Way Home

At this current moment of time I am at the Schipol Airport waiting to board IcelandAir flight to Iceland. I could wander around the airport. I could have a drink. I could wait in a chair. I could do those things but I am  not.I am riding a bike/charging station.  The faster I pedal the faster my device charges. This is a bike/charging station for three.  I am biking. Two handsome men are biking.  They are charging their phones.  I am just biking for the fun of it. We three are in the cool crowd.  Biking at the airport while waiting for a flight.  Feeling good!

Brave

Sixteen years ago I was a Girl Scout leader. Sixteen years ago someone asked if we would accept a teenager into our troop. This teen was an exchange student from Russia. I asked the girls if they would accept her into the troop. Sixteen years ago a tiny red haired young woman entered our lives. Her charm and her vivacity enthralled us. Last night, sixteen years later, we took the train from Hague to Leiden. We were met by a red haired woman at Starbucks. She took us on a bus, in the rain, to her home. She made us parsnip/pumpkin soup and risotto. We drank a bottle  of wine. We ate stinky cheese, green grapes and Russian bread. We met her fiancee. We saw pictures of their trip to South Africa where they got engaged. We learned about their jobs in finance and marketing. We were fully entertained for three hours. My two week  European vacation is coming to a close. This dinner was a classy way to bookend the trip.

What Do You Want To Do Today?

I loved being asked what I want to do today.

Especially when I am asked by someone that I know has my back.

I decided to take a train from Amsterdam to Germany.

Duisburg, Germany.

Why Duisburg? Why not Duisburg?

I learned Duisburg was the most heavily bombed city in Germany during WWII because it was a manufacturing city.  It is a strange feeling to go into a museum about the war realizing my country was the aggressor and I cannot read a single sign in this museum.I have no idea how the war was interpreted. Luckily for me there is an English speaking woman translating for her 6 year old daughter. I thank her for being here today.

Duisburg! On the banks of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers.

I could have spent hours researching what to do in Duisburg but instead I wanted to keep it casual. We found two extraordinary museums.  We had a wonderful lunch at a great restaurant.

There is lots to do in Duisburg.

The day was sunny in Duisburg.

It is nice to have a dry day for a change.

The high temperature was about 40 degrees.

I would think people would be working but many of them are out and about shopping and having fun.

We warmed up in the shopping mall and watched the people.  

Duisburg is not a tourist town.

Oh, my sciatica! Actually it's not too bad today.

Thinking about going to Duisburg?  Do it! Do it in Duisburg!

Hop On Hop Off Canal Ride

Safe!

When I was a student at the University of Minnesota I took the basic psychology class. I learned about alpha brain waves. Neuroscience has always fascinated me so I focused on alpha brain waves.  Eventually I learned to recognize when my brain is experiencing the alpha brain waves. I felt alpha brain waves on a rainy afternoon while riding the "hop on/hop off" canal ride in Amsterdam.  As our boat progressed around the city my brain waves morphed into alpha waves.  I felt relaxed.  I felt safe. I felt at ease. I felt zen. I have known for a long time that being on the water is relaxing to me. Lakes, steams, oceans, and rivers are important to my peace of mind. Whether my mode of transportation is swimming, floating, inner tube, kayak,  canoe, or aircraft carrier, I relax on the water.  Another thing that relaxes me is hearing people with an eastern European accent. When I was a child some members of my family had a thick accent. Together the Amsterdam canal ride and the Dutch accents brought me to alpha wave brain/nirvana. I had a good day!

Rainy Day in Amsterdam-50% Chance of Rain

Breakfast: yogurt and granola with espresso while holding a 7 month old sleep deprived/yet content grandgirl. Lunch: onion bagel with cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes with herbal orange tea. Supper: Spaghetti with house wine followed by chocolate souffle and fizzy water.  Half the time we were walking outside rain was falling.Half the time we were walking outside rain was  not falling. So the weather forecast was correct. Today was good weather for ducks, coots, swans, feral parakeets, pigeons and mallards.

Laundry in Finland

I was favorably impressed with the laundry system at this apartment in Helsinki. This 5 story, three wing condos are right on the sea.  The laundry room has a sign up sheet. We signed up a couple times. The washing machine is industrial.  All the instructions are in the language of Finland so I had to guess.  There was no charge and the clothes came out clean so i guess we did just fine. Next to the laundry room is a drying room. This room had clotheslines for 10 loads of laundry and a drying rack with 4 shelves. We hung our laundry in the drying room and turned on the drying machine for 4 hours. We came back and our laundry was done. Cool beans. Cool Finnish beans.

A Cloudy Day in Helsinki

A Sunny Day In Helsinki

Poland

View from our AirBnB.

We were one block from the Marie Curie museum which is also the house where she was born and raised.

Birds!

Raven, crow or jackdaw in flight.

Ice rink with the mermaid Sawa in the middle.  Sawa swam up the Vistula River and hooked up with a guy named War hense the name Warsawza.

Kids playing in the snow.

