Day 109 - 112 - Return of the Gumby

Jordan's back.

Day 109 - Bike Trip

My teacher made it clear in her message to the class before heading out that we should take nice bikes with us on this class bike trip out through the polders. I figured mine would be fine. More on this later.

We met up at the University library (James: "Oh, so THIS is the library!") and headed out along a very picturesque path out of Leiden. We passed through this really beautiful wilderness area with high grasses and canals that we all wished we'd known about earlier, and ended up biking for more than an hour through the gorgeous Dutch countryside. I forgot to bring a camera, sadly, but the countryside is like farmland dotted with cute, well-maintained country homes along canals. I could honestly imagine retiring there. So quaint. It's also really nice being out in polder country, where you can see the various water levels of the canals and the system they use in the Netherlands to combat the sea and make land livable. The very existence of Holland is a feat of engineering.

We finally made it to a campground/petting zoo where we spent an hour or so. The main attraction is goats of all sizes and ages, and there were plenty of adorable baby goats to play with, which was nice. They're not kittens, but they're still pretty cute, and it's always nice to get a chance to play with animals now that I'm separated from Weezer and Punk. There were also horrifying roosters that patrolled the grounds, and disgusting pigs that shrieked for food (kind of like how Weezer does, but more unbearable).

On the ride back my back tire popped. The bike has been falling apart for some time now, but this was the first major damage. I rode home on the rim until it jarred the fender loose and the noise was unbearable, so James and I walked the last couple km to the Central station, where we grabbed food and I put my bike in the shop for a new tire. I then rode a backup bike that I happened to have locked at central station back to the Rijnfront, but this bike was clearly built for a tiny child, and it was a miserable ride back.

Day 110 - Community

I started watching Community. It's the final piece of the NBC Big Four that I'm not up-to-date on. That's basically all. I probably stressed out about things. Planning the June trip has been a mixture of procrastination and DUMB, and it's all added up to frustrations. Whatever, getting past it.

Day 111 - Return of the Gumby

Jordan came back to Leiden today, leg brace and all. He successfully navigated the buses to James' apartment, and we hung out there for most of the day. Berlin tripmates came over and we hung out (music supplied by yours truly - listen to the new albums from Yuck, Holy Ghost!, Jeff The Brotherhood, and Bass Drum of Death) and made American pancakes, which were delicious.

We migrated over to Marissa's to watch Eurovision, a continent-wide song contest. Most songs were complete shit, but it was kind of funny to associate musical acts with countries. Our pizza quest was foiled by shockingly closed supermarkets, so Marissa made us all pizza, which was fantastic. I had a bit of a headache, so I rode home when the rest of the crew went to shisha, and Jordan spent the night on Marissa's couch because it was too late for buses. Not being able to bike here can be limiting.

Day 112 - Quesadillas

I went and met Jordan at Marissa's for a late breakfast, and then we tried to watch the Ajax-Twente match to decide the Eredivise but couldn't find it on regular Dutch TV. Instead we watched Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles and Romeo and Juliet. We set off back into town to go grocery shopping, picked up some stuff, and then got Jordan on a bus back to the Rijnfront. He made it back and I made quesadillas, which were pretty good. Basically the only thing I cook for myself. Quesadillas and sandwiches. When I'm feeling motivated it's sandwiches...

Slow week coming up, so I'll probably blog again on Thursday after my first Dutch final. 'Til then, thanks for reading.

Day 103 - 108 - Berlin, and a Fallen Gumby

My extended jaunt to Berlin was one of the best things I've ever done. Unfortunately, for newly European Gumby Haus member Jordan, Berlin resulted in a torn MCL and a Eurotrip in limbo.

Day 103 - To Berlin

This was the first trip I've taken with a large crew of Leidenites - James, Chase, Marissa, Dani, Karen, and Michelle all went - and we all met up at Leiden Centraal and then headed to Schipol. My first EasyJet trip was better than expected, and we arrived in Berlin a bit after 8 pm. We took a train into the city center and made our way to our hostel (BaxPax Downtown), which was very nice. After moving in we headed out to meet Dani's Berliner friend Kersti at a Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar, Que Pasa. They served a pretty good chicken burrito, and I'm fairly sure this was the first Mexican food I've had while I've been here. Also, the Long Island Iced Tea is a silly drink.

After this we headed to Tacheles, a famous artist squat in a giant building that was just recently reclaimed by the city and auctioned off. The entire building is covered in graffiti, like all of Berlin, and there are tons of artists with spaces inside. There was even a club in one of the rooms that you had to walk through plastic door flaps to get to, and I remarked that this all felt like an episode of Skins, what with our absurdly cheap, delicious German beer bottles in our hands. Afterwards Kersti had us hop on one of the trams and we rolled over to what was described to us as a goth club. I was excited to see something that sounded rather quintessentially Berlin, and the people and decor inside were about what I was expecting. The music, however, was completely bizarre. I shouldn't know every song played in a metal club. That's how you know you're doing it wrong. I guess metalheads are allowed to have their moments when they jam out to garbage like Drowning Pool and (!) Green Day (!), but the musical stylings were a bit disappointing.

Afterwards we headed back to the general area of our hostel, which was pretty lively at night. We stopped and chilled at a shisha joint, where I was first exposed to the delicacy that is Spezi - a uniquely German mix of cola and orange pop. It's delicious, but better with ice and not from a bottle. We finally made it back to the hostel at some absurd hour as the sun was coming up. A successful first night in Berlin.

Day 104 - Tour and Kreuzberg

We woke up late and went off on the U-Bahn to the Brandenburg Gate for a free walking tour of the city. We had a funny British tour guide named Rob who knew a ton and took us on a really good, if not a bit excessively long, tour of the historical sights of Berlin. We saw plenty of the Wall, a moving Holocaust memorial, plenty of rebuilt buildings, and got a really thorough history of the city during WWII and afterward. I guess I hadn't thought about the extent to which Berlin was destroyed and then rebuilt after WWII, and never really thought about life in East Berlin while the wall was up (and how remarkable the very existence of such a wall is!). I absolutely love Berlin because it combines my favorite aspects of 20th century historical study with a creative, thriving, dynamic 21st century urbanism.

After the tour we went back to the hostel to recharge for a bit (we got some delicious ice cream somewhere in here), and later set out to meet Kersti in her Kreuzberg neighborhood, which is diverse and hip and so full of life. After hanging at Kersti's apartment for a while with our 79 eurocent .5L Carlsbergs (what a wonderful city) we ventured out into the lively streets and went to a delicious pizza place where we promptly destroyed a pizza per person, and all agreed we could have eaten four more. We considered and then rejected a burlesque show, and somehow ended up back at a different location of Que Pasa for more cocktails before venturing over to SO 36, which was bumping Turkish dance music to a diverse crowd. It was really quite cool to be in such a unique environment, and we had a great time. We left for a bit and ventured over to a very chill, but also very popular, bar that Kersti convinced the bouncers to let a bunch of Americans into. Marissa, James, and I had a nice, long, relaxed conversation over giant German brews before heading back over to SO 36, which at this point was playing more straightforward German techno. We danced our hearts out for a while and eventually made it home with the sun coming up, once again.

Day 105 - Michael and Jordan and a Fallen Gumby

Dani went off to meet up with Kersti and the rest of us late risers ventured out to lunch at an Indian restaurant that was rather delicious and featured the most shockingly nice bathroom I've ever set foot in. I've been craving Indian food for a while and this place delivered with a very good lamb curry. Afterwards we wandered through a street market where I picked up some cool old East German stamps for my grandpa, which I hope make it back to the States with me intact. Marissa and I didn't feel like going into the Pergamon Museum with the rest of the crew, so we just sat in the wonderful museum island park and soaked up the sun and ambiance of such a wonderful city in front of the Berliner Dom, which is one of the more impressive buildings I've ever seen. After we reunited we walked the royal boulevard, grabbing some ridiculous German spaghetti ice cream (ice cream served to look like spaghetti) before making it to the Reichstag, which is a really impressive building.

After regrouping at the hostel we set out to meet Dani, Kersti, and Kersti's boyfriend Martin at a restaurant in the gorgeous Potsdamer Platz for a traditional German meal. The waiter was a bit of a creep, but the place had a massive beer selection, and my Czech pilsner was good, but I was especially impressed by the Namibian beer I counseled James to get. My model UN pride kicked in, having represented Namibia in high school, though we did question the use of water for beer in a drought-plagued nation. I had an absolutely delicious meal of boiled beef in horseradish sauce - the chef's specialty, apparently - and enjoyed my bite of James' pork knuckle - the height of traditional German food. Afterwards we split from Kersti and headed back over to the area near Checkpoint Charlie to look at more stuff about the wall. From here we made plans to meet up with Jordan, who had been with his friend Michael who is spending the semester in Berlin this whole time, and ventured into a new Berlin neighborhood for more cocktails before reuniting with Jordan. Michael took us to a super trendy bar called Wendel that was featuring an avant garde (read: bad) band when we walked in, but luckily the music ended soon after we arrived. Michael counseled us to get special unfiltered German beers, and they ended up being delicious. After a fun time talking we stopped off at a burger joint under the train tracks that Michael described as having the best burgers in Berlin, and with a grilled bun, it was hard to disagree.

This was the point at which we discovered the trains were done running for the night (it was Sunday, afterall). We finally figured out we could hitch a bus back to the general area of our hostel, and after much debate about the proper route to walk, we finally made it to familiar territory around 2:30 am. At this point Karen, Marissa, James, Michael, Jordan, and I split off an went to another shisha place, where we were treated to a hilarious Turkisk pop song about Facebook on a loop for at least a half hour. We finally wandered back to the hostel around 4, and I was giddy to set up a laptop in the hostel lounge and with Karen, Marissa, and James watch the Wings and Sharks in Game 5. I miscalculated game time, and tuned in just as Danny Cleary was tying the game, and go to watch the Datsyuk-Lidstrom-Holmstrom magic that won it for the Wings. I was elated. One of the best nights ever.

It was not a great night, however, for Jordan. After he left us he went to the Brandenburg Gate with Michael and ended up falling down and tearing his MCL. This was/is most unfortunate, and the fate of his month-long trip hangs in the balance as he decides whether to gut it out in Europe on crutches for a month or head home for potential surgery. Most unfortunate, indeed.

Day 106 - SUSHI and Tempelhof and Wine

Kersti took us to a Chinese/sushi buffet that was the best thing ever. I'd been craving sushi for so long, but it's so expensive in Leiden, so it was awesome to be able to eat as much as I could stuff in my mouth. I was most undignified about the whole affair, and certainly got my money's worth. Sushi is just the best. I'm no expert, so I don't know names, but whatever one I ate that had a deep fried crust around the edges and was warm was the best thing ever. Afterwards we (slowly) wandered around the Mitte neighborhood we were in and stumbled upon a really nice park and plenty of cool graffiti. At this point we decided to split up, and James and I headed to the former Tempelhof Airport, home to the Luftwaffe and site of the Berlin Airlift, and currently a massive public park. I suggest you read the wiki as it has an absolutely fascinating history.

The current park is just awesome. It's probably the largest public space I've ever seen (I've seen Central Park, but you can't see the whole of it at any one time) and was teeming with people playing every sport imaginable and having a wonderful old time. The airport building itself is massive and impressive, and we had a great time walking around and enjoying it. Afterwards we wandered through a cool Turkish neighborhood before hopping on the U-Bahn back towards the hostel.

After hours of indecision, we headed out to grab some food at a doner stand before heading to a cool bar where you pay 2 euro for a glass and get to drink all the wine you want, and then pay whatever you think is reasonable for what you drank on the way out. It was full of people and clearly a pretty cool place to be, and having never been at all a wine person, it was nice to be able to try a lot of different kinds without having to pay a pretty penny. We had a fun time talking about all the German hipster hotties around us, and I learned a thing or two about wine (though I'd still much rather be a beer snob). Afterwards we headed to a bar called White Trash Fast Food, where we proceeded to have the most delicious "lemonade" ever. It was pretty empty, but I got the sense that on crowded nights it's quite the hip place. The night was complete with fries and mayo from a stand and a confrontation with hilariously drunk Dutch boys who were less than coherent. Two episodes of Freaks and Geeks in the hostel lounge later, we were asleep once again when the sun was coming up.

Day 107 - Departure

After checking out of the hostel we grabbed DUNKIN DONUTS (haha!) and went to a park along the Spree to relax, which we did for several hours before meandering our way to the train station (with a pit stop at a playground). After futilely battling the German train ticket machine we hopped on a quite late train to the airport, which put us at the airport less than a hour before our flight was supposed to leave, and proceeded to test my anxiety issues. We made it onto the plane without any issues and landed in Amsterdam a short while later. Berlin was incredible, and probably my favorite city I've been to so far. There's so much life and energy in the streets there, and it's a city that simply has to be experienced to be appreciated.

I spent the rest of the day in bed, doing nothing but catching up on all my sports news, of which there was plenty. I was able to stay awake for the awesome first period of the Wings game, and was so glad to see that they pulled off the victory when I woke up. I'm so excited for Game 7. I'm planning on actually pulling off staying up for it.

Day 108 - Market and Laziness

I spent almost all of the day procrastinating. I did make it to the market to get kibbeling and kiwis, and I finished off with some clutch grocery buying decisions. I saw the lovely Kelly a couple hours ago, but other than that it has been an uneventful day. Bike trip tomorrow with Dutch culture class, which I hopefully wake up in time for, and which hopefully my bike is able to handle. I need to get the University of Michigan Law School application done soon. Or at least start working on it. Time to be a bit productive, eh?

Here are some pictures!

Brandenburg Gate.

Holocaust memorial.

Section of the Berlin Wall, victim of souvenir hunters.

Berliner Dom.

Tacheles.

Reichstag.

Tempelhof.

Cool street art.

Thanks for reading! Further updates will surely be boring for quite some time.

Day 99 - 103 - A Gumby Arrives

Jordan (who I live with at Gumby Haus in Ann Arbor) arrived this week. We're headed to Berlin today. Here's the past week.

Day 99 - Bleh

I tried to get some of my Urban Inequalities paper done ahead of Jordan arriving, but I made very little progress. I did laundry and cleaned my room. Oh yeah, and Seal Team 6 killed Osama Bin Laden. That was surreal. The frat-boy, party in the streets scenes we saw from college campuses across the U.S. made me uncomfortable.

Day 100 - Jordan

I picked Jordan up from the train station, after an hour of miscommunication and not being able to find each other. He was super jet lagged and took a nice long nap, and I got a lot of my paper out of the way, which was nice. Once he woke up we rode into town and went to Oude Leyden for pannekoek, which I've fully come around on. They're simply delicious. I showed Jordan a couple of the coffeeshops in town and he enjoyed sitting in the Pieterskerk and soaking in the pleasant, old world ambiance.

After dinner we went to Vi-Kings to watch Barcelona-Real Madrid, which was fun enough. It was kind of a shit game, but the place was crowded and lively. We caught up and talked a lot of life back home and otherwise, and it was a good time. Afterward we headed home, as I was exhausted, and we watched Four Lions, a really funny British movie that I realized I'd seen a few minutes in but enjoyed nonetheless.

Day 101 - Market and Library

We went in to the market and got kibbeling, which I just adore. We did a little shopping for some things Jordan needs (he's going to be in Europe for all of May) and then headed to the University library for the first time all year. The library is kind of cool from the outside, quite modern, but inside it's a bit of a maze. It took a while to find where people with laptops do their work, but after we found it and got settled I was able to finish my paper, which was nice. We wandered around a little more afterward, Jordan almost got hit by a van, and then we headed to Eazie for dinner.

After hanging out at home for a while we headed back into town to go to Einstein's, where I hadn't been in like two months. I saw people for the first time in a long time, and it was nice being in a lively atmosphere again. Jordan had no problems finding people to talk to, which was good. We headed home at closing time, which was a first.

Day 102 - Sleeping In

We were exhausted from the night before and slept in until like 4:30, which, yeah, absurd. Jordan decided to take a bike ride to the sea, and he apparently had quite a good time with that. I stayed in bed and watched the Tigers take 3 of 4 from the Yankees, which is encouraging, and then we met up at the train station for a late dinner consisting of Julia's Pasta, Burger King, Smullers, and Albert Heijn. After my internet stopped working we gave up on watching The Human Centipede. What a shame.

Day 103 - To Berlin!

I've sent some important emails and got my blogging done, which is good. We need to be at the train station in four hours, so I'll probably catch up on last night's comedy TV, shower, eat, and pack. Jordan's still asleep.

It's great seeing people from home, but it also makes me super homesick. Hopefully I can combat it with travel!

I'm really excited to go to Berlin and can't wait to share it with you later. See you Tuesday.

Day 93 - 98 - Gumby and Royal Festivities

The week started off slow enough, but the past weekend has been a wonderful blur. Here's as much as I can remember (and not in a drunken-forgetfulness way, mother, in a regular-forgetfulness way).

Day 93 - ?

I'm not sure last Tuesday happened, because I don't remember anything worth mentioning happening. I checked Facebook to see if I posted anything interesting, and I didn't. Welp. I might have gone into town to catch up with James over some Eazie with Steve and Adam tagging along. That was nice.

Day 94 - Market and The Market

When I look back on this experience, I'm sure one of the things I'll miss most are the twice-weekly markets in Leiden centrum. The town is alive, thriving, and vibrant. I got kibbeling as usual, and ran into a bunch of people I knew, including James, and then got some kiwis. Fruits and veggies are so cheap at the market, it's quite nice. I wish Ann Arbor's farmer's market was more in the center of town.

I spent the rest of the day typing up an assignment for Globalisation and the Market, where we had to interview Dutch people who received government money to purchase healthcare for their disabled family members. I was blown away by the level of support the government provided my interviewee, who had two autistic and mentally retarded sons, and the wide range treatment options they could explore was revelatory. Of course, Americans would never go for paying higher taxes so that the parents of autistic children could try to find the best treatment option for their kids. America, the greatest country on earth, right?

Day 95 - KOHWI

I started the process of booking the June trip with Adrian, and then rushed off to the train station to retrieve Cory, the first Gumby House member I've seen in three months! He's in the midst of a European tour under his sleepcore electronic music moniker Kohwi, which is just the coolest thing ever. We made the long walk back to the Swamp, and after successfully moving the apartment's couch into my room for maximum chill, we headed back into town to see Leiden a bit and eat. I showed Cory a couple of coffeeshops, which even if you don't partake are worth checking out just to see them. Even now, it's still a little bit goofy and exciting to walk into one. Later we got pancakes, which I've come around on. I thought they were overrated, but they just aren't. Spek & kaas all day.

Afterwards we headed back to the Swamp and chilled out. It was awesome having a Gumby around to talk with, and I had a ton of fun just reminiscing. Cory's in Berlin for the summer (after he finishes up the semester in Ireland) and I'm super jealous of how cool he is. Duh. It was raining, so we decided to stay in, and we watched Skins, which Cory is still behind on.

Day 96 - Royal Wedding and Queen's Night

After class, James and I met up with Cory and headed over to Freddie's to watch the Royal Wedding. I guess we missed the actual wedding part, not that I cared anyway. I'm firmly against any monarchy, and can't understand the massive support the British royal family receives. I still further can't understand the American fascination with the royal wedding, but maybe that's a "Haha we won THAT war..." attitude. In any event, I was there because I wanted to have some fun, and we sipped G&Ts and made fun of the collection of kids from the Commonwealth there celebrating the wedding.

Afterwards we headed to the park and set up shop along a canal on the grass. The three of us had a majestic couple hours in the wonderful weather, just snacking and telling Gumby stories I bet James LOVED. We fed the birds, and they terrified me with how close they'd come for our popcorn. It was a great day.

We met up again in a bit to head to Den Haag for Queen's Night. We didn't really know what to expect, and were met with a big music festival and carnival in the streets. We saw one band, the Handsome Poets, who were a hilariously mainstream Dutch rock-pop band, but they were fun enough. We wandered some more and bumped into the Freddie-Baran-Australia crew, and wandered around with them for a while, eventually finding a rather bad 60s soul stage to dance at. Ardrik took a headbutt to the dome and started bleeding, and that kind of killed the vibe and the group split up not shortly afterward. We wandered back towards the train station, and eventually back to Leiden. Queen's Night was a fun enough time, but it felt a bit like Comerica CityFest or whatever it was called.

Day 97 - Koninginnedag 2011

For Queen's Day, we decided to brave the masses and head to Amsterdam. Cory had to catch a flight to the UK for his tour, so we bid farewell on the train, and James and I headed to Amsterdam with a couple of his friends from his dorm. The train situation wasn't nearly as bad as we expected, and we were some of the early risers who got to Amsterdam well ahead of the crowds. We went to the apartment of a friend of James', and after that headed out to explore. Each Queen's Day about a million people invade Amsterdam, all decked out in Orange (for the House of Orange) to celebrate the Queen's birthday. Seeing the throngs of people in orange reminded me a bit of Michigan football Saturdays, only maybe replace Michigan with Clemson. We walked around, saw all the people selling stuff on the streets (street commerce laws are suspended and people sell their junk), and listened to music at outdoor stages and got food. The best part of Queen's Day is that the canals are jammed with boats carrying revelers, and it was great to just sit alongside the canal and people-watch.

James and I were really excited because Odd Future, the shock-rap, alt-hop, swagcore group from L.A. that is being hyped into the stratosphere was doing a free show at the Paradiso. There was a huge crowd, and I spotted about 30 different U.S. sports teams unwittingly being supported by Dutch kids trying to look their coolest. It was one of the most insane shows I've ever been to, and certainly the most violent. That said, though the moshing was constant, the crowd was pretty respectful of things like not punching people in the face, which was nice. For the last song Tyler, the leader (and Creator) of the group, exhorted everyone to rush the stage, and it was awesome climbing up there and being a part of something pretty epic. I'm still unsure how I feel about the group's disgusting lyrics and immature attitudes, but I can't deny that that was just about the most fun I've ever had at a concert.

Afterwards we were exhausted and James and I made our way through the streets of Amsterdam and onto a train (full of drunken Dutchmen) and back to Leiden. I fell asleep almost immediately. So exhausted.

Day 98 - Catching Up

Today is a low-key one. I've written some postcards for family, done some more trip-planning for June, and hammered out this blog, which keeps on chugging away. I'm excited to start my paper for Urban Inequalities, and Jordan is coming on Tuesday, which should be great. Watching Arsenal-ManU now, and the Wings are on at 9 this evening, so hopefully they level the series with the Sharks. Weather is awesome today, which is a nice bonus.

Day 89 - 92 - Summer Vibes

The weather here in Northern Europe has been tremendous for going on two weeks now, and this weekend might have been the best weather yet. 70s, sunny, and breezy, this was a weekend of supreme relaxation.

Day 89 - To The Sea

The route to the sea from Leiden is considerably shorter than the same ride from Bruges. Instead of doing an overdue assignment I woke up and biked to the North Sea at Katwijk with Adam and Steve. It's 20-30 minutes depending on how fast you bike, and it's just so nice to have a huge sandy beach in such close striking distance that everyday could potentially be spent partially at the beach. I played in the sand and ate ice cream and it was the best. Sometimes I think about the "purpose" of studying abroad and I feel pressure to come back with some kind of shiny wisdom acquired to show off that all this was worth it. And then sometimes I think, I might not be gleaning the meaning of life from my experiences, but I sure am having a splendid time relaxing without lots of pressing responsibilities for the first time in as long as I can remember. There's nothing wrong with having a relaxing period in my life, I think, and I hope that doesn't sound as vain and selfish as I think it sounds because that isn't the intent. I'm so fortunate for the opportunity.

After the beach I pounded out that overdue assignment and then geared up to go to the karaoke birthday party of a friend from the Swamp. As little as I enjoy karaoke in theory I always end up having a decent time when it actually happens, and singing a pitch perfect rendition of 'Creep' with the other Andy was fun, amongst other songs. Vi-Kings had Straffe Hendrik Tripel in bottles, which was exciting, and I also got to watch some NHL playoffs on ESPN America. I also met my first other person in the Netherlands from Michigan (a mid-20s woman who went to State) and a Dutchman who followed American sports and name dropped Denard when he found out I went to Michigan. So that was revelatory. Also, we were out until like 4:30... however that happened.

Day 90 - A Most Wonderful Day

The most perfect weather ever. I went into Leiden to get some things from the market and it was as alive as I've seen it. People everywhere, boats all up and down the canals, it was just a special place to be, and it's scene's like that that I'll miss most when I go back home. I got some delicious kibbeling, wandered around for a bit, and then decided to hop into H&M where I got two exciting new shirts for summer. In a glorious mood, I picked up some groceries, went back home, and sat around in the breezy summer day. Andy and I threw a frisbee around for a while, and I just relaxed the rest of the day. It was tremendous.

Day 91 - Picnic

I woke up late, watched a bunch of 30 Rock, and then joined a big Swamp BBQ in progress outside and spent most of the rest of the day there. I played soccer with a bunch of Italians, where I was clearly the least talented, and ate some delicious food - including a rice and crab salad that was just perfect. Tasted like sushi. I ate pounds of it. Once again, another day just spent lying around and enjoying the weather (as it rained back in Ann Arbor).

Day 92 - When The Least Relaxing Thing I Did Was Go For A Bike Ride

I really couldn't think of a good title. I haven't done anything today, but at least I got dressed and rode my bike around in the continuing glorious weather. I've spent most of the day enjoying the breezy weather and watching 30 Rock. What a tremendous show.

Tomorrow I'm going to start being more productive for a bit before Cory and Jordan come in succession and then I jet-set off to Berlin for a long weekend in early May.

I've been here for more than three months. Two months to go. It's all pretty wild.

Day 81 - 88 - Amsterdam and Belgium with the Family

The family crossed the pond. This is what happened. Pictures after text.

Day 81 - Thursday

I had class. Then Steve, James, and I went to grab a beer and lunch afterwards. Normal Nederlands stuff.

Day 82 - Arrival

After class I headed up to Amsterdam to meet up with my family. I successfully predicted their reactions to seeing me, and after rendezvousing in Dam Square we wandered through the Red Light District in search of food. The spot we settled on was right near the hotel - the five-star Grand Amrath, which was a sight to behold. The family was severely jet-lagged, so they all napped for a couple hours and I made use of the complimentary mini-bar.

My dad woke up and we walked around the cool, modern harbor I had yet to explore. We saw the Renzo Piano-designed NEMO and what has to be the coolest library in the world. I wandered around the Centraal Library awestruck for a while, and we headed back there for dinner at the Italian restaurant inside (yes) which had delicious pizzas. We capped off the night with a stroll along the harbor, a hilarious British show called Have I Got News For You that was remarkable in its candor, and 30 Rock on Netflix.

Day 83 - Keukenhof

In the morning we got up and headed off to Keukenhof in Lisse, one of the world's most spectacular gardens. We had to wait in line for a bus for an hour, and it was a complete mob scene when we arrived (easily 100,000 people there). The flowers were spectacular and included many varieties I'd never seen before, but the crowds became oppressive at a certain point. Never before has there been a bigger collection of people who (in the words of Kenny Schneider) have no idea what they want, and all these old tourists just end up clogging every footpath in the park. Crowds and all, Keukenhof was still impressive, and we were treated to awesome views of the tulip fields beyond the park.

When we got back to Amsterdam Joey and I wandered around for a bit, stumbled upon a big anti-nuclear energy protest in Dam Square, and browsed at H&M for orange clothing (I needed an orange shirt for Queen's Day - April 30). H&M in Europe is refreshing because the men's section is as big as the women's, and I ended up getting a cool shirt in addition to my orange t-shirt.

Afterwards we made it back to the hotel in time to watch the Wings play, and they made it interesting against the Coyotes but pulled out the victory. Dinner was at Vapiano at the library again, because it was easy and delicious and quite the good deal. A real gem they've got there.

We probably watched more 30 Rock as a family but I was exhausted and fell asleep pretty early.

Day 84 - Leiden

On Sunday we packed up and left Amsterdam - my parents went to The Hague to check into their hotel and Joey and I went to Leiden. We grabbed doner kebab and sat in the park along a canal for a couple hours killing time. We migrated to the Starbucks at the station to wait for the parents to arrive, and after they did we did a bit of a walking tour through Leiden (with an early stop at Bagels and Beans). Everyone was very impressed with charming old Leiden, and I think they enjoyed it more than Amsterdam.

Joey and I headed back to the Swamp (a long walk with only one bike) and made it in time for the tail end of the Swamp BBQ. We played football with a bunch of people and had a good time, and I was happy Joey could have fun. We went back to my room and watched 30 Rock for the rest of the night. I fell asleep because I was exhausted. Also - I'm a tremendous footy player, even rusty as I was. Magic.

Day 85 - In Bruges

Joey and I made our way to the Hague to meet up with my parents, and from there we made the 3+ hour train journey through Belgium to Bruges. The Belgian countryside was really quaint and made me miss Up North. It felt cool to be in a place (Belgium, West Flanders, etc.) where I have roots.

We arrived in Bruges and took a bus into the Market Square. It's beautiful and quaint, and surrounded by old historic structures. We walked to our very nice, sleek, modern hotel tucked into a quiet section of town but quite near the hustle and bustle of the market. At check-in the very nice proprietor remarked at our Flemish name and mentioned that he was also from Roeselare (more on this in a bit). After settling in we wandered through town, and by a series of wrong turns ended up walking down quiet, non-descript streets, but this was actually really nice and peaceful. The streets of Bruges, dotted with canals and featuring well-maintained, historic residences, were adorable and peaceful, and in that moment I couldn't imagine a better place to be.

We walked all around Bruges for the rest of the day, and eventually got a really fine French dinner at one of the restaurants in an old square near a canal. Dad and I had Brugse Zot, the local Bruges-brewed beer, which was quite good. My salmon quiche might be the best thing I've ever tasted. We walked past the lit-up canals on the way back to the hotel, and spent the rest of the night watching the Discovery Channel, a station that exists here in English with Dutch subtitles. My mom hates Deadliest Catch.

Day 86 - Roeselare Roots

This will surely prove to be one of the singular days I remember most from this entire European experience. We went to the small Flemish town of Roeselare on Tuesday because we knew that Charles Goddeeris, father of the Flemish community in Detroit around the turn of the 20th century, had emigrated from Roeselare and we hoped to maybe find something with the Goddeeris name for a photo-op. We weren't quite sure what to expect.

We walked around the cute-enough town with shops and restaurants and churches, and eventually made our way to the national cycling museum. Cycling is the biggest sport in Belgium, and Eddy Merckx is basically the most famous Belgian ever, so Joey and I went in. The museum was pretty cool, if just to look at bikes and watch famous races on TVs scattered about. We met up with my parents in the lobby, and my dad pointed out in a guide he found that there was a statue in town by an Isidoor Goddeeris. He asked the lady at the desk if she knew where to find the statue, because we shared a last name with the sculptor. She mentioned that the sister of Isidoor, Mary, worked at the museum, but that she wasn't working that day. We were about to leave when my mom went back in to write a note to Mary, and inside she discovered that Mary Goddeeris was in fact there at the museum that day. This is the part where we meet a relative we didn't know existed. Mary told us that her mother was born in Detroit, and that her grandfather had gone to Detroit in the 1930s for a while. It was all pretty remarkable, as it sunk in that she was definitely related to us, however distant. She arranged for us to meet up with her brother, John, in a few hours, so we left to museum to wander around checking out some other Isidoor Goddeeris sculptures and to eat lunch.

Lunch was great. Croque-monsieur with a delicious dipping sauce and the Roeselare beer, Rodenbach, which was the most unique beer I've ever had (very sour, but drinkable). After lunch we walked around a bit and then got hot chocolate (side note here - Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolates exceed their reputations - they're outstanding, and the chocolate is surely the finest I've ever tasted).

When we made it back to the cycling museum, John Goddeeris (here pronounced "Who-dere-iz")- an amateur family historian, as chance would have it - was very eager to meet us. He had with him a book he edited of Charles Goddeeris' memoirs from Detroit in Flemish (English excerpts of which I've read before - Charles Goddeeris witnessed Henry Ford test-driving his first automobile... what do you know about 5th-generation Detroiter swag?) and was eager to swap what we knew about the family. John was full of revelations. There exists a Charles Goddeeris prize for architects at the academy in Roeselare, and my branch of the Goddeeris family was full of people in the building trades. 300 years ago my branch and John's branch broke off from each other, and my branch was the wealthier family in commerce that moved to Roeselare.

John drove us around town showing us various sculptures by his brother Isidoor, the youngest of five brothers and sisters in his family, who appears to be quite the big deal. We ended up going to his studio to meet him, which was really cool. The studio was something out of a photography book, and Isidoor was quite cool. After chatting for a while and getting some family pictures we drove back to the cycling museum to wish everyone goodbye. We shared some more current events type stories and speculated that we have a big Goddeeris reunion in Roeselare.

It was really special to be able to go to a small Belgian town and definitively place our ancestry there. I had always identified loosely as Belgian, but going to the town where my ancestors lived, and where distant relatives still live is pretty special. The experience also made me realize that I'm a 5th generation Detroiter, which I don't think many Detroiters at all can say. That makes me very proud. More proud than you can imagine, probably. There's a reason I just can't imagine myself being able to leave this city.

After we got back to Bruges we were all exhausted and took the embarrassing but convenient and cheap step of getting some Subway for dinner, which we ate in the hotel. Funny part and only reason I mention this is the young kid working at Subway mentioned he had been to America, that he LOVED America, and he went, "You know what I love most about America? Free refills." Amen, brother. Super. Size. Me.

Day 87 - De Halve Maan and The North Sea

We woke up, had brunch at the hotel, and Joey, my dad, and I went to De Halve Maan Brewery for a tour, where they still make Brugse Zot blond and bruin beers. The brewery tour was cool and definitely have me a deeper appreciation for the process of beer-making, and the tour guide was pretty funny in a very droll way. Afterwards we got a glass of Brugse Zot, which was good, and my dad and I tried the Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel, which De Halve Maan also brews. I'd never seen a Quadrupel, and it was 11% ac/v, which was strong even for a Belgian beer. It was remarkably smooth and not nearly as heavy as one would expect, and it surely packed quite the punch. I've seen it described online as "dangerously drinkable" and my dad and I both would agree with that summary.

Afterwards we met up with mother and rented bikes. We rode out along the canals to Damme, a small old town with cute restaurants that tourists frequent. We decided to keep riding in an effort to make it to the sea. At one point my mom and dad decided to call it quits, so they stopped at a restaurant and Joey and I rode on. We probably should have consulted a map before leaving. To make a long story short, we got very lost at some point. We crossed over into Holland, and rode through the cute town of Sluis, and after a couple wrong turns ended up on what we thought was the route to the sea. We were following the "Noordzee Route" which we figured would take us to the sea, but ended up being a remarkably indirect path to the beach - we probably biked 25km out of our way on the way there, and that's no exaggeration. The country, however, was really beautiful, and the weather was great. We finally made it to the beach and North Sea, and it was great to walk in the sand and dip my feet in the freezing North Sea. We got cokes and ice cream on the beach before heading back along a much more direct route through the resort town of Cadzand and along some canals all the way back to Damme for dinner. At this point I had lost feeling in my hands (I still have numbness in my left hand) and I was rather tired (though less tired than I would have expected, to be honest. Conditioning.). We finally made it back into Bruges in the early evening, and collapsed into bed for the night.

Day 88 - Goodbyes

In the morning we had a final breakfast in Bruges, and then headed to the train station. My family booked their tickets to Paris, where they'll be for the next couple days, and I got mine back to Leiden. After a teary (mom) and huggy goodbye, we parted ways. I stopped in Antwerp and walked around for a bit, but I was most impressed by how beautiful the train station was. It made me wish Michigan Central Station was in use. How grand it would be. The ride back to Leiden wasn't noteworthy, and I've spent the rest of the day being lazy and relaxing. Classes are cancelled tomorrow for Good Friday and I think I'm headed to the beach and then Amsterdam for an indie club night. Life is rough.

Seeing my family makes me miss them now and I kind of want to go home. I'm sure this'll wear off once I get back into the swing of being away from them. I've been in Europe for three months. This is pretty crazy. Two months to go. Cory and Jordan are coming soon, I'm going to Berlin, I've got a couple finals, and then a final month of traveling with Adrian. Shaping up to fly by, I think.

Enough words. Here are a lot of pictures.

Awesome library.

Keukenhof.

#tulips

Vivid.

Bruges is adorable.

Canals are awesome.

A town built for postcards.

My camera is worthless at night.

Sculpture of Roeselare for blind people (there's braille on there) by Isidoor Goddeeris.

Flemish #swag

Moar Isidoor.

Goddeeris men (with John Goddeeris) at 7-ton marble sculpture Isidoor made in a year.

Isidoor with John at his studio.

All kinds of cool stuff like this.

I loved this.

Dangerously drinkable.

Brothers In Bruges.

GET OUT OF THE WAY, SHEEP.

Least helpful map of all time.

At least it was pretty.

And.... the payoff. The North Sea.

Antwerpen Centraal was a spectacle.

Thanks for reading.

Day 76 - 80 - Copenheaven

Saturday I flew to Copenhagen to see Rachael, and I got home Tuesday. Here's the recap.

Day 76 - Arrival and Hockey

I got up early Saturday morning and headed to Schipol to fly to Copenhagen. The flight was a bit delayed but otherwise short and fine, and I got to the sleek Copenhagen airport around 11 am. I rode the very modern Metro to meet Rachael, we took me to her host family's home. The Nielsen's live in the Frederiksberg neighborhood of Copenhagen, a very charming, stately quarter. The Nielsen's house was really gorgeous - modern, sleek, simple design coupled with all the natural light you could hope for - and they were really nice and accommodating. After an introductory lunch of smorrebrod - Danish, open-faced sandwiches on dense rye bread - with pickeled herring, fish, and egg salad, Rachael and I set out for a jaunt around the downtown area. Everything was really picturesque and beautiful - reminiscent of Amsterdam but with a lot less hustle and bustle - and it was pleasant to just stroll around downtown. I got to see Rachael's architecture studio at her school, and we visited a really trendy home furnishings store. Copenhagen, by the way, is the most stylish place I've been so far. Sorry, London and Paris.

