March 30, 2005
SCOTLAND! The land of mountains, lakes and...HAGGIS!!
Scotland. What can I say? What a country. Simply beautiful. I had an image in my mind of what Scotland might be like, but I was completely under-imagining what it really is. It was a euphoria-enducing, tear-jerking four days, I tell you.
Or was it just the whisky?
Truthfully, we had a great time, as with most of the trips we've taking in the past 19 months or so. One of the best moments was when, after driving from the airport in Glasgow (actually Prestwick, just southwest) to the Highlands for about four or five hours we arrived in Glenfinnan, a small village situated along one of the many lochs (lakes). We stopped there to have lunch and stretch the legs a little. Oh, yes, to imbibe in a wee pint, too. We were informed of a great place to eat, called the Glenfinnan House. Upon stepping out of the car for the first time in five hours or so when we got to the hotel, we felt as if we'd stepped into an advertisement for the Scottish Tourism Board. A gorgeous 18th Century Victorian mansion surrounded by pine, lakes and mountains. It could only be eclipsed by one thing, and I kid you not... Bagpipes playing in the out-of-view distance. I couldn't believe it. Couldn't have asked for a better welcome.
Another great moment was at Castle Eilean Donan. You have seen this castle. It is the one that is situated on a small island just off the shore of the lake. You can see pics of it in our gallery. After our day checking out the castle, we were about to leave when all of a sudden another bagpiper, from virtually out of nowhere begins playing. No fanfare, no announcement, no nothing. Just playing. I got a few pics and a couple of short video clips. I put them on the gallery.
That's just the start. We took a lot of pics. To check them out, click HERE.
March 22, 2005
Off to Scotland and Props to Thor
Kim and Steve (Steph's Aunt and Dad) are here, arriving in force on Saturday morning. After a few days of local touring, yesterday going to London, we are off to Scotland on Wednesday morning. Should be a great trip, as none of us have been there yet. Haggis, kilts, castles and a (few) wee dram(s) of Scotch await! Check back here later for pics of their visit, the Scotland trip, Easter and other things. Sorry for the long delay between entries, but that's how it goes.
Oh, one last thing...
Congrats to Laura and Dave on the birth of their first son, Thor Joseph Hansen. Born on St. Patty's Day. With a name like Thor and having a St. Patty's Day for a birthday, should make for fun birthday parties throughout the years. Here are their pics.
March 08, 2005
Hold the Mayo, Please
We've been generally pretty entertained with the commercials on British television, but some simply leave us scratching our heads. Take, for example, the latest advert for Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise...
The commercial opens with the great tune, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye playing. So far, so good. Right?
No.
Because, then a guy who, by the looks of it, should stay as far away from mayonnaise as possible is dancing around the kitchen apparently extremely excited about the pairing of his beloved deep fried chips (fries to Americans) and his mayo.
Don't you think it ironic to have a large-and-in-charge bloke hawking a product like mayo?
Anyway, check it out here.
Just doesn't seem to be all that effective, I guess. Ironically, though, it must be.
Now this one, from KFC, is pretty good, and I have to laugh everytime I see it. Is it played in the States??
March 07, 2005
Another gallery
Another photo gallery test. I am getting accustomed to this.
Here are some randoms of Ethan.
Click here.
Testing New Photo Gallery Feature
We just got a new feature that allows us to load multiple pics on our site where they appear as a photo gallery or a photo album. I am testing it out with more pics from our Prague trip in February. To see the new pics, click on the link at the bottom of this entry. Then, you can either click on each image separately or click on "slide show" at the top. If you select slide show, you can then select the trasition speed of the show, too.
Thanks to our web host, Sean Porter of IdeaNode. If anyone out there is looking to start up a simple but effective blog, I highly suggest you e-mail Sean to get information. Steph and I have limited knowledge of this sort of stuff, really, and the software that IdeaNode provides makes our blog creation super easy. If you are interested, e-mail Sean at sean@ideanode.com. It is cheap, easy and fun. Oh, and by the way, he's a HAWKEYE, too!!! Go Hawks!
Ok, back to the gallery. To view the pics, click here.
March 05, 2005
Quote of the night (so far)
When discussing the finer art of belching (yes, high-brow conversation, we know). The quote of the evening (so far) came from Dana the Great. When admonished for his belching prowess, Derek shot back to Dana... "You belch like a fireman." To this, DTG (Dana the Great) retorted...
Here it comes...
"That's because I have a good Cricopharyngeus muscle!"
So there!!!
Dana the Great
Big Boy Bed
Ethan has now progressed to the next level! He's a big boy now and needs a big boy bed. After a few mornings of him climbing out of the crib to greet us (sometimes as early as 5:30), we figured the time was right to make his crib into a pseudo-regular bed. He's done well with it and has only fallen out twice. We've had this new arangement now for about two weeks, so that is a pretty good average, I think.
March 04, 2005
Ethan's New Hat
Ethan is all ready for the summer. So are we. Blizzards in March in England? Come on!
March 01, 2005
PRAHA! (Prague)
(click on the blue underlined words to see a corresponding picture)
The traveling continues after a bit of a break. This time our adventures found us again in a former Communist nation. Last week Steph and I traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia. It was a very quick trip and was done sans child. The wondrous David and Maureen took Ethan in for the weekend, allowing us a stress-free jaunt to Prague.
