Fall Break!

We had a whole week off. It was a much-needed break. I am not sure where the time went. We were busy for pretty much the whole time…but there is so much that did not get done. I am not ready to head back to school tomorrow. At all. 

Last Saturday was like a hangover. We were both so exhausted from school. In spite of the tiredness, we still made it downtown for a nice lunch with friends and to search for a game of Chinese Checkers. The guy at the game store thought we were strange for asking…but we ended up finding one at a Chinese store near the train station. Good thing we did too, because it made the train rides much nicer.

Naomi's Grandma

Sunday we went to Naomi's grandma. She is 90 years old and lives alone. She speaks not a word of English, but clearly has a beautiful spirit. I asked her about what she remembered from the war, and it was very interesting to hear a well-known story from a totally different perspective. 

She told us all about the American soldiers she met, the dangers her family faced, and even how her favorite sister (she had a big family) died. The story that stuck with me most was how she almost lost her own life. 

The Americans were pushing back the Germans. Liberation was in the air - mixed with terror. The fighting was fierce all around. Bombs falling. Bullets flying. To find shelter, her family went to a nearby farmhouse with a basement. They packed 19 people into that basement (which was the size of a bedroom) for three days as bombs shook the ground.

It was Naomi's Grandma's job to take the bucket filled with human waste topside. As she dumped the contents, a bomb fell very nearby. The explosion blasted all of the windows out of the house and everyone left in the basement assumed she was gone. Somehow, a few minutes later, she made her way back down the stairs to join the others. Good thing she did too - or Naomi wouldn't be around today.

After saying goodbye to Oma (Grandma) we took an excruciatingly long bus ride to Naomi's mother's house. She was sick for much of the time we were there, but we still managed to get some rest and see some cool stuff. She lives in a beautiful area full of small towns, old churches, plenty of farmers, and even a few castles.

Twickel - about ten minutes from her mom's place.

Only an hour away is the German town of Munster. We spent one day there and it was a most enjoyable day. Known for its cheese and churches, it has a lot of history packed into its center. There are three beautiful cathedrals all right near the center. We were able to see all of them - even though the main one was being restored. Even though it was cold, the sun was shining and I took some very nice pictures. 

Munster, Germany

After picking up a touch of the flu (maybe from some suspicious soup we had at a touristy place to eat - they called it minestrone but it was clearly vegetable) we made our way back to Rotterdam. Yesterday we went to The Hague (a cheap and short train ride) to enjoy the city, eat Mexican food at our favorite restaurant, and swing by a birthday party. 

The Hague

Parliament on the right - the reflected light comes from the
Prime Minister's octagonal office. 

We ended up getting home too late so today is crammed full with things to do. The weather is once again beautiful (strange) so we will ride down to the library, head over to a colleague's place for dinner, and wrap up all sorts of odds and ends before having to return to school on Monday. The break was much needed, and I hope it won't be too difficult to get back into the swing of things.