The End is Near

The end of the academic program at Utrecht University is rapidly approaching.  It occurs to me that, with all the stories about weekend trips and wonderful get aways, I haven’t yet described the program at the University that I have been participating in.  After all, that was the actual reason (or perhaps excuse) that I came over here for.  

The "Akademie Gebouw"- Admin offices for the Law School

This has been a wonderful academic break for me- a chance to immerse myself in study and research and learning a new area of the law.  As I mentioned before, Utrecht University is one of the leading universities in both Holland and Europe, with an enrollment of around 30,000.  It has a number of renown graduate programs across a variety of disciplines, including a law school with an enrollment of about 4500, a good size even by American standards.  The law school has a number of small one year post-doctoral international programs for law graduates specializing in certain areas of international law, such as International Business Law and Globalisation, International Public Law, and International Human Rights and Criminal Justice.  All are conducted in English.   I was in the latter, International Human Rights and Criminal Justice.  

The international programs tend to be rather small; ours had 23 students.  Most students tend to be recent grads- I was the exception, along with a 38 year old prosecutor from Iowa.  Our group was distinctly global.  We had 7 Americans, one Canadian, 2 Germans, 3 Australians, 4 Dutch, 4 South Americans, 1 Japanese, and 1 from Indonesia.  

University Law Library

Our classes covered a variety of topics, including crimes against humanity and war crimes cases at the international criminal tribunals, human rights violations in various countries, laws relating to combat, (such as the Geneva and Hague conventions) comparisons of the differences in European and American criminal justice systems, and cases decided by the European Court of Human Rights.  The class sessions varied from informal far ranging discussions to formal presentations.  We wrote papers and prepared briefs, many of which were submitted to international institutions or other European courts for consideration.

The setting for the programs was very conducive for this type of undertaking as well.  The main University campus is on the outskirts of Utrecht.  Because space is at a premium in Holland, it is not the rambling expansive green type of campus that is typical of American colleges.  Rather, it is compacted into a 5 or 6 block area of modern high rise buildings.  However, the law school and the international programs are still downtown, dispersed throughout a number of old historical buildings in the old town section.  One gets a real sense of history attending sessions in buildings that go back to the 1600’s.

Downtown "campus" classroom buildings 

We had originally planned on staying in Utrecht until July so I could finish the final paper required to complete the degree.  However, the arrival of 2 new grandchildren and the engagement of one of our daughters caused us to start thinking about returning a little earlier.  The University was very accommodating, since the final session was solely devoted to individual research and writing of the final paper, which I could do just as well at a law library back in the US.  So at the end of April, we liquidated our estate (our Dutch bikes and all the European appliances we had acquired there), had a final drink and hug with all our neighbors, bid a found farewell to our 2nd floor flat on Admiraal van Gentstraat, and hopped on our flight out of Schipool Airport back to the US via Reykjavik, Iceland.  Our European adventure had come to its conclusion.

Within a week, we were immersed in a thousand details.  For starters, we had to find a place to live, since our house was still rented out.  We had left a number of affairs on auto pilot while we were gone; some had fared pretty well, while others had gone completely off the rails and required a great deal of attention to get them straightened out.   Veronica and I began working again almost immediately.  The hospital where Veronica had worked held her job for her, and I began traveling for the Judicial Council once again, going from court to court up and down highway 99, the spine of California.  If that wasn’t enough, I came home to find a notice to appear for jury duty waiting for me.  I did not end up being selected for the 6 week jury trial, but I did have a pleasant surprise reunion with all my old compatriots at the courthouse in the midst of everything else. Our wonderful Dutch experience began fading into past memory.  But best of all, we had time to enjoy spending lots of time babysitting our new grandkids.

 So what did we miss most about our overseas experience?  It would be impossible to chose one thing above all the others.  It is nice being settled down again into our own place among all our friends, relatives, children and grandchildren.  However, we do miss the pleasant walks in the evening over to the local Italian gelato shop, where all the neighbors line up to get the best ice cream in Utrecht; the hustle and bustle at the shops downtown lining the main canal; the neighborhood street fairs and the sense of community where we lived; the old world charm and new world conveniences; the convenient train and bus connections and the extensive bike trails; the wonderful restaurants and sidewalk cafés; the list goes on.  We have so many pleasant memories and wonderful friends.  Who knows, maybe we will be back again sometime.

Among the things we will miss: Student cafés 

The Cheese Market at the Saturday Framer's Market was
always a favorite

Love those Appel Flappens!

The Downtown shopping mall was always busy

Who could forget the ubiquitous flower man?

Keukenhof ("Kitchen Garden")- The Flower Garden of Europe

   Holland is tulips and tulips are Holland, so what would a trip to Holland be without experiencing the Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower garden.  Our friend Lisa Swatman was visiting from California and is an avid gardner, so we decided to hop on the train and spend a day strolling through the gardens and enjoying the sunshine there. 

