Life on the Vine

My shopping plans were thwarted today because I didn't remember that Memorial Day is a holiday in Germany too.  So, to be somewhat productive, I thought I'd do another Amsterdam blog.  I hope to do a few more before moving on to our Paris trip. This post is going to be all about Amsterdam's canals and canal houses.  Our hotel was in a canal house in the Eastern Canal Ring on Prinsengracht.  My guidebook states that from the 15th century on, planning laws, plot sizes and topsoil instability dictated that facades were largely uniform in size and built of lightweight brick or sandstone, with large windows to reduce the weight.  Owners personalized their houses through decorative gables and cornices, ornate doorcases and varying window shapes.  The house on the left has an ornate 17th century neck gable with a dolphin ornament.  No. 119 Oudezijds Voorburgwal All registered houseboats have postal addresses and are connected to city power.  I think I heard too that

My Gospel for Asia blog assignment this month was to read K.P. Yohannan's new book No Longer a Slumdog and write a post about the book.  The book shares individual stories of children born into the caste system of India.  If a child is born a Dalit (Untouchable) or Other Backward Caste (OBC), there is no hope to rise above their circumstances.  The Hindu religion teaches that the caste you are born into signals the quality of your past life.  If you are born a Dalit or OBC, it is because of previous wrongs and you are being punished in this current life.  Those in higher casts feel no compassion for those who are born into the low, untouchable castes.  It is believed that: Whatever you are, you always will be . Mother Teresa wrote: "The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted." Yohannan's book touches on many serious topics that impact the children of India: child abandonment, child labor, child slavery, sex

It's no surprise that Amsterdam has a bit of a reputation.  (Some of my co-workers were surprised to learn that I was taking my mom there.)  It's well known that marijuana use and prostitution are legal activities and people come to the city for more than tulips and Van Gogh.  In fact the city's Red Light District has become its own tourist destination with several companies offering walking tours of the area.  Now my mom and I steered clear of the racy district but I found it pretty amusing when we started spotting random 'XXX's around town.  At first I wondered if it had something to do with the city's oldest profession but it was quickly evident, after spotting 'XXX' on a church, that the symbol was something more official.  It became a bit of a treasure hunt for me and I took pictures whenever I found the symbol.  Here are some of my pictures. The Anne Frank House is on this street. XXX is on the church steeple. XXX is found on Westerkerk

My first blog about our trip to Amsterdam has to be about the Netherlands' most famous export...the TULIP.  The two have become synonymous with one another.  Although commercial cultivation of this distinctive flower began in the Ottoman Empire. We visited the Keukenhof on our last day in Amsterdam, booking tickets on a round-trip bus ride that took us out to the gardens and back to the city.  I was envisioning tulip fields like what I'd seen in Washington State during a visit to see my brother.  Just a side note, if you haven't heard of the Skagit Tulip Festival or even knew that they grow tulips in Washington State...you are missing out.  Just a tip - You don't have to go all the way to Europe to see some beautiful tulip fields. But...back to Europe!  The Keukenhof is located in the tulip belt and you drive past fields of tulips on your way there.  If we'd had more time we could have rented bikes and rode the trails in the area.  The bulb fields are about