casacollins

Photos: 1. Wynne sketching in Rijks Museum of Dutch masters
2. Lydia and Reed (and Me) "posing" by a canal
3. Bicycle parking garage near the train station--5 levels jam packed with bikes! Very euro!
4. Collinses arrive in Amsterdam train station!
5. House boats along the canals






We loved Amsterdam! We were there for 2 days and enjoyed every minute! We went on a boat tour of the canals. Walked all along the streets. Ate a typical Dutch dinner which was suspiciously close to the English stew. We went to three museums (Rijks, Van Gogh and Anne Frank's secret apartment). We took the tram around the city and just had a great time. Interestingly, marajuana and prostitution are legal and actually tolerated in Amsterdam so that made for some interesting conversations as we strolled along the quaint brick streets beside the canals and "coffeeshops". Mark asked a policeman for directions to the the Anne Frank museum. His response was, "Do you want the scenic route or would you like to see prostitues?"

The canals were really nice. They were lined with houseboats and even a houseboat museum! Sidewalks along the canals provided for some wonderful views and great scenic walking. The buildings all over Amsterdam are about 3 windows wide and 3 or 4 stories tall. They're right next to each other (as space is an issue there too). The Rijks Museum had all sorts of Dutch masters including Rembrandt and Vermeer which was really exciting. It seems that war and battles were a big theme for those fellas. Reed loved all the paintings will all the guys getting ready to battle. The Van Gogh museum was 4 floors chock full of his work and that of some of his friends. Really cool, but tricky to spend "quality" time there with three hungry kiddies. So a little hot chocolate and a waffle and we're off to Anne Frank's secret hideaway. Seeing the Anne Frank place in person was very emotional and a really important experience for all of us.

Between Germany and Amsterdam our family got more education than we expected. Conversations about everything from Nazis to drugs and architecture to painters. The different kinds of transportation used by people in Germany, Amsterdam, Geneva and Spain are so interesting. Who would've thought we could give up our mini-van for bicycles, horses, boats, trams, etc?

Okay, today is Christmas eve and the Emrichs are here visiting for two fun-filled weeks! Everyone is thrilled to be together (at least we are!) and we have fun things planned for the days ahead.

Christmas season here really is just beginning now and climaxes on January 5th-Epiphany for a special gift exchange on the feast of the Three Kings. It's neat that the 12 days of Christmas here begin with Christmas itself and not the marketing calendars of major merchandisers! There will be processions and festivals all over the cities so be sure to check later on and you'll be able to see what we see!

In the meantime, Merry Christmas to everyone! We're far away, but we're thinking of you all and how lucky we are to have you in our lives.

Nothing like a homebase in Europe to get our fannies out and about!! We loaded up the VW and headed to the Malaga airport in early December to go Dusseldorf, Germany and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Wow! What a great trip! We visited the Brockhaus family (Ute, Michael, Max and Anna lived in Wilmette for 2 years when Anna and Lydia were in preschool) in Dusseldorf and got a great taste of family life in the nation's fashion capitol. Dusseldorf is known for it's style and Christmas markets. We shopped and strolled and shopped and strolled. We had crepes stuffed with chocolate and lamented the agony of weight loss. We bought tons of English language books (not really available in Granada) and a few "little" things to wear! Mark got to several museums and even trekked over to Cologne for some research on their incredible cathedral and some modern art. I wondered if he'd come back smelling more fragrant, but alas no cologne for him! We were impressed with the efficiency, cleanliness, and beauty of Germany. We liked it so much we left for 2 days and went to Amsterdam. (See photos on next blog)

Great dinner with Ute and Michael's friends whom they met in Philadelphia. The restaurant used to be a big theater and the wine glasses were proportionate to the enormous scale of the building. So was my headache the next day! Great dinner with wonderful people!
Anna and Gypsy together. Anna is wonderfully responsible for the care and riding of her horse. Great inspiration for Wynne who wants to be a cowgirl/karaoke star when she grows up!
The picture with Mark and kids was our first day in Dusseldorf when we ventured by train into the city for their Christmas market. Everything was lit up and the spirits were high. The chilly weather and decorations everywhere really got us in the holiday spirit.
We thought this was the cutest truck we ever saw. Space is a hot commodity in Europe and we are constantly impressed by the efficient designs that clearly reflect the need to take up less of it!
The last photo is atop a building in Dusseldorf welcoming people to their neighborhood. We definitely felt welcome in Germany!

Okay, here are the photos...Jacobs Family and Collinses (minus Wynne who didn't want to pose) in front of their old, cool barn/house in Prevessin-Moens, France near Geneva. John and Mark went to college together and John works in marketing for the UN. Amy has inspired us to take Omega 3 and Justice League vitamins! Owen told Reed from about 1 cm. from Reed's face, "I just love that you're nine!" Emma keeps the family organized and is a dedicated "mother" to her baby dolls.

Then we have a photo of a plaza in "Old Town" of Geneva where every other store hocks chocolate or watches! The blue lights are illuminated glass tiles in the otherwise brick plaza. They each say a greeting of some sort many different languages. We found Spanish, English, French, German, Russian, Greek and Japanese! Muy internacional! That is Wynne in the green jacket running around like the crazy americana that she is!

Next we have Ben Saper, Mark and Tony Lozano eating, drinking, and laughing at the fish restaurant in the Albaycin. Too bad you can't see more of Lydia. She was wearing a new, cute, apple green skirt and tights which were so matchy matchy with her hat and gloves AND she was eating all kinds of yummy fish. No beer for her! We wish Ben was going to be in Madrid longer because we had a great time getting to know him. His visit helped renew our faith in the 20 somethings. Not that we needed it, but if the world were in his hands (as someone once said of Chris Emrich), we'd be in good shape! Funny how being in a far away place brings you closer to people and reminds you that people all over the place are really good. Thanks Ben.

Jamon!!!!! Finally we have a photo of our beloved ham leg. Not pleasant for vegetarians, but really an important part of the culture here. Jamon serrano is sooooo good. And it fits nicely into the South Beach low-carb diet! Tony's dad cured hams for his living. He and his family would drive all day to the coastal city of Malaga and spend a week there taking the hams to all his customers. Tony taught Mark how to slice the jamon off the leg under the watchful eye of Sandra and daughter, Lucy. To eat jamon with Tony is what we consider the epitome of the jamon experience. While he stands there slicing he tells you about the history, culture and current events of Spain. Tony is a professor by trade and he is a natural teacher. Needless to say, we have learned so much from him and Sandra (and their girls)!

Lastly is our photo of our soccer stars! Lydia was bummed that her team didn't win her division, but she scored and had a great game with all those boys and girls. Her class/team had a lot of girls show up and we like to think maybe her determination to play (with the indoor boys team) inspired them! Reed's team was on top from the first minute of their first game. Reed often plays goalie, but is a stellar defender as well. Nothing like a winning medal to make his day! Look at the Sierra Nevadas behind us. Aren't they beautiful? We see them on our 10 minute walk home from school every day!

If you want to see a bigger version of the photos just click on them and they'll "blow up". Reed likes that phrase! Also, let us know if you're looking at our blog. We are curious to learn how many people actually read this and what you think. Just leave a quick comment telling us you read it, please.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Ciao for now!