Amsterdam

I had the opportunity to meet my friend Vanessa B. in Amsterdam for the weekend so I jumped on it! She was coming to Utrecht to speak at a graduate student program and then could extend for the weekend. We met Friday night and enjoyed catching up, slow meals, and a few museums along the way.

We visited the Anne Frank House on Friday night which is an amazing experience. I had been through 15 years ago but to visit as a parent sheds a whole new light on her courage and strength. On Saturday, after a late sleep, we had a long breakfast and then hit the streets. We went to the Van Gogh Museum which happened to have a travelling exhibition of Millais' work as well. Van Gogh's life was quite tragic and sad but his work is beautiful in person. Millais was a friend of Van Gogh's and he was renown for his portraits. One of the most famous is the Ophelia (of Hamlet fame). We also went to the flower market with stalls and stalls of bulbs and flowers and enjoyed a Heineken while watching the crowd go by. Both Friday night and Saturday night we had 3 hour plus dinners which was such a treat since that is a rarity for most parents.

Sunday we woke early at hit the Rijksmuseum. Many paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and other Dutch artists and Blue Delft ware. I had not remembered that Amsterdam is a clean city with beautiful architecture and canals. Everyone and I mean everyone cycles everywhere. There are very few cars and the cycles have the right of way. We saw every type of cycle with boxes or seats on the front for children and even seats on the back for children Ethan's age. No one had a helmet on. But everyone had a bicycle (or tricycle as some had 3 wheels) and I was almost run over a few times! I didn't have my camera ready at the Central Train station but instead of a car park for commuters they have bike racks and the sea of bicycles is quite a sight! Scott loves to tell the story of moving to Arlington, riding his bike to school only to discover that there was no bike rack! The Dutch would not be able to believe it!

Vanessa and I had such a good time talking, walking and generally relaxing. Our hotel was a bonus as well. Small room typical of European style but very modern, chic and in the best location in the city. If you are ever heading to Amsterdam, email me and I'll send you the info!

Harlem Globetrotters

Last night we had a great time watching the Harlem Globetrotters right here in Glasgow! The boys have been so excited and the show was fantastic. I can remember seeing them in Shreveport when I was a little girl and even though they are quite corny, it is still great fun to watch. We've missed them the last couple of years in Dallas so we were thrilled to see them here.

Our seats were second row courtside so we could see the players up close. They pulled all the usual shenanigans like pants down, hassling the referee, water on the crowd, innocent children pulled from the stands for their stunts and much more. Ethan and Christopher loved it and laughed the whole time and Charlie like the candy and this blow up guy that came out at intermission!

Good old fashioned FUN!

Saxophone & Fencing

A few weeks ago, Ethan had a chance to start Saxophone lessons at school and to join a Fencing Club. His Saxophone lessons are once a week during school hours and he is really enjoying it. It's nice to hear him practice and he has a new interest in all types of music.

He also joined a Fencing Club (no, not the ones that keep cattle in one place), you know fighting with swords. He loves it and apparently is a natural. It's a big group of children and adults that meet regularly and travel all over for competitions. He is one of the youngest in the group and the particular practice that we go to is not the most competitive group so that is nice while learning. Each time he has been, one of the coaches has given him a 30 minute tutorial and then he gets a chance to practice with the children his age. I'll take some pictures at the next practice, I've just forgotten my camera so far.

Lots of new (to the Nicols) things to try and experience while we are here!

GBA

That stands for Glasgow Baseball Association! Yes, you heard me, baseball! We'd heard about this group in town and finally were able to make it to practice to meet the team. The Glasgow Baseball Association is the only baseball team in Glasgow and they have a 9 and under t-ball team, a 10-14 kid pitch team and an adult team. They practice year round and it is a great group of people. The boys had a good time at practice and it was nice to see them swing a bat and play a that good ole American game! Then Sunday was the start of the season for the teams so we headed back to the park where the GBA was hosting teams from Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The team from Aberdeen was all American boys as Aberdeen has lots of ex-pats in the oil industry. Therefore, they have an international school and all these American boys that want to play baseball. When Scott and I set up our chairs and settled down to watch, we quickly realized that the only voices we heard were American voices. (A first since we've been here) As a matter of fact, the first Americans I've meet since arriving. It was nice to chat with them and hear about where they've lived and their experiences abroad. They were all from Texas and we were the newbies in the group as far as experience with life abroad.

