Friday, December 14, 2007

The Netherlands (part 2)


The first two days were spent in Amsterdam. The next two days were in Leiden and then the remainder of the trip was back in Amsterdam. For the last two days in Amsterdam, we had a PhD student showing us around. His name was Willem. He was born and raised in Amsterdam and he was a great guide.


The first place Willem took us was the Van Gogh museum. This was the high point of the trip, as far as I was concerned. It was amazing. Kendall even recognized some paintings which made me get a little lump in my throat. While gazing at the Sunflowers, Kendall said, "When we get back to Pencil vania (Pennsylvania), I want to draw." Now, this is nothing new, but at that moment, she felt inspired. That, my friend, is why you visit museums. Kendall even recognized Van Gogh's bedroom. The museum was quiet that day, and we could get really close to all the paintings.


We went to the Artis Zoo the next day. It was a cold day, so the zoo wasn't as fun as it would have been otherwise. Oh well, we made the best of it, and the kids really enjoyed seeing the animals.


I did end up getting some nice boots while I was over there. I imagine they will be my Christmas present for a few years to come.

Rooftops in Amsterdam.
Cannabis seeds for sale. (now that's something you don't see everyday!)
We flew back to State College, via Detroit. I called my mom once we were back on U.S. soil and she told me the news that the Razorbacks had beaten #1 LSU that weekend. I was back home.

2 comments:

Cheryl Wray said...

LOVE these pictures!!! Just sounds like an amazing trip!!

(And, yep, we watched the Ark-LSU game and called the hogs as loud as we could! It was quite a game!!)

NY KAT said...

Great pics and I love the boots!