Keukenhof grounds

The park, which has been in operation for 63 years, expects 800,000 visitors from all over the world this year.  Over 43 million have visited since the park began in 1949.  The grounds are spread over 79 acres of the most brilliant and dazzling flower gardens you’ll ever see, with 5 pavilions housing imaginative and entertaining displays. Its the largest flower show that you can imagine, located just a short distance outside Amsterdam.  It is probably more popular with women than men, however.  If there was a poll of why men come to the show, the most popular answer would probably be “Because my wife made me come,” right behind “I love flowers” and “I thought I could buy some great marijuana here.”

   For gardeners, Keukenhof is the “Super Bowl” of flowers (without the Bud Light commercials, of course).  The park is open for just about 2 months out of the year.  The rest of the year is spent doing maintenance and preparation for the coming year.  All the flowers in the park bloom at different intervals, so the planting schedule has to be meticulously staggered to get them to all be in bloom at the same time.  Just planting the more than 7 million bulbs by hand that will burst into bloom during the Keukenhof takes over 2 months.  

Castle Keukenhof

   The name Keukenhof actually comes from the nearby “Castle Keukenhof”. The park was once part of the castle grounds (including the herb garden outside the castle kitchen) dating back to the 15th century.  In 1857, the Baron who owned the estate at that time had the same landscape architects that designed Vondelpark in Amsterdam create an English landscape garden for him.  The original layout still remains the foundation of the park today.

   Tulips have long played an integral part of the Dutch economy. In the 17th century, wealthy investors paid enormous sums for tulip bulbs. Eventually, the middle class also saw a chance to earn immense profits, and the first commodities hype was born: the tulip mania. Traders could earn the fantastic amount of 30,000 Euros per month by trading in tulip bulbs. Some people sold their companies or their family jewels in order to take part in the trade. But in 1637, the market collapsed completely, and thousands of people were ruined in a very short time. (Funny how history repeats itself, eh?)  Tulips have remained an important part of Dutch culture, however, and today the Keukenhof is directly and indirectly responsible for more than 350 million Euros per year in the tourist industry. Flower growing is responsible for 23% of all revenues and employment in South Holland.

A delicious day

   What a delightful day we had.  A delicious day. It truly was a storybook; actually storybook upon storybook. Just when you thought you had seen every imaginable flower or combinations of, there were more around the next corner, or in the next pavilion. Flowers from all over the world, as one name implies, ‘Tulipa World Expression’. Then there is the Tulipa Sorbet, The Tulip Candy Club, The Tulip Apricot Beauty, The Tulipa WhiteTriumphator, The Tulipa AngClique, and on and on. Best of all, there is no test at the end of the day, but for you who don’t get it, possibly you will remember this one, along with its’ combinations of names, “The Narcissus Minnow”, or the one which the Dutch men voted as their favorite, ‘The Narcissus Dutch Master’. Go figure!  My favorite Narcissus is the ‘Narcissus Cheerfulness’. Everyone loves cheerful narcissism, don’t they? Well, the flower is beautiful. 

Tulipa "Cummins"

   Along with the 5  pavilions, the Park has several individual themed areas, much like being in Disneyland. There is the Zocher Garden, with its beautiful fountain on which the swans move gracefully atop the water while the carp feed on the bottom. On this pond there are also stepping stones for the children to walk out on, but they also allow the adults to enjoy them. It gave me a great feeling of ‘walking on water’.  Then there is the ‘Mill Square’, which is one of the most popular locations in the park. “The windmill was originally built to pump water in Groningen, ( a nearby town), but was gifted to the park in 1957 by the Holland America Line. The guide book boasts of this being the perfect place to take pictures. Personally, I  felt every place was the perfect place. And I have to tell you, because it is true: Keukenhof would not fare well for the family if it were not for the Kinderparadijs, (the children’s park). The Dutch love their young, and it is manifested in the thousands of parks throughout the Country, so naturally this beautiful flower park had to include one. It contains the most wonderful petting zoo, a fantastic jungle gym of climbing ropes and obstacles, a maze that even we got lost in, and a wonderful arts and crafts area.

Every flower has a place

   Beyond the children’s park are The Inspiration Gardens: For us Americans this would be the Martha Stewart "You Can Design It" section. There are seven Inspiration Gardens in all, The Town Garden, the Woodland Garden, the Garden Lover’s Garden, the Seductive Garden, the Urban Garden, the Forest Garden, the Patio Garden, the Hobby Garden, and the Historical Garden.  Wonder which garden we would find you in? Right! You can’t leave the park without visiting all of them. I took two cameras with fully charged batteries, and still I became very frustrated when the second one boasted a dead battery. Not a bit funny, but I had to accept the fact that I probably had taken enough pictures for the day.