Tow turtle doves

There is Sawa again only this time in the church. During WWII the Germans parked tanks inside this church.

Many years ago the whole town of Warsaw fit inside this city wall.

Wordless Wednesday

Cold Fingers

Today I had a good day. I put on 12,000 steps and they were all in Poland. I wore my warmest clothes and my winter boots. I ate Polish food. I held a baby who was fussy at a Polish restaurant. I stood by the door of the restaurant right up the street from the Presidential Palace at 2 pm. The baby and I saw 3 Polizia cars go by with blue lights flashing. Those three cars were followed by 3 black shiny vans or larger vehicles. Behind them were 3 more Polizia cars racing down the very busy boulevard that I had just crossed pushing a stroller. The restaurant is crowded but I make my way past the customers to my table where I say, "The freaking presidential motorcade just went by!" I return with the baby to our spot right next to the door to see who else in going by. Pretty soon the mother of the baby comes to tell me my hot mead and beetroot soup are ready. I give the baby up to drink my hot drink and drink my hot pink broth. The heat of my meal warms me up. I have basically been walking outside for 3 hours now. Later, at 5 pm, we walk up to a holiday light show at another historic building. I am not holding a baby. I am not pushing a stroller across the bumpy cobblestones. I am walking in the cold air unencumbered. I see my offspring race across the courtyard pushing a preschooler in a stroller at top notch speed. He is loving it. She is loving it.  I am loving it too. Later as I walk through the holiday lights with the two babies and the mother of the babies I see my two offspring standing together at the top of the steps. They stand together with the empty stroller while we enjoy the lights and crawl through the things children are allowed to crawl through or crawl on. I see a little boy with his finger up his nose. Along comes my grandgirl. She puts both fingers up her nose. Up comes a third kid. He or she doesn't have his finger up his/her nose but pretty soon I see three kids with at least one finger up their nose. My fingers are cold. I could warm them up that way too I suppose but it is hard to do with mittens on. Mothers come up and the fingers are pulled out of the noses and mittens are put back on. We get home with some take out kebabs and falafel. I take a hot shower while the others eat. I eat my food all gone and feel really good.

Coming Home

Sometimes when you travel you get closer to home. Today I traveled from my home to Iceland. Leaving the plane I saw we had to walk down the steps and walk across the tarmac. The tarmac was covered in ice.  How appropriate! Ice in Iceland. We had a delay. I thought it was the ice. Turns out the mechanics were on strike. Welcome to Europe. Labor strikes are common in Europe. After our 2 hour delay we made it to Copenhagen. That plane was delayed for unknown reasons so it turns out we were able to make our connection. From Copenhagen we flew to the Frederic Chopin airport in Warsaw (also known as Warsawza). Everybody on the little plane seemed familiar. The smiling faces; the funky clothes; the helpful gestures and even the haircuts seemed familiar. We took a taxi to our place. The driver seemed like a second cousin. We walk up 3 flights to our flat.  What do I find? My very own family. Grandgirl has pink footy pajamas that match my own. I guess I am home!

Speedy Santa

Today on my journey I saw Santa Claus walking down Main Street in Anoka. Santa passed the Sport Shack and headed toward the antique stores.  Later, driving down University Avenue in nordeast I saw Santa Claus again walking by an auto repair shop.  Santa sure gets around.

Nicest Compliment!

Today a coworker of mine, someone I have known about six months, said I reminded her of Miss Frizzle!

Travel Tips

A friend of mine is on her way to Italy to visit her son. Her son is in the Navy and is stationed in Naples. She and her hubby are going a few days early because it was cheaper and they wanted some time alone together without grandchildren. She asked me to name the three things I enjoyed most in Rome.  If I had to narrow it down to the three most important experiences in Rome they would be 1. Tremulato (feel an earthquake) 2. The Paladium and 3. Walk along the river path, touch each fig tree, and imagine Cleopatra doing the same thing.

What Happened

My book club has taken a political bent lately. Tonight we discussed What Happened by Hilary Clinton.  The person who suggested the book also suggested conservative books as well.  This is the one the group chose.  I tried to get it from the library but the waiting list was long.  I bought it on Amazon but it got delivered to South Carolina.  As I was trying to get that snafu figured out the book became available for free on the Cloud Library. I downloaded the book and was surprised to find it was an audio book.  More surprising was the book was read by the author. Here I was cleaning my home on Saturday morning and Hilary is standing in my kitchen talking right to me. We had a lively discussion tonight. Next month we're going back to a mystery.  The group likes mysteries more than I do.  

