Dutch Treats

Well, there have been some Dutch treats, like the dinner we were taken to last night in the old city of Tilburg. For me, smoked salmon on krispbread with a dill sauce, baked guinea fowl in a Thai red curry sauce, with sweet potato and green beans, the ubiquitous fries, and then dessert of mango "soup"with a floating island of coconut ice cream. Others had the chocolate lava cake with chocolate ice (ijs) on the side. Mostly the food (as some have asked) has been a little rich. Tons of mayonaise everywhere, sliced cheeses, sliced cold cuts, fries, mayo salads, more fries, more mayo, lather, rinse, repeat. Sorry, but that's been my experience about the food! But the bread is divine, fresh, crunchy, seedy, yeasty. I wish it was not so delicious.......for me, my efforts to be "good" about food, so faithfully followed for two months, has turned into a journey into the sea of schlag, where I am somewhat drowning.

We are not impacted so far by the volcano in Iceland, although skies here are grey and everybody is grounded from traveling by air. Just heard this morning that our friend Connie from Frankfurt is stuck in Iceland with her family, on their way back to Germany with her family. Yikes! Hopefully by the time we are supposed to fly again (4/28) we'll be clear to go.

Europe is expensive. I know this is not news, but it is shocking that here at least you cannot even get a glass of water with a meal without paying for it. You cannot get access to the internet without paying for it, something like 7 Euros per hour, which goes by awfully fast. We are told that this is also true in Germany (but I think we'll be OK in our place in Berlin). We are staying in a converted convent here, where there is internet access only for PC's, no Macs. We can use this machine for free standing in the hotel lobby surrounded by people, so it is not conducive to lengthy use or blogging! I am going for it anyway, but no photos to show today, alas. Can't get them from our own camera or computer to this PC. OK, here are a couple added 4/18...

So you'll have to imagine us here, sleeping in a converted nun's cell, in a hotel that is run by students who are learning to be hotel keepers. The entire staff is about 18 years old, but all dressed up in suits and very professional and lovely. It's great, but not in walking distance of anything but suburbs, so we are dependent on people to pick us up and drop us off here. Tonight we go to Amsterdam!Daniella's class is marvelous. The women are fun and juicy and laugh all day. Most all of them are fiber artists and they are all falling in love with encaustic and buying tons of paint and supplies, which makes our host very happy. The studio is spacious, sunny, and well equipped. Daniella is brilliant and charming, what else is new?! I'm so proud of her.
We miss home and our loved ones, especially missing little Desmond. It is hard to be away from him like this! Hopefully more soon, with photos!! Oh, and loving my iPad more and more - it is great!! Ciao for now.....