Jael Takes Rotterdam

Jael is handy to have around because she climbs on things and gets into the picture taking spirit--as a model. So, we kept running across stuff and then she would climb on/in/over it and I would get fun pictures.  She did say I wasn't allowed to publish the really funny posterior shots of her climbing on stuff but there are still some pretty good ones.

This giraffe is part of a pretty nifty playground/park area that is on my walk home from school.  There are little parks all over the place in Rotterdam and they are a lot of fun to stumble across.  This one has a play ground area with a  bunch of wooden animals in it.  (There was also a giant wooden alligator but Jael was bored of giant animals by that time.

The park also has a big collection of giant climbing rocks that are pretty nifty.  There are also a few seating areas, a large section of reeds or bamboo or something that I've seen bunches of kids playing in.  The big, empty middle area is used as a soccer field.  The last time I walked through there, a couple of days ago, there were some kids playing soccer there.  Then one of them started calling "Mevrouw! Mevrouw!" (Ma'am! Ma'am!) and I looked over and realized that there ball was bouncing toward me and they wanted me to stop it before it got to the street.  So, I kicked it to them.  And it ran into a rock and then bounced back to me.  I eventually got it kicked to them and then I zipped away.  Now I feel kind of goofy going by there again because I was so obviously inept at kicking a little soccer ball. 

I had class one day while Jael was here and so I went off to class earlyish in the morning while Jael slept in.  (But then she did the dishes so I forgive her for not having to go to a boring class. =-)  She walked over and met me so we could go off and do other fun things.  She had to wait about a half hour  past the time I told her to meet me because the class went long.  I don't know if it makes it better or worse that we never once got out of class less than 5 minutes late the whole term.  This picture, though, is of Jael by the statute of Desiderius Erasmus, the famus Dutch Enlightenment-era philosopher, translator of the Bible, and name-sake of Erasmus University.

This is just what the metro-station at Rotterdam Centraal looks like.  They have been doing all kinds of renovations and have decorated it mighty pretty.  The colored stripes on the ceiling are just long, hollow, colored tubes.  And the have colored spotlights on the walls.  All of the metro stations are decorated just a bit differently from the others.  

We're flying!!!

When Jael and I were hanging out in the Copenhagen Airport, we were pretty impressed.  Besides the weird goblin-face art display, they had a science area for kids, although there were a bunch of adults who were checking things out as well.  They had displays on how the length of a pendulum affects its swing and other things.  They had a display on sound waves, too.  There was long tube of water with speakers pointing at it.  You could fiddle with dials to increase or decrease the volume and frequency, which made ripples in the water and, one time when Jael turned one of the knobs, made it almost boil.  That also made a really loud and startling noise so Jael and I quickly zipped away to a quieter display.  They had a mirror display where you could get pictures of yourself "jumping".  It was difficult to photograph effectively.  Also, Jael had trouble trying to smile and stand on one leg at the same time.  It was entertaining.

There were also Lego shops, the most massive duty-free shop complexes I have ever seen, and loads and loads of Danish-themed souvenirs.  They had, for some reason, loads and loads of wooden shoes and "wooden" shoe fuzzy slippers.  I don't know why they were trying to take over the Dutch distinctives but they are, apparently.  It was a pretty good airport, though.

(I do have a few more things to say about what we did in Copenhagen but those are longer and more complicated posts to write that, what with my thesis, I haven't had time to finish like I would like.  So, I've decided to skip ahead a bit and will post some of the other fun stuff we did back in the Netherlands (and hopefully we will get some nifty food posts too (*eyebrow wiggle at Jael*)) and I will get back to the historical stuff when I get some more time.)

Jael and I were right there!

Just coincidentally I found this video of a flash mob in Copenhagen (where groups of people do artsy stuff, in public places, with no warning, just for fun).  Jael and I rode the Copenhagen Metro.  We rode on that line and the metro platform at the beginning looks pretty familiar (although it is entirely possible that other metro platforms look similar).  The point is, we sat on that metro (maybe even that same car!) with whinny babies and people who didn't understand the sanctity of the Stillezone (cars where you are supposed to be quite).  Why didn't we get to see something like this?  It is pretty nifty.  I wouldn't even have minded if they did it in the Stillezone.  Although, to be fair, if the ride was a little jerky, they could put someone's eye out with those bows. . .