Shane mentioned in the previous post that we spent some time back in Pittsburgh visiting friends. What he didn’t tell you was that he proposed while we were there!
It’s New Year’s Eve, and he wakes me up at 5:30am. “Get up, let’s go somewhere!”
How did he get me out the door that early with no questions asked?
The promise of coffee and that he wanted to steal a moment for just us in our old city. Logical explanation.
Why did it have to be at 5:30 in the morning?
We may or may not have had a FaceTime date with Meatball at 8am…
Anyway! Off we go, up to Mt. Washington. If you’ve ever been to Pittsburgh then you know why it would be our favorite spot in the city. The view there is incredible. Even in the dark & cold.
Up on Mt. Washington during the day.
A little back story. We basically live our lives by the TV show ‘How I Met Your Mother’. It’s the best. In the very first episode, Ted (the main character) steals a blue french horn for Robin as a romantic gesture for screwing up the first date, and the blue french horn remains a theme throughout the entire series.
Shane didn’t screw up any first dates, but he did give me a blue french horn the morning he proposed on top of Mt. Washington. 🙂
And my friends even threw me a mini-bachelorette party (while in North Carolina)!
December 31st was full of reasons to celebrate: New Year’s eve itself, the engagement, and my birthday!
Speaking of birthdays…
Special Event #2:
Harry Potter World!
For my 30th my parents and sis surprised me with a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!
Sis and I have only talked about wanting to go since before it opened. I don’t know how many years ago that was but it’s too damn long. But don’t worry.
OUR DREAMS CAME TRUE!
(even though sis missed the ‘we’re making an exaggerated excited face’ memo)
This place is magical.
LITERALLY! (get it?!?!)
We started the day in Hogsmeade where we sipped butter beer, toured Hogwarts & checked out the shops. The Hogwarts ride is probably one of the best rides I’ve ever been on. It’s a blend of roller coaster and 3D. One minute you’re riding your broom around the castle with Harry and Ron, and the next minute you’re zooming down the track escaping a dragon! It’s fantastic.
Naturally, we couldn’t stay in Hogsmeade all day so we hopped the Hogwarts Express to head into London & Diagon Alley.
When we got there, we were in awe!
Diagon Alley did not disappoint. We saw the Daily Prophet, The Weasleys’ Wizard Weezes, Gringots, Knocturn Alley, and ate lunch at The Leaky Cauldron.
THE Leaky Caludron!
Oh, and took a few goblin selfies.
Thanks again, family, for the perfect present!
Well, I think this about sums up our American adventures!
We’re heading to Prague in a few weeks, so stay tuned!
That’s right, after 4 short weeks traveling the eastern half of the United States, we are back in Groningen. We technically made it back two weeks ago, but it’s taken some time to get caught up on sleep/work/day-to-day life. As to be expected, we have lots to share, which means multiple posts. However, for now I’ll keep it simple and just recap the past month (Whitney will follow with more specific and exciting news).
Major stops highlighted: 11 diferent states visited
It all started one cool, dark December day in northeastern Holland. Our story begins in the city of Groningen, in a small, one bedroom apartment just outside of city center. After months of planning, we were finally preparing to head back to the U.S. (the first time in 18 months!). However, not everyone in the Wright/Crosson household was so excited…
Don’t worry, she was well taken care of while we were away!
Our journey began with an early morning drive to Amsterdam, followed by flights to Munich, Germany and then finally on to Charlotte, NC.
Charlotte, here we come!
All told, it is about 24 hours from start to finish. Despite the long trip, we were warmly greeted!
Way too blury, but I guess that’s to be expected in the excitment of seeing family after 1.5 years. Whitney jump-hugging her mom, while mine hurries past.
Now I could continue on in chronoligical order of our entire 4 week trip, but that would take forever! So instead, I’ll categorize, mostly sharing pictures.
First and foremost, we got to spend time with family (the following of which is only a sample – aka when we remembered to take pictures)!
We saw friends (and met new additions)!
We spent time in our old stomping grounds, Pittsburgh!
