The Charming ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Duke’s Forest)

W got up early on Saturday, determined to take three trains in just under two hours to visit the Belgium city of Antwerp. At the train station, the nice lady at the ticket office told us there was a strike of railway workers in Belgium and there is no guarantee when, or even if we make it there or back:-) So we decided to change our destination to the historical town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, which was only one 20 minute ride and definitely worth the visit. It has so much charm and history and none of the craziness of the tourists hotspots. It is busy and lively enough, but not overwhelming.

We arrived before 9am, and the City was just waking up, which allowed us to see the streets in the morning light with almost no people around. Later, some of those streets were covered with sidewalk cafes and enough people to make it barely passable. The vendors were setting up for the Saturday market and we wandered freely and took a drink from the medieval well in the middle of the square.

Our frist stop was the gorgeous Saint John’s Cathedral, there is just something about the old European churches. The attention to detail everywhere, the carefully picked material and decorations. In the morning light coming through the mosaic windows it felt extra special.

We really wanted to take the boat tour through the City’s canals, which are more interesting than Amsterdam ones if you ask me:-) But because it is not commercialized, it is run by one company designated by the historical society, it is also not advertised much and pretty hard to find:-) We did and were lucky to secure last five spots in a tour couple hours later. So we headed back to the square for lunch, it was much busier by now, but we found a nice spot outside with a view of flower stands and enjoyed the buzz of the market while eating a tasty lunch.

We had a lot more fun there, but I’ve been sitting on this draft for a few days now, so I will post about the rest of our day there in a separate entry:-)

 

Greetings From Amsterdam

Over the weekend we took a train to Amsterdam, the train transportation is so easy, we got up at 7am in Eindhoven, walked to the train station, and by 10am we were already downtown Amsterdam, arriving at the beautiful Central Sation, which is on a man-made island, right by where all the action is.

There is so much to do in Amsterdam, we decided to narrow our activities to two planned ones and leave the rest of time to just walking and exploring.

First we visited the beautiful Royal Palace, which is still being used by the Royal Family for some special occasions, but is open to public most of the year. It is a beautiful building, with amazing decorations and architectural details.

We learned a lot about history and enjoyed the audioguides, different ones for different ages. Timmy and Sylvia’s was narrated by Prince Louis, and included questions, which they could answer by placing stickers at the right place. They took it very seriously and at the end the stickers spelled Holland Empire and resulted in a nice ornament, a souvenir for them to take home.

After that we spent some time at the square, observed some street performers, the kids posed with their favorite ones and than we walked and had lunch at an Irish Pub with a Dutch twist. only after we sat down we realized we were under a watchful eye of an alien, also overlooking a store with edible goodies including “girl scout” cookies and ice-cream, which we had to explain the kids were definitely not for them to try:-)

After lunch we spent some time just wandering around, including some more quite streets and canals. Amsterdam has great energy and interesting vibe. You can definitely see the evidence of free spirit by the number of  red light district displays (certainly not limited to the red light district) and stores with goodies laced with mushrooms, cannabis and other legal mood enhancers. Walking by a peaceful canal and suddenly having to explain to the kids why there is a lady in a window dressed only in underwear winking at passers by, made for an interesting experience:-)

 

Finally, after our legs were tire of walking, we took a boat tour. It was great to see City from the water, seeing some landmarks as well as quiet canals and people enjoying their Saturday afternoon.

There is a lot more we did not get to see and do, but we certainly had a great experience in Amsterdam!

Phillips Museum

Phillips Museum is another attraction that is less than a mile away from us and we finally made it there. It is pretty new, it only opened in 2013, but it can sure make you feel old quick:-) Seeing so many things from my childhood on display and my kids with no idea what it is or how it works can sure do that. There are many fun things though and we learned a lot!

Phillips just celebrate 125 year, it started as a light bulb manufacturer and quickly ventured into so many aspects of life, coming up with amazing innovations making our life easier and more fun.We went through the timeline and saw the old factory as it looked over 100 years ago.

We saw old radios and TV, the one I am posing next to looks just like the one we had when I was a child:-) And the radio in the picture with Phillip looks a lot like the one my grandparents had. The kids were confused when I was explaining how you had to tune the channels by turning the knobs and switching channels required pressing the knobs. And we only had two channels on TV and they were on only parts of the day, the rest of the day we would have the lovely monoscope (the spell check does not even know this word). I know, I  know, I am old.

We learned that Phillips got into the medical imaging field during World War II, as the army doctors needed help fixing the x-rays, because they could not get the german manufacture to fix it or get new ones. And what progress their made. The kids were fascinated by the kitten scanner, which is used to help children feel comfortable with MRI or CAT scan. You could scan a robot, chicken or some other animals.

We saw Phillips around the word and in Eindhoven, with an interactive map. The kids found where we are currently staying, right in the middle of Phillips’ historical and new buildings.

We had lunch in the cafe and received several chocolate light bulbs made to commemorate the 125th anniversary from the nice man in blue, who are manning the museum. Timmy’s broke into pieces, so he first solved the puzzle of putting it back together.

After lunch we headed upstairs to see all the everyday objects Phillips does or did manufacture at some point.We saw 80’s era dream bedrooms for teenage boy and girl, with all the latest technology, such as cassette players and the very first TV game I ever played. The kids had fun trying it too:-)

The music section was interesting too. We learned that Satisfaction, one of the biggest hits for Rolling Stones, was written at night and almost forgotten about, and only remembered thanks to Phillips cassette player. Keith Richards liked to experiment with it to make sound effects, and found the basis for the song recorded in the morning with no memory of the song. We saw Michael Jackson’s glove and learned that a new model was designed for him for the concert he was rehearsing at the time of his untimely passing. He rehearsed with it and said it was everything he wanted, but did not get to perform with it.

Finally, we had fun at the news exhibit that opened just this past weekend, various interactive digital screens. One can measure your hight and compare it to others your age, other offers look inside your body or your DNA, another is an infrared camera and so on. We had a lot of fun there.

On our way out we saw a dress that changes color of the lights woven inside and helped put a few peaces of the puzzle in place at the store.

We still had some afterwards so we stopped at a toy store and had some gelato downtown. Another fun day at Netherlands!

Sunday at the Strijp-S

Strijp-S is a former industrial site once used by Phillips. It has been transformed into culture and retail hub, as well as home to new initiatives and startup companies. We mainly went to visit the Feel Good Market again, but discovered it has much more to offer.

There is a very nice indoor skate park, which made Phillip and Timmy want to start skateboarding.

We also saw an outdoor exhibit about sustainable technologies, such as 100% recyclable plastic bottles, made from 100% recycled materials, 3D printed dresses and shoes, (Sylvia though that would be handy to have), 3D printed lightings, low energy lights and other cool stuff.

Another part of the exhibit was repurposed shipping containers into living and working spaces, with smart gardens using very limited resources to grow food. Too bad it was cold and rainy, so after couple hours we decided to head home. We will need to go back and visit some of the stores and restaurants, maybe even attend a concert or another performance. We are fortunate to be staying less than a mile away, we can do that easily.

 

Splash Pools Are Open Already!

We have been mostly settling back into our Netherlands routine after the busy time in Prague, spending time at our favorite playgrounds and catching up on some schoolwork.

Today we decided to have picnic again at Speelpark De Splinter, which I wrote about previously.  The kids were admiring the big splash pool before, and I told them that it would likely not get filled until after we leave, since it’s warming up slow and school here goes until late July. Well, surprise, today at least one part of the pool was open and happily used by many kids. Today’s high was only 75F and we only had a few days with highs over 70. Tomorrow’s forecast if for high of 55F and not much better for the following week. But to the kids’  great delight it was open!  Fortunately nobody makes a big deal out of what the kids wear or don’t wear, and we grabbed extra shorts and underwear, as there are many water hazards at that park, so our kids got to enjoy it along with everybody else. Next time we’ll bring the swimsuits though:-)

They soaked up the sun afterwards and enjoyed the park for the most of the day again. We will miss this place when we go back to US. Can somebody at least put some of these cool swings on our playgrounds?

Eindhoven knows how to throw a party!

I mentioned that soccer is a serious business here and we have witnessed the support the local team gets. PSV Eindhoven succesfully defended the Dutch Eredivisie champion title from last year, as their rival Ajax Amsterdam surprisingly only tied their last game, while PSV won. The title was unexpected because if both teams won, as predicted, the title went to Ajax. We happened to run into the impromptu celebration by chance yesterday on our walk, fans congregated downtown after the game concluded. It was fun to be in the middle of it and feel the atmosphere, but it was pretty crowded and beer was flowing freely everywhere, so after a while we retreated to the more quiet areas.

Today is the official celebration. We went downtown in the morning and saw the preparations everywhere  several podiums, barriers for parade route, big monitors and again plenty of beer kiosks:-) After consulting some locals, we decided to only head to the family friendly part at the stadium. They opened the stadium about an hour before the parade started for families with kids and anybody with disabilities that might make it difficult to attend the main events. Two sides of the stadium were pretty full with young fans and their families and they did not mind waiting for their favorite players.

The best part was after the players left, as they opened the field for everybody. The kids got to run all over and see how much bigger the professional field is compared to the ones they play on. That did not stop them from sprinting back and forth several times and climbing on the goals and testing how soft the grass was.

As we walked back, we saw that the downtown part would not be easy to do with kids, the crowds were overwhelming, beer flowing everywhere and people super excited. We live about a mile from the main event (although the whole downtown is one big happening) and we can still here the noise from the outside and probably will for a few more hours:-) The whole town is celebrating and we had fun joining in for a little bit and experiencing the atmosphere. This City sure know how to throw a party!

