Europe - Part II

Warning! This is a very loooong post - I'll wake you up when it's over :)

Holland - where we found a sense of home...

What else can I say about Holland except that I think it could easily be my second home. I love this country. I know, we were only there for a brief period of time, but of all the places we travelled though, I found this country resonated the strongest for me. Bicycles, canals and rows upon rows of tall, teetering houses - seriously, I felt like I was in some sort of fairytale when we arrived in Amsterdam. I think the dutch people are fantastic, they keep gorgeous homes and obviously value family and community. Harry recieved an email from one of his writing mentors saying that the difference between Canadian cities and many European cities is that they are planned around people, rather than cars. This is so true about Amsterdam, but we felt this even more when we visited Harry's relatives, Ben and Nel, in Utrecht. They took us on a tour of the countryside, and made a stop in the tiny village of Cohten. This was a very special stop since it is the town where Harry's mother was born and where the Van Leur family originated. We toured a windmill and the church that his family attended.

Our sightseeing highlights in Amsterdam:

• NightTrain to Amsterdam - talk about close quarters! VanGogh gallery and RihksMuseum (original Rembrandts, Vermeer and Hals as well as the history of Holland)
• A visit to the Anne Frank house
• A walk through the Red Light district - oh, how naughty!
• Daytrip to Utrecht and Cohten
• Bicycling through Utrecht - I really MUST get a bike. This was defenitely a highlight of the entire trip.

While in Holland, I learned that Gouda is defenitely a superior cheese and that a panekoek is best with apples and sugar - mmmm... I also found out that the government has made home mortgage tax deductable - how cool is that!
I had a wonderful time getting to know Harry's relatives, learning more about life in Holland. I have come back inspired to simplify my life and really focus on to the things that mean the most to us. Ben and Nel are both incredibly creative people - they keep a simple, beautiful home; filled with the warmth of home cooking, music and art projects. When I had a conversation with Nel about my life and work at home, she just said to me; "I hope you find something to do creatively in your daily work." She was so genuine and adament about this simple statement that I found ringing over in my head throughout our travels.

And onward to Brussels

We were NOT ready to leave Holland. The train ride to Brussels was quiet and reflective as Harry and I mentally prepared for a new unknown city. Our first impressions of the city were quite mixed. We both found this to be a strange contrast of rich history against fast emerging business and commerce. We both agreed that it felt like the city didn't feel comfortable with it's past; perhaps they were just impatient to get on with the here and now.

At any rate, here are the highlights:
-Walking through the Grand Place and area for shopping and eating
-Musee des Beaux-Arts
-Musee de la bande dessinee - comics! with lots of TinTin
-Antique browsing in Sablon and a visit to famous Belgian chocolatier
-Palais do Justice - impressive architecture!

We had a bit of a rough go with Brussels, but I have to say you cannot get a better gaufre chaude with whipping cream, strawberries and chocolate - delicious! Also, where else would you be able to find a cherry beer except in Belgium. I did appreciate all the treats that were offered here. Also, the architecture really was something to marvel at - particularly the palais de Justice. For a couple Canadian kids who consider an antique some item from the 50's this city was quite the eye opener. Wow!

Paris! Leaving Europe with a bang...or, was that more like a fizzle?

Oi, we were exhausted by the time we got to Paris. We were getting seriously worn out from the days and days of walking and we really needed to do some laundry and slow down to conserve energy. First day in this magnificent city we spent in our rented apartment doing laundry, watching bad french cable and eating a home cooked meal. Ah, the simple pleasures in life. The rest of our time was fairly typical of any tourist. We hit all the main attractions, enjoyed the shopping and holy cow, let's not forget about the unforgettable cafe au lait! Perfection!

The weather had turned a bit grey and cold shortly after we got there and this concrete city began to look quite melancholy. I had so many expectations of what Paris would be like, but somehow it fell short. Don't get me wrong - I was totally blown away by the art, architecture and style of everything around us. But, perhaps it was the overcrowded streets, the unending tourists, the overpriced everything - I don't know, but we had certainly had enough by the time the week was over. Also, it was unfortunate that Harry picked up some sort of virus while we were there which started out as flu symptoms and escalated to something much worse when we got home. So, I suppose our Paris experience is not the best in the world, but it certainly was memorable.