The GBA had a ceremony to mark the start of the season and then a local politician threw the first pitch and the games began. Watching the older boys made us feel right at home. (It was really windy and cold and we were not dressed for the weather so this is when I left to go home for more clothes and blankets) Then I missed the whole game for Christopher and Ethan. Scott said that it was a little bit of a letdown because they shrink the pitch (field) for the little ones to half size and the game was only 3 innings and 30 minutes long. Perfect for Christopher but Ethan was totally bummed! We tried to encourage him that he could be the star of the show but that's no fun when you need real competition! He was finally getting a chance to play a game he knows and loves and then the bubble burst! So of course, when he was disappointed, then Christopher became disappointed!

I'm going to call to enquire about getting him on the older team and then we'll decide what to do from there. It's really a fun group and it would be nice to travel to these other cities to play and to get to know the families on our team. They set up a huge tent with a BBQ and make it a true family affair. Fun but we're feeling a little homesick!

Cycling

The weather continued to be wonderful this weekend and so we were able to get out and cycle. Scott left early Saturday morning to meet a friend from work to ride some mountain bike trails just 30 minutes from home. He had a great ride and was glad to be on his bike. Christopher went with a friend and his father to a park on the southside of Glasgow to "ride the trails". Christopher had been with Scott before to this specific park but had stayed on the green trails. This time, he tried the red ones and has not stopped talking about them since!

We we picked up Christopher in the afternoon and Scott had a chance to meet this dad (whom I'd met previously at a few birthday parties), they immediately hit it off and planned a road ride for the next morning. They left early Sunday morning and rode from Glasgow to Ayr (about 40 miles) on the small farm roads admiring the views. Scott said it was fantastic!

I then had a chance Sunday evening to ride the Forth and Clyde Canal (which we'd tried with the boys) and therefore was able to not feel left out!

Most importantly, I am excited because Scott has been able to meet these friends and to find some guys to ride with. I take it for granted that it is easier for me to meet friends at school with the boys.

This weekend, Ethan is off to a birthday party bike trip around Loch Katrine just north of here! Scott is going as well to "help out" and meet the other dads.

We're lovin it!

Mims and Gramps in Scotland

We had a great 8 days with my parents exploring Glasgow and showing them around. The boys loved showing off our house, their school, and all of the things that we do on a regular basis. We had no rain (which caused them to question our complaints of bad weather) and we took advantage by being outside.

Some of the highlights included:

The Botanic Gardens

Wagamama

Double Decker Bus City Sightseeing Tour

Falkirk Wheel

Lunch at the Stables

Kelvingrove Art Gallery

Burrell Collection at Pollok Park

GOMA

Hunterian Museum

Glasgow Academy

Walking the local parks

Drive through the countryside home

More park time

Visits to the grocery store, cheesemonger, wine shop, Mexican Deli, and Roots and Fruits

Swimming at the Gym

And the #1 HIGHLIGHT: Having your grandparents around to play!

They were such good sports and especially at the end of a fast paced, long spring break! It was a busy, fantastic week and they are off to cruise through Holland and to recuperate!

Wonderful Week

Well, it is really going to be hard to beat the week that we've just finished at the beach. We had such a wonderful stay in the NW of Scotland. So many memories and so many fun adventures.

I'll share a few of the highlights from the rest of our week then will post the pictures.

Thursday we took a short bike ride through the hills in Poolewe. The trail (a paved one, not one with knee high mud) was along a river and sheep were spotting the landscape. Then we spent some time walking through the Inverewe Gardens. There are 54 acres of plants from all over the world that wind through the craggy hillside. (it is similar to the arboretum or botanic gardens) The weather was magnificent so we just enjoyed being outside. You'll notice the boys meditating in the Japenese Garden mocking my attempt to calm and quiet them! We also spent the morning and evening climbing on the rocks by the house and playing on the beach.

Friday we drove to Red Point just south of Loch Ewe were we found a gorgeous sandy beach with views of the island of Skye. There was a huge dune which the boys loved to climb and run down and a tidal pool which provided hours of entertainment. I hiked over the rocks you see in the picture for an unobstructed view of the whole island of Skye. Really amazing scenery. We then enjoyed one last dinner at this wonderful beach house , an evening on the rocks, and a sunset that even had Christopher and Ethan mesmerized.

We drove home Saturday and took a different route than our way up. We drove through Inverness and down along Loch Ness (looking for Nessie the whole way). At the bottom of the Loch is a town called Fort Augustus and the Caledonian Canal runs through the middle. It just happens that 5 minutes after we arrived, we were able to see a swing bridge in operation and 3 boats come from the loch into the canal. We watched as they opened and closed the canal locks to move the boats through. It was super interesting and a treat to see. One more pub lunch and then we were off to Glasgow.

What a week we had. Thank goodness Mims and Gramps (my parents) are coming tomorrow or we would be having a hard time facing reality at home!