Tag Archives: Europe

The Wendi Files

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The Wendi Files:

I’ve been kicking around with Wendi for quite awhile now. When I was editing pictures the other day I realized that over the years, picture-by-picture, image-by-image, slowly but inevitably, I’ve turned into the chronicler of all things Wendi. While perusing the files it quickly became apparent the she has totally encompassed my entire interest and attention. I’m sort of a photographic stalker. People in Holland must be thinking, “Who’s that woman with the photographer following her around.” Shades of Gloria Swanson.

And the thing is she’s just not that gosh darned interesting. Don’t take me wrong she has her moments. That time with the bottle washer noises in the Sultan’s Palace. Or when she got drunk on that God Awful green stuff in Bruges. Sure they were great times, but to return home each day with fifty frames of the same person. I don’t think it’s natural. What do you think?

Maastricht

Maastricht

Adult Education:

She’s a sponge with Attention Deficit Disorder. Her thirst for mental input is unquenchable. Between taking pictures, sorting pictures, uploading pictures, checking on Facebook, checking email, QR Coding, “GPS”ing, Trip Advisoring and Googling everything in the world it’s nonstop.  the Iphone is her most perfect accessory. It keeps that hot wire to the brain firmly in place.

The Crazy Hour:

Just like a cat she’s got a Crazy Hour. It’s sometimes a little longer, but the symptoms are always the same. Elevated metabolism, heightened awareness, peculiar facial expressions and extremely wacky behavior complete with physical pratfalls. Like a Labrador Retriever, run, run, run, sleep, run, run, run, sleep.

Hey, Look This Way:

Sure I point out all these characteristics, but I’m the enabler. I’m the guy running around saying, “Stand over here”, “Look this way”, “Say Gouda”. Perhaps I’m the one with ADD and she just tolerates me.

Enough

Enough

Ordinary Pictures

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So my daughter sends me note and says “ The pictures are all lovely Dad, but where are the Ordinary Pictures?”

By that I assume she wants to see the everyday machinations of our European experience. A back stage pass, if you will, that enables you to pull back the curtain and get a glimpse of our glamorous doings. Lunch is always a good place to start.

Lunch with Bruce & Wendi

While exploring West Friesland we stopped into Medemblik for lunch and choose the De Vliegende Kraai. The only thing that “The Flying Crow” had to recommend it over it’s competitors was the fact that it was open.

De Vliegende Kraai

De Vliegende Kraai

As you can see the interior is clean and serviceable. A  80’s mix of café and lounge.

Interior

Interior

Today’s special is a sandwich of “goat cheese with walnuts and honey”.

Interior

Interior

We ordered the Club Sandwich simply because we recognized the name “Club Sandwich”. When you can’t identify anything on the menu, in a country that eats body parts you weren’t even aware of, we have found that it’s best to latch onto a recognizable item as if it were a life preserver in a raging sea. You will also notice that I only have half a sandwich. That is because, especially at lunchtime, we try to split everything. (Well, not the coffee.) I think that we’re particularly well suited for this.  Wendi eats like a parakeet and I’m cheap and a little chubby. It’s perfect for me. I get to exercise my cheapness while telling myself I’m curing my chubbiness. The only problem is that Wendi never seems to order what she wants but instead always defers to what she thinks I might want. Cool huh?

Club Sandwich

Club Sandwich

Koffee

Koffee

This is the lovely gal that cooked, served and cashiered. She said that it’s quiet this time of year but with the huge amount of boaters in the summer this place will be packed with bloodthirsty mosquitoes and pesky Germans, or was that…

Waitress - Medemblik

Waitress – Medemblik

More Ordinary Pictures

Chilly In Copenhagen

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I thought the Dutch were tough. They’re whimps compared to the Danes. I haven’t been this cold in 20 years and they’re telling me it’s down right balmy. It’s 15 F out there and then an icy wind starts to blow. It creeps up your back and makes your jeans as penetrable as tissue paper. Do you think it slows these people down? Hell no! It’s spring in Denmark. They’re biking and walking and window shopping and setting at outdoor cafes with cold beer. The construction workers in front of our hotel started at 6am. They must have been trying to beat the afternoon heat. Nobody even notices the temperature. That’s the reason I’m complaining to you, the Danes don’t know what I’m talking about.

A frozen Nyhaven.

A frozen Nyhaven.

Hot or cold Copenhagen is a terrific town. It’s got a nice pulse with a lot of color and a youthful vibe. Cars and bikes and trucks and pedestrians all vying for dominance, and yet somehow cooperating with each other. Walking at night or taking public transport, although freezing, is relatively stress free as this is Europe’s safest city.