We spent lots of time driving and thus had many unplanned stops along the way (only one of which we have photographic evidence of)!
Whitney had a birthday (30!)….
….and quickly embraced this new step in life.
And finally, we ended back where we began: Charlotte!
Interesting side note: we’ve always wondered if upgrading seats for long flights is worth it. The verdict? Totally worth it! Sooo much leg room!
So there you have it: 4 weeks of friends and family as told with minimal text and lots of pictures. To say that we enjoyed our time in the U.S. is an understatement. We have been looking forward to it since the day we moved and it did not dissappoint! To all of those that we were unable to see this trip, it’s definitely happening next time! In the meantime, planes also fly this direction….hint hint. We love visitors!
Coming soon: Whitney will follow with a more detailed post of trip specifics.
Looking ahead: 2016 is shaping up to be a fun-filled year. Stay tuned for some new travel adventures and other randomness!
By the time this posts, it will officially be 9 days until Whitney and I are heading home. Crazy right?! It’s hard to believe it has already been 18 months since we moved (and 18 months since we have been home!). Details of our upcoming trip would fill a post itself so I’ll just quickly highlight it at the end. First, I’ll cover what we’ve been up to lately:
Thanksgiving! – only a bit delayed
This will be the case for us the entire time we live outside of the United States and, more specifically, while we live in Groningen. Not only do we have to work on Thanksgiving (go figure, other countries don’t want to celebrate U.S. holidays), but I also have to attend a conference that takes place yearly during the last week of November. This means that, without fail, for the next 2 years (not counting the 2 previous) I have to be away on Thanksgiving. So, we just adjusted a bit and had Thanksgiving the following Saturday. Luckily, we were able to find a turkey (not so easy to do) and somehow managed to get the thing cooked. See, the problem was that we have only a small, counter-top oven and ended up with a 6.1 kg (~13 lbs) turkey. That same 6.1 kg (~13 lbs) turkey also did not fit into our slow cooker. However, after a bit of limb removal, it eventually fit and cooked to perfection! It may have been a few days late but Thanksgiving was a success!
Kerststad (Christmas city)
Last year we went into Germany for a Christmas Market and loved it! So we figured we would keep the tradition alive and visit a Dutch market in the south of the Netherlands. Valkenburg is about as far south in the Netherlands as you can get (more on this in a minute) and during the holidays is aptly known as Kerststad or Christmas city. The city has multiple markets, some of which are in caves, lots of decorations, and a Christmas parade. In summary, Whitney read about this market last year and I haven’t heard the end of it since. So off to Kerststad we go!
Without going into too much detail, I’ll just say that we found Kerststad to be underwhelming. The city itself was beautiful and it was great to see some elevation change (the south of the Netherlands is so different from the north). However, the markets left a lot to be desired. Not only did we have to wait in line and pay entry, but once getting inside we found nothing of interest. In fact, most of the things in the market could be found at any big box store around the world (been to Wal-mart during Christmas time? You know what I mean then…). On top of that, the environment was just not, as Whitney put it, “jolly”. Food choices we extremely limited, there was no Christmas music playing, and there were way too many people crammed into tight spaces. You would think that by saying this I would be inferring that I was disappointed in our trip but that’s not actually the case. Which brings me to the next item…
Drielandenpunt (The three borders)
As I mentioned earlier, Valkenburg is about as far south as you can go in the Netherlands. Because of this, we were close to the borders of Belgium and Germany, which also happens to be the highest point in the Netherlands. Being that we got back early from the markets the night before, we decided Sunday morning would be an ideal time to visit the drielandenpunt. All in all, it was cool – definitely a place we would love to visit again in the summer.
Düsseldorf Christmas market
Since we were so close to the border and we had such a good experience with the German Christmas market last year, we figured it was worth a shot again this year. We hadn’t planned to spend Sunday driving into Germany (this was supposed to be a quick trip) but the Kerststad experience left was wanting more. So, a quick 1.5 hour drive from the highest point in the Netherlands and we were in Düsseldorf, Germany. From the very beginning, we were impressed. First off, what little we were able to see of the city was great. It’s definitely a place we want to visit again. As for the Christmas markets, they were just what we were looking for. Lots of handmade, quality items, Christmas music everywhere, any food option you can think of (and many you can’t!), and gluhwein at every turn (which probably contributes to the jolly atmosphere). We also never waited in line and paid only to park our car. If you ask me, German Christmas markets are the way to go. We will definitely be going back next year.
