too be little again

This week is cub camper week which means 7-10 year olds, and though they wear you out, I'd like to put in my vote that they are the absolute best. I've been enjoying being girls director this year because I have had a whole lot more contact with the kids. I can't walk anywhere without having kids tackle me with hugs. Love it!

One cabin chants "hail queen Stephanie" when they see me walk by. Once it came out "Hail king Stephanie" oops. Then there's the trouble of the cabin named Loblolly Pine. They're lucky if they get it as close as loblobby. While some are right on, usually reports at line call sound something like "Pine, no, loby pine, all accted and present for ma'am" Some just get lost and move their mouths and utter jibberish. Saluting is also a definite difficulty. It's the wrong arm or they shield their whole face.

Monday nights we have Miners Camp and to sum it up, it's a musical in which different characters try to get in the mine. To do this they are trying to convince the manager that they have some great talent. One is rich, one has major muscles, one is smart, and one is beautiful. So after the skit the camp pastor gets up, who is one of the staff here, and starts to tie everything in. He was asking the campers questions about the characters and they were yelling back answers when all of the sudden one of the little girls yells "That beautiful lady would be good for you!" I don't really know how Matt recovered from that because I was laughing too hard, but man what a moment. I do know however that he refused to call on her the next morning at camp council. Can you blame him?

Last night the cabins were all out playing in the park play area waiting for line call. There was a storm coming in however and suddenly out of nowhere there was a huge clap of thunder and lightning bolt hit not too far away. Girls started screaming as only girls can while the boys director and I went into "get the campers inside" mode. Later I heard that after the screams died down, one little romeo stood up, arms splayed, and yelled "I'll save you ladies!" What a hero :)

Where else would I work but camp?

and so it began

After so many weeks of preparation and hours and hours of sitting in a class room talking about this trip, we were finally on our way!

A red eye flight all night later we arrived in England. Just in case you were wondering, all the Tylenol pm did was make me miserable. Very little sleep for me especially with the 3 children screaming in tandem.

But apparently you wouldn't know it or else I'm hiding it very well the next morning, brushing our teeth in between flights in the airport.

Coming in to Brussels Belgium. Doesn't look very different really. At least not until you get close.
This is the sign for "exit"

Our first of VERY many trains. Mom and Dad, this is where I called you from to say I'd made it.

Waiting to leave. Yeah now I'm showing it and it's only about 1 in the afternoon.One freezing cold wait at the train station for an hour.

And then we finally arrive in Brugge. That cream building is our hotel.

Inside as you walk in the hotel. It was really old, like 15th century or something.

Our room was really an apartment.

Our first meal and man was it good. Not to keep complaining but I hadn't eaten in a day and by this point I was running a temp and achy all over, so the soup was just what I needed, well, next to sleep.

It was Natalie's birthday and so the waitor on the left, who could speak 9 different languages by the way, had this ginormous belgian waffle made for her.

Belgium has chocolate shops every other store almost AND there was even one named after me!

This is Market square and that tower was started in the 13th century with each section being added in the next century so I think it was finished in maybe the 16th or 17th. And what's even cooler is that there is a small metal model so the blind can feel what it looks like.

The next morning after I finally got some sleep but was twice as sick :( we started the day off at the market. This is me and my professor eating every fruit sample possible.

However this extremely good looking display was a total downer heh heh

waiting for the canal ride

Nobody can tell you why but for some reason, by law, the city is required to keep a certain number of swans.

When we left Belgium the next day we came through this station and it was probably my favorite of the whole trip. These pictures don't do it justice.

the Holland clogs really do exist!

Amsterdam, not even close to what I expected for some reason. Just think of it as a very liberal city.

Bikes are a major form of transportation. They have towers like parking garages for those things, and it's not only Amsterdam but also in many cities all over Europe.
And they transport their kids that way too right among the cars while talking on a cell phone. It's amazing to me.

Pets are also commonly found in this brand.

Our hotel was the second building from the left.
And our hotel room. No elevators. Had to lug my suitcase up 5 flights of stairs. :) And they were circular stairs so any time I walked up and down them I ended up halfway dizzy.

Just found it interesting that these guys were making a home with trash and working very well together.

House built on a corner

If you've ever read Diary of Anne Frank this is the church that she talks about.

Our group standing in front of the church

Anne Frank's house. They still have wall hangings just as they were and the bookcase that opens to the stairs above. I cannot imagine having to live in such a small space with no windows open or anything. It's no wonder she loved the sky light. They also said they had to be careful how they walked because with wooden floors walking could be heard. How miserable.

Strollers are all a very different style. We thought they were cool.

Getting instructions

The Queen's residence

This house looks just about dead.

This, in case you were wondering, is a public urinal. Yes that's right, they face the wall and pee onto that large square and it's totally in plain view.

There are even directions.

The next day we took a train out to a little Holland village.

They even had windmills!

and THE BEST homemade cheese. This variety was pesto and though this picture doesn't look so convincing, it was delectable.

Tour guides always carry a stick with a number and they are EVERYWHERE, so Asa made Krista carry this for us.

Back in the room, eating what I would soon come to live on. Rice cakes and peanut butter.

Corrie ten Boom's house

The wall where they would hide Jews.

You had to enter through the bottom of the closet and it could only be opened from the inside.

The sign that said, everything was OK to come in that Corrie's sister forgot to turn and then tried to but got caught.

One of the churches where Mozart and Handel practiced and played.

The outside with the market in front of it.

Holland is of course known for their tulips as you will see in a second. Each market not only has food but flowers too and they are extremely cheap.

Keukenhof Gardens

There are tulip arrangements everywhere. It's got to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

People are all about the pictures. No mind to the signs. At one point a guy tramped into the middle, spread his arms out around the flowers and crunched them all in to him for a dynamic photo. I just watched in horror.

These are called ice cream cones.