Munch museum

Munch was a prolific painter. His most famous was the Scream. I think his paintings are dark and are indicative of a tortured soul. I see bits of other famous artists in his work - Picasso, Gaugin and Monet.

The museum has a larger collection of his work than I anticipated. And it wasn't everything.

On the plus side, we got in free because it was 30 minutes before closing time. On the negative side, that probably wasn't enough time.

In the book.

Viking ship museum

Skol!
This is in the book.

The outside of the building looks like a church. The inside is four large wings. Three of them have recovered or reproduced Viking ships. Way back in the day the Vikings were "kings" of ship building, and the waters in and around Scandinavia.


I would not have wanted to sail in these ships. I couldn't handle the trip. They aren't ships the way we use the term today. They were big (for the times), but toally open. No indoor space.

The museum also included artifacts recovered when some of the ships were dug up. Yes, dug up. They buried these ships with their captains as a large and ornate coffin. That seems like way too much work!

The museum did not have benches, but portable chairs you could carry with you and sit wherever you want. I loved the chairs! All museums should have these.

Monte Carlo

I've been to Monte Carlo, Monaco once before; but this was the first trip with the kids. My previous trip to Monte Carlo was about 4 hours long - it was a port on a cruise.

It was raining so this was a good day for fun, family, indoor activity - an aquarium. Great aquarium! And it is built on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, so it has awesome views.

I like turtles. Big, sea turtles. Their main tank had one, lonely turtle. We hit it off right away!

I spent a very long time watching a little fish pick rocks up in his mouth, move them to a new location, and deposit them in a mound. He was creating a hiding spot, I think. He was constantly looking around for predators. I assume there weren't any in his tank, so I assume it was an instinct thing.

Andy had a good time scaring the clown fish. They would all scramble into their protective sea creature when he would wave his umbrella in front of the tank.

Yes, we are both easily amused.

We also drove around Monte Carlo....sort of lost, but it isn't really possible to get lost. The sea is on one side - so don't drive that way; and the mountains are the other geographical feature.

I picked out a lovely yacht in their port, for after I win the lottery.

We also poked around in some of the expensive stores, like Louis Vuitton. Jill tried on a lovely, 3100 euro leather jacket. It was the softest leather I've ever felt, but not really in our budget.

I purchased a bottle of my favorite French champagne. It is chilling in the mini fridge in our room.

Victoria and Albert Museum

I spent last Saturday morning roaming around this museum. There were two exhibits that I enjoyed:

1. glass - loads of old and new glass. Some kitschy and some elegant. Vases, glasses, figurines and more.

2. fashion - men's and women's fashion from the last hundred years or so. I really like the dresses that women wore in the 50's. Think Mrs. Cleaver. The dresses were simple yet elegant, and flattering. Since most things come back "in style" I am hoping these make a comeback.

This museum is in many "must see" lists for London.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

I admit it - I only went to this museum because it is in "the book." But.... I am really glad I did. The courtyard alone is worth a visit. It is so beautiful I could have spent the whole afternoon there. Pretty flowers and ferns - very well maintained. I especially liked the mosaic tile floor in the middle. It would be a great place for a wedding.

There are some really impressive pieces at this museum, and they had a huge theft 20 years ago; but there were entirely too many religious pieces. IMHO (I am considering starting a new list - the number of Mary and baby Jesus paintings I have seen in museums.)

Sadly, the theft included a Vermeer.

John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

The setting for the library is beautiful - right on Boston Harbor. The museum isn't huge; after all, he wasn't President for very long. There is a nice re-creation of the Oval Office - which seems to be a standard feature of presidential museums.

My favorite pieces in presidential museums are the gifts that the President and First Lady receive from kings, prime ministers, and other world leaders. They get some really nice stuff....that they don't get to keep. My favorite piece was a diamond and emerald encrusted purse.

Mediterranean Cruise - October 2006

My first cruise ever! And I loved it. I vow every year to go on another cruise, but so far haven't been able to work it into the schedule.

I won't be going into tons of detail, but wanted to document places I visited during this trip that are featured on "the book."

Athens
This was where we embarked on the cruise, but we arrived a day early to see some of the sights. We should have spent more time here.

The Acropolis - it was a beautiful, clear morning and I could see for miles all around Athens.

Turkey
First port.

The Roman Ruins of Ephesus

Malta
We went scuba diving.

Rome
I loved Rome and can't wait to go back.

Forum
Trevi Fountain
Vatican City
Coliseum
Sistine Chapel - we were the last group of the day and had it to ourselves
Mount Etna - we saw lava!

Monte Carlo
Fantasy day spent where the truly rich live, work and play.

The Grand Casino - I left them 20 euros.
Hotel de Paris - beautiful lobby, very expensive

We also went to the Jacques Cousteau museum, but it isn't in the book.

Barcelona
Museu Picasso - we nearly got kicked out because DH was taking unauthorized pictures.

Lisbon
This was the port where we disembarked. It was a national holiday and many things were closed.

