We've arrived!

Hello Holland! We got into Schipol airport at 6:45. Great flight --- even better having three seats to stretch out on. We met GSE coordinator Herman Hampsink and his wife at the airport and had a bite to eat. Then we caught the train and began the three-hour journey to Maastricht in the southeast part of the Netherlands. Our hotel is great and overlooks a cool street. We each have our own room for tonight, and the beds are soooo comfy.

It's Queen's Day here, so people are wearing orange and have decorated their bikes with orange balloons and streamers. I'll let you know if we find some big parties here in town ;-)







We followed the marching band into town (band nerds, this one's for you ;-)







Lunch at Flo in the Hotel Eden.









Bike rack in Maastricht!









Streets of Maastricht.

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And We're Off!

Today's the day! We're heading to the airport this morning --- we'll be in Amsterdam by 1 a.m. EST tonight, and tomorrow is Queen's Day in the Netherlands. Time to go finish off a few last-minute things, but I'm looking forward to writing you from Europe! Thanks to Rotary for our awesome adventure!

Indy versus the Volcano

We're almost there! Who would have thought that an ash cloud was in danger of messing up our travel plans, though? Hopefully the E-15 volcano and its friends will stay quiet for a few more days and the winds will blow to the north :-)

We got our jackets and blazers today, we've got our brochures and business cards, we've got our presentation ready, we've got our passports, money, itinerary, and duct tape. Now we just have to pack --- no big deal ;-)

We're all very excited about our trip. We had a gathering last Friday at GSE Coordinator Valory Myers' house with the Rotary team who is here from the Netherlands and the Rotary team from South Korea, plus some visitors from Sierra Leone. The Netherlands team is very cool and said that our itinerary looks great. We received the final itinerary this week and they've added a tour of the Mars chocolate factory. I hope I don't accidentally fall into a vat of liquid cocoa and refuse to come out . . . .

So much to do in the next 4 days, both at work and at home. The house sitter is lined up, grass will be mowed, bills are paid in advance, work will be totally caught up (hopefully), and volcanoes will stay quiet. I'll post again before we leave!

Pictured: The Netherlands Team who will head home in a week or two. See you soon!

World's biggest party, coming up ---

I'm borrowing this posting from another blog. This is happening the day we arrive --- can't wait!  

In Amsterdam

May 1, 2009 · Posted in Netherlands, sightseeing 

Amsterdam turns orange the last day of April.
In honor of their Queen’s birthday, or actually the Queen Mother’s birthday, Holland takes a spring break this day. Officially called Koninginnedag, it’s Holland national holiday for unity, and is celebrated also in the Dutch colonies of Antilles and Aruba. All in orange, in honor of the Dutch Royal Family, the House of Orange.

The festivities begin the night before, Queen’s night, as most outdoor squares begin hosting musicians on stages, and countless Dutch and international visitors begin filling the streets. Many streets are blocked to traffic, and the normally reliable trams are hamstrung by the crowds in the city center, so walking is your best bet. There’s no one central meeting place, but rather the party extends throughout the city, and through all of April 30th.

One of the modern aspects of this holiday, which began on the birthday of Princess Wilhelmina in 1885, that may be overlooked is the flea markets that pop up around the country. Everyone is allowed to sell freely on the streets, and for many, this is reason to try hawking items amassed during spring cleaning. Amazingly, the city is clean, if not quite sober, the morning of May 1st.
If looking to soak up alcohol, or just for some of the freshest meat sandwiches I’ve had, one place a friend took me worth mentioning is an adorable diner-like sandwich shop in the city center. The small meat sandwiches invite you to try them like tapas. Go there: Van Dobben, Korte Reguliersdwarsstraat 5-9.
Benjamin Thomas

We've got plans!

Whoo-hoo! We received our itinerary this week. And wow, the schedule is packed. We'll be hosted by several Rotary Clubs including the cities of Maastricht, Geleen, Venlo, Oss, Geldermalsen, and Zaltbommel (Google fun for you all). Our activities include both vocational and cultural events.
Here's a few of the activities on the agenda:

—Visiting the Sappi paper factory
—Excursion to a mining facility in Blegny, Belgium (it's an old coal mine that closed in 1980)
—Visiting the 2,000-year-old Roman city Aachen in Germany
—A river trip
—Bike tour to a brewery (that'll be fun getting home!)
—Visit the Gliding Club in Venlo
—Visit the gardens of Arcen Castle
—Visit Rotterdam
—Going to Nyenrode Business University
—Sailing trip and visiting Volendam
—Spa time at Thermen Lucaya (a personal favorite :-)
—Leisure bike tour (with pancakes, it says. Yum!)
—Exploring Amsterdam
—Cooking workshop in Zaltbommel
—Loevenstein Castle
—Visiting the city of Utrecht

We'll also be going to 8 Rotary Clubs to give our GSE presentation. We'll be staying with about 6 different host families (we're all going to different houses). And yes, there are a few open hours of free time. I think we'll be needing it to catch up on sleep ;-)

We're all getting excited --- just under three weeks before we leave! We have another meeting on April 16 to rehearse our presentation and to pass out the brochures, business cards, blazers, and jackets, assuming everything arrives by then. Oh, and I exchanged some dollars for Euros this week. Paying $1.44 for $1 in Euros is not cool. That's going to make for an expensive cup of Starbucks!