Copenhagen has lots of courtyards and private passages from one street to the next. I was intrigued with them 20 years ago and find that I still am.

There are a few things that every tourist is obligated, by law, to see.

And lots of shopping.

Nervous Shopper

Nervous Shopper

A Raid On Odense (the D is silent)

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Take me now! You Girly Man.

Take me now! You Girly Man.

We have sailed into Odense, Denmark. Named for the Norse god, Odin, this must be the epicenter of Viking culture. As it turns out this is more the birthplace of Denmark’s favorite son, Hans Christian Andersen, then a Viking encampment. Our dear friend and Danish host, Dea, has informed us that Vikings were mostly farmers and all this talk about rape and pillaging is pure myth. That been said, I would much rather keep some of my illusions in tact and think of Vikings as the spitting image of their Gods; fierce, courageous and brooding.

St. Canute's Cathedral (Sankt Knuds Kirke)

St. Canute’s Cathedral (Sankt Knuds Kirke)

The history of St. Canute’s Cathedral does very little to dispel the Viking myth. King Canute and Prince Benedict were both slaughtered by angry peasants on the altar of nearby St. Alban’s Priory in 1086. Arriving at the site to collect her dead husband’s remains, Queen Adela said the small church emminated a golden light. Pilgrims soon began to show up to have their infirmities cured. Never ones to let let good propaganda go to waste, the Catholic Church canonized King Canute in 1108 and moved the Saint’s remains into the newly constructed Cathedral. And the miracles just keep on coming.

Sunbathers at the Radhus 26 F

Sunbathers at the Radhus 26 F

We’ve had a few snow flurries in Denmark. Mostly the air has been clear and sharp, but winter is still with us. The sun stays low in the sky and the trees haven’t  begun to soften their mark on the surroundings. 

16th and 17th century timber houses are scattered throughout the old town.

Finally, the “What the Hell Is It?” section.

I asked a lot of people what this is. Either nobody knew or thought I was an idiot for asking.

Rope Thingy.

Rope Thingy.

These are the Danish version of French balconies. Actually, they’re pretty cool and really open up a room.

French Balconies

French Balconies

These devices come in a variety of designs. They have a mirror on each side and allow you to set in the house and keep an eye on anything happening up and down the street. Apparently this is a very popular pastime in Denmark.

Nosey Neighbor Spyware

Nosey Neighbor Spyware

Dwell Land

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They say the French know how to live and that may be true. They certainly know how to eat and drink. But the Dutch, now, they know how to plan a community. Most everywhere I look I see quality, great design, common sense and a desire to make things that are highly livable and built to last.

Intercity Canal

Intercity Canal

I took a bike ride yesterday and came upon a new development just a few blocks away. I thought I’d stepped into the pages of Dwell Magazine or Architectural Digest.

Neighborhoods and developments are all tied together with roads, waterways, bridges, foot trails and bike paths. All of which help foster a sense that we are all in this together.

Bike and foot path.

Bike and foot path.

Neighborhood bridge.

Neighborhood bridge.

Don’t get me wrong, there are spray paint cans sold here and lunkheads that know how to use them, but people do seem to share an innate respect for each others property and  the common areas they all share.

Recycle bins.

Recycle bins.

Glass, paper, plastic. These stainless steel recycle bins are at the end of the street. Clean and well organized, with easy access. The squares they sit on flip back to give access to the larger containers mounted in the ground. These receptacles are not dented, painted or pissed on.

And for the kids.

Stainless steel spider gym set.

Stainless steel spider gym set.

The Russians Come To Assen

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We are here to see the exhibit “The Soviet Myth” at the Drents Museum.

The Drents Museum

The Drents Museum

This show has been put together on a scale that could rival a Hollywood production. Barnum & Bailey would be proud. It starts with the gigantic, spotlighted Lenin statue, erected at the apex of the major roads and canal adjacent to downtown. Because of the scale, its presence is slightly surreal, like being transported to a different time and place.

Super Lenin

Super Lenin

Welcome

Welcome

The paintings themselves are as massive as they are fanciful. Bright carnival colors, huge images of dedicated, industrious, self-assured, healthy and purposeful young men and woman. Ever striving.

The Joy Of Communal Work

The Joy of Communal Work

Death Defying Feats

Death Defying Deeds

Completely engaged super solders forcing back a faceless evil.

Pushing Back Evil

Benevolent leaders like fathers and super heroes all in one.

Massive. About 40' wide.