   There is, of course, even more here than what we have included in our short summary. You just have to come see for yourself. I’m quite certain if I were a local, I would spend more than a few days ambling through the park, taking in the delicious aromatic  senses and mind boggling views.

   A couple of days ago I was talking to my daughter, Rebekah, on Skype and telling her all about our eight hour day at the park, and she was a bit shocked. She said, “Eight hours, How can you spend eight hours in a flower park?”  My daughter, who is 27 years old, could spend 8 months in Disneyland. How could she ask us how we could spend 8 hours in a flower park? She just has to witness it for herself. Don couldn’t keep up with Lisa and me. We were all over the place, with all the other thousands of happy people who just couldn’t get enough of the spectacular beauty. I’m so glad Lisa got to partake in this majestic wonder of the world with us. If you ever get the opportunity to come to Holland, make sure you time your arrival during the months the Keukenhof is ‘Boasting in all Its’ Glory’. You’ll be glad you did.

Prague- The City of Spires

     Prague has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, more so than any of the other traditional Western European capitals, with the possible exception of London or Paris.  Which is one reason why, in the summer, the crowds can literally be packed wall to wall in the streets.  Although its probably impossible to avoid them entirely, they are not nearly so obnoxious in the winter, which is when we decided to go.

     It was quite frosty when we touched down at Ruzyne International, the main airport for Prague.  No one really remembers why it isn’t called Prague International (Ruzyne is the name of the neighborhood where the airport is located), so this year, the government decided to rename it “Prague- Vaclav Havel”, after the famous dissident during the Soviet era, and later the first president after independence in 1989.  He already has numerous buildings, streets, and squares named after him, so one more landmark couldn’t hurt.  

Anna tells us a story about the square.

     During the hight of the Hapsburg Empire, Prague was the largest city in Europe and the undisputed capital.  It still retains much of its baroque charm and architecture from that era.  There was no way we could hope to see it all ourselves, so we went down to the Old Town Square and signed up for one of the “Free Walking Tours” (tips afterwards, please) that go through the town daily.  Our guide, Anna, was a proper older women, with an overcoat and umbrella, who had grown up in the city and knew all of its stories.

     Prague is known as the city of spires, and with good reason.  The Old Town Square (“Staroměstské náměstí”), is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is surrounded by the towering double-spired Church or Our Lady before Tyn, the imposing Church of St. Nicholas, the elaborate 18th century Rococo Kinský Palace, and of course, the Old Town Hall (dating back to 1364) with the elaborate Astronomical Clock and Calendar.  It truly  looks like a movie set or something out of Disneyland.  In fact, the square is one of many locations around town used in the first “Mission Impossible” movie, Anna told us.  We re-watched the movie as soon as we got home, and, sure enough, there was Tom Cruise running across the square, right where we had been, escaping a crowd of diabolic evil doers.  We didn’t see any international intrigue while we were there, but the Astronomical Clock still attracts a crowd every hour to see the intricate mechanical figures perform and parade across the front.  The square is also still the political heartbeat of the city.  We saw a huge crowd of protesters march through one night, protesting the austerity measures imposed by the government.   

Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square)

     The Square still retains some of its prior character as a market place as well, albeit mostly for tourists, with numerous stands selling fresh hot bread pretzels, ham roasting on a spit, and hot cups of glűhwein (spiced wine), perfect for warming your hands on one of those cold days when you can see your breath.

Entrance to the Karlův Most
(St. Charles Bridge)

Anna spent the day with us and took us around all through the Old Town (Staré Město), the backstreets of the Malá Strana (Little Quarter), the sprawling and expansive grounds of the Pražský Hrad (Prague Castle, the biggest ancient castle in the world) and Hradčany (Castle grounds), the Karlův Most (Charles Bridge), and Wenceslas Square.  Everywhere, we were struck with the overwhelming sense of history: we walked in the steps of Emperors (Charles IV), musicians (this was Mozart’s adopted city), and demonstrators (from the brutal “Prague Spring” of 1968 to the “Velvet Revolution” that eventually lead to the downfall of communism).  

Strolling on the Karlův Most 

     




      On the Charles bridge, lined with its iconic statutes, artists, and performers, we walked in the footsteps of about a thousand tourists a day, it seemed.  This struck me as Prague’s medieval equivalent of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. The bridge, which goes back to 1357, is now the most recognized trademarks of Prague.  Over the centuries, the statues that now line the bridge were gradually added, one by one.  The bridge offers a wonderful view of the gold-tipped towers and church domes that line the Vltava River.

Nothing beats a big bowl of goulash soup and
a cold glass of Pilsner Urquell on a cold day!

One of the many statutes lining the Charles Bridge

St. Vitus's Cathedral at the Prague Castle

Charles Bridge leading into the Malá Strana

A beggar prostrates himself for the tourist crowd.