Overall this trip was worth every second and every cent! We discovered a lot about ourselves as travellers and how we relate to each other as a couple. I know I couldn't do this trip without Hubby - it was so unbelievable to share all those moments with him. I feel happy to be home, but even happier that we have so many memories between us. (Now I better stop before it gets too sappy!)

[Clap Clap!] OK, you can wake up now! The slide show is over :) Hope I didn't totally bore the pants off you, but if I did it's a good thing you can just stop reading! Ha! Now it's back to normal routines. I'm anxious to get going on Illustration Friday again as well as some Xmas projects. Stay tuned - I'll keep you posted!

Back to Familiarity

Sigh..big sigh...Yes, we are back at home. We were happy to be off the plane on Sunday night and into our own warm cozy bed. This was totally an adventure of a lifetime for us since neither Hubby nor I are world travellers and I honestly don't think either of us is cut out to do the long backpacking treks. We are still nursing individual levels of exhaustion and unfortunately Harry caught a horrendous virus in the last few days in Paris, so needless to say he was done with travelling and just wanted to go home. Done like dinner.
I like to think I could handle longer travels - perhaps an extended trip through Italy, then Greece and Turkey. Or maybe something more exotic like an African Safari or some sort of expedition through the Australian Outback. But really...who am I kidding? I can handle about 3 weeks and then I'm dreaming of being back home, cooking in my kitchen, watching tv, lazing on the couch with all my knitting projects.

But here we are...and today was my first day back at work. I had been dreading this since Monday - thinking it is going to be so awful to get back into the routine of being in an office. Blah, boring and completely uninspiring. This was all I thought after experiencing so much beauty in each new place we visited. I was in for a surprise though. I am happy to report I have been assigned to a new project which promises a lot more creativity than what I've been working on in the past. This industry changes all the time so I don't know if this will be permanent. But for now, I am hopeful and content.

As we settle in, I'm noticing that a lot of things about this trip are finally starting to sink in. Many travel days passed like a whirlwind and at dinner I'd think...what did we do yesterday? Then I'd draw a complete blank. Luckily I kept a travel journal. Somewhat cryptic; with doodles and thoughts randomly jotted all over the page. But it makes sense to me, so it's all good. I'd like to share some of my thoughts about each place we travelled to, along with some of my journal pages and perhaps more photos. But don't worry, it won't turn into one of those painful travel slide shows that you are convinced will never end. I'll be sure to break it up into a couple posts to keep you from nodding off ;) So, here goes...

Our first stop was Augsburg, Germany to visit our good friends Colin and Marlene. They moved here 5 years ago to start Colin's international career as a professional tenor singer.

Our sightseeing highlights:

• Schloss Neuwanstein (the castle that Disney based his signature castle)


• various cathedrals in Munich and Bavaria


• an afternoon shopping and wandering around the MarienPlatz


• a visit to the concentration Camp memorial in Dachau

Bavaria is so beautiful - it so reminds me of home with the green landscape and mountains in the distance. The weather was amazing the entire time we were there - we were even wearing shorts to accommodate the heat. This photo was taken from the castle window when we did the tour. I'm sure it could be found in some story book - it did feel quite magical to be there. Although it wasn't anything like Disneyland...

We had many wonderful times visiting with our friends. We caught up on lots and heard all the plans for the baby they are expecting. I learned that Germany has got a kick ass health care system and that it's worth paying to use a public WC. We also enjoyed excellent cooking by Miss Marlene. They are impeccable hosts and it is times like these that I am so very thankful for generous friends. We are incredibly lucky!




I'd have to say that the visit to Dachau was the experience that stuck with me most. This place is haunted by the atrocities that took place during the war. I was overwhelmed by the barren spaces, an open gravel field where the prisoner barracks once stood. There were so many of them. So many people who suffered. Honestly I don't know how respond - I am still speechless after having time to absorb it. In my journal I just called this a big open space of sadness.

Well, that was our short visit to Germany in a blur and a nutshell. We were only there for 3 days and then it was off to Amsterdam, Brussels and finally Paris! But I'll keep that for the post tomorrow!

