Welcome back to the US

Things I like about the US:
1. Large drinks with ice and refills.
2. Servers at restaurants who are happy and nice to you and promptly attend to your every need.
3. Larger stores open all of the time to buy anything that I need at the moment.
4. Dollar seems cheaper here after paying for things in euros.
5. Being able to read signs and documents and understand what the guy on the train is saying.
6. Being able to talk to friends and family at normal hours.
7. The Marriott comfort bed and down blanket.... amazing.....
8. Air conditioning everywhere.

Things I don't like about the US:
1. Where is my bike and why can't I ride anywhere?
2. Servers at restaurants who are annoying because they are so cheerful and nice.
3. Straws in drinks - you never have a straw in your drink in Europe.
4. Not being able to say "who da mor ha" in the morning.
5. Not having a piece of bread, cheese, meat and a yogurt for lunch.
6. Seeing people waste food.
7. Air conditioning everywhere making things freaking cold.

2 days and it seems to be a pretty close tie - we will see how it goes.....

Bea, Brooke and Art at the art store. This is the store that I visited the most in Amsterdam and the one where Todd and I spent the most money. (Although, Aaron requires me to point out the the store that I actually visited the most and spent the most money at was, in fact, the grocery store - Albert Hein - but that is not really the point that I was trying to make with the picture or the comment). I have 4 pieces from here and with Todd and I have a matching picture (although his will be framed based on our last visit). 

Love me, love my Dutch bike. We have been through alot together and we have had some really good times. I am going to be sad to give this bike up! 

Todd and Aaron on a Saturday in the center - good people, great times. 

Farewell dinner: Mark, Brooke and Ruud. The three of us (plus Olaf) spent over a year and a half working on the project. I started working in the Netherlands on April 1. On April 2, I started working with Mark, Ruud and Olaf and I spent the 100 days onsite with them trying to finish the first year project. We were a great team. 

Farewell dinner: Brooke and Olaf. Based on our first couple of meetings, you would have never predicted a picture like this at the end of the project. 

So now what???

The goods have been packed, the shelves are empty, the suitcases are full.... so now what are you doing??? Great question. The answer: R+R (as my dad would say..."take a break, dog, take a break").

It was a tough decision on whether to stay in Amsterdam or go somewhere exciting on my last weekend in Europe. I thought about it alot (especially with Matt and Lisa going to Portugal - where I had not been yet), but I decided to stay in Amsterdam and do some of the final things that I wanted to do while I was here....1) Have coffee outside in the morning in the sun (done) 2) Buy some clothing that is typical Dutch (done - 4 hours of shopping produced one white skirt :-) 3) Goto the beach (done) 4) Take a picture of my bike (done) 5) Go to Rijks Museum (hopefully today) etc etc etc. Basically, wrap up the things that need to be done here, get lots of sleep and say goodbye to the city and my friends here. That has been the plan and it has worked so far. Saturday included shopping with Todd and Aaron (one final trip to the art store!!!) and a great dinner and Sunday included the beach with Aaron and JJ. Now 2 more days until I am off to New York and the logistics of the international move coordination, house hunting, and house sale. But for now, just time to enjoy what is left of Europe. Only 2 days left .....

Brooke does Sweden!!! (with Mike and Sara) 

My final trip in Europe - Sweden

In February 2005, my friends Mike and Sara left Indianapolis at the end of Mike's global rotation to return to their home country, Sweden. Since Mike arrived in the fall of 2003, we had worked together on a couple of clients and became good friends. When Mike left, he gave me a book on Sweden and on the title page wrote "Thanks for everything you have done for us during our time here. Here is a book on Sweden, we hope you will come for a visit so that we can show you as much about our home as you have shown us about Indiana". So, I knew that during my time here, I had to go visit them. We tried doing something last year in the summer and fall, but we could not get the schedules to work out, so when the Mid summer holiday approached, I received an email from Mike with a flight already chosen for me and the instruction to "Book it". It was great vacation to bookend my time in Europe because it was unlike any other vacation I had taken so far. Unlike traveling to another country or city armed with my "Top 10" or "Rick Steve's" travel books, here I didn't take anything, I just joined Mike and Sara in their lives and plans with family for the holidays. They just added me to the party. That meant I was able to participate in the local traditions and events. It wasn't necessarily about seeing another castle or church, it was about being with them and doing what they do on a daily basis. Which actually meant alot of eating and a ton of time spent outside. You can see from the pictures below what I mean. It was a great 4 days and I left glad that I had made this my last trip in Europe. Enjoy the pictures while I work on the inscription of the New York City book that I am giving them.....

Church in Gotenburg - we toured around the city at night and during the day. 

Mike cutting wood for the fire. It became chilly at night so we had an indoor fire in the fireplace. We also played "kings" with wood sticks and croquet ("wait, I have to put my shoes on") - all of which are typical games to play at the summer house with your family. 

Sudoku time!!! Everyone was doing these puzzles at the cabin. I tried my first one, second one, third one, and fourth one on the trip, and I couldn't get one figured out (or do it without making a mistake). At the airport, I bought a book and sucessfully finished my first one. Notice the little pole on the table with the flowers - it is also tradition to have your own pole on the table. 

Mid summer eve lunch: Herring, Herring, Herring, Herring, Potatoes, Potatoes, cream and some ham and pork for Brooke in case she doesn't like the herring :-) The herring actually was served 6 different ways and I tried all of them. It wasn't that bad. The potatoes and salad were great and desert was a HUGE bowl of fresh strawberries. This is the first day of the local strawberry season. They were being sold everywhere. Keep in mind, this is just the lunch... there was a full dinner later! 

For midsummer's eve, you pick flowers from the garden and country side and place them on the table. While the guys were cutting wood, the girls walked to the beach and picked these wild flowers. Isn't it beautiful??? 

Another picture along the coast where the cabin was located 

Everyone dancing around the pole! There is a moderator in the middle singing the song and telling you what to do! 

Everyone at the festival - taking a break from the dancing... 

Traditional dancers around the Swedish Mid summer pole at the festival. The pole represents fertility (use your imagination there). 

Cool picture 

Cool picture 

The walk to the town for the festival 

Mike and Sara along the coast 

Brooke along the coast... 

Sun setting along the coast at the cabin 

It was a rustic cabin - without running water. Meaning that we pumped the water in the backyard into the orange bucket. Used the yellow bowl to clean up and then dumped dirty water into the blue bucket, you should have seen us doing dishes in the back yard. It was a blast. 

Breakfast at the cabin in the garden Sunday morning - this is a typical Swedish breakfast - can you believe all of this food?? 

This is a box of 36 full size candy bars. These are Swedish candy bars made with wafers and chocolate. We had one Thursday night before our tour. After watching the Sweden / Germany World Cup soccer game on big screens at a amusement park, we rode a rollar coaster and a "guess the number on the dial and win a huge candy bar game". Can you believe on the first try, I won?? (while I wondered, "what am I going to do with this thing????"). 

Mike shows us how to paddle (but I remember from my Being an Outdoors Woman class :-) in Ft Wayne a couple of years ago