This summer when I went home for a training, my mom and I decided to take a short trip to Vegas, and get away. We stayed at the Paris hotel and were anxious because had gotten tickets to Celine Dion!

 

The last time we went to Vegas together was October 2001- yep I was around 11 and had no business doing anything except the kiddie arcade- My mom went with her aunt and uncle and I would just hang.... I've been here when I turned 21 with my friend Megan- but it was always a dream of my moms to come here with me. And we finally made that a reality!

 

 

All We Want 2014

Another lovely festival in Goch, Germany- just 1.5 hours away from Haarlem.

Amsterdam goes Crazy!

Well, seeing as Holland has been playing amazingly well- they also show all the games on the Museumplein in Amsterdam where the city comes out decked out in Orange ready to support their team!

The Day of Reckoning

So I knew that the World Cup would be so fun while living in Europe... but I didnt know how intense the Dutch history was... they have never won a World Cup but they also ALWAYS get far... it must be so frustrating!!
Anyways, the first game this year was against Spain- the current European and World Champions- they also happened to beat Holland at the last World Cup.

Everyone was so worried- but then Holland began scoring GOAL after GOAL after GOAL..

The Year of Summer

After the unusually warm winter- I just dont know what to expect from the weather in Holland!!

We have been able to do a lot of fun in the sun and tanning- something this Texan girl really needs!

Collin Visits!!

My friend Collin came to visit only for a short time so we tried to make the best of it with some new Holland experiences!

Evening at the Jopen Kerk (okay not so new for me):

Swiss Business

I was invited to give a presentation on "Clay Chemistry" for a company called NAGRA in Switzerland which is running a large simulation to dispose of Nuclear waste in the future- LUCOEX Large Underground Concept Experiments.

5 Mei

The 5th of May is a special day here in Holland... and no its not Cinco de Mayo!! It is liberation day which is the end of occupation in Holland after WWII.

It is celebrated around the country and we had a party right in the park across from my House! I am so lucky to be able to live in this area.

Mont St. Michel and our last Couple Days!!

We wanted to explore another area of France, and I have always wanted to see Mont St. Michel. It is an old monastery build in the year 900AD. It has been there for over a 1000 years! It got turned into a prison sometime as well, which its in the perfect location for since it is separated by land by the high tide and if you try to walk through the tide, there is quick sand! People have actually died and we were pretty sure we saw ghosts swimming in the sea around the abbey!

Versaille, Swans, and Boats

After thinking Starry Night was at the Louvre, we looked at Musee D'Orsay.. where it typically is... Normally, it would have been there but the Starry Night was online at the MoMa in New York... The Orsay was a beautiful museum though... and although no pictures were allowed we had a great time..

Louvre and Moulin Rouge

Our second day started at the Louvre, we spent the first 30 minutes navigating through hordes of traffic just to see the Mona Lisa, by the time we finished the last thing we wanted to see were crowds...

Paris, avec Mon Ami- Le premiere Jour

I only had about two weeks to recover from my first vacation, before my best friend from UT, Youn, came to visit. Actually, she met me in Paris- which is just so amazing that it was only an hour away from me!

When we arrived our hotel was having technical issues and they sent us to their partner hotel right on the Champs-Elysses. As our taxi driver was driving us there we started seeing gold-edged buildings...And then we saw the eiffel tower to our left and started shouting "It's so beautiful! It's so beautiful!!" Our taxi driver thought we were insane.

The Swan King

Another way i was able to convince everyone to go to Munich was that it is a two hour drive from the "sleeping beauty" castle ... yes it is the model for the disney castle. The area around Neushwanstein includes two castles Hogenshwengau (sp??) where King Ludwig grew up, and then the castle he built on his own castle, Neushwanstein.

Beer Country

You guys must know by now that I LOVE Germany. I have been lucky to go there several times, experience Oktoberfest, and see so many amazing things. I advised my Aunt and Uncle to go there when they came and they loved it as well... i guess there is just something about that place.

Dutch for a Day

Last weekend, a friend took me to a grand tour of 3 cities which we finished in less than a day!!

First stop, Zaans Schans--- It was an outdoor museum of old dutch windmills and other memorabilia. For instance, the original Albert Heijn (grocery store here... think HEB)... There was also a spot to rent bikes! It was a lovely day and perfect for walking around!

Espana! Vale!

I was lucky enough to go to Spain for work. It's funny, so many Europeans get to travel to each others countries. I will not say that they take it for granted, I think they really become engrained in each others countries and try not to go to places "too touristy". But for Americans, sometimes we have to take quick vacations and just try to go take the picture. I saw the Tour d'Eiffel, I saw the Louvre, I saw the globe theatre! I think both points are valid, because what are the points of our ancestors creating such master pieces if we cant see them, or take them for granted... BUT its also nice to go somewhere and really see how people live.

During this trip, I got a mix of both. I spent the first night in Madrid and that was wonderful. Tried Paella, tried Sangria, and walked around la Plaza Mayor.

Haarlem Shopping Night

Yet another difference- they actually close shops here! Many stores are privately owned, therefore only one or two people work there. Hence, if you want to shop you have to go from 9-6. If you work, you can go Thursday nights, or on weekends.

This makes it necessary and cool to have special shopping events. Last weekend there was "Haarlem Shopping Night". Imagine a cross between clubbing and Black Friday.

There were runway shows, fake runway shows, mascots, DJ's, free wine, free giveaways, and you'll see-- even a rock wall!

Getting around

There are Four ways to get around in Holland: Bus, Train, Car, Bike

I am finally an official and got the OV chipkart! I can now ride all the public transport my little heart desires!

As for driving, I thought these were convenient. The dutch have these electric signs along the highway. They have green arrows (which you cant see in the picture) to let you know if a lane is open. When traffic is high, they open the shoulder lane and let cars go. When its flowing as normal, they put a red X and make it a shoulder again. There are few cops, since these portals also measure speed and automatically send you a ticket. Finally, they can increase or decrease the speed limit based on the traffic flow. THAT is a smart system.

and FINALLY biking... for the first time i rode my bike >20 km to Zandvoort! Back and forth! It was a wonderful ride, and still too chilly for me to get in the water, but just warm enough to lay on the sand with a Cola light, and hop on my bike for the ride back. Dont get me wrong... people were already tanning in their bikinis at 62 F!!

My treat was the ice cream! I mean 20k!!