Massive, over 40′ wide.

My Trusty Partner Steps In For Scale.

My trusty partner steps In for scale.

And that Red! Always that Red!

Always Red

Facility

At first glance these images seem designed to simply motivate, inspire and create an overwhelming sense of pride and confidence in the people they are supposed to represent. But then, in the west, we were taught to distrust these images, as I’m certain they were taught to distrust images of us. Perhaps, with all that behind us now, these iconic paintings have simply moved into the realm of a classic, incredibly well done and very enjoyable advertising campaign.

Bye Now.

Big Lenin - Little Wendi

Big Lenin – Little Wendi

“It’s The Ijlst We Can Do.”

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The sun came in and out today so we decided a short road trip was in order. It’s a little windy and cold, 29 – 30F, but very beautiful.

My God the folks are hearty around here. In all the little towns we passed through, everyone, 9 to 90, goes everywhere on bicycles. Bright red hands and faces peddling against a 15 mph headwind. Tough. Way tougher then us.

The Center of Ijlst

The Center of Ijlst

Our first stop was Ijlst. I’ve heard it pronounced 10 times and still can’t get it right. A lovely little bedroom community now, at times it is a stop on the famous Elfstedentocht, the legendary ice skating marathon on the Friesland canal system. The race is 124 miles long and encompasses eleven cities. Our route was similar but somewhat shorter and warmer and involved frequent stops for coffee.

Ijlst

Ijlst

Bakery - Ijlst

Bakery – Ijlst

Lumber Mill Windmill 2 - Ijlst

Lumber Mill Windmill 2 – Ijlst

Lumber Mill Windmill - Ijlst

Lumber Mill Windmill – Ijlst

Hindaloopen

Lockkeepers House - Hindeloopen

Lockkeepers House – Hindeloopen

Makken

Canal Locks at Makken

Canal Locks at Makken

Workum

Art Gallery - Workum

Art Gallery – Workum

The View From Staveron

Ijsselmeer

Ijsselmeer

Even The Off Ramps Look  Nice

N354

N354

A Rainy Day In Leeuwarden

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Leeuwarden St. Bernard

Leeuwarden St. Bernard

It’s not really drizzle. But then it’s not really rain. It’s rizzle. And with rizzle you have to persevere. In this case persevering constituted a short drive to Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland. Leeuwarden’s most celebrated daughter was probably Mata Hari, a Dutch exotic dancer, courtesan, and accused spy who was executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.

Mata Hari

Mata Hari

This is a lovely little city despite the wind and cold and rizzle. Nice lunch, small shops, culture and beer.

Leeuwarden

Nieuwestad – Downtown Leeuwarden

Leeuwarden Cheese Shop

They got cheese.

Wendi_Leeuwarden

Coffee at the Fire Cafe

Keramiekmuseum Princessehof is an amazing structure and has a huge collection of Asian and European ceramics and tiles which, quite frankly, can make me a little nervous. When I was a kid we weren’t allowed anywhere near the “Good Dishes”. This is an entire palace full of the “Good Dishes”.

Keramiekmuseum - Leeuwarden

Keramiekmuseum – Leeuwarden

But then you get to the attic and they have life size contemporary pieces.

Yellow Dog -Keramiekmuseum

Yellow Dog -Keramiekmuseum

Boy -Keramiekmuseum

Boy -Keramiekmuseum

Just a little wacky.

Off To Holland

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Our long awaited Home Exchange has at last begun in earnest. This trip is special as we were fortunate to be able to enjoy some time with our Dutch exchangers Jan & Anneke. A great couple that we exchanged homes with 5 years ago. Adventurous, smart, fun, generous, let’s face it the Dutch are cool.

Anneke

Anneke

Jan

Some gadget time with Jan

Over the years quite a few folks have expressed an interest in Home Exchanging but admit to a slight apprehension. All I can tell you is that there seems to be a little Zen in it. The nicer everyone is to each other, the better it works.

For those of you who have never ventured into Home Exchange before, exploring is the key. As lovely as Jan & Anneke’s home is, we didn’t come all this way to sit around the living room. Holland is a fascinating country with Amsterdam, de Hague, Harrlem and hundreds of picturesque towns. Copenhagen, Berlin, Hamburg, Bruges, are all in relatively easy striking distance by car or train. And with fairly inexpensive short European flights, the net gets even wider.

That been said, we are going to spend the first bit exploring Friesland when the sun is still low in the sky and spring is just now waking up slowly.

Canal side homes in Sneek, NL

Canal side homes in Sneek, NL