A Weekend in Brussels...

It was very sweet of Lisa (aka Slippery Edge) to invite me to join her for an overnight stay in Brussels in early March. Here we are in the Grand Place, which Lisa had never been to before.

We stayed with Chris (aka Semen on the Pew) who has an awesome three-bedroom apartment in the city center. He was a great host who enjoyed showing us around. 

Saturday afternoon we hashed with the Brussels Hash, which is an older group and doesn’t have much crossover with Brussels Manneke Piss H3 so we didn’t know anyone. The trail was just a circle around a park, but at least there was a tasty meal at the end.

Sunday morning we got lots of culture at the Margritte Museum, which was actually a bit disappointing after the fantastic exhibition I saw with Ashlynn in Paris, and the Royal Museum of Fine Art, which had some great art and this very funky elevator.

The Girl in the Spotlight...

Over a year ago, Abbie told me while on a hash trail that she had been asked to oversee a two-week around-the-clock scientific analysis of one of the Netherlands’ most beloved paintings: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer. I was thrilled for her to be able to lead such an important project and thrilled for the AWC when she offered to give us a private lecture. I was also happy that Jimmy and Ashlynn came along as well as several friends and hashers. As a special treat, Johanna flew in early for a conference as she didn’t want to miss this unique opportunity. 

Before the lecture, we visited the special lab set up as a secure and clean working space for the investigators. It was quite strange to see the painting sitting on a table with no frame. 

It was even stranger seeing Abbie and another Mauritshuis employee handling the painting right in front of us.

This picture is blurry, but shows them removing it from this special contraption...

...before repositioning it in the same contraption. Abbie is a very dynamic speaker, so it was no surprise that the lecture was fantastic. Afterwards, she joined us and a few hashers for dinner and drinks at Mingle Mush. 

The Mouse Museum...

I first blogged about the Mouse Mansion when we saw it in 2012 at the Amsterdam Central Library. I was thrilled when Jimmy and I happened upon the Mouse Mansion Shop & Studio where we saw many more handmade rooms of Sam and Julie Mouse. 

The high level of detail is quite incredible.

Before It Melts...

It had been six years since the canals last froze, so it was likely the first time that most of the kids had ever seen or been on natural ice. 

I was definitely not the only one walking instead of skating.

In the background of the canal in front of Derek’s house are the twin peaks of the Rijksmuseum, the national art museum.

After skating, Derek offered us some yummy split pea soup. On our walk back to the station, much of the ice on the Prinsengracht was already melting...

...as well as on the surrounding side canals.

As great as it was to see folks enjoying the ice, it was sad to see that some folks have no respect for the beauty of the canals.

Babies on Ice...

I saw some crazy skating during our walk and while looking out Derek’s window, but my favorites were definitely all the baby strollers being pushed on the ice. 

As this mother was photographing her baby, I was photographing her.

It was also impressive seeing this backwards skater pulling two kids on a sled.

Jimmy Goes Skating...

Here’s the view from Derek and Abbie’s place. He’s lived there for over 20 years and this was the first time that this canal had frozen. Unfortunately, Abbie had to work, but Derek enjoyed skating with Jimmy and a few of Abbie’s old roller derby teammates.

Jimmy was completely ecstatic to skate on natural ice for the first time since 2012.

Here is Derek crossing back from under the bridge, definitely the scariest part of the canal.

I was afraid to follow them, so made sure that I walked very quickly.

Jimmy and Derek

Frozen Canals in Amsterdam...

When we learned on March 3 that the canals of Amsterdam had frozen over, Jimmy grabbed his skates and we headed to the city so he could go skating with Derek. Rather than taking the tram from Amsterdam Centraal, we walked to his house to enjoy the views along the way.

It was incredible to see all the skaters along the Prinsengracht, which on a normal day would be full of tour boats.

There were still some spots that were not fully frozen, such as the dark circle on the left side.

While the bridges were full of tourists taking photos, the ice was full of locals enjoying their city.