeat, happy songs for the opening day. I have no idea how long they were there since we didn't get there until late afternoon, but they were very enjoyable!

These little suckers are blooming all over the country side. They are in the medians of the roads, scattered around parks, and can be bought at the grocery store. They are a bulb plant, but I'm not sure if they are officially a tulip or something similar. Since they are so common I could probably find out a lot of information about them if I investigated it further. I haven't, my appoligies.

Red tulips might be my new favorite. Even more so than pink. I know, its quite the shocker. They are just so radiant and pretty. We even had some at our house a few weeks ago and they are still my favorite. There is just something about their deep, vibrant color.

Of course I had to take a picture by the pink potted plants. I think these might have been hydrangeas but I can't promise. I did learn something about hydrangeas though, that their blooms change color with the acidity levels in the soil. Stu gave Kelly one while he was here and I'm not sure if its dead yet, but it is headed that way. We are not good flower people.

See! They had lots of flowers planted indoor! A wide variety of all colors of tulips. Even they were still on the verge of blooming though. I guess you can't see all the flowers at once and it makes sense that they stage the flowers to bloom during different periods so that the place is always beautiful. I guess I'll be making a few trips back. One of which will be this weekend with my Mom when she comes. I wonder how much will have changed during this week of warm weather and sunshine.

The theme for Keukenhof this year is "From Russia with Love" which is why the gardens were also opened with the help of the Russians. They also bred a new type of tulip called the VVV tulip, and its baptism will be March 31 at 12. I know this from the web site HERE. I have not become a lunatic tulip follower...at least not yet. They are pretty plants though! Below is a picture of an indoor exhibit we saw. They were still setting it up and getting things ready, but there's nothing like a ballerina dancing in the flowers!

Below, they have carved out and planted a mosiac of St. Basil's Cathedral. I can't wait to see this in bloom! I will probably have to go back several times to see everything in bloom. I might look into their spring pass. The story though, is that after the architect designed and built the cathedral the "President" of Russia had him blinded so he could not recreate anything to compete with it. I'm glad I wasn't born in Russia although I would love to go there someday!

These tulips have a crinkly type edge around them, sort of like they are wilting but not. I have never seen such tulips until I bought them last week at the local flower vendor. I thought they looked interesting. Of course the tulips here are much prettier than the ones we had, but I still find the deep red ones my favorite.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures of the flowers! It sounds like you will be seeing more of them when I go with Mom this weekend. I can't wait for her to arrive and be able to do a bit of touring. We have planned to go to Delft, Brugge, Antwerp, Amsterdam, and then Nurnberg and Prague. It will be a fun but busy week while she is here. I have taken off a few days of work to be able to spend extra time with her. It is a very great birthday present, I couldn't ask for more....but then we are going to the diamond district.....