It’s comically hard to take a picture without people taking center stage…
And…home!
I’m going to need everyone to click here before proceeding. Just let in play in the background…
So that’s it! We are officially out of stories/pictures/experiences. All that is left is for us to work a few more days then we are on our way! We will officially be in the United States December 20 – January 17. However, our exact location in the U.S. is a bit complicated. We have a packed schedule and will be in numerous different states and often not together. However, we still want to see as many of you as possible, if only for a quick bite to eat or cup of coffee. Have all your smiling faces ready because everyone we see will be featured in a January recap of the trip home!
I normally say “Until next time”, however I don’t feel that is appropriate this time. So instead, I’ll end with:
In less than a month we’ll be making our way home for the holidays! To kick it off, this weekend was a weekend of celebrations! Shane turned 30, Sinterklaas arrived, and we took a little stroll through the Groningen countryside. So, the last part really isn’t a celebration but we did it, and it was cool.
First things first, Friday. Shane’s Birthday!
We kept it pretty low key, but we did go out for dinner & may or may not have eaten the entire cookie cake by the next morning.
We also took the long way home through the city. It’s that time of year when all the lights have gone up, and the city itself just feels so cozy despite the dark and cold. The Dutch word for this would be ‘gezellig’. Just that happy, warm, cozy feeling you can’t really describe, but you know it when you feel it. There was also a festival to celebrate and encourage new, city wide innovations. Part of this was a musical swing set in city center! I’m not entirely sure what the meaning behind the swings were, but they were fun to play on!
Saturday we* woke up bright and early like a kid on Sinterklaas morning! OH WAIT! It WAS Sinterklaas morning!
*we actually equals me.
Anyway, maybe you don’t know this about me, but I LOVE parades. Sinterklaas is a double whammy of awesome because it’s two parades in one! First, good ole Sint arrives from his long journey by boat from Spain. Then, he hops off and parades through town on his white horse until he meets up with the mayor to officially kick everything off. If you want a little recap on Sinterklass history I talked a little about it, here, last year.
I was particularly excited because Shane was in Switzerland last year during this time. This was his first Sinterklaas experience.
Naturally, it rained.
Did we bring an umbrella? …I’ll let you answer that.
We did manage to find a tree next to the canal which provided enough cover to not get 100% soaked. We also met up with Shane’s lab mate (the one with the giant dog!) who was also a Sinterklaas newbie.
I think the thing Shane was most impressed with was the size of Sinterklaas’ boat. Seriously, this thing was massive and it moved flawlessly (to us at least) through the canals.
Quick coffee break to dry off and warm up…
…and it’s time for part 2!
Sinterklaas’ helpers, the Zwarte Pieten, hand out fruit and pepernoten (small spice cookies) to the kids. They also collect the letters that have been written to Sinterklaas. There were some kids across the street from us are dressed up, letters in hand, screaming “Zwarte Pieeeeeeetttttt!!!”, waiting for someone to collect their letters.
Note to self: Next year, write a letter.
Sunday morning, it randomly snowed.
But then it cleared up, and we went on a little drive through the countryside with some friends. They took us to Fraeylemaborg, which is a castle in the village of Schlocteren.
They call it a castle. We called it more of a plantation style house. Although, it did have a mote which is a very castle like characteristic.
Regardless, the house itself dates back to the 1300’s, and the interior reflects the mid 20th century. We were pretty amazed at how similar this was to the old, colonial style houses you would see at home. I mean really, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it was a new perspective for us. The house was built on about 80 acres of land, and behind the house were walking trails through mud gardens.
Now if this doesn’t make you think Pride & Prejudice then I don’t know what will. I’m pretty sure Mr. Darcey will be walking up momentarily…
To all our friends and family at home, happy early Thanksgiving! We will be having a belated Friendsgiving on Saturday, so at least the holiday won’t be completely lost this year.
