Amazing Amsterdam

Last Friday, we awoke before 5am, all three of us still suffering from our colds, to catch a plane to Amsterdam. My prayer, on arrival, was that I could just make it through the weekend with my eyes open, and absorb/appreciate everything at a later date.

But after a nap and some fun in the sun at Vondel Park, we were refreshed enough to push through the stuffy heads and body aches.

First of all, we picked the coolest hotel in the world - Hotel Heemskerk...

It is a small hotel, more like a bed and breakfast really, in a beautiful and slightly less trodden area of Amsterdam - Museumplein.

Norman grew up in the building and bought it when he turned 30ish. He put a decade of work into it, turning it into a true masterpiece! The place is so well organized with meticulous attention to detail, yet Norman is super laid back and so spontaneous with his guests that we immediately felt like we were visiting a relative.


He kept many authentic aspects of the building, like the woodwork and original (!!) stained glass windows. Then he added his own touches, one of my favorite being lavish, richly-colored wallpaper from the Hermitage Museum.

We always started our day in the garden with breakfast (eggs, meat, cheese, pastries...) Most days also ended with us in the garden chatting with Norman while Lucas pulled his Thomas suitcase or played with his cars.

By far our best food experience on the trip was at Sogni del Sud, a recommendation of Norman's. It was a little Italian joint with one chef and one waiter. There was no menu. We got to try some of everything Nico happened to dream up that day! This is a picture of all of the antipasti we were served. You'd be surprised how much more you can eat when they don't fill you up with bread at the start.
Lucas refused a spoonful of the sweet custard Nico was working on for dessert, but he hogged all of the calamari. And a first for Chris and me (I am afraid this is bizarre and maybe even offensive to some) - horse carpaccio! It was delicious. How could we refuse when we were swept up in the love and passion of a true Italian chef?

Even with the burden of single-handedly feeding a restaurant full of people, Nico never lost his composure or stopped having fun. Except for when he temporarily lost the cake. I think I was the only one who witnessed his wiry frame zipping from one possible hiding place to another. The look on his face was not exasperation. It was sheer terror.

Lucas was climbing down from his chair after the first course and we were trying not to cry about leaving prematurely, until...

Divine intervention - Nico brought out a Ferrari! We were at the restaurant for three hours!

Mixed Berry Pie

After eating some fries, accepting a couple bites of salmon and going through many, many stickers (the new favorite activity,) Lucas was ready to leave the restaurant.

Chris went upstairs to work and Lucas and I took a walk to the Astronomical Clock. We walked a new route, just one block over, in order to circumvent a handicap access ramp Lucas has declared his personal playground. This detour is not too shabby. In the 5 minutes it takes to reach the clock, I have window shopped at Prada, Gucci, and countless other designer stores.

We reached the clock and decided to keep going. If you have been to Prague, you know the maze of cobbled-stone streets in this area, filled with shops, cafes and tourists. I still get lost in them. So I was surprised when Lucas, with his stomping feet and bobbling head, targeted a cafe we had gone to two months earlier.

There is nothing really distinctive about this place...gelato in the window, a few cafe tables near the front. But Lucas knew exactly what he was doing. He marched past the long row of gelato (he can't stand the stuff) and straight for the berry tart. "I want this," he pointed.

Two months ago, we had stopped here and he had inhaled a large slice of mixed berry tart. And that is what he set out to do tonight.

There were a couple of girls from Nebraska who were watching the scene. I told them the background and they mentioned that even they had trouble finding the place again.

We were like a well-oiled machine, Lucas and I. I would fork up a bite of pie, then get distracted with talking to the girls. Lucas's hand, with it's little dimpled knuckles, would grab my arm and direct the bite into his mouth. Repeat. Repeat. I didn't get a crumb.

Soon after the tart, Lucas ran out of the cafe, turning back briefly to explain... "Dings!" So I grabbed my purse, bid farewell to the Nebraskans and followed him to the clock, just in time to see the Walk of the Apostles.

Tomorrow morning, Amsterdam!

"I not yike fireworks." (But I do yike firetrucks.)

Friday night after a record long "where should we eat" walk, we sat down at a steakhouse two doors down from our apartment. We've been eying it for some time. The food was great, although it took a full hour to arrive after we had ordered it. I realized that they do this so that you order another "expensive" ($2.50) beer before your food comes. Of course they succeeded, although half of mine ended up coming through my nose after I could no longer resist laughing at a disgusting joke Chris told me (probably clean in his book.)

All of a sudden we heard fireworks very near by (explaining the detour our tram had made which we had thought was the result of a tragic fire leading people to jump from a waterside restaurant into the river. My we have dark imaginings.)

We snatched Lucas out of his seat, excited to show him the colorful explosions. But he looked nervous, and soon declared "I not yike fireworks." "But they are like beautiful flowers in the sky!" " I not yike fireworks."

We underestimated his disyike for them. When we came inside, he sat quiet, wide-eyed and clinging to me for the remainder of the meal. I will not deliberately traumatize him again to achieve this, but I must say I really liked sitting cozy with him while enjoying the rest of my salmon.




Two days later, more excitement. There was a firetruck right outside Lucas's bedroom window! A piece of stucco was smoking on a building and two firemen were chipping it off. Lucas was moderately entertained. But through all of this action, he continued to comment on random and everyday things in the scene - "car!" "pigeon!" I was stumped.

