More of Austria!

This is the second hotel on this trip that has provided slippers.  Matt found us some GREAT hotels!

For Naomi and Gabe to see the horse-drawn carriages the tour all over Salzburg. 

Recognize this? (Not the creepy eyes! The background!) Think Julie Andrews.
 

 On the way down from the Hohensalzburg Castle, which is up on a hill. One of those lovely squinting pictures!

The castle from a little ways down the hill. This one's for our kids, because we told them we were going to a castle today!

Also on the agenda today was the house where Mozart was born, the catacombs, several museums and cathedrals. Still to come is a concert in the Mirabell Castle, where Mozart actually performed!

On to Austria!

Last few minutes in Noordwijk, enjoying some Flemish fries! They actually give them to you in a cone-shaped paper with a fork. If you requested some type of sauce, a whole bunch of it is squirted over the top, and you just eat it with your fork! Matt chose plain fries, and I went with a curry sauce (which seemed very similar to sweet and sour sauce). Yummy!

We took a sleeper car on the overnight train from Amsterdam to Munich. Quarters were tighter than expected, but it was more comfortable than sitting in a chair all night!

Lunching in Austria!

View from our hotel room in Austria, over the Salzach River!

Poster

Matt's poster, which is why we got to have a good portion of this trip subsidized by his lab!

...the title. Truly fascinating. You should ask him about it sometime! ;)

Me at the hotel, waiting for lunch.

Noordwijk by Bike, Part I, Section A

What does one do to fill the time while her husband is occupied with other scientific minds? If she had been harbouring a fancy for using bike transport as so many Europeans do, then she would rent a bike and set out into the city!

Noordwijk is much more laid-back than Paris and Amsterdam, traffic-wise.
It was a beautiful day on the bike, albeit windy!

Check out the views over the handlebars!

...off Nieuwe Zeeweg, the road between Noordwijk aan Zee (our area) and Noordwijck Binnen)...

 This is what happens when you don't have anyone to take your picture, and you lack experience in doing it yourself.

A-ha! I am in the frame! I lost the building, though. It's the Oude Jeroenskerk, from the 12th century, renovated in 1450 and still in use.

Noordwijk by Bike, Part I, Section B

A mermaid for Naomi...

 

...the beach...

 ...intersection of Schoolstraat and Hoofdstraat, both streets lined with shops.

Noordwijk by Bike, Part II

Pickeplein...

...Koningin Astrid Blvd (named for Queen Astrid)...

...back to the hotel, Huis ter Duin.

Den Haag

On Tuesday I spent a chunk of time in Delft (think Vermeer and Delft blue china/tiles) while Matt was off conferencing. We met in late afternoon at Den Haag, and here are a few pictures! (Phone pictures = low quality. Sorry!)

Pictures of Paris

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Paris. After awhile our feet protested, but we pushed on and saw incredible buildings, fascinating historical sites, bridges, statues and gardens!

The pictures on this post weren't necessarily our favorites, just ones we took with my phone camera instead of the big camera. More pictures to come!

Some of these were taken specifically to entertain our kids, who seem to be loving Grandma and Grandpa time a lot! One is us enjoying sorbet, one was to impress the kids with Daddy's strength. And the Hotel Beaubourg was home base.

Paris!

Today was our first day in Paris! We covered a lot of ground and are now planning out tomorrow's agenda. Some great moments:

The Parthenon

Dessert: soft white cheese with honey for me, apple tart and ice cream for Matt

Focault's pendulum

Parisians know how to do libraries! Look at the size of it! We got some pictures inside with the other camera, so those pictures will be posted when we are back home.

Prep Time!

Last night was finally time to pack for our upcoming trip. The last thing we did before going to bed was put on my motion sickness patch. Each one lasts 72 hours, and I have a nice little stock to see me through the entire vacation. I fully expect this will make the overseas flights MUCH more pleasant!!

Gabe's nighttime habits

Gabe often wakes around 4:00 AM and joins us in bed. Since my parents will be there for the next two weeks, we installed them in the master bedroom first thing. I thought that might cure Gabriel of playing musical beds, but apparently not!

The Grandparents Have Arrived!

Grandma and Grandpa Jones arrived yesterday! Naomi was almost in tears several times the day before because time wouldn't move more quickly.

The kids will all get plenty of fun attention since Grandma and Grandpa will be here for 2 weeks while Matt and I head out for a vacation!

Oh, coconuts!

Gabe has long been fascinated with coconuts, courtesy of "Jake and the Neverland Pirates". We stopped by the international farmer's market on Monday, and Matt grabbed a coconut so the kids could check it out.

Coconut milk was a bust, but they loved the rest of it!

On Jun 4, 2012 10:50 PM, "Matthew Merrell" <matthew.merrell@gmail.com> wrote:

Speedy & Mischievious!

I turned my back for less than a minute (literally!) after our oatmeal breakfast. When I came back for the dishes, Andrew Frederick had served himself up some brown sugar and raisins. Then he opted to bypass the makeshift plate and transfer the sugar directly from container to mouth!

Dad's away...

So it's time to play!

Matt headed out to camp with the scouts, so the rest of us hopped over to Krispy Kreme for National Free Donut Day. We munched our donuts on the lawn and then piled sleeping bags on the living room floor for movie-and-living-room-sleepout night. Summer fun!!

Fun weekend!

Yesterday we started out with softball at the park, headed to the neighborhood swimming pool for a few hours, and finished up at a bbq with lots of great friends. Here are some pictures from after the bbq, where our kids were running on adrenaline and silliness!

Messy Boy!

Gabe loves to tousle Andy's hair and say, "What a messy boy! ", and it's usually true! Normal-sized bibs don't provide anywhere near adequate coverage, so we've opted for dish towels and a clothespin. He sure is a HAPPY messy fella!

Wedding singer

Going mobile!

I've decided to rid myself of the guilt that accompanies long stretches of not posting pictures or updates on the family blog! My fabulous friend Becky started posting a picture a day taken from her phone and posted directly on her blog and inspired me. Taking time to upload pictures constantly, sort them, and create a blog post is not a quick thing for me. Pressing a few buttons on my phone?? I can do that!! So now:

1. You'll get to see little tidbits of our life, and
2. The grandparents will be happy to see more pictures, and
3. My guilt level will have decreased dramatically.

Phew! Happy summer to me!

First Day of Summer... Swimming pool and then a train ride at Stone Mountain!