Arguably one of Prague’s most famous claims to fame is that it was the home of Franz Kafaka. He is the author of such toe-tapping, blue-sky optimistic works as The Metamorphosis, The Castle and The Trial. One of Kafka’s most inspiring quotes - “A first sign of the beginning of understanding is the wish to die.” I want to party with that dude!!! I bet after a few of the famous Czech beers, I bet he’d be a real hoot!
We didn’t have too much time in Prague, arriving at around noon on Saturday and departing on Monday morning at a grueling 7:15. However, we packed in as much as we could. The adventure began when we got on the wrong bus at the airport. We were supposed to be getting on one bus that would take us to a stop where the Metro (subway) would be, then take the Metro a few stops to the stop where the hotel was. No big deal, right? Well, if you are on a bus in a country with a familiar enough language, then you can fairly easily figure out the solution. In Eastern Europe, the language and alphabet is far from recognizable and we were just a tad worried about where we were ending up. The map of Prague we had was only of the central part of the city and didn’t even show the airport. So, we really couldn’t even decipher which direction we were headed. We might as well have been on a bus headed for Slovakia! Fortunately for us, the bus took us to another Metro stop and a friendly gentleman who spoke English was able to reassure us that we were, indeed, ok. It turned out ok as that station ended up closer to our hotel stop, anyhow.
After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, it was straight out to get some food. We’re talking classic Germanic/Eastern European food – pork knuckle, dumplings, kraut, pork, etc. Ah, yes, and the BEER! The sweet nectar of Czechs! Pilser Urquell and the original Budweiser, Budvar! Were any of you reading this aware that Budvar is the original Budweiser, having been on the brewery-block for far, far longer than Adolphus Busch, the founder of Anheuser-Busch in 1865 even knew what a hop was? Budvar originated way back in the 13th century! I tell you, those mugs of brew go down smoother and faster than you can imagine. As soon as the waiter sees that there is only a gulp left in your glass, another one is plopped down on the table. You actually have to be on your toes in order to inform them that this is your last one or they’ll just keep on bringing them! Mind you, I am certainly not complaining. I could have just as easily perched my rear on a stool and ordered more Knee of Pork and Urquells all day long, if we had the time! As you can tell, Steph felt much the same way! Yes, the glass really is almost the size of her entire head! Men, don't get caught ordering a half-pint either. It is socially unacceptable for a man to order anything other than the large size. No problem!
The rest of the day was spent walking around and taking in the sights such as the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock. Quite impressive structures, indeed. The Astronomical Clock was impressive on many levels. The most impressive is that it has been in existence and has accurately announced the hour since its construction in 1410! The mechanics of this is astounding beginning with the skeleton ringing the bell, which prompts the procession of the apostles. Amazing that this has kept accurate time for almost 600 years, withstanding rule change, Nazi burning and least of all, time itself!
Charles Bridge is a Gothic bridge which is considered one of, if not the most beautiful bridge in Europe. It was originally constructed in 1357 and named for the Roman Emperor, Charles IV. It is lined with statues of martyrs, saints and apostles. They are predominately replacements now, as the originals were removed and placed in a museum. I think for me, though, the most impressive feature of the Charles Bridge is the free enterprise rampant along the bridge. For a country under Communist oppression until 1989, not even a full 16 years ago, the bridge is lined with individuals hawking their art and crafts. Souvenirs, sketches, paintings, and trinkets all for sale.
Later Saturday night we were fortunate to be able to see a performance of a string ensemble playing Vivaldi and Mozart. The concert was only an hour long but was located in a centuries-old chapel in the heart of the city. It was a relaxing way to wind down from the days travels and the bustle of walking around the city all day. The ensemble consisted of nine musicians playing violins, cellos, bass, and harpsichord.
Sunday was a long day of trying to get as much in as possible since we had to leave so early the next morning. Our first item on our agenda was the terrific Museum of Communism. This physically small and small-budgeted museum did a fantastic job of outlining the history of Communism in Czechoslovakia from the Iron Curtain of Marx and Lenin through to the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The Velvet Revolution was the final peaceful student-led protest in 1989 that, as in Berlin, Moscow, Budapest, etc., signaled the decisive collapse of hard-line Communism. This revolution in Prague took place in Wenceslas Square, just around the corner from the museum (another pic of the square here). The museum covered everything from daily life, Soviet propaganda in athletics, the space- and nuclear arms-race, spying, secret police, oppression and suppression of information, etc. We spent about an hour and a half or maybe a little more wandering the exhibits, fascinated with the history. It also was unique reading some of the propaganda against the US and the “West”. Our favorite was the blame heaped upon the US for a potato-bug infestation. It was reported to the public by the Communist government that US planes secretly dropped millions of these bugs onto the fields, causing the epidemic. Another thing that makes the Museum of Communism interesting is simply where the physical building is… A museum about Communism is located above a McDonalds, alongside a casino and a few doors down from a Benetton! Marx, Lenin and Stalin would surely not approve.
It is too bad we didn’t have more time in Prague. There was so much more to see that we really didn’t have time for. We would have liked to visit the Jewish Quarter more than we did. We also would have liked to get up to the Castle. With our limited time, the Castle was simply enjoyed from below and afar. We still had a good time eating, drinking and taking in the beauty of the city. All in all, though, it was a very enjoyable trip.
Our next trip? Scotland. We have been here for a year and a half now and are just getting there. Steph’s Aunt Kim and dad are coming on the 18th of this month and we are heading up to the Highlands during their trip.