One Full Week

The past week has flown by. We have had a lot of fun, seen many things, and even picked up a little bit of rest. Monday was an adventure by water. We took our bikes onto a water bus (part of the public transport system) and rode to Dordrecht. There wasn't enough time to explore the city, but we did see an unscaled replica of Noah's Ark! It was quite interesting to be inside there, think about how this family built it, and think about how it could have been built 4,000 years ago. It was interesting to learn that the original proportions of the boat are still used today in ocean liners - apparently it is the most efficient design.

After the Ark we hopped on another boat and cycled to the Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site - home to around 20 windmills that were built to drain the land in the mid 1700's. It was strange to see people still living in them today. It would have been fun to see what one was like on the inside...

Tuesday was meant for Delft, but the weather didn't cooperate so we stayed indoors. We made our traditional pizzas for Christmas Eve and they turned out well. On Christmas Day we attended the big church in the center of Rotterdam. It was a nice service and Dad really enjoyed the organ. After that we opened some presents, played a few games, and went for a long walk while the oven worked on the French turkey.

They celebrate two Christmas days here in the Netherlands, so for the second one we hung around the house and made a fancy dinner featuring a roasted leg of lamb. Friday Naomi and I stayed home as we had a lot to take care of. Everyone else went to the Escher museum in The Hague - good day for it as the weather was terrible. They really enjoyed it. We had leftovers for dinner and watched Chasing Ice - a very impressive documentary about melting glaciers and the attempt to capture their decline photographically.

Yesterday was spent in Amsterdam. We started off with a nice boat tour and then had a nice lunch in a 350 year old building. After that we toured a diamond cutting business while Dad walked around to take pictures in the sunshine. We stumbled upon a market and Kalia in particular picked up quite a few nice finds. One claustrophobic tram ride later, we ended up at Edith's place where she and Ron prepared a nice dinner for us. It was a late night getting home, but now we have the morning to rest up and pack for our three night trip to the East Side visiting Alies.

View of Rotterdam from the WaterBus.

Noah's Ark in Dordrecht.

A few of the Windmills at the Kinderdijk.

Making Pizza's

Rotterdam's St. Lawrence Church.

Above the Ambulatory.

Christmas Walk.

Lamb Dinner.

Amsterdam's canal tour.

One of many canals.

They're Here!

This week I managed to get through the last of my responsibilities for the year at school, and on Thursday I met my Mom, Dad, and Kalia at the train station! They came with much more energy than I expected after such a long trip. It was great to see them again. We worked so hard to get the house ready and it was a lot of fun to present it. The sun was shining, so we went for a nice walk after lunch while Mom took a nap.

Friday Naomi and I had to wrap some things up at work. Instead of a Christmas package, my school offered a feast. The lunch was outstanding. A couple seafood platters with a whole salmon in the middle surrounded by all sorts of shellfish, octopus, shrimp, mini-lobsters, and whatever else I couldn't identify. There were fancy sandwiches, roast ham, quiches, and no shortage of desserts. We had a nice time.I came home to relax a bit and we played squash with Clifton and Hakan. It was a lot of fun, and hopefully we can schedule in another match during the holiday.

Claire was enjoying Brussels during all of this, and on Saturday we came to meet her in Antwerp. Naomi and I hadn't been there but had heard good things about the city. The weather was not so nice but we did enjoy the sights, and after a few hours Claire managed to show up. We had some delicious Belgian waffles and took a direct train back to Rotterdam. It was a good week...but I could use some more rest!

The train station was quite impressive.

The historic center filled with a Christmas Market - built back when Antwerp accounted for 40% of global trade.

A hidden grotto.

The waffles alone are worth the journey.

As the sun sets the cloudy sky appears rather blue in the picture.

Blurr

Not sure what happened this week...but somehow it is gone. We spent pretty much all our time on school or preparing the house for our visitors. I, of course, grossly underestimated the preparations required. But we started early so that is ok.

I also underestimated the workload at school. Naomi worked until bedtime or after three nights this week. I was at school until 10:30 meeting with parents on Thursday. We barely got to see each other. The weather was actually sunny...but there wasn't much time to enjoy it. Hopefully the storms will blow over by Thursday when I meet Mom, Dad, and Kalia at the train station!

The Hurricane

We had quite the windstorm this week. Some forecasts predicted nearly hurricane-force winds, but of course, it didn't come to that. Trains were cancelled or heavily delayed, so school ended early. It also blew down our garden fence. And worst of all, even though my tent was packed up, the wind unpacked it and ripped it apart. Nearly half of the plastic severed and sailed off to who knows where. I was pretty bummed.

This means a premature end to my woodworking projects. I guess I will spend more time on writing. The critical issue as of late is getting things set up for my family to come. Our house is a big mess and it will take many hours to put things away and clean up.

On Sunday we went to an exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci with Naomi's Dad and Edith. It was interesting. They set it up in the old, abandoned post office downtown. I might go again with some students before Christmas Break, haven't heard the details yet though.

Flying Machines

The first tank: 8-9 men inside, don't miss all the guns.

Beeswax.

A Whole Lot of Nothing

We had a very busy week, but at the same time I feel like I hardly did anything. Grades were due to I had to work a bit extra at school. Report meetings (where the teachers discuss the students) are coming up this week, then parent teacher conferences the week after so at least there will be some variety. I am worried that so many of my students are failing. Basically they just don't do their homework.

Naomi is having quite the week. Wednesday was a trip to the East Side for her mom, Friday a party at her school, Saturday a funeral and some workers tearing apart our house, and today her Dad and Edith are coming. I have had to pick up the slack around the house, so not much has been done on the chest or the story. At least the hood over the stove is finally venting to the outside...that is a nice change.