The end is near

Greetings from the land of café au lait and high fashion. I am writing this from our quaint little Paris apartment - we have just finished breakfast and are about to head out for a day of shopping. Yes, this could be very dangereuse.
This has been a journey of a lifetime and as the day of departure draws near, our level of exhaustion has been nearly unbearable. With all the sights and experiences to absorb we are worried that we may not be appreciating everything the way we should. But I still can't believe that I've climbed the stairs of the Eiffel tower, visited a concentration camp, bicycled through the streets of Holland, and been in the same room as an original picasso. I am so grateful for every moment and we still have 2 more days in Paris so I better make this short so we can get going and paint the town red. Did I happen to mention that the coffee is amazing here? I may consider moving to Paris just for the café au lait.
Anyways, more on this adventure next week when we are back home. That is if I can get out of bed - I think we may sleep for a month when we get there.

Check out some of our photos here

And we're off!

Ok peeps! Here we go into the wild blue yonder. It's kind of hectic around our house right now, but I thought I'd just leave a little farewell post before heading out. A million things going through my mind...passports - check, camera - check, socks&undies - check, chapstick - check, excellent music on my mp3 player - check, valium - check! ok. I'm good to go! We tend to be quite the procrastinators, so of course here I am the morning of our departure, stitching the flag onto our packs...must - sew - faster!

I'm looking forward to every minute of this vacation and I'm sure it will fly by so fast! Farewell to all - see you in November!!

Half in the Sun

And, introducing...Harry's first publication! His story "The End of Swinburne" is part of this anthology and can be found on page 83! I'm beaming with pride for Mr. Hubby.

I'm terrible at giving reviews about books and considering we just got the books last thursday, I have barely started reading it. So, here are some intelligent reviews that have been included on the back cover.

Here is the publishers write up: http://www.ronsdalepress.com/catalogue/halfsun.html I'm not sure about the details of where this will be selling so if by chance this book appeals to you and you'd like to purchase a copy, please email me - I'm sure we can hook you up. When we get back from Europe, Harry will be doing a reading or two and I must admit he has quite a talent here. He has such conviction when he tells stories. He can get an entire audience on the edge of their seats - it is quite the treat!
Harry and I both grew up in Mennonite families and I'm sure many of you are wondering what the heck that means. I don't have a lot of time to go into it right now, but you can read more about here if you are interested. Ok, slight clarification here...I have pure Mennonite bloodlines where Harry actually has Doukabour blood in him, (I sort of just lumped it in with the Mennonite background which was wrong of me, I have now been set straight) - see Harry's comment for more info...

Ok, off we go to turkey dinner - did I mention it is Thanksgiving weekend for us Canadians? Well, gobble gobble.

Decaying Piano

2 more sleeps and we will be flying over the Atlantic Ocean - eeeeee. Here we go! I had my final day at work yesterday and let me tell you, it dragged on for-ever!

I don't really know what to blog about today because my mind is filled with a checklist of all we have to get done and I'm a big ball of nerves right now! Except, I did come across these photos I made when I was in art school many moons ago and thought I would share them. I was never much of a photographer - there were other students who just had the knack for finding amazing images and the magic voodoo with chemicals to make their prints even more beautiful. Every time I tried to develop my film, it would go grainy or I'd screw up getting it in the canister and lose half the roll of film. Photography was not my thing.

I lived on the East side of Vancouver for my first year at ECIAD - my neighbourhood was always filled with treasures. This dilapidated piano was in someone's front yard but unless you were walking by the house and happened to look beyond the overgrown garden, you'd never notice it. I wondered how it got there and how old it was - there are so many different stories in my head about the people who live here and their history. I really don't want to know the truth about them because I'm sure I'd be disappointed.

Oh, before I go - some other very exciting news - my very talented hubby has got his first story published!! I am so proud of him. Before we leave for our vacation I will blog about it and gush until he turns red in the cheeks.

Illustration Friday {Quiet}

Well, it is pretty rough and I'm so late posting this, but I really wanted to try something different and I'm totally into redwork embroidery right now. So, here it is...This is the quick sketch I started with.
And, here is the embroidery - WIP as you can see.

It is no secret that I love the fibre arts - knitting and embroidery being my main obsessions as of late. We have this hand me down rocking chair that sits in the corner of our living room which my parents actually used to rocked me to sleep when I was a wee one. I don't ever sit in it because it is fairly uncomfortable, although I will probably always keep it in my house for the family sentiments. Somehow, all my knitting ends up living there when I'm not working on it. During my days at the office, I will sometimes think of my project just resting on the chair, all quiet and peaceful. And oh, how I wish I could be home working on it.