Born on the Bayeux, Part 3

So now we arrive at the main part of the trip. We really wanted to see the Bayeux Tapestry, and then decided that since Omaha Beach is really close, that we would go there. It's kinda funny, that morning I was noticed that we were in the middle of this two-week period where there were events commemorating D-Day. Then we realized it was June 6, so... that worked out well.

We started at Bayeux in the morning. There was something going on in the cathedral, I think war-related because there were a bunch of soldiers about, so we couldn't go in, but I did get a picture.

We also saw this memorial which I believe was for residents who had died in concentration camps:

And of course, we saw the Bayeux Tapestry, which you aren't allowed to take pictures of. I have to say, during my time in Europe, I've seen many things. There are some, like the Mona Lisa, which I think you get basically the same experience seeing a picture (well except that if you look at a picture you won't be craning your head over all the tall people taking selfies in front of you). The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the few things that I think is an experience worth seeing in person. For one thing, it's huge. It's 70 meters long. And for someone like me, who does needlework, it was really cool to look at the stitches up close. I even bought an embroidery kit in the shop so I can learn to do it for myself!

After Bayeux, we headed to Omaha Beach. I had actually been there before, but Hunter hadn't and really, I'm glad I went back. If you know me, you know I'm not really into patriotic stuff or like, military history. But just being there, kinda made me proud to be an American. I guess it's another thing where being right there is a different experience. We didn't take pictures there, either, because we felt a bit weird about it.

Our intention at that point was to go back through Caen, where we had stayed the night, and look around and eat lunch. But Sadie fell asleep in the car and we didn't want to wake her up, so we drove through a McDonald's. I tell ya, ordering through one of those speakers in a foreign language is not easy. But at least I did get a Royal with Cheese!

So, we skipped Caen and headed next to Rouen.

I think the Rouen Cathedral was my favorite; I loved how lacy it is. We saw quite a few cathedrals on this trip, and really, they all look different. I'm hoping in the future to make a post with pictures of all the facades, so you can see next to each other how distinctive they are.

Anyway, there is only one day left of the trip, so stay tuned!

Born on the Bayeux, Part 2

Ok, so we spent the morning in Boulogne. We ate breakfast outside, where I noticed a fun difference between French and German people. It was breezy and shady out, but probably going to be a warm day. I guarantee you a German parent would have had their kid in a hat and jacket, while our French hostess was fanning herself with how hot she thought it was. It was basically perfect temperature.

As I mentioned, we stayed at a small bed and breakfast and I noticed it would be the perfect place to stay if you were on the run. The reservations were made completely by email, not through a booking system, we paid in cash, and were never required to provide any kind of identification. Just an interesting thing I hadn't experienced before.

Ok, so in Boulogne, there is sort of a walled old town. There is also a huge crypt that had just been opened a few days before we got there. It was pretty cool, both literally and metaphorically.

There was also a museum that had kind of a mish-mash of different things: Egyptian, Greek, and, surprisingly, a huge collection of Sugpiaq masks. They also had some contemporary Inuit art, which I thought was really cool because it sets indigenous peoples in the context of still being alive and creating today. It was doubly cool to see that in a different country. Europeans seem to know even less about Native Americans than... Americans. Next to one of the contemporary masks, it said it would be used ceremonially after being displayed. That was probably the most unexpected thing we encountered on our trip.

We also walked around a bit in the old town (I did SO MUCH WALKING on this trip) before heading to Le Havre, our next destination.

Le Havre had another unexpected sight: a very modern and interesting cathedral.

And here's a view looking up from inside.

We also saw an older church with this creepy gargoyle:

And a memorial that I believe was for both World Wars:

So that's day two of our trip! I know these posts are really slow in coming, but I'm hoping that during the next few days I'll be able to get caught up!

