Sicily

It was supposed to be a sunny diversion from a dreary Dutch January.  We thought about skiing, but opted for a bit of hiking and culture...and most importantly, warmth, so we headed for Sicily with an aggressively laid-back agenda.   The weather started out well enough, but deteriorated quickly when a trough of low pressure sunk into the Mediterranean, ushering in a Nordic chill that  brought unprecedented snow and airport shutdowns to southern Europe.  We managed to skirt the worst of it by staying on the island's southern shores, but picked up two days of rain and thunderstorms as we cut back north to Taormina.  It was an incredible experience sitting in what must have been the only patch of sun for miles around and watching the snow line descend  ominously down the slopes of Mount Etna. 

Classic Sicily - three dogs and a cat on a laundry strewn balcony.

The view from the window of the first hotel in ancient Ortega, birthplace of Archimedes.  Awesome hotel rooms were a theme for the trip.

A Greek temple converted to Catholic church.   The mix of architecture was amazing. 

For our Dutch friends - I'm not sure why the locals in Syracuse were so obsessed, but I think Vincent would approve.

Hanging out in a 3rd century Roman theater in a weedy pullover just outside town.  This would be an A-grade attraction anywhere else in the world.

Then it was over to Agrigento where we picked up another great off-season deal on a hotel.  The view from our terrace.

Agrigento was one of the most important Greek colonies on Sