I'm going to move...
Not sure when and not sure where to, but this winter will (most likely) be my last winter in downtown Cleveland. I'm hoping to find a new place closer to North Canton where most of my live has been taking place lately.
I'm actually going to look at a house tomorrow in Barberton, OH (just west of Akron). Looks kinda cool (click here) and seems to be a very decent price. I'm gonna make an appointment with a mortgage specialist in the next few weeks to see if I'm not aiming too high. I hope not... ;-)
I'll keep you posted on the progress
Monday, December 04, 2006
Visa stuff
Had an interesting incident with my visa about 2 weeks ago. I had to apply for a new Dutch passport since my previous one was expiring on Jan 4, 2007. The previous one was heavily used and saw action in Europe, Canada, Mexico and the US (including the trip to the Arctic). During all that travels the plastic card wasn't fully attached anymore to the rest of the passport and that I washed it once (accidentally) didn't help either, but it was still working fine. More importantly, the US Visa in that passport, valid through July 2008, wasn't damaged at all.
However, the Dutch authorities felt it their duty to keep the old passport under the rule that it was 'damaged'. All nice and dandy, but the US doesn't re-issue a Visa...
So I'm kinda stuck between a rock and hard place now with two countries saying that they are following their rules. Normally that is not a problem at all, but with cross-country visa and citizenship it becomes a BIG problem.
Now, after consulting with my lawyer for the permanent residency (for which the application for the Job Certification has been filed last week), I made an appointment at the US Consulate General in Amsterdam, NL on January 2, 2007. It happens to work-out nicely with a previously planned holiday trip. The only uncertainty is if I have all the right paperwork to get the new Visa. I'd like to get back to work and see my friends again...
Guess we'll find out !!
However, the Dutch authorities felt it their duty to keep the old passport under the rule that it was 'damaged'. All nice and dandy, but the US doesn't re-issue a Visa...
So I'm kinda stuck between a rock and hard place now with two countries saying that they are following their rules. Normally that is not a problem at all, but with cross-country visa and citizenship it becomes a BIG problem.
Now, after consulting with my lawyer for the permanent residency (for which the application for the Job Certification has been filed last week), I made an appointment at the US Consulate General in Amsterdam, NL on January 2, 2007. It happens to work-out nicely with a previously planned holiday trip. The only uncertainty is if I have all the right paperwork to get the new Visa. I'd like to get back to work and see my friends again...
Guess we'll find out !!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
A few changes have been made
Since my last a few changes have been made in my life, partially by me, but more importantly by God. Unknowingly I have been walking a path that He set out for me before I was born and only recently have I been invited to knowingly follow it with Him. I joined a House Church in North Canton, OH and have an amazing group of people around me to support and guide me in His ways. A made the decision to get baptized and become a member of Gods Family. It still feels a bit foreign to me at times, but my outlook on life has changed for the better. It is no longer centered on me, but on Him. No longer on earthly possessions, but on following Jesus. Not to say that I'm giving up on my current life and become a missionary, but rather enriching my current life with the blessings and teachings of the Lord.
In the post below you can find my testimony. I first sent it to the people who God has chosen to lead me in the right direction. Now it's time to share it with the rest of my friends. Some of you might be a bit surprised, for others it has been an answer to prayer, but above all it is the start of a wonderful journey.
In the post below you can find my testimony. I first sent it to the people who God has chosen to lead me in the right direction. Now it's time to share it with the rest of my friends. Some of you might be a bit surprised, for others it has been an answer to prayer, but above all it is the start of a wonderful journey.
A spiritual journey back to Christ
I was born into a family that went to Church on Sundays and I can remember my mom reciting Christian lullabies to me at bed time. I also vaguely remember going to Sunday school and during the week I attended a Christian elementary school. All of this was literary within 1 block; the Church on one end, my home in the middle and the school on the other end.
When I was 7 years old my sister was born and shortly thereafter we moved to another village about 20 minutes away. We didn't go to Church there and I was going to a public elementary school so that was the end of my early-church-era. I was very fortunate though to be in a loving family with wonderful parents (mom and dad are still happily married for almost 38 years now) and my sister and even though we didn't go to Church we led a good, enriched and moral life. I have very fond memories of the five years we spent in that village and of all the wonderful time spent with my family and my friends.
At the age of 12 we moved back to city where I was born, but in a different part of town. I finished elementary school for the last few months and went on to high school, but all were public. I don't recall there were any Christian High Schools in our immediate area at that time. I ended up going to a school where my dads sister went to, about a 20 minute bike-ride away.
During my time in High School I started working at my dads photography shop on Saturdays to make some extra money. I was very lucky to be raised to value money since I had to earn most of it. I think it kinda planted a seed in me that you should spend your money wisely and I saved most of it for my hobbies, at that time mostly being music. I also remember a few visits from my mom's two aunts and uncles who were (and are still) living in Canada. Especially those visits started a fire in me to visit Canada once I had the means and opportunities.
In the mean-time, two of my uncles were truck drivers and the youngest (who is only 11 years older then I am and lived with us for two years after my Grandmas divorce) was pretty much my older brother. With him I started to explore the world from behind the high-up position of a semi. At that time I was living in the Netherlands and saw most of that country and most of Europe throughout the years of my numerous trips during my school vacations. That, combined with the family vacations to Italy, firmly planted the travel-bug in me.
Once I traveled through most of Europe and having English lessons in High School the fire to visit Canada became stronger and stronger. Finally at age 21 I took my first ( 5 week) trip and loved every minute of it. I visited Montreal, Toronto, New York and the lesser known city to people outside the Dutch community of Grand Rapids, MI. My 2nd cousin Chad was doings his Bachelors Degree at Calvin College and we (his Grandparents - my Grandma's older brother and his wife - and me) went to visit him for a camping trip to the Sleeping Bear Dunes while his Grandparents took the temporary dorm-supervisor role. What an awesome trip. I even felt 'reverse' homesick when I boarded the plane back to the Netherlands.
In 1997 I went back to Canada, this time for 8 weeks on a big transcontinental travel plan. Starting in Montreal, through Washington to the Tampa Bay area and from there to Seattle for a 2 week camping Van-tour of the Canadian Rockies followed by a Greyhound expedition from Vancouver to Toronto. Back in Ontario I visited Chad again since we had planned to goto Lake Placid in upstate New York. Unfortunately he was unable to make it due to a last-minute scheduling conflict, but a buddy of his, Joel was willing to go with me. At that point I had no idea how big of an impact that would have on my spiritual life later on, but we had a great time on a crazy trip.
As of 1998 (now out of college) I was able to go at least once a year to Canada and make good use of those wonderful opportunities. I met more and more people through both Chad and Joel and since both of them were Christians I also started to go to Church with them on the Sundays I was with them. That was pretty much the first time since a good 15 years that I went to Church other then for a wedding, funeral or photo-shoot (with my dad). Since both Joel and Chad are of Dutch decent they went to the CRCs (Christian Reformed Churches) which are usually pretty strict and resembled a service from what I remembered.
At that time it didn't do much for me, except looking back now, God was warming me up again to the idea of being a Christian. I pretty much lead a life of adhering to the 10 commandments and followed a course of abstinence, but was not going to Church other then when I was visiting my friends and family in Canada. However, every time I went to Church there was a period of reflection but after I got back to the Netherlands that period ended. It wasn't until late 2000 that another event in Gods master plan was being revealed to me.
In October 2000 I was fortunate to start a job for a Dutch subsidiary of Penske. Penske is a large US-based logistics and truck rental company and the opportunity to use my English, my education in IT Management and my familiarity with logistics was too good to pass on. It also opened the door for a more prolonged stay in North America other then the vacation-trips I was able to make and after 3 years, in July 2003 that was realized and I moved to Cleveland, OH. Since Canada was now only 4 hours away I made many more trips to my friends and family and rapidly developed a group of friends in the Toronto-area.
It was on one of those trips that Joel and I were going to meet his cousin Rodney and his friend (and landlord) Gary. Gary is a worship minister at a local Baptist Church. We went to a service at this Church and that was when I first got introduced to 'contemporary worship'. Until that time the only service-type I knew was in the sense of the 'Frozen Chosen' of the CRC, which is predominantly Dutch and very conservative. I was amazed by the use of such modern things as overhead projectors, full bands, complete studio-style mixing equipment...
Gary and I both come from an engineering background and both have a big interest in music. It was as God's master plan had completed another phase... I went back a few times afterwards and found that there were more Churches like the one Gary was working at. I was still a bit taken aback by it. I had no idea that this even existed. Unfortunately, to this day, it still doesn't in most Dutch Churches.
From that day I was getting more and more receptive of becoming a Christian again, but didn't have the drive to step out of my comfort-zone to take the plunge (funny, since I moved from Holland to the US without much of a fuzz...). I continued to hang-out with my Christian friends in Canada and continued to go to Church with them whenever I was there. However, every time I was back in Cleveland I missed the drive to search out for a Church and build a Christian family in Cleveland.
It wasn't until a few months ago that I realized why... My personal future was not going to be in Cleveland. God has a different plan in mind and first showed me a Church about 35 minutes away. This was a rather large congregation (2000+) and after only one service I realized that 2000+ would be a safe place to re-start my Christian life, but it wasn't what I was yearning for. God apparently agreed and through one of his children showed me a House Church in Canton, OH. After a few visits it became very clear to me that this was the place that God had in mind all along for me. It is the end-station in finding a Christian Family and the start of my new life as an adult Christian.
It's been about 2 months now that I've been going to this House Church and some very important steps in my walk with Christ have happened. I re-learned the meaning the fellowship and more importantly I got baptized in front of the congregation. The baptism was a very powerful act, but is nothing more than an act. It is the process that preceded the baptism (this whole story) and the comforts I hope to enjoy in my walk with Christ and my fellow Christian Family. This past week I was fortunate to facilitate a theological exercise (the term is big word for a group-discussion in a Church setting) on 'Forgiveness' and it was a bit daunting for me when I agreed to do it, but again with the help of my Christian Family I hope to enjoy many more of these discussion to continue to grow closer to God and being a better servant for His Purpose!
It has also taught me that I was right in feeling an emptiness in my life. I had a lot of earthly possessions, a comfortable life through a good job and a body of friends (albeit too far away for any true spiritual guidance). I have since learned that even though being responsible with money is a deed that is appreciated by God (see Matthew 25), but it is but only a small part. Becoming a Christian means to me that my life no longer centers around my earthly desires, but it should instead by focussed on becoming more Christ-like since John 14:6 tells us that "Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (TNIV). We cannot take our earthly belongings into heaven, only our love for Jesus. Fortunately, that is exactly what is needed to enter the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
When I was 7 years old my sister was born and shortly thereafter we moved to another village about 20 minutes away. We didn't go to Church there and I was going to a public elementary school so that was the end of my early-church-era. I was very fortunate though to be in a loving family with wonderful parents (mom and dad are still happily married for almost 38 years now) and my sister and even though we didn't go to Church we led a good, enriched and moral life. I have very fond memories of the five years we spent in that village and of all the wonderful time spent with my family and my friends.
At the age of 12 we moved back to city where I was born, but in a different part of town. I finished elementary school for the last few months and went on to high school, but all were public. I don't recall there were any Christian High Schools in our immediate area at that time. I ended up going to a school where my dads sister went to, about a 20 minute bike-ride away.
During my time in High School I started working at my dads photography shop on Saturdays to make some extra money. I was very lucky to be raised to value money since I had to earn most of it. I think it kinda planted a seed in me that you should spend your money wisely and I saved most of it for my hobbies, at that time mostly being music. I also remember a few visits from my mom's two aunts and uncles who were (and are still) living in Canada. Especially those visits started a fire in me to visit Canada once I had the means and opportunities.
In the mean-time, two of my uncles were truck drivers and the youngest (who is only 11 years older then I am and lived with us for two years after my Grandmas divorce) was pretty much my older brother. With him I started to explore the world from behind the high-up position of a semi. At that time I was living in the Netherlands and saw most of that country and most of Europe throughout the years of my numerous trips during my school vacations. That, combined with the family vacations to Italy, firmly planted the travel-bug in me.
Once I traveled through most of Europe and having English lessons in High School the fire to visit Canada became stronger and stronger. Finally at age 21 I took my first ( 5 week) trip and loved every minute of it. I visited Montreal, Toronto, New York and the lesser known city to people outside the Dutch community of Grand Rapids, MI. My 2nd cousin Chad was doings his Bachelors Degree at Calvin College and we (his Grandparents - my Grandma's older brother and his wife - and me) went to visit him for a camping trip to the Sleeping Bear Dunes while his Grandparents took the temporary dorm-supervisor role. What an awesome trip. I even felt 'reverse' homesick when I boarded the plane back to the Netherlands.
In 1997 I went back to Canada, this time for 8 weeks on a big transcontinental travel plan. Starting in Montreal, through Washington to the Tampa Bay area and from there to Seattle for a 2 week camping Van-tour of the Canadian Rockies followed by a Greyhound expedition from Vancouver to Toronto. Back in Ontario I visited Chad again since we had planned to goto Lake Placid in upstate New York. Unfortunately he was unable to make it due to a last-minute scheduling conflict, but a buddy of his, Joel was willing to go with me. At that point I had no idea how big of an impact that would have on my spiritual life later on, but we had a great time on a crazy trip.
As of 1998 (now out of college) I was able to go at least once a year to Canada and make good use of those wonderful opportunities. I met more and more people through both Chad and Joel and since both of them were Christians I also started to go to Church with them on the Sundays I was with them. That was pretty much the first time since a good 15 years that I went to Church other then for a wedding, funeral or photo-shoot (with my dad). Since both Joel and Chad are of Dutch decent they went to the CRCs (Christian Reformed Churches) which are usually pretty strict and resembled a service from what I remembered.
At that time it didn't do much for me, except looking back now, God was warming me up again to the idea of being a Christian. I pretty much lead a life of adhering to the 10 commandments and followed a course of abstinence, but was not going to Church other then when I was visiting my friends and family in Canada. However, every time I went to Church there was a period of reflection but after I got back to the Netherlands that period ended. It wasn't until late 2000 that another event in Gods master plan was being revealed to me.
In October 2000 I was fortunate to start a job for a Dutch subsidiary of Penske. Penske is a large US-based logistics and truck rental company and the opportunity to use my English, my education in IT Management and my familiarity with logistics was too good to pass on. It also opened the door for a more prolonged stay in North America other then the vacation-trips I was able to make and after 3 years, in July 2003 that was realized and I moved to Cleveland, OH. Since Canada was now only 4 hours away I made many more trips to my friends and family and rapidly developed a group of friends in the Toronto-area.
It was on one of those trips that Joel and I were going to meet his cousin Rodney and his friend (and landlord) Gary. Gary is a worship minister at a local Baptist Church. We went to a service at this Church and that was when I first got introduced to 'contemporary worship'. Until that time the only service-type I knew was in the sense of the 'Frozen Chosen' of the CRC, which is predominantly Dutch and very conservative. I was amazed by the use of such modern things as overhead projectors, full bands, complete studio-style mixing equipment...
Gary and I both come from an engineering background and both have a big interest in music. It was as God's master plan had completed another phase... I went back a few times afterwards and found that there were more Churches like the one Gary was working at. I was still a bit taken aback by it. I had no idea that this even existed. Unfortunately, to this day, it still doesn't in most Dutch Churches.
From that day I was getting more and more receptive of becoming a Christian again, but didn't have the drive to step out of my comfort-zone to take the plunge (funny, since I moved from Holland to the US without much of a fuzz...). I continued to hang-out with my Christian friends in Canada and continued to go to Church with them whenever I was there. However, every time I was back in Cleveland I missed the drive to search out for a Church and build a Christian family in Cleveland.
It wasn't until a few months ago that I realized why... My personal future was not going to be in Cleveland. God has a different plan in mind and first showed me a Church about 35 minutes away. This was a rather large congregation (2000+) and after only one service I realized that 2000+ would be a safe place to re-start my Christian life, but it wasn't what I was yearning for. God apparently agreed and through one of his children showed me a House Church in Canton, OH. After a few visits it became very clear to me that this was the place that God had in mind all along for me. It is the end-station in finding a Christian Family and the start of my new life as an adult Christian.
It's been about 2 months now that I've been going to this House Church and some very important steps in my walk with Christ have happened. I re-learned the meaning the fellowship and more importantly I got baptized in front of the congregation. The baptism was a very powerful act, but is nothing more than an act. It is the process that preceded the baptism (this whole story) and the comforts I hope to enjoy in my walk with Christ and my fellow Christian Family. This past week I was fortunate to facilitate a theological exercise (the term is big word for a group-discussion in a Church setting) on 'Forgiveness' and it was a bit daunting for me when I agreed to do it, but again with the help of my Christian Family I hope to enjoy many more of these discussion to continue to grow closer to God and being a better servant for His Purpose!
It has also taught me that I was right in feeling an emptiness in my life. I had a lot of earthly possessions, a comfortable life through a good job and a body of friends (albeit too far away for any true spiritual guidance). I have since learned that even though being responsible with money is a deed that is appreciated by God (see Matthew 25), but it is but only a small part. Becoming a Christian means to me that my life no longer centers around my earthly desires, but it should instead by focussed on becoming more Christ-like since John 14:6 tells us that "Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (TNIV). We cannot take our earthly belongings into heaven, only our love for Jesus. Fortunately, that is exactly what is needed to enter the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Toronto and Niagara - Sunday
The final day of our weekend-trip north of the border. We got up a little earlier today and decided to goto Tim Hortons for breakfast. The hotel breakfast was excellent, but also about $15, so Timmies is a bit cheaper and just as nice. Hey, I'm still Dutch... First action point of the day was to look after the needs of Might Mouse (my car). He was a bit thirsty and a bit dirty. That was easily fixed and we went on our way to Timmies.
We ened-up at the Tim Hortons on the QEW and Winston Churchill Blvd (pretty much driving right by Joel and Carolyns place...) and after some good bagels, coffee and some cookies and timbits for the road we took off towards Niagara.
The drive was an easy hour and after the two skyways (Burlington and St. Catherines) we headed for Niagara-on-the-Lake. After about 5 kilometer we stopped at a vineyard that was still open, called Chateau des Charmes. Beautiful grounds and an impressive old-looking new builing in Chateau-style (...) presented itself.
Inside we tried to get onto the tour, but they were already in the middle of it and since my French is not good enough to play translator we opted for the wine-tasting (at 11am !!) and I ended-up buying a nice Cabernet. So if anybody is interested, just drop by so we can share a glass (but don't wait too long...)
From the Chateau we headed for Queenston and the Niagara Parkway. We made numerous stops along the way; at a scenic lookout overlooking the (lower) Niagara river, at the flower clock and at the Whirlpool Rapids. Sorry Dad, but I think I just made the shot you were hoping to make last year...
Once in Niagara Falls we drove along the river seeing the Falls and looked for a good spot to park. The parking at the river turned out to be $12 dollars so alternative arrangements were thought up. I remembered where I stayed with Mom and Dad two blocks after that Days Inn hotel there was the Hockey Arena with free parking. Only 1 mile away and that just saved us $12.
We had the distinct pleasure of walking through Clifton HIll, which is absolute madness. Weird contraptions that somehow have absolutely nothing to do with the Falls, but hey, it brings in more people so... We walked to the river and took some photos. We decided not to walk all the way to the Horseshoe Falls and after using the zoom on the camera we turned around heading back towards the car.
On Clifton Hill walking back one of the most unbelievable things happened. We ran into the same Dutch couple we met on Saturday on top of the CN Tower!!! What are the changes of that? Especially since it wasn't exactly a slow day on either of the two days... We just said hello and continued on.
Back at the car we grabbed some timbits and cookies and headed back onto the Parkway towards Buffalo. After about 10 minutes we started to see the snow appearing and more and more and bigger and bigger branches that snapped during the snowstorm of Thrusday. All along the Parkway residents were cleaning up their yards and driveways. That must have been one pretty nasty storm... Especially since in Niagara Falls there wasn't any evidence of even the smallest branch or snow flake.
One reason we drove down to Buffalo was because the Rainbow (border) bridge in Niagara Falls was completely full and traffic wasn't moving so I opted for The Peace Bridge. Turned out to be a good decision since the bridge was clear and we only waited for maybe 10 mintues before it was our turn. Another easy crossing later we were back in the States and on our way to Cleveland.
Like in Niagara Falls, on the main highways there wasn't a single sign of the storm anymore. Later we found out that I-90 re-openeed late on Friday so they have had two days to clear everything out.
A good 2.5 hrs later we had completed the Lake Erie Circle Tour and were back in Cleveland. Tired, but fulfilled by a good trip I dropped Kaushal off at this car and went home where the task of putting up the pictures was awaiting.
Since that was the biggest time consumer (typing these three posts was a little quicker) I opted to get that out of the way first. I really like that now, since I'm now gonna do absolutely nothing but getting some food and watching some shows on TV.
Relaxation time...
We ened-up at the Tim Hortons on the QEW and Winston Churchill Blvd (pretty much driving right by Joel and Carolyns place...) and after some good bagels, coffee and some cookies and timbits for the road we took off towards Niagara.
The drive was an easy hour and after the two skyways (Burlington and St. Catherines) we headed for Niagara-on-the-Lake. After about 5 kilometer we stopped at a vineyard that was still open, called Chateau des Charmes. Beautiful grounds and an impressive old-looking new builing in Chateau-style (...) presented itself.
Inside we tried to get onto the tour, but they were already in the middle of it and since my French is not good enough to play translator we opted for the wine-tasting (at 11am !!) and I ended-up buying a nice Cabernet. So if anybody is interested, just drop by so we can share a glass (but don't wait too long...)
From the Chateau we headed for Queenston and the Niagara Parkway. We made numerous stops along the way; at a scenic lookout overlooking the (lower) Niagara river, at the flower clock and at the Whirlpool Rapids. Sorry Dad, but I think I just made the shot you were hoping to make last year...
Once in Niagara Falls we drove along the river seeing the Falls and looked for a good spot to park. The parking at the river turned out to be $12 dollars so alternative arrangements were thought up. I remembered where I stayed with Mom and Dad two blocks after that Days Inn hotel there was the Hockey Arena with free parking. Only 1 mile away and that just saved us $12.
We had the distinct pleasure of walking through Clifton HIll, which is absolute madness. Weird contraptions that somehow have absolutely nothing to do with the Falls, but hey, it brings in more people so... We walked to the river and took some photos. We decided not to walk all the way to the Horseshoe Falls and after using the zoom on the camera we turned around heading back towards the car.
On Clifton Hill walking back one of the most unbelievable things happened. We ran into the same Dutch couple we met on Saturday on top of the CN Tower!!! What are the changes of that? Especially since it wasn't exactly a slow day on either of the two days... We just said hello and continued on.
Back at the car we grabbed some timbits and cookies and headed back onto the Parkway towards Buffalo. After about 10 minutes we started to see the snow appearing and more and more and bigger and bigger branches that snapped during the snowstorm of Thrusday. All along the Parkway residents were cleaning up their yards and driveways. That must have been one pretty nasty storm... Especially since in Niagara Falls there wasn't any evidence of even the smallest branch or snow flake.
One reason we drove down to Buffalo was because the Rainbow (border) bridge in Niagara Falls was completely full and traffic wasn't moving so I opted for The Peace Bridge. Turned out to be a good decision since the bridge was clear and we only waited for maybe 10 mintues before it was our turn. Another easy crossing later we were back in the States and on our way to Cleveland.
Like in Niagara Falls, on the main highways there wasn't a single sign of the storm anymore. Later we found out that I-90 re-openeed late on Friday so they have had two days to clear everything out.
A good 2.5 hrs later we had completed the Lake Erie Circle Tour and were back in Cleveland. Tired, but fulfilled by a good trip I dropped Kaushal off at this car and went home where the task of putting up the pictures was awaiting.
Since that was the biggest time consumer (typing these three posts was a little quicker) I opted to get that out of the way first. I really like that now, since I'm now gonna do absolutely nothing but getting some food and watching some shows on TV.
Relaxation time...
Toronto and Niagara - Saturday
Saturday we slept in a bit since breakfast was untill 10.30am. The hotel had an excellent breakfast. Very good hash-browns, bacon, eggs, sausages, but also croissants, serial and bread. Accompanied by excellent coffee and fresh OJ we had a very good start of the day.
The plan was to drive from the hotel to Yorkdale Shopping Centre, park the car and take the subway to downtown Toronto. This time the plan worked, or in the words of the unforgettable Colonel Hannibal Smith (A-team) 'I love it when a plan comes together...'.
We got the day-passes and took the first train to Union Station. First stop: CN Tower. What else? So we took the Skyway and at the tower bought the tickets to go up. Piece of advice, don't take the experience, just the observation deck and (optionally) the Skypod. Use Wikipedia to read up on the story of the CN Tower and you save yourself some nice dollars.
The ride up is quick (at 15mph / 22km/u) and gets you to 350m / 1100ft / 113 stories) where the observation deck is located. It holds a number of things. Among others, a restaurant with an astonishing view, plenty of look-out oppertunities and a glass floor. Especially the latter is an 'interesting' experience for those of us who have never been on it.
During the ride-up I thought I spotted a Dutch couple, but didn't get a change to talk to them. While taking some shots from around the observation deck I ran into the male-part of the couple and talked to him for a bit. They were doing a North America tour and already visiited NY, Boston, Montreal and Ottawa. We talked some more on things to do in Toronto and said our goodbyes.
After the talk I had a voice mail from Joel. We was calling to see what the plans were to meet-up for dinner. We settled on the Old Spaghetti Factory (we have a bit of history there - not to be disclosed here...) around 5pm since the Leafs were playing the Flames at 7pm (that's the NHL ice-hockey teams Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Calgary Flames for those outside the Americas) and they all like to get a bite to eat before the game.
During that call Joel mentioned how cool it would for me to meet some fellow Dutchies on top of the tower. Well, he hit the nail on the head there. On the other hand, you can find Dutchies in northern New Hampshire on a mountain pass in the middle of May, so meeting a few on the main tourist trap in Southern Ontario wasn't that much of a strech...;-)
The views where amazingly clear and by far the best I've ever encoutered. We even had a very cool view on a strom rolling-in from the West (see the photo-link, just click on the blog-title). It turned-out to be a nifty rain-strom and we decided to let it run its course and watch it go by from within the observation deck.
Being a tourist-trap they smartly have the elevator down end in the middle of the gift-shop. All kinds of interesting looking contraptions can be found there. Some actually useful, other absolutely not, but almost all a bit overpriced. I find it a sport to find a useful, normally priced item and this time I acutally found something.
The tour of 'le tour CN' completed we headed for downtown Toronto and were looking for one of those Tour Busses that show you the major things in 2 hours. There was one directly on Front and John street. However, the booth was there, but no agent. We called the number and a friendly voice told us the agent was coming any minute. After about 15mins still no agent, so we decided to skip it and fall back on plan B - just do most of the items on foot.
About 2 mintues later the agent came running up, but since the tour wouldn't start until 3pm and took 'at least' 2 hours it would interfere with our dinner plans, so we decided to continue on foot. Since walking takes energy we stopped at Tim Hortons to get bagels and Hot Chocolate. I called dad for a bit and while talking to him it started to hail. OK, plan C.
Plan C: this plan uses one of Torontos nice features, the underground PATH-system that basically connects all the major downtown buildings and sights including the Eaton Centre, City Hall and some of the Subway stations. We entered at Union Station and exited at City Hall. We then continued our tour above ground to the Eaton Centre and stopped/shopped for a bit at Indigo bookstore.
Walking through the Bay (depaartment store of the Hudson Bay Company) we exited at Queen street and walked on Yonge Street heading towards the Esplanade where the Old Speghetti Factory was located. We veered off a bit to Old Town to get some perspective before heading to one of the must-see items if you want a taste of true Canadiana, the Hockey Hall of Fame in BCE Place. We took some interesting pictures there, including a few shots of a small World Press Photo exhibition (co-sponsered by two Dutch firms... go figure).
Since it was rapidly approaching 5pm we headed towards the Old Spaghetti Factory and put our name on the list since there was about a 40 minute wait. We headed to the bar to have a drink while waiting and it turned-out that Joel and Carolyn where already there for a few minutes and were quite a few place higher on the list already. So the change was made and after about 5 mintues our table was ready.
Since it was the 'Spaghetti Factory' we had to get sonme of that. While waiting for our order they brought some delicious bread and the garden salad is also a nice appetizer (oh.. don't go for the upgrade to a Ceasar - it's huge and the main course is more then enough...). The spaghetti was awesome and over and after dinner we had some delightful converstaion on about anything you can think of. As a desert we ordered some Spumonti, a small bowl of ice that is NOT on the menu so remember to ask for it the next time you're there.
Since Joel is a big hockey fan he had it in his mind to see what the scallopers would want for tickets once the game was started. He was looking for anything under $20. Yeah right!! Turned out the cheapest ones where about $100. Not much over the regular price, but steep for a game already in progress. No surprise, but still... So we decided to go watch it in a bar. Well, where is a sports-bar when you need one...
This was the start of an interesting adaventure. We decided to go somewhere closer to the Hotel (and closer to Joel and Carolyns place as well) and since they drove down we took their car. In a momentary lapse of reason (good Pink Ployd album by the way...) I forgot that my car was still at Yorkdale so we had to go back and get it. That nice little detour costed us most of the first period of the game (2-0 Leafs). While at Yorkdale we decided to quickly look for some swimware for me, but again finding something like that in the off-season when you're in a time-crux didn't really work. Well, for $50 CDN it would have, but to pay that just to take advantage of the Hotel pool-option was a bit much.
We then tried to see if there was a store at Yorkdale that showed the game, but unfortunately not a single one did. There was one on Dufferdin, but since we still had to drive we decided to drive to the same bar we had dinner last night in Sauga and we ended-up there during the intermission between the 2nd and 3rd period of the game (score now 4-3 Leafs).
We got a good spot at the bar and ordered some wings to nibble on during the game. Since it was about 3 hours after dinner already that was much appreciated. The Flames actually scored the equalizer before Leafs captain Mats Sundin - short-handed - scored his 500th goal in sudden-death overtime to clinch it for the Leafs.
Afterwards we watched the conclusion of the Montreal Canadians and the Ottawa Senators, which - sorry Sean - went to Ottawa after shoot-outs.
Now approaching about 10pm it was time to say goodbye to Joel and Carolyn and we headed back to the hotel. I watched some of the third game on Hockey Night in Canada, but fell asleep halfway through it.
A good end to an interesting day in Toronto.
The plan was to drive from the hotel to Yorkdale Shopping Centre, park the car and take the subway to downtown Toronto. This time the plan worked, or in the words of the unforgettable Colonel Hannibal Smith (A-team) 'I love it when a plan comes together...'.
We got the day-passes and took the first train to Union Station. First stop: CN Tower. What else? So we took the Skyway and at the tower bought the tickets to go up. Piece of advice, don't take the experience, just the observation deck and (optionally) the Skypod. Use Wikipedia to read up on the story of the CN Tower and you save yourself some nice dollars.
The ride up is quick (at 15mph / 22km/u) and gets you to 350m / 1100ft / 113 stories) where the observation deck is located. It holds a number of things. Among others, a restaurant with an astonishing view, plenty of look-out oppertunities and a glass floor. Especially the latter is an 'interesting' experience for those of us who have never been on it.
During the ride-up I thought I spotted a Dutch couple, but didn't get a change to talk to them. While taking some shots from around the observation deck I ran into the male-part of the couple and talked to him for a bit. They were doing a North America tour and already visiited NY, Boston, Montreal and Ottawa. We talked some more on things to do in Toronto and said our goodbyes.
After the talk I had a voice mail from Joel. We was calling to see what the plans were to meet-up for dinner. We settled on the Old Spaghetti Factory (we have a bit of history there - not to be disclosed here...) around 5pm since the Leafs were playing the Flames at 7pm (that's the NHL ice-hockey teams Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Calgary Flames for those outside the Americas) and they all like to get a bite to eat before the game.
During that call Joel mentioned how cool it would for me to meet some fellow Dutchies on top of the tower. Well, he hit the nail on the head there. On the other hand, you can find Dutchies in northern New Hampshire on a mountain pass in the middle of May, so meeting a few on the main tourist trap in Southern Ontario wasn't that much of a strech...;-)
The views where amazingly clear and by far the best I've ever encoutered. We even had a very cool view on a strom rolling-in from the West (see the photo-link, just click on the blog-title). It turned-out to be a nifty rain-strom and we decided to let it run its course and watch it go by from within the observation deck.
Being a tourist-trap they smartly have the elevator down end in the middle of the gift-shop. All kinds of interesting looking contraptions can be found there. Some actually useful, other absolutely not, but almost all a bit overpriced. I find it a sport to find a useful, normally priced item and this time I acutally found something.
The tour of 'le tour CN' completed we headed for downtown Toronto and were looking for one of those Tour Busses that show you the major things in 2 hours. There was one directly on Front and John street. However, the booth was there, but no agent. We called the number and a friendly voice told us the agent was coming any minute. After about 15mins still no agent, so we decided to skip it and fall back on plan B - just do most of the items on foot.
About 2 mintues later the agent came running up, but since the tour wouldn't start until 3pm and took 'at least' 2 hours it would interfere with our dinner plans, so we decided to continue on foot. Since walking takes energy we stopped at Tim Hortons to get bagels and Hot Chocolate. I called dad for a bit and while talking to him it started to hail. OK, plan C.
Plan C: this plan uses one of Torontos nice features, the underground PATH-system that basically connects all the major downtown buildings and sights including the Eaton Centre, City Hall and some of the Subway stations. We entered at Union Station and exited at City Hall. We then continued our tour above ground to the Eaton Centre and stopped/shopped for a bit at Indigo bookstore.
Walking through the Bay (depaartment store of the Hudson Bay Company) we exited at Queen street and walked on Yonge Street heading towards the Esplanade where the Old Speghetti Factory was located. We veered off a bit to Old Town to get some perspective before heading to one of the must-see items if you want a taste of true Canadiana, the Hockey Hall of Fame in BCE Place. We took some interesting pictures there, including a few shots of a small World Press Photo exhibition (co-sponsered by two Dutch firms... go figure).
Since it was rapidly approaching 5pm we headed towards the Old Spaghetti Factory and put our name on the list since there was about a 40 minute wait. We headed to the bar to have a drink while waiting and it turned-out that Joel and Carolyn where already there for a few minutes and were quite a few place higher on the list already. So the change was made and after about 5 mintues our table was ready.
Since it was the 'Spaghetti Factory' we had to get sonme of that. While waiting for our order they brought some delicious bread and the garden salad is also a nice appetizer (oh.. don't go for the upgrade to a Ceasar - it's huge and the main course is more then enough...). The spaghetti was awesome and over and after dinner we had some delightful converstaion on about anything you can think of. As a desert we ordered some Spumonti, a small bowl of ice that is NOT on the menu so remember to ask for it the next time you're there.
Since Joel is a big hockey fan he had it in his mind to see what the scallopers would want for tickets once the game was started. He was looking for anything under $20. Yeah right!! Turned out the cheapest ones where about $100. Not much over the regular price, but steep for a game already in progress. No surprise, but still... So we decided to go watch it in a bar. Well, where is a sports-bar when you need one...
This was the start of an interesting adaventure. We decided to go somewhere closer to the Hotel (and closer to Joel and Carolyns place as well) and since they drove down we took their car. In a momentary lapse of reason (good Pink Ployd album by the way...) I forgot that my car was still at Yorkdale so we had to go back and get it. That nice little detour costed us most of the first period of the game (2-0 Leafs). While at Yorkdale we decided to quickly look for some swimware for me, but again finding something like that in the off-season when you're in a time-crux didn't really work. Well, for $50 CDN it would have, but to pay that just to take advantage of the Hotel pool-option was a bit much.
We then tried to see if there was a store at Yorkdale that showed the game, but unfortunately not a single one did. There was one on Dufferdin, but since we still had to drive we decided to drive to the same bar we had dinner last night in Sauga and we ended-up there during the intermission between the 2nd and 3rd period of the game (score now 4-3 Leafs).
We got a good spot at the bar and ordered some wings to nibble on during the game. Since it was about 3 hours after dinner already that was much appreciated. The Flames actually scored the equalizer before Leafs captain Mats Sundin - short-handed - scored his 500th goal in sudden-death overtime to clinch it for the Leafs.
Afterwards we watched the conclusion of the Montreal Canadians and the Ottawa Senators, which - sorry Sean - went to Ottawa after shoot-outs.
Now approaching about 10pm it was time to say goodbye to Joel and Carolyn and we headed back to the hotel. I watched some of the third game on Hockey Night in Canada, but fell asleep halfway through it.
A good end to an interesting day in Toronto.
Toronto and Niagara - Friday
Another week(end), another trip. This time we went north of the border to Ontario. The plan was to leave Cleveland around 4pm on Friday and to show Toronto to my fried Kaushal and to meet up with a former co-worker of ours Sean who now resides in the Toronto area. I als gave Joel and Carolyn a call to see if they would be free to meet us somewhere sometime this weekend.
However, the good Lord decided that it was time for a bout of winter on Thrusday-night and he blanketed the Buffalo, NY region under 2 feet (60cm) of snow. Normally that wouldn't be such an issue since Buffalo is used to getting some snow, but getting this much, this heavy wet snow, this early in the season was new. It left 300,000 people without power and the main Interstate (I-90) closed in a circle of about 45 miles around the city. Since the normal route from Cleveland to Toronto goes over that road and through Buffalo we were forced to take a bit of a detour taking the Detroit-Windsor border isntead.
No troubles at the border (not even had to show our passports), but the drive from Windsor to London, Ontario is soooo boring. Flat, straight and pitch-black at night. Those first 110 miles (185km) are no fun. After London things lite-up a bit and you get a sense of civilization back.
From London to Toronto is about 75 minutes and it is an easy drive. I booked a room at the Courtyard Mariott in Mississauga (Dixie and Eglington W) so once off the 401 it was only 5 minutes to find the hotel. We checked-in and called Sean we arrived. He showed-up about 30mins later just in time for us to get soemthing to eat.
It was about 10.30pm since the detour via Detroit adds 1.5 hrs to a normally pleasant 4 hr drive and neadless to see we where starving. We tried the Belfast Lounge, but their kitchen closed at 10pm so they were helpful in pointing out that basically across the street there was a bar called 'Hoodoo McFriggins' that seerves food 'till midnight. Yes!!
In the parking lot getting the car we were approached by a very frantic looking guy who was trying to get money to get his wife and kid a bus-ticket home from the border where their car had broken down. He had about $ 80 CDN on him already and was about $ 10 short. His story actually sounded credible and sincere so I gave him $ 10. Good deed for the day fulfilled.
After that we went to the other bar and indeed they served untill midnight. We got a table next to the fireplace and ordered some Ribs and Wings accompanied by some local Sleeman Honey Brown (one of my favourite beers). About 10 mins after the food that same gentleman from the parking lot entered and sat down at the bar. Somehow he spotted us and immediately left. Guess a guilty conscience got the better of him. Well, he probably left for another bar...;-)
We had some good conversation and catch-up time with Sean over some well appreciated food and drinks. It was getting late fast and a little after midnight we decided to call it a night. We drove back to the hotel, dropped Sean off at his car and went to bed for some shut-eye.
However, the good Lord decided that it was time for a bout of winter on Thrusday-night and he blanketed the Buffalo, NY region under 2 feet (60cm) of snow. Normally that wouldn't be such an issue since Buffalo is used to getting some snow, but getting this much, this heavy wet snow, this early in the season was new. It left 300,000 people without power and the main Interstate (I-90) closed in a circle of about 45 miles around the city. Since the normal route from Cleveland to Toronto goes over that road and through Buffalo we were forced to take a bit of a detour taking the Detroit-Windsor border isntead.
No troubles at the border (not even had to show our passports), but the drive from Windsor to London, Ontario is soooo boring. Flat, straight and pitch-black at night. Those first 110 miles (185km) are no fun. After London things lite-up a bit and you get a sense of civilization back.
From London to Toronto is about 75 minutes and it is an easy drive. I booked a room at the Courtyard Mariott in Mississauga (Dixie and Eglington W) so once off the 401 it was only 5 minutes to find the hotel. We checked-in and called Sean we arrived. He showed-up about 30mins later just in time for us to get soemthing to eat.
It was about 10.30pm since the detour via Detroit adds 1.5 hrs to a normally pleasant 4 hr drive and neadless to see we where starving. We tried the Belfast Lounge, but their kitchen closed at 10pm so they were helpful in pointing out that basically across the street there was a bar called 'Hoodoo McFriggins' that seerves food 'till midnight. Yes!!
In the parking lot getting the car we were approached by a very frantic looking guy who was trying to get money to get his wife and kid a bus-ticket home from the border where their car had broken down. He had about $ 80 CDN on him already and was about $ 10 short. His story actually sounded credible and sincere so I gave him $ 10. Good deed for the day fulfilled.
After that we went to the other bar and indeed they served untill midnight. We got a table next to the fireplace and ordered some Ribs and Wings accompanied by some local Sleeman Honey Brown (one of my favourite beers). About 10 mins after the food that same gentleman from the parking lot entered and sat down at the bar. Somehow he spotted us and immediately left. Guess a guilty conscience got the better of him. Well, he probably left for another bar...;-)
We had some good conversation and catch-up time with Sean over some well appreciated food and drinks. It was getting late fast and a little after midnight we decided to call it a night. We drove back to the hotel, dropped Sean off at his car and went to bed for some shut-eye.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
A trip to Dayton
Last weekend it was time for another road-trip. This time the destination was the National Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. Sunday-morning at about 7.15am we left from Beachwood. Around 9.30am we stopped at Tim Hortons in Columbus for a some breakfast since we were both starving. It was Kaushals first time to a Tim Hortons and we have 'm converted..;-) He loves it now...
About 10am we left Timmies heading for a Wafflehouse in Dayton to meet-up with Jen, Jen and Aleena. Unbenownst to each other both me and (one of the two) Jen where in the same area (both hours away from home) so we decided to have some food and fellowship. We had a great (but too short of a) time!
After seeing the girls off to Michigan again we took the backroads to the musuem and with a little help from the GPS got there pretty quick. The musuem is free and the only charges are for IMAX movies and some 'thrill-rides'. The IMAX-movies are worth the money, but forgo the other ones. Just focus on the planes and the rest of the exhibits.
One of the highlights was the Modern display with planes like the B1, B2 and F117 Stealth Fighter. You can see 'm in the pictures I put up on my own website (click here) so you can see what I mean.
Taking pictures in such a dark place was a bit challenging, but with the use of a manual mode and some steady objects to keep the camera still for long exposures (up to 5 seconds...) we got some awesome shots. Long live manual controls. Even in the digital age you can't always live without them.
After the 2nd IMAX movie we were kindly reminded that it was 6pm, closing time and we should be heading out before they'd close the gates on us.
On the way back we stopped in London for some $1.99 gas. Wow, that was a long time ago we saw that price. It sure is nice though... Including the pitstop it took us a little under 3 hours to get back to Beachwood and stopped for some food at PF Changs. Nice ending to a beautiful Sunday!
About 10am we left Timmies heading for a Wafflehouse in Dayton to meet-up with Jen, Jen and Aleena. Unbenownst to each other both me and (one of the two) Jen where in the same area (both hours away from home) so we decided to have some food and fellowship. We had a great (but too short of a) time!
After seeing the girls off to Michigan again we took the backroads to the musuem and with a little help from the GPS got there pretty quick. The musuem is free and the only charges are for IMAX movies and some 'thrill-rides'. The IMAX-movies are worth the money, but forgo the other ones. Just focus on the planes and the rest of the exhibits.
One of the highlights was the Modern display with planes like the B1, B2 and F117 Stealth Fighter. You can see 'm in the pictures I put up on my own website (click here) so you can see what I mean.
Taking pictures in such a dark place was a bit challenging, but with the use of a manual mode and some steady objects to keep the camera still for long exposures (up to 5 seconds...) we got some awesome shots. Long live manual controls. Even in the digital age you can't always live without them.
After the 2nd IMAX movie we were kindly reminded that it was 6pm, closing time and we should be heading out before they'd close the gates on us.
On the way back we stopped in London for some $1.99 gas. Wow, that was a long time ago we saw that price. It sure is nice though... Including the pitstop it took us a little under 3 hours to get back to Beachwood and stopped for some food at PF Changs. Nice ending to a beautiful Sunday!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
The end of the internal combustion engine - for real ??
CNNmoney.com today posted an article on a new engine-type that sounds like it could replace the internal combustion engine all together at an engine-build price marginally higher, but a substansially lower running-cost without any reliabilty on oil. The article mentions a number of details on how the new type engine will run, but not the who and how the required infrastructure (charge-stations) will be handled.
All-in-all, very interesting article. Let's see if its true...
All-in-all, very interesting article. Let's see if its true...
Monday, September 25, 2006
Grand Rapids
Last weekend I went to Grand Rapids, MI to visit a special friend of mine. Left work early after another one of those crazy weeks. Pretty easy drive and since I've done it a couple of times on-route to Holland, MI I decided to see how good Verizons VZ Navigator actually was. Lets just say I was impressed. I can recommend using it. OK, back to topic at hand... as I said the drive was easy, rainy, but nothing special. Stopped in Lansing to pick-up a little present and then continued on to GR. The last hour was pretty interesting since the rain really picked-up and as the icing on the cake I was treated to a wonderful lightshow. Long story short, after a good 4.5 hrs I got to GR. We just hung-out and chatted a bit until it is was time for some well-deserved shut-eye.
Saturday-morning I slept-in and - looking at the forecast - we decided to do the outdoor-activities in the morning since it would rain for the rest of the day. After a quick stop at the post-office we went to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. What a beautiful place. We especially liked the Orchid Wall... Never knew there were that many varieties (according to the guide > 200,000) and in that many shpaes and colours. Wow! We also saw the worlds largest seeds (two coconuts seeds). They are huge... At first they looked like rocks (hence we missed them the first time around) but the guide (thanks again!!) pointed it out for us.
After the seeds and a lovely walk to the sculpture garden we decided to splurge and take the VIP (...;-) guided-tour. Since the tour will point-out many things you will miss on your own - including the artists thoughts behind the objects - I would highly recommend taking the tour. It was well worth it... for more reasons then just the excellent narations.
We decided to give one of the highlights of the tour - Nina Akamu’s 24 feet tall 'The American Horse', created in homage to Leonardo da Vinci's original commission by the Duke of Milan a closer look. Very impressive.
After the garden (sorry, no pics this time since I forgot my camera...) we went to Pannera for lunch. Since we wanted to play Settlers of Catan for a bit we decided to skip the first one (way too busy) and opted for one with an open booth. The game and my opponent were very imposing since I hadn't played in a while versus my oppenents multiple times a week. I had to add some Dutch in the mix in order to compete. We decided that every number had to be pronounced in Dutch and since I'm the only Native Dutch speaker that equalized things a bit...;-) Oh, for those interested... I still lost that game, as with all the other ones. The next game we decided to try French... That didn't help either, but we had lots of fun and re-discovered some talent we didn't think we had...
Around 5.45pm it was time for church. God decided to make throw us an obstacle course... I was raining like CRAZY!!! Wow!!! At church we even had to wait a bit in the car since it was raining way to hard. It finally let up a bit and we decided to make a run for it under the cover of my jacket. It didn't help much...
Once in church the unusual things kept coming. How about the announcement of a Counrty worship-song accommodated by actual line-dancing? Not crazy enough? How about an evacuation due to a Tornado warning? Well, one of the more memorable services I've ever been to...
The evening didn't end there... Oh no... Next stop: Wealthy Theater for a performance of the River City Improv. We met-up with a friend at church and headed over to downtown GR. We got the tickets and scored front-row! What an impressive show. Absolutely hilarious on numerous occasions. Never heared a line 'the white men stole all my candy' just level the place and (the same sketch about a girl selling lemonade) in the style of a late-night religious fund-raser was an instant classic. If you're ever in GR on a night when they perform, go see them! Check their website for the latest schedule.
Since we did church on Saturday, Sunday-morning was a nice and relaxing time filled by some more Catan. This time the Cities & Knights expansion version. Makes it very interestng I must say... Still lost, but that was more to my fierce opponent...;-). At 1pm it was time for some football, another mutually liked past-time. Found a nice Buffalo Wild-Wings that was showing the Bears vs Vikings and had a great time. Thanks to the Pittsburgh fans for their impressive cheering! After we saw Brett Favre throwing his 400th career TD-pass on another screen we re-focussed on the Vikings, but a late 4th quarter INT lead to a TD for the Bears and a loss for the Vikings. Well, can't win 'm all.
Time flies when you're having fun so time to leave GR (which was bright and sunny again) and head back to Ohio. Wish I could have stayed a while longer, but since I promised the boss to check-up on a few things at work I had to leave. It's still a 4 hour drive so...
Thanks to everybody who made it a weekend to remember...
Saturday-morning I slept-in and - looking at the forecast - we decided to do the outdoor-activities in the morning since it would rain for the rest of the day. After a quick stop at the post-office we went to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. What a beautiful place. We especially liked the Orchid Wall... Never knew there were that many varieties (according to the guide > 200,000) and in that many shpaes and colours. Wow! We also saw the worlds largest seeds (two coconuts seeds). They are huge... At first they looked like rocks (hence we missed them the first time around) but the guide (thanks again!!) pointed it out for us.
After the seeds and a lovely walk to the sculpture garden we decided to splurge and take the VIP (...;-) guided-tour. Since the tour will point-out many things you will miss on your own - including the artists thoughts behind the objects - I would highly recommend taking the tour. It was well worth it... for more reasons then just the excellent narations.
We decided to give one of the highlights of the tour - Nina Akamu’s 24 feet tall 'The American Horse', created in homage to Leonardo da Vinci's original commission by the Duke of Milan a closer look. Very impressive.
After the garden (sorry, no pics this time since I forgot my camera...) we went to Pannera for lunch. Since we wanted to play Settlers of Catan for a bit we decided to skip the first one (way too busy) and opted for one with an open booth. The game and my opponent were very imposing since I hadn't played in a while versus my oppenents multiple times a week. I had to add some Dutch in the mix in order to compete. We decided that every number had to be pronounced in Dutch and since I'm the only Native Dutch speaker that equalized things a bit...;-) Oh, for those interested... I still lost that game, as with all the other ones. The next game we decided to try French... That didn't help either, but we had lots of fun and re-discovered some talent we didn't think we had...
Around 5.45pm it was time for church. God decided to make throw us an obstacle course... I was raining like CRAZY!!! Wow!!! At church we even had to wait a bit in the car since it was raining way to hard. It finally let up a bit and we decided to make a run for it under the cover of my jacket. It didn't help much...
Once in church the unusual things kept coming. How about the announcement of a Counrty worship-song accommodated by actual line-dancing? Not crazy enough? How about an evacuation due to a Tornado warning? Well, one of the more memorable services I've ever been to...
The evening didn't end there... Oh no... Next stop: Wealthy Theater for a performance of the River City Improv. We met-up with a friend at church and headed over to downtown GR. We got the tickets and scored front-row! What an impressive show. Absolutely hilarious on numerous occasions. Never heared a line 'the white men stole all my candy' just level the place and (the same sketch about a girl selling lemonade) in the style of a late-night religious fund-raser was an instant classic. If you're ever in GR on a night when they perform, go see them! Check their website for the latest schedule.
Since we did church on Saturday, Sunday-morning was a nice and relaxing time filled by some more Catan. This time the Cities & Knights expansion version. Makes it very interestng I must say... Still lost, but that was more to my fierce opponent...;-). At 1pm it was time for some football, another mutually liked past-time. Found a nice Buffalo Wild-Wings that was showing the Bears vs Vikings and had a great time. Thanks to the Pittsburgh fans for their impressive cheering! After we saw Brett Favre throwing his 400th career TD-pass on another screen we re-focussed on the Vikings, but a late 4th quarter INT lead to a TD for the Bears and a loss for the Vikings. Well, can't win 'm all.
Time flies when you're having fun so time to leave GR (which was bright and sunny again) and head back to Ohio. Wish I could have stayed a while longer, but since I promised the boss to check-up on a few things at work I had to leave. It's still a 4 hour drive so...
Thanks to everybody who made it a weekend to remember...
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