Born on the Bayeux-Part 1

Last weekend, Hunter had yet ANOTHER holiday (Corpus Christi, I believe), so we took a little trip to France. We rented a car in Brussels and drove to some cities along the north coast, including Boulogne-sur-mer, Calais, Dunkirk, Le Havre, Caen, Bayeux, Rouen, Laon, and Amiens. The main thing we wanted to see was the Bayeux tapestry, and then we saw that Omaha Beach was really close to that so we figured we'd go there, too. Then we realized we were there on June 6, so I guess that worked out.

So anyway, our first stop was Dunkirk, which was an important site in World War II. Because of the war history and it's proximity just across the channel, most of the towns we went to seemed to be pretty big destinations for English tourists. However, I used mostly French and people didn't usually just switch to English.

Pirate-looking ship parked in the harbor

War Memorial

I really liked the way this window was darker on the inside

Church from the outside

We next went to Calais, which is where you can get ferries to Dover.

The Hotel de Ville

Rodin Statue

Sadie and I

We walked around Calais for a while, including down to the beach. I even ended up getting a little sunburnt!

Our last stop for the day was in Boulogne-sur-Mer. We stayed at a great bed and breakfast. Since we were the only people there that night, the owner gave us the biggest room, where Sadie had her own bedroom. This was pretty close to her normal sleep situation, so she went to bed close to her regular time and Hunter and I could hang out for a bit.

An old church

And some shots of Sadie goofing around:

So that was the first day! I'm going to continue this later. It's really hard for me to find time to write posts, but I think if I break it up maybe it will be a little easier.

Another Sweater for Sadie

I just finished another knitting project. I got some yarn from the redditgifts yarn swap, and the giver suggested I use it to make something for Sadie. There were four skeins in four different colors, so I looked up a pattern that would use about that amount that had different colors in it. I found the Rydberg pattern from Ravelry that I thought would work well.

It didn't take me very long at all to finish this. I don't know the exact date I started, but it was probably near the beginning of May, and I really only knit for an hour or two a night while watching TV. Anyway, I'm sure you wanna see the pics!

She really did NOT want her picture taken!

Since Sadie wasn't being a totally cooperative model, here's a better shot. It hasn't been blocked yet, which I'm hoping I can block out some of that puckering around the edge.

I got a great pack of vintage buttons off Etsy, including cherries, bows, and butterflies but I thought the yellow on these was a great match:

Close-up of the bottom edge, with i-cord bind-off

So I did make a few changes to the pattern. As written, it takes only three colors, but I had four, and probably not enough to do it the three-color way. So once I started the part with the pattern, I changed the main color from blue to white, and then when I got to the bottom I went back to blue. I also added an i-cord bind off to the-- button edge? placket? I don't really know what it's called, but you can see where that red border is in the picture. I had planned to only add it to the outer part that could be seen when the sweater is buttoned, but that sort of cinched it up a bit so I had to do it to the other side as well to make them the same length.

I have two more projects going right now that I am excited about. One of them is a gift, so I won't be posting anything until it is received; the other is to donate through a group on Ravelry called Bundles of Joy. The group donates knit items to a maternity ward on a reservation in South Dakota and I am making a blanket to send there. Hopefully it won't be too long until I can post some more finished objects!

Berlin, Finally

So, I'm finally getting around to posting about our trip to Berlin, which was less than a week before our trip to America. This is probably going to be pretty terse, since it was a while ago and I'm kinda in that just getting it done mode.

On the first day I was there, while Hunter was in conferences and stuff, I took Sadie to the zoo. She walked around a little bit but then eventually fell asleep. I didn't take many pictures of the animals, but this orangutan just looked really badass so I took out the camera, and then I saw the gorilla so I had to get one of him, too.

We saw the Brandenburg Gate, but were there at the time when the light was behind it, so this is the best shot we got:

And then the next two are Sadie and I in front of it.