 

 

Memory Lane

I was lucky enough to grow up a stone’s throw from the Prague Castle, and take walks surrounded by the history without even realizing that it was something special. It was amazing to be able to take the kids on a walk I often took, starting just above the Prague Castle and ending at the bottom of the Wenceslas’s square. Prague is actually quite compact and most of the historical places are no more than an hour walk from each other. This used to take me about an hour, but of course with the kids it was good part of the day, because we took quite a few stops and detours:-)

We started at Pohorelec, nice little square, which offers a peak of the view of Prague Castle and downtown, but it is just a tease, you have to go lower, at least to Ujezd, which is the upper part of famous Nerudova Street. The top goes just under the castle and offers beautiful view of downtown and Petrin Hill. The bottom part is famous for picturesque houses, each with a name and a sign, there are many souvenir shops, restaurants, and hotels now.

Neruda Street opens into Malostranske Square, with the beautiful St. Nicolas basilica, but the kids were anxious to get to Charles Bridge, so we just proceeded right to it. Once we were at the entrance, we decided to climb the bridge tower on this side, as we usually climb the other one. Thew views were beautiful, just like any other view in Prague, you can see almost everywhere you’ve been and where you still want to go:-). I think this might have actually been my first time on this tower!

We also decided to take a detour through the Kampa Island, which is between the river Vltava and a smaller river Certovka and is accessible from Charles Bridge. It is ofter left out of the tourist maps, but there is a lot to see and do there, big green space with lilacs blooming right now, square with little stores and restaurants, where there was an exhibit about Charles the IV, exhibit hall with giant crawling babies outside and a playground. The kids loved the old mill with vodnik, a fairytale character which I still don’t know how to say in english (he lives underwater and can pull unfortunate souls under with him).  There is also an access to John Lennon Wall, which started as a tribute, but became a symbol of non violent opposition to the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, so we visited there too.

We ate some lunch from street vendors and continued back on the Charle’s bridge. Even on a weekday, you can only proceed at a leisurely pace, as it is always full of people admiring the views, statues, and checking out the street artists and vendors. We took our time too and even ended up buying a CD from a group that caught our ear , Electroshock, only to realize later we have no way to play a CD in Netherlands, even or computers don’t have CD slots anymore. Well, we have to wait till we are back in US! Fortunately they have a website and you can listen to them online too.

After that it is a short walk to the Old Town Square, where we always have to go to see where Karel and I got married and where our family story begun. We watched the Old Town Astronomical Clock, which is part of the Old Town City Hall, where the wedding ceremony took place. After that we enjoyed giant bubbles at the square and headed to the Bottom of Wenceslas sure to the subway station. We were pulled into another street performance and Sylvia got to be part of the show. I could spend days walking around Prague, but it was good to go down memory lane at least for a little while and walk through many places that used to be part of my daily life.

 

 

Prague Castle

We are back in Eindhoven from our trip to Prague. As expected, we did not keep up with the blog there, partially because our internet connection was too slow but mainly because there was so much to see and do, so many people to meet with and we needed to sleep as well:-) So we will do a couple of posts to catch up with the documentation of our adventures, starting with Prague Castle.

Prague Castle is so much more than a castle, the complex is more of a town, with three courtyards, with all the amenities the royalty could need. By chance we happen to run into a convoy of American World War II jeeps right in front of the castle, which was part of the remembrance events taking place around the country to commemorate the end of War War II. The kids were excited to see the american flags and we talked about the crucial role USA, along with other allies, played in defeating the nazis. It is great such traditions are kept to remind new generations. The kids even got pins with American and Czech flags and a small American flag Sylvia carried everywhere:-)

After the convoy left we checked out the view outside of the castle and the kids posed with the guard. We also watched the changing of the guards ceremony.

 

I grew up a few minutes walk from the castle and we were free to wonder in the complex for most parts. I know many Prague inhabitants are not happy that now you need to pay to access many parts of the complex, but I think it made things better. You can choose from different circuits and many places that are accessible with an entrance fee were not accessible at all before. Everything is also better maintained and marked. We only planned to spend about half a day at the castle, so we choose the smallest circuit, allowing us to access the St. Vitus cathedral, St. George basilica, the Old Royal Palace and the Golden Lane. We barely had enough time to visit all four, we could have easily spend a full day, maybe even two:-). Oh well, maybe next time.

The St. Vitus Cathedral is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. It is difficult to  fully appreciate it from the outside, as it is surrounded by the buildings, but it still looks impressive. Inside, you can feel the history surrounding you. The boys remember last time a friendly guard let us peak in the catacombs under the church, where many historical figures are buried, but I told them not to expect such luck this time. You could only access it with a tour, that is held only at certain times and we did not have time for that. Another item for the “next time list”:-)

After that we took a peak at the Old Royal Palace, had lunch between the St. Vitus cathedral and St. George Basilica, which is the oldest church in the Prague Castle Complex, founded in 920, but rebuilt in 12th century after a fire.

Our last stop was the golden lane, a little street with tine colored houses, where alchemists  lived while looking for ways to make gold. Some of the houses are souvenir shops while others have displayed of how people lived there and some have the alchemist workplaces set up. On top of the houses is a museum of armor and weapons, inside the castle wall. The golden lane leads to Daliborka, which was a famous dungeon and prison at the castle. We were little rushed at this point and did not take too many pictures, but the kids enjoyd all this part has to offer.

We really need to leave more time to enjoy and explore other parts of the castle next time:-)