Amsterdam March 2008

Spring break - Andy's senior year of high school

This was Andy and Jill's first trip to Europe. We selected it for a few reasons, in no particular order:
1. Most people understand and/or speak English
2. Most people would know how to pronounce our last name (it is Dutch)
3. We knew it would be easy to get around

Our first big decision was made after watching a Samantha Brown program - where to stay? We decided to rent a houseboat on the Amstel river. I would make the same decision again. We loved it. Granted, it was a bit cozy, but it was a fun experience. The boat was solidly anchored, so there was no movement at all. And, it came with a cat, who belonged to our hosts who lived in the other (bigger) side of the boat.

Amsterdam has one of the best science museums I've ever been to. We spent an entire day there - in part because the weather outside was miserable. I wasn't sure when we arrived if there would be enough stuff to entertain two teens, but there was. It was a really good day. Picture was taken at the science museum - Jill enclosing herself in a gigantic bubble.

We spent the equivalent of one day in art museums - Van Gogh's and the Rijksmuseum (sp?).

In keeping with being American tourists, we did have one meal at the Hard Rock Cafe.

We took a day trip to the Hague, and one to Delft.

Highlights - and places to check off my list:
Anne Frank house
Cafe society (No, I didn't)
Canal cruise - relaxing and a great way to see the city
Oude Kerk - old church (it is really, really old)
Red-light district (No, I didn't) - great people watching
Rijksmuseum - most of it was closed for renovation though
Van Gogh museum - loved it!
Delft - lovely town
Het Mauritshuis - great gift shop

UK January 1989

I can't believe it has been 20 years since my first trip outside of the US. I went with 19 other girls (strangers) on a college trip during J-term. We spent the whole month of January in the UK.




Sadly, I flew to London one week after Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Scotland. Yep, I was scared, but I still went.

Here are the highlights of what I can remember

First week was spent in London; weeks two and three in Leicester; and 4th week back in London.

First meal was horrible - fried veal patty and peas. (What is with their obsession with peas? There are like 10 other vegetables that I actually like - peas is not one of them.) I didn't eat again for 2 days - when I found a KFC.

We went as a group to the Tower of London and saw the crown jewels, to Buckingham Palace, to watch Les Miserables, and to Windsor Castle. (All places in "the book" are colored.)

We took a bus from London to Warwick Castle, to Oxford and then to Stratford-upon-Avon. A cute, ancient man took us on a tour of the oldest library in the world at Oxford. We saw Shakespeare's wife's home in Stratford and then watched the Tempest at Shakespeare's theatre. I also saw his grave.

I vaguely remember stopping at other places too - like the place where Lady Godiva rode naked on her horse.

We then spent two weeks in Leicester - this was the real learnin' part of the trip. All 20 of us girls were placed in the local schools and we lived with local families. I really liked my family. I got to be friends with another girl (Belle) who was placed in the same school and lived with a family on the same street.

I remember taking a tour of a local radio station. They even interviewed a few of the girls. (Not me - I am too shy.) Our radio station guide played a song for us and said the "singers" were going to be HUGE in the US in the next 6 months. It was Milli Vanilli. He was right - they were huge - but we all know how that ends.

I spent one weekend in York. I only remember going to the Railway museum.

I spent the next weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland (new country). That was an interesting experience for a college-aged girl from the US. We arrived before noon on Saturday. There were already lots of drunk men wearing skirts (kilts) who were more than happy to show us young American girls what they had - or didn't have - under their kilts. We stayed at the local youth hostel - another first for me - and last. I did visit Edinburgh Castle.

And we looked for the Loch Ness monster.

I don't remember much about the last week in London. I was pretty homesick by this time. I took the tube (subway) to Wimbledon, but was disappointed when I couldn't see anything from the station.

I have no idea where to find my pictures from this trip.

Valencia Spain

We went to the Valencia Cathedral - which is beautiful. The main reason for the trip was to see the Holy Grail. Yes, the cup believed to have been used by Jesus is in this cathedral.

We walked around the science museum and art museum. Both have very unique architecture.

We then went to a beach north of Valencia and played in the sea and napped on the beach. I am very red right now.

We drove to Barcelona - the last stop on this trip. Finding our hotel was a bit stressful, but we are here now. I need to find some ice to cool off my sangria!

Madrid Spain

Madrid is a hot and vibrant city. We had a slow start - none of us had been here before.

I'm really tired, but determined to do a post tonight, so it is bullet points:

Old Madrid - Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real (pic is of palace)
Prado Museum - Andy actually requested we visit an art museum because he thought it would be cooler inside than outside.
Basilica de San Miguel and Mercado de San Miguel
Museo de Jamon
McDonald's - finally ice with our soda (France doesn't do ice)

We walked lots and lots, but I didn't wear my pedometer.

We had a great evening - stopped at two different restaurants/cafes for tapas, cerveza, sangria, cava and paella. The city really comes alive at night, but I was too tired to stay up late.

New York

Another big state that I've visited many times. Let's start with "the book" - 10 entries and I've been to 4.

The Adirondacks
NYC
Historic Downtown New York
Museum Mile

My most recent trip was April 2007. It was Andy and Jill's first trip to NYC. Highlights from that trip:

American Museum of Natural History
Central Park (it snowed a bit)
Empire State Building
Rockefeller Center
Times Square
Seeing Rent on Broadway