Sadie and I with the Reichstag in the background:

And some more Reichstag:

Here I am in front of a piece of the Berlin Wall:

And some shots from Checkpoint Charlie:

Berlin seems to have an interesting relationship with its history. At the subway stop near Checkpoint Charlie, there were signs for an English language school that said "We have ways of making you talk" and "You are now entering the English sector" or something like that, which I thought was kind of weird? Like, imagine an ad for Jenga in the NY subway that says, "Don't let these towers fall!" I mean, basically what I'm saying is TOO SOON. But then again, I'm not German so maybe they just don't have the same sensitivities as I do.

They also offer tours around the city in the infamous Trabant and I saw some souvenir stands selling miniature ones. There were posters advertising, and I'm translating here, "East German products with the quality of the Federal Republic!" There is a word, ostalgie, which is a portmanteau of the German words for "east" and "nostalgia," and I definitely saw it there.

So yeah, this post isn't a comprehensive account of what we did and if one of the handful of readers out there has any specific questions, I'd be happy to address them. I just wanted to get these pictures uploaded because we're going on another trip in a week or so, and I don't want to get even more behind.

Yo Yo, Maastricht!

I know, the pun titles are getting worse.

Anyway, last weekend we had one of the many long-weekends that mean it's springtime in Germany. We had not yet gone to Maastricht, which is one of the closer towns in the Netherlands so we made the trip, about an hour.

The main thing I wanted to see was the bookstore that's in a church. It pops up every so often on lists of beautiful bookstores, and it is beautiful. However, it's just a bookstore that used a church for a building. The design of the bookstore isn't really integrated into the design of the church. Here's a pic:

I picked up a couple pieces of loot: a tote bag that said "I got 99 problems but a book ain't one" and a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland translated into... Limburgish... hang on, Googling... yes, that is the name of a language. I was hoping to get The Little Prince to add to my collection, but they didn't have it and I guess I'm not 100% certain it even exists.

We also visited a basilica to Saint Serviatus. It was really pretty, and sadly not many of my pictures actually came out. I had one of the ceiling, and one of this cool modern stained glass window, but Sadie was grabbing for my phone while I took them, so they got a bit shaky. Anyway here are the ones that did come out:

This grandiose key is one of Serviatus' emblems

This is I think the oldest, or one of the oldest, parts.

We also tried a pretty delicious chocolate filled waffle and stopped at a cafe where Sadie was, of course, admired. It was a really nice day out and there was also an outdoor market type thing. We are definitely not opposed to going back on a Sunday or some day when there isn't much going on here.

But does it have a Moon Door?

So that's it! A quick post about a quick trip!

And yeah, I know I haven't posted about our trip to Berlin yet. That... might be next?

Trip to America: Highlight Reel, Part Two

I realized after I made the last post that there were some pictures I uploaded but for whatever reason didn't actually get posted. So I will post those and then move on to the California pictures.

Reading to Great-Grandma Bubbles

Ok so now here are some of the pics from the west-coast portion of the trip:

Sadie with her little buddy, Jameson

Sadie was a little scared of Goofy

Got her mouse ears on!

I think Eeyore was her favorite

She liked Winnie before he got too close

This black widow was killing a moth and it was just too cool not to take a picture of

Hanging out in the suitcase

She had a tea party with my mom. I didn't know she could dunk!

Other highlights:

We got to hang out with Hunter's brother, although somehow he managed to avoid all the pictures.

We went on the Tower of Terror, which, after childbirth, is the most I've ever felt like I might actually die.

We hung out with my high school friend Brett (somehow also no pictures) and got 2nd place at trivia in Mariposa (we should have gotten 1st but they had these dumb physical challenges).

Shut down the Dirty Donkey bar in Oakhurst which was both awesome and depressing.

Had a joint birthday celebration with my grandpa, my uncle, and me.

Saw my sister and her boyfriend (and their two cats).

I probably forgot some things. I've just been incredibly overwhelmed and backed up since we returned, so I had to make this brief. But seriously, if anyone wants more details on anything, let me know and I'll be happy to write more! I just wanted to get something down before I forgot.