A Toast to New FriendsUpon gazing at this photo, one only sees a group of friends gathering for dinner. Those in the photo will realize, upon examination, that each person is having a conversation with someone that they just met a few days before. It was not unusual to find Justin (the youngest) chatting with Arlene (among the more senior members) about GMO and global warming. We came to know who knew the most about art and who had the scoop on the best place to grab a beer. This is the wonderful thing about a Rick Steves' Tour, it enables people to become fast friends.
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Livin' Like a LocalThe European Futbol Championship was in full swing upon our arrival in Paris. The Champs de Mars was a dedicated viewing area for the futbol fans of Paris and the Eiffel Tower was happy to join the party by suspending a giant soccer ball in its center. This was a preview of things to come. We began with watching part of a game in a local pub. Soon we became swept up in the action as we saw fans on the streets with painted faces and patriotic wigs wearing flags and kilts to display their team allegiance. During our stay in Bruges, we were fortunate enough to have time one evening to watch a televised match while immersed in a sea of fans. The electricity in the air was contagious and we stayed until the end of the match - VICTORY BELGIUM!
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Ode to Hot Chocolate
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Bringing It Home
Upon arriving home, we enjoy sharing our trip with family and friends. As we meander through the quaint little towns, we try to pick up mementos that we feel give a small taste of all that we were able to experience. Boxes of Belgian chocolates made their way into our suitcases (and more than a few into our tummies) as well as slim, easily packable ornaments purchased in Bruges. This spring, several flower beds across Ohio and West Virginia will be sprouting with colorful bulbs purchased at the floating flower market in Amsterdam. There will never be enough room in my carry-on suitcase to bring home all the treasures from our travels, so instead I put together a small photo album to share with anyone interested in sharing our travels. And as a little Christmas surprise, each computer station at work now sports a beautiful mouse pad made with photos from our Rick Steves Tours.
Ultimate Picks of the Litter
Let us share our very favorite thing from our remarkable trip to Belgium and Holland.
The Eighth Wonder of the Modern World
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Justin's Pick: The Storm Surge BarrierOn our way to Delft, we dropped by the Maeslant storm surge barrier. I'm glad we did! The storm surge barrier is a massive engineering feat designed to solve a unique challenge: most of the Netherlands is below sea level! The country is like a perpetually sinking canoe that requires constant bailing with buckets. Every drop of rain that lands in the Netherlands, all the groundwater that wells up to the surface, and any ocean water that spills over the carefully constructed dikes must be pumped out to the ocean to keep everyone dry. We were given a tour of the barrier and the associated visitors' center by a graduate student majoring in the ever popular (at least in the Netherlands) Water Management program. It was fascinating to learn about the engineering challenges and history underlying one of the largest moving structures on earth. The immensity of the barrier is impressive, but the tour was made unforgettable because of our guide's frankness and depth of knowledge.
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Elyse's Pick: City of AmsterdamI was completely captivated by our last stop on the tour: the City of Amsterdam. Unlike many of our other stops, which were smaller and more quaint, visiting Amsterdam really was about stepping into the life of today's Netherlands. We saw parking garages dedicated solely to housing hundreds of thousand of bikes, and dodged bikes, scooters, Smart Cars and trains each time we crossed a street. We enjoyed walks through diverse neighborhoods and seeing the hundreds of houseboats moored along the canals. Getting out of our comfort zones, we visited an Amsterdam coffee shop (where marijuana is sold) and its red light district to learn about the city's socially progressive views. We also got to see the rich culture and tragic history that made Amsterdam the city it is today, including the works of Dutch masters in the Rijksmuseum, mind-bending modern art in the Stedelijk Museum, and a sobering walk through the Anne Frank House. More than any other city on our tour, Amsterdam made me think about the things that make being American similar to and different from others around the world.
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It's a tourist trap, but the "I amsterdam" sign - with its bikes and teeming masses - captures the city's playfulness and diversity
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A windmill eye view of the bike path from Bruges to Damme flanked by the picturesque canal and fertile farmland
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Jody's Pick: Bike Ride to the City of DammeWith the sun on our faces and the wind in our hair, we set off for the medieval town of Damme. The pedaling was easy as we whizzed along the canal. Our eyes bounced from pink and white waterlilies in the canal, to neatly-plowed fields of wheat, then on to grassy polders filled with fluffy sheep. Arriving in Damme, we meandered down the cobblestone streets, peaking in bookshops crammed with long-forgotten books, admiring wonderful hand-crafted signs of local shoppes, and eventually climbing the wobbly bell tower staircase of the ancient church. Returning along the canal, we had the opportunity to explore one of Belgium's iconic windmills. The inside was filled with giant gears that were functional as well as dangerous, but the most unexpected part was the panoramic view from the top. While I would never want to travel this far without seeing the swarthy men of the Night Watch or visiting the haunting Anne Frank House, sometimes the things not on our to-do list end up making for the best memories.
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Rick's Pick: Restoration of the Ghent AltarpieceThough I do not have as much appreciation for the arts as the rest of my family, one of my favorite parts of our tour was viewing the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, at the Museum of Fine Arts. We learned about the scanning technique to evaluate the multiple layers of overpainting and varnish; and saw restorers removing them to reach Van Eyck's original painting.
I had been fascinated by the complex history of this masterpiece involving near burnings, multiple thefts, and salt mine storage; as well as current investigations to find the missing panel. And yes, my interest was initially piqued by the movie The Monuments Men. |
A reproduction of "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" on display in St. Bavo's cathedral - the original is undergoing restoration
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