Hey there friendly readers! I know, we’ve kept you waiting in anticipation for far too long. I apologize. (hah)
Oh, and no. That picture of the beautiful tree isn’t here. I stole it from Sis because sadly enough I didn’t get any fall foliage pictures this year. Actually, this brings me to the first item on our Fall in Review list..
1. There was lots-o-fog.
We spent about 2 weeks sitting in a cloud. This was Shane’s view heading into his building one morning. This, combined with daylight savings time really made it seem like we went from daylight to permanent darkness. Lucky for us the fog is gone. Unlucky for us sunset is at 4:45pm.
2. We escaped!
Maybe you remember our escape room experience in Amsterdam, maybe you don’t. Regardless, Groningen has two of it’s very own escape rooms! We, along with some friends from Shane’s Dutch course, escaped in the nick of time and saved the city of Groningen from a mad scientist! These rooms are so much fun! I highly recommend it.
3. The Dynamic Duo made an appearance…
…and we went to a Halloween party! Cat poop cookies included!
Our lovely host made this delectable dessert. I’m not sure anyone but her boyfriend attempted to eat it. Shane took one look at it, said it hit a little too close to home for him, and refused to try it. Guess I don’t blame him there.
We contributed some spiderweb rice krispie treats… which ended up needing a little explanation after one of the party guests ate a plastic fly.
4. Cat & I did some serious snoozin.
5. Then we traumatized her with a giant dog!
We hosted raclette night at our house for Shane’s lab. Maybe this is common knowledge, but raclette is not fondue. Go figure. But, if you love cheese it’s equally as delicious! You basically melt cheese in this cheese melting contraption, and then eat it by itself, or with potatoes, bread, or other little side items.
Shane’s new lab mate is from Switzerland, and brought back from her most recent trip home all the fixin’s for raclette! She (pictured on the right) also has a Great Dane who, as evidenced by the photos, decided he loved Shane! It was a mutual love for sure, at least between Shane & the pup. (Yes, he’s actually still just a puppy!)
Meatball on the other hand was not so excited. She hid between the pillows all night.
6. We went bowling
look at that form!
Who won you ask? Shane. by 5 points. I don’t wanna talk about it.
7. We celebrated Shane’s 29th Birthday… almost a year later!
Last year for his birthday, I bought him tickets to the Infoversum here in town. It’s a 3D dome educational theater that plays science related movies. The only downside; movies are in Ductch except for Wednesday nights. It’s really easy to come up with an excuse not to leave the house on a Wednesday night. Next thing ya know it’s a year later and the tickets expire in 5 days. SO! Can you guess where we went this past Wednesday? TO SPACE AND BACK! That’s where!
So, that’s basically it! Work has been pretty busy for both of us, and we’re heading home for Christmas in a little over a month so life has been pretty calm waiting for that trip.
We do have a few big things coming up. Shane turns the big 3-0, Sinterklaas is coming (!!!), and we’re heading to the south of The Netherlands for a Christmas market before we head back to the States.
…and I’m back! Apparently I like to plan all my major activities close together.
This weekend Shane and I drove to the village Scharendijke in Zeeland, which is a province in the south of the Netherlands. Here, we completed our PADI Advanced Open Water certification!
The drive down was only 3 hours and 15 min, or as a co-worker put it… “You’re driving ALL THE WAY there tonight?!” I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective. So we hopped in our snazzy rental car and hit the road!
We stayed in a bed & breakfast that I found online which ended up being (as expected) an elderly couple who rent out three rooms in their house, I would assume, mainly to divers. They were actually completely full when we were there. We weren’t quite sure what to expect as neither one of us have every really stayed in a bed and breakfast type of place before, but after the initial awkward arrival (we couldn’t find the house) it couldn’t have been better. The house was only a 2 min. drive from the dive center, we had our own large room with a sink (shower and toilet were shared), cable/wifi, and breakfast included! The best part, only 80 euro for the whole weekend.