But later I read in "The Secret of Childhood by M. Montessori" about this phenomenon:

"We can perceive evidence of a child's inner life in the way he immerses himself in the fixed contemplation of minute things that are of no concern to us. But one who is attracted by the smallness of an object and focuses his attention upon it does so, not because if has made a striking impression upon him, but simply because his contemplation of it is an expression of an affectionate understanding."

Lucas certainly is expressing his "affectionate understanding" of the world around him. He chats with us, philosophizes, explains things. Recently, he asked Chris, "Excuse me, do you speak English?" But do not fear! Despite being in a foreign land, Lucas is coming along well with his pronunciation of words. He can now successfully make two syllables out of one in the true Southern style!

Since arriving in Prague, Lucas has learned many new skills: putting on his jacket, taking off his shoes, pressing the escape key when a menu pops up on the screen and interrupts his typing.

The changes over the last few months have been really interesting and amazing! And while we've managed to keep him socially linked with trips to the park, library and kid-friendly cafes, we can't wait to see him reunited with his family and friends. He talks about you all the time!

St. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, Karlovy Vary

This is the most gorgeous church I've ever seen. When it came into view, we started smiling spontaneously. Truly breathtaking!

Frankly My Dearsky...

This is one of the big spas, Lazne IV. Doesn't it look like a movie set? One night we were walking on the grounds, blowing dandelions, and found a small abstract art piece/see-saw for Lucas to play on.

Karlovy Vary, Ahhhhh

Last weekend the three of us traveled two hours by bus to Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), Czech Republic. It is a stones throw from Germany but has pretty much been overtaken by my people, the Ruskies. It is famous for its 13 main springs (300 smaller ones) each of which have unique cleansing and healing capabilities. This treatment is called balneotherapy. It is also known for its Porcelain, Moser Crystal and Becherovka Liqueur (originally named Carslbadian English Bitter), a famous drink that aids digestion. The secret formula is only known by two people and the mix of spices and herbs is prepared once a week in KV.


The scenery and atmosphere in this town are instantly intoxicating: the smell of lilacs in the air and lily of the valley being sold in small bunches; the warm-water river Tepla flowing through the center of town; the sight of a two-year old in red boots (and a dandelion tucked behind his ear) splashing through muddy puddles and carrying a three-and-a-half foot stick that may or may not poke you in the leg.

Ultimately, one would stay in Karlovy Vary for at least three weeks. Upon arrival, people get checked out by a doctor who recommends which springs to drink from and how much. They also give dietary guidelines and a suggested regimen of spa treatments (from massage to oxygen therapy.) How wonderful this would be!


The springs range from 30 - 72 degrees celcius and are sipped from a special porcelain cup. They are free and easily accessible. We did not see a doctor so we stuck with the snake spring (30C) which contains less minerals and more CO2 and has less of a chance of speeding up your digestion to an undesirable (for a weekend trip) level.

The idea is to sip your "cure" slowly, while walking. I was hesitant to give Lucas a try, given his track record of chugging his parents' drinks, but I decided he would probably reject it due to it's mildly metallic and slightly salty taste. Nope, he downed the whole cup before I could blink. No repercussions, thankfully!



We stayed at an elegant hotel and spa. This was the first experience Lucas has had in a pool (since he was an infant.) I have never seen such huge smiles come out of this boy! He looked so cute in this elated state with his dimple more pronounced than ever :)

Chris and I got massages and took turns sitting in the sauna and steam room while the other was playing with Lucas in the pool and jacuzzi (it wasn't too hot.) Every night we ate dinner in the lovely restaurant downstairs. The food was fabulous. Our favorites were pork medallions w/ millet cakes & in-shell peas and gourmet eggplant parmesan. The breakfast was a huge buffet with everything from smoked salmon to apple streudel pastries. I have discovered one thing about sharing a buffet with Russians. You have to implement a strategic approach to your meal. One second there is a full tray of food and the next second it's gone. We can eat! Thankfully the servers were good at replenishing the dishes.

More posts on Karlovy Vary to come!

Our apartment

I decided to throw these pictures up while I'm waiting for Chris to upload new pictures from our awesome weekend in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad.) Although you really have to see our place and its surroundings for itself, this will give you an idea.



Lucas runs out of our apartment before we do and summons the elevator. To my surprise and delight, in all these months he has not experimented with pressing all of the numbers. He sticks to 1 and 0.



He rushes down to the lobby to say "Ahoy" to the concierge. He's always excited when it's Martin because he shakes his hand like crazy and says a string of greetings in a jolly way (NAzDAR! Ciao-key, Ciao-key, Ahoy-key.) Lucas responds with a sort of strange breakdance. He starts by running in place at top speed then he dives onto the floor. Martin has given him a lollipop on two perfect occasions. In this picture, Lucas had just had a major meltdown after sliding on the library floor and hitting his head. We came in from the rain and there was Martin with a lollipop to save the day!

We have started to frequent one of the restaurants below us. We step out of our door, do an about face and we are there. It's actually comical. I always order the pan-broiled (?) salmon in a creamy hot sauce with fries and a salad. Once I had the most delicious fried camambert. It was a whole small round (I think without the rind) topped with pineapple, encased in some sort of crust and fried. With fries. The salmon meal is $6 and the fried cheese is $3.50. A pint of beer is $1.25. It's a nice restaurant and the portions are large. I don't quite understand how they do this.