Protesters march through the square

A crowd gathers to watch the clock figures
perform

In front of the "Obecni dum" (Municipal
House) Concert Hall

Changing of the guards at Prague Castle

"Graffiti Wall" started with the "Velvet Revolution." 

View of the Square from the Clock Tower

View of the Tyn Church from the Clock Tower

Brussels and Ghent: Castles, Chocolate, and the Pissing Boy

  Belgium isn’t as neat, orderly, and prosperous as Holland, but what it lacks in that regard, it makes up for in elegant (if somewhat fading) scenic grandeur.  And it has two big draws that attract plenty of visitors: good beer and Belgian chocolate.  Its the perfect combination; something for him and something for her.  There are over 450 artsy varieties of specialty beers with reputations that go back to the middle ages.  The chocolate is no less tempting.  Belgian chocolate has been known to wilt the will power of the most committed dieters.  Picturesque shops dot the city- just when you think you are out of the clutches of one, you turn the corner and there is another that is even cuter.  There are over 2,000 in Belgium.

        Brussels is a mix of cosmopolitan and historic.  As the administrative capital of Europe, it is home to numerous European institutions as well as NATO.  Meanwhile the historic side has preserved the palaces and squares from the 18th and 19th century when Belgium was a world power.  The central square in the old town, le Grand'Place, is considered one of the most ornate in Europe, and one of the most theatrical in the summer, with free concerts and light shows.  

"Bonjour, Monsieur et Madame. A table?"

If you can’t find a good inexpensive restaurant in Brussels, you just aren’t trying.  They are lined up one after the other in the romantic cobble-stoned alleys that make up a good part of the old town.  The restaurants have an elegant French feel to them, but without the expensive French price.  The Garçons line the alley, standing outside their restaurants, engaging the passers-by like some kind of high class barker.  “Bonjour, Monsieur et Madame.  We have a wonderful menu, and a glass of champaign on the house!  Can I show you a seat by the fireplace?”

Brussels has lots of charms to offer, but someone is going to have to explain to me what is going on with the trademark statute, le Manneken Pis?  What can you say about a town which boasts as its main attraction a statute of a pissing boy squirting water. Whose idea was this anyway?  Who thought this would be a good idea?  If this thing was in America, it would be on Jaime Foxx or candid camera.  

Its actually been a Brussles landmark at least since 1377.  At that time, it was supposedly expressing the general opinion about the occupying forces.  In 1747, some French soldiers thought it would be a good idea to steal him and take him back to France.  There was such a huge outcry that King Louis ordered it returned wearing a gold embroidered suit. It now has a ceremonial costume for every occasion, 517 in all. 

A row of the famous boy line up in a candy store
window for christmas.

You see him everywhere.  Key rings, T shirts, bobble-head dolls, doorbell frames, toilet paper holders, you name it.  Its been called the statue that launched a thousand tchotchkes.  There’s the pissing boy over there holding waffles; over here, the pissing boy holding vlaamse friets (flemish french fries).  I looked around for one holding a Budweiser can (since Bud was sold to a Belgian company a couple years ago), but couldn’t find one anywhere.  I think they’re missing a good Super Bowl commercial here.  Who knew?  And you probably thought that Americans invented it for mudflaps and rear windows.

In order to show how sensitive Americans are to gender equality, we asked the tourist information clerk where the pissing girl statute was.  Turns out there actually is one at a restaurant over on the rue des Bouchers.  Veronica wouldn’t let me go.  Guess we’ll have to visit that on the next trip. 

The Castle Gravensteen

If Brussels has made its mark by preserving the feel and architecture of the the 19th century, Ghent has made its mark by preserving the feel and architecture of the 17th century. Well preserved medieval facades surround a city square full of merchants’ booths.  Standing on the Sint Michielsbrug (Saint Michael’s bridge) looking out toward the old town and the Gravensteen castle, you’d swear you had been transported back to the 1600’s.  In fact the centerpiece of the city, the castle Gravensteen (seen on The Amazing Race not too long ago), goes back even further than that, to the 1100’s.  It has been rebuilt on the same spot several times, however, most recently in the 1800’s, but still authentically portrays the medieval castle.  Through it all, though, it has been continuously in use in one fashion or another since that time, whether as a chamber for the High Court of Flanders, a prison, or a cotton mill.  It is now a museum with a spectacular view of Ghent from its battements.

Brussels- le Grand'Place (main square)

Hôtel de Ville (City Hall)

Guild houses of the Graslei

Along the river Leie 

In front of Sint Michielskirk (St. Michael's Church)

Sint Michielsbrug (St. Michael's bridge) looking down
 the Lieve Canal

St. Niklaaskerk (St. Nicholas Church)

Ornate buildings in the Koren Markt

Battlement of the Gravensteen

View from the battlements

Evening falls on the central square

Bon Voyage!