Holiday Party

I went to a holiday party at a friend's house.  I invited a significant other who is a teen. I asked if she wanted to go.  She said yes. I said we won't stay long.  She said, "ok." She asked if her sister could come.  I checked and the answer was yes. Sister was coming. Suddenly sister remembered another engagement. So only two of us were going. I brought a desert and a holiday card. Significant other made a holiday card. She knows how to work the crowd.We were early so we drove around. The sun was setting. She wanted to take a picture. I pull over on a safe place. She takes a picture. I didn't know she was going to wade into the marsh to take the picture. She comes back dry and we proceed to the party. We are the first guests to arrive. Significant other totally charms the hostess. We are invited downstairs to the pet area. Pets are separated by species in rooms that are kept at different temperatures. I like animals. Reptiles are animals. I like frogs. I will even catch a frog if I can.  I prefer leopard frogs or tree frogs. I will pass on a mink frog.  Mink frogs smell like mink. Snakes are okay too but I involuntarily scream when I am surprised by one.  To go into a room with snakes in glass cages is OK but I don't want to stay too long.  When a snake looks at me and sticks out it's tongue I think of Adam and Eve and forked tongue and other evil villains.  When a dragon sticks out it's blue tongue at me I wonder if it ate a smurf. When a big old snake looks at me and starts making noises like Darth Vader, I am ready to high tail it out of there. I ask if she is ready to go.  Not yet.  The hostess says she'll be right back she has to stir the rice.Now I am alone with this teen and she is holding a freaking snake.  She says she can feel it constrict her arm.  She holds a legless lizard.  By the way, what is a legless lizard?  It's a snake! I am about to cry when it is time to eat. We eat. My date is gone. She is busy charming all 20 guests. She asks if she is youngest one here. I saw yes except for that tarantula downstairs. Downstairs she goes again.  She pets the German Shepard looking dogs. She holds the freaking ferrets. I ask if she is ready to go.  She says no. I remind her we want to leave before the business meeting.  I get out coats. She is not ready to leave. She is talking to the hostess.  The hostess says she has to start the business meeting.  I shut the door 2 minutes into the business meeting.  I have to go. I had the time of my life. I hope she did too. Now she wants to go on a field trip to look for timber rattlesnakes. I am so grateful she didn't drop the dragon. I would have been so embarrassed if I wet my holiday skirt. I say thanks.  She says thanks. She says she has allergies.  I advise her to take a shower and get the snake juice off her skin before she goes to bed.  She tells me children are more susceptible to Salmonella poisoning than adults. I am the most popular guest at the party (in my honest opinion) because I brought a young guest. I think I will have bad dreams that night but instead I dream about swimming. I know my head is on straight if I dream about swimming or flying.

Chicken Names

The names of the chickens are as follows: Chickenson Caruso (Buff Orpington/mother hen), Heckyl and Jeckyl (identical black Cuckoo Marans), Hyde/Heidi/Hidy Ho Neighbor (darkest Americauna), Half Pint (small medium brown Americauna, and last but not least Pollyanna (lightest blonde Americauna. The species of Cuckoo Marans are aptly named. Heckyl (What the heck Heckyl) stepped on my foot six times tonight looking for the open door to the coop while I quietly said, "Cuckoo Maran" over and over and over until it didn't sound like an insult anymore.  Cuckoo Maran! This bird is prone to panic but ate a dried meal worm off my mud boot. I just shake the bag and it will follow me anywhere. I am a pied piper of cuckoo marans. The possom has moved on to greener pastures.  All is well. Peace reigns in the valley.  I saw a turkey print (and white tail deer and feral cat and chipmunk) right outside the coop but I am not going to worry about poultry visitations.

Tis The Season!

Possum Trundles

A couple weeks ago I saw a dead possum at the end of my block. The next day I saw a red tailed hawk eating that possum. On Thanksgiving I saw a live possum under my bird feeder. That weekend I saw a large conglomeration of possum manure at the bottom of the oak closest to my deck. The possum was eating the chicken feed the chickens kick out of the coop. The possum was eating the scraps from the compost bin. Also it was obvious someone (cough/possum/cough) was trying to get into the chicken run because the cover to the run was kitteywampus. I take care of the chickens in the dark. I imagine opening the door to the egg laying section of the coop and coming face to face with a possum pretending to be a chicken and I don't like this image in my head. I decide to persuade the possum to trundle on over to the next part of the neighborhood. I leave the yard light on all night for three nights. I make changes in my yard to make it a welcoming place for nature and then I complain when I get stung by ground nesting bees and when I imagine a possum the chicken coop. There is no pleasing me.

Happy Holidays!

In Case The Commute This Morning Caused You Any Stress - Watch This

It's Not The Destination

The destination was the Landscape Arboretum. Murphy's Law was in full effect.  Can't find keys. Can't find wallet. Can't find Arboretum. Wandered aimlessly and content.  Shooting the breeze. Got directions from 3 guys at 3 different places. Thanked them. Made plans to come back and get lost again. Found it an hour late. Just in time to hear about my 3 year volunteer project the breeding bird atlas. Listened to lectures about birds. Admired other birders. Felt at home with this group. Played hooky to wander the gardens. Stayed until the end because it was about our marsh bird project. Got lost on purpose going home. Found ourselves on a land bridge between two bags of Lake Minnetonka. Full moon on horizon reflected on thin sheet of ice took breath away. Avoided an accident. Big homes. Fancy lights. Seasons Greetings. Listened to holiday music. Got home safe. Keys found. Wallet found. All is well.