I did have to laugh though because breakfast was SO Dutch. I’m not sure if we’ve mentioned hagelslag before. Hagelslag = sprinkles. Like ice cream sprinkles. And a typical Dutch breakfast (usually for children) will consist of bread with hagelslag. Our breakfast options include 18 DIFFERENT KINDS of hagelslag! I was so impressed. So, naturally, I had to do as the Dutch do. Hagelslag for breakfast it is!
Really though, this place was fantastic and if we dive in Zeeland again we know where we’re staying.
Ok, Ok, enough with the sprinkles and on to the diving!
The course was 5 adventure dives over 2 days. We were required to complete a navigation dive and a deep dive (below 20m/65ft) and the other three are left up to you. We ended up doing peak performance buoyancy, wreck diving, and Nitrox (increased oxygen).
As you might imagine, diving in The Netherlands is much different than diving in Egypt.
First, visibility was, at best, 3-4 meters versus the 7-10 meters in Egypt. Honestly, visibility, especially when we were above 10 meters (33 feet), was a lot better than I anticipated. A lot of people warned us about low visibility, and I think because of that I was expecting a lot worse.
Second, you had to walk a lot further to the dive site! You have to go up and over the current dyke to get to the dock so you can dive over the old dyke, at this particular location at least. There were also way more divers than I ever anticipated! The whole parking lot was full of people diving, or hanging out and watching their friends and family dive. Diving also seems to be one of those activities where everyone is instantly friends with everyone. It was a really fun to be in the middle of it.
The first two dives of the day were the peak buoyancy, which I was happy to have since I felt like I struggled with that before, and navigation. Aka: using a compass underwater. Aka: teach Whitney how to use a damn compass. I mean for real DAD (I blame you!) where was this life lesson when I was little?! Ok, so in all reality he probably did teach me how to use a compass but I forgot. After a 15 min explanation about getting my “boat back into the harbor then swim straight” (the simplest way Shane and the instructor could explain it) I did manage to successfully swim a straight line navigating on my own, and Shane and I together managed to navigate a full square! My friends, I call that a win!
Shane being a good little navigator!
I must say though, Shane and I have very different natural instincts. We had to do an initial navigation test where we had to attempt to swim a straight line underwater without a compass. I veered us towards land. Shane went towards the sea. Here I am trying to get us to land…to AIR!… and Shane is trying to go swim with the big fish. In the future, if we are compass-less, we’re going with my instincts.
The afternoon dive on day 1 was our deep dive. For this to count we had to go below 20 meters, and we made it to 23 (75ft)! Really there wasn’t much point in going deeper. After about 10 meters you couldn’t see anything unless your flashlight was pointing directly at it. It was definitely an eerie experience, and not one I wanted to repeat this weekend. I will definitely do it again, but hopefully somewhere with better visibility. Our instructor did get a few pictures on the way down. I think these only amplified Shane’s lust for a GoPro.
I’m waving in the background, our instructor is in front, and Shane to the right
The deep dive was the last of the day, so Shane and I had a little time to explore Scharendijke.
The view from the dyke.
Day 2 was our wreck dive and our Nitrox dive. All the “hard” stuff was over so these two dives were basically just guided fun dives. Our wreck dive ended up being kind of a bust. We went to the Scharendijke port where there are two man-made wrecks at about 10 meters, plus some man-made reef balls. These are actually pretty cool. They are large, half sphere balls with large holes in them. They were placed all around and then just let nature take over! They now house lobsters & crabs and sea squirts and other fun things. I digress. The wreck dive was a bust because the visibility was so bad you could barely see your hand stretched out in front of you. Shane took this picture as an example.
Needless to say, we didn’t stay at this particular site long. We ended up moving closer to to the reef balls where it was shallower & we could see more cool things… like starfish! They were everywhere!
The last dive of the day was actually on our own. This dive we planned together with our instructor, and he sent his baby fish on their way into the water to dive alone! We were back at the original dive site from day 1, so we were diving over the old dyke. We learned that in 1953 this dyke broke, Zeeland flooded, and thousands of people died. You can dive over the old dyke which is now home to a ton of sea creatures. Shane and I spent this dive just creepin over the dyke (and some more reef balls). It’s really amazing the things you see when you go slowly and just watch.
A reef ball.
You can still see the concrete slabs from the old dyke
Shane motioned for me to come over so he could take a picture. This is the result of that.
So! Long story short we are now certified advanced divers! A big thank you to our main instructor Teun, and to Wil who took us on our deep dive and sent the pictures.
Well that was a whirlwind trip! Absolutely worth it, but a whirlwind none the less!
This past weekend I headed to State College, PA to see some friends get married!
…and who was waiting for me in the Pittsburgh airport? SISSY!!! 🙂
So we hopped in our rental car (yes! I still remember how to drive!) and headed to my favorite spot in the city… Mt. Washington!
Coming here really makes me miss Pittsburgh. When I’m here, in Groningen, I’m more than happy don’t get me wrong. I have nothing bad to say about The Netherlands, and I really love my job, but coming back to Pittsburgh felt like coming home. Maybe that’s because it was the first place Shane and I were really “starting out” on our own together? Regardless of the reason, it was really nice to be back even if it was for only 18 hours.
After our detour, we headed to Brian & Alicia’s new house! We may have only been there for a half day but we really packed it in. Friday night we were off to a restaurant downtown with an awesome rooftop terrace. Saturday morning took us to my favorite breakfast place in the city, Square Cafe, and cruising through some of the old haunts. In between I got a little overdue puppy snuggling.
Can’t come to the ‘burgh without having an IC Light.
Let’s Go Bucs!
After breakfast, we were off to State College. Two things.
Mountains DO exist! I almost forgot! It was so nice to see elevation changes greater than a bridge!
My love for Sheetz has not faltered.
Car trips are the best!
The wedding was at a country club just outside of downtown State College. The wedding itself & the hotel for guests were both at the country club. This made for a really fun time since all the wedding guests were in the same place. Saturday was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, with Sis as my date, and the rest of the night was spent catching up with everyone.
My roomates for the weekend.
Me, the bride Michelle, and Kaitlin. We all worked together during grad school.
Sunday was Wedding Day!
…up bright and early for hair and makeup!
I know it’s kind of awkward to post pictures of my head, but I just really loved my hair. I asked her for a “braided something pretty” and she definitely delivered!
AND it survived all night dancing! Which, if you know my dancing, you know that basically means all night flopping around.
The wedding itself was beautiful. The weather was hot, but perfectly sunny and the bride and groom looked great!
I just have to share one picture the photographer took. It has a little backstory.
All day, we’ve been saving this giant bottle of champagne. Not to drink after the ceremony, but for a picture. Michelle found on Pintrest a picture where the bridal party was surrounding the bride and groom & the picture was taken right as the champagne popped. I’m sure you can imagine this. I expect she anticipated something of this nature (picture courtesy of google)…
So, that champagne is saved! After we take all the other bridal party pictures we start to get together for this last shot. Steve (the groom) is shaking up the bottle… and he gets his finger a littttttleeeee too close to the cork…. and POP! Before everyone is ready the champagnes a flowin! This is the resulting picture. (Photo taken by Philter Photography)
!! I mean, I think it’s the best. The absolute shock on Steve’s face is priceless, and the mix of emotions out of the bridesmaids who were close enough (clearly I was distraught haha). Really, I don’t think it could have been more perfect.
You know what else couldn’t have been more perfect? The selfie sticks. I know Shane ranted on these before, and I still stick to my opinion that in touristy places I want to rip them out of people’s hands, but in this case it was SO MUCH FUN! Each table got their own selfie stick and so the rest of the night everyone ran around taking tons of pictures. You ended up with ones like this….
and this…
and this…
Ok, so that last one is a nice one, but you get the point.
Oh, and don’t worry. Shane was able to make an appearance. He got to hang out with his friend Mike!
The DJ followed the bride’s rules (no slow songs & no Michael Jackson) so the rest of the night was spent dancing away with good friends…
Sissy Love
Wedding Pyramid!
The Keiper Lab
and taking photobooth pictures of course!
So, it was crazy, hilarious, exhausting yet refreshing, and made me a little bit homesick but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything!
Congrats again Steve & Michelle! I am so happy I was able to be there!
Remember the days of book reports in middle/high school? Remember how you always waited until the very last minute to start working on it (don’t kid yourself, everyone did)? The night before it was due, there was a frantic rush to find the cliff notes (had all the free sites saved) and the constant battle of line spacing and margins just to get the required number of pages. Well, that’s kind of how I am with blogging. I always have these grand ideas of writing a post but when it comes down to it, I can never make it happen. My grand ideas slowly turn into cliff notes versions of various events, only to be shown up by Whitney as she enthusiastically posts the day of an event (I’ve said all along she is much better at this than I am). The post that follows is no exception. I’ve been intending to write this for over two weeks now. On the plus side, we’ve done a few more things in the mean time…
Way back at the beginning of August, I traveled for the first international conference of my PhD. The conference, eseb 2015 (Congress of the European society for Evolutionary Biology), took place in beautiful Lausanne, Switzerland on the campus of the University of Lausanne.
Instead of going into way too much detail about science and my excitement over the various talks, I’ll just sum up by saying that there were 1,500 participants from all of over the world, over 300 presentations, and two different poster sessions. In other words, it was a big conference. Of all of the talks/posters I saw, I do have to admit that one stood out among all of the others…
An interesting side note: eseb is a biennial meeting and therefore will not take place again until 2017. The next location of this large meeting? Groningen. While part of the fun of these conferences is getting to travel some place different, it will be nice to be able to come home every night. I’ve already told Whitney she can come with me to eseb 2017.
Outside of the conference, I did get to explore Lausanne a bit. First and foremost, I finally got to experience some sun and summer temperatures (I’m still wearing a jacket nearly every day in Groningen) so of course I took advantage and went swimming in Lake Geneva. For those of you from my neck of the woods (southwest Virginia), this is no South Holston Lake. Lake Geneva is crystal clear, refreshingly cold, has great beach areas for relaxing, and is surrounded by the Alps. It’s beautiful.
Following my swim, I went into the city for a bit of sightseeing. One thing to note, Whitney and I live in a completely flat country. Walking around a city like Lausanne (lots of elevation change) in heat and humidity was completely different from our typical day-to-day.
In other happenings, Noorderzon 2015 is currently happening in Groningen. This is a performing arts festival that takes place every year in a large park near our house. If I remember correctly, it runs for 10 days and is the place to be: lots of food, drinks, shows, and concerts. We were able to experience this last year, but on a very limited scale. For one, Whitney had yet to start her job so we were trying to be careful with money. Secondly, we now realize that we were very timid at that point in time. In fact, timid might be an understatement. We were scared that we were going to do or say something wrong. The simple thought of us not being able to speak the language was enough to cause us to just pass by and watch. Fast forward to this year and we don’t think twice about ordering a drink/food or walking up to random tents and exhibits. To think about it now, the idea that potentially saying something wrong would prevent us from checking out a local festival is ridiculous. However, at that time is was 100% true. It’s funny how things change in a years time. Moral of the story here: being able to speak the local language, if only on a limited basis, makes life so much better/easier. But even if you can’t, you still got to go for it! In the whole scheme of things, no one really cares.
In other exciting news, Whitney will soon be heading back to the US for a wedding. While I’m quite jealous of her getting to go, I’m not jealous of her travel schedule. From the time she leaves Groningen to the time she gets back, it will only be 4 days. Let’s not forget that includes flying half way across the world…twice. Nonetheless, I’m sure she will have plenty to tell in a later post.
We will also be traveling to the south of the Netherlands for a quick diving trip and to complete our Advanced Open Water certifications. This was originally supposed to happen following my trip to Lausanne but we had to reschedule. If things work out, we may try to mix in an additional small side trip along the way. As with Whitney’s trip, it will all be covered in a later post.
So that’s it for now. Stayed tuned for Whitney’s crack at the blog. It’s sure to be more timely and entertaining.
The Shwits 