After quite a long walk through the touristy downtown spots and through the parks with big lakes right in the middle of the city, we headed back home to relax for a bit and then eat dinner. It was so nice having not only home cooked but also pretty gourmet food for a change! We had pork roast and vegetables, and washed it down with homemade ice cream. Best meal I'd had in ages. Afterward the family all sat around talking and we had tea. This was a theme for the trip, and a mighty good one. Me, Rachael, and the oldest son (22) Julius all watched Life of Brian, and then I peeled off to watch Michigan hockey play for a national championship. The game ended in overtime at 4:30 AM in heartbreak, and I really felt punched in the gut once again. I won't get into that hear. Needless to say, I went to bed with a heavy heart.

Day 77 - Danish Architecture Center, Christiania, and Paris-Roubaix

After waking up hours after everyone else, I had breakfast/lunch with Rachael before heading out back into Copenhagen. The weather was even more beautiful than the day before, and it was cool to ride a bike around the world's most bike friendly urban area. Bike culture in general is such a breath of fresh air, and I can't stop thinking about how I want to embrace bike culture back in the States when I get home.

We went to the Danish Architecture Center, which had an exhibition on landscape design that was really cool and quite interesting. The more I experience things like this the more and more convinced I become that I would love urban planning school, and I like that I would somewhat following in the footsteps of one of my parents (Dad). I have no doubt I wouldn't have nearly as much interest in the subject if it weren't for Detroit. The center also had a very expansive library, and we sat around reading snippets of design and architecture books for a while. Afterwards we walked/biked around the Christianhavn neighborhood before wandering into Christiania. Christiana is a 40-year old independent commune founded on an old military installation that has been turned into its own self-governing body outside of the control of the Copenhagen and Dutch governments. Somehow. Christiania is most famous for its legal marijuana trade, but this was by far the least cool part of the settlement. What's much cooler is how people have improvised and designed their homes, some complete with boats for living rooms. It's astounding to think that a community has banded together to decide how they want to live, are going for it outside of government control, and that it has survived for 40-years. There are ongoing negotiations between the community and the Dutch government to work towards some kind of plan for the future.

We headed home (not before getting a delicious hot dog topped with sauces, onions, fried onions, and pickles) and ended up watching the Darjeeling Limited, which I enjoyed as a Wes Anderson-comedy, but which seemed to lack any real point. We had dinner - turkey roast, pasta, and asparagus - and more tea. Jan, the father, was very excited to watch the Paris-Roubaix bike race, which he called the world's most prestigious and difficult one-day bike race. Cycling culture is huge in Europe, and we proceeded to watch the race for like three hours. It was a bit boring with the commentary in Dutch, but it was fun enough to watch a Belgian take home the prize. An observation - Fabian Cancellara is a horse on a bike.

Day 78 - Elephants and Relaxing

I woke up late again on a lazy Monday, and after lunch, Rachael and I headed back out to walk around Frederiksberg. We walked through yet another really nice, big park, and I just couldn't stop thinking about how green spaces like this would function in Detroit. Imagine if Detroit had multiple Belle Isles dropped throughout the city - not just big, expansive green spaces, but big expansive green spaces that people enjoyed going to to exercise, socialize, and relax. There are issues, of course, but I can't help but feel all great cities have big green spaces. Detroit's best is its own island.

This particular garden had a section that opened up on the Elephant enclosure at the Copenhagen Zoo, and we watched the elephants for quite some time. One was using his trunk and feet to break branches up and eat them, and it was really fascinating to watch. Afterwards we kept strolling around and saw the rest of Frederiksberg, which is a New Urbanist's dream.

We got back to the house and I proceeded to read Game Change and just relax until dinner. We had chili and rice which was of course delicious, and after dinner I read some more and tried to watch Danish news with the family. I ended up finishing Game Change, which felt good, and gave me some ways to think about the 2012 election which gets more and more attention with each passing day.

Day 79 - Heading Home

I rounded up my stuff the next morning and prepared to head to the airport with Rachael, who was headed to Vienna. The Nielsen's were most gracious hosts, and were some of the coolest people I'd met in Europe. Copenhagen was such a picturesque, relaxing, charming place, and I really enjoyed my time there. I could definitely sense a different quality to the life style in Scandinavia, and the emphasis seems to be enjoying life simply but richly. I might have just made that up completely. It was really great, is the point. Not a lot of cultural diversity, though, from what I saw, and the place is rather expensive. Those are the only real cons I could find.

The Copenhagen Airport is really nice and Rachael and I killed a few hours there together before I headed home. My flight home was uneventful and comfortable, and the train ride back to Leiden was fine. I ended up lazily and sleepily wasting away the rest of the day (I got to watch the Tigers win on ESPN America), and I started watching The Killing, which is OK.

Day 80 - Perfect Leiden day

Got up around noon and the sun was shining so I headed down to town. I got postcards (mailed one to the Nielsen's today) and a ticket to London Calling in Amsterdam, an indie festival that will feature Cloud Nothings, Twin Shadow, Cults, Ty Segall, and Ra Ra Riot, which I am super excited about. I also found out that nu-metal hip-hop sensations OFWGKTA will be playing a free show in Amsterdam on Queen's Day, which is super exciting. Afterwards, I headed to the Wednesday market and got some kibbeling and ate it along the canal. Kibbeling, friend fish chunks with sauce, is remarkably delicious. So good. Afterwards I went to Hortus Botanicus and sat in the gardens and started reading a new book called Scoreboard, Baby about the 2000 Washington Huskies football team. Should be good. It was a bit chilly so here I am back at home in the Swamp. The Wings kick off the 2011 playoffs tonight against Phoenix, so I'm looking forward to watching that. Family comes to Amsterdam in two days. Very excited.

Here are some pictures from Copenhagen.

King's Gardens, I think. Super great.

Danish Architecture Center

This elephant was the resourceful one.

A different awesome park, this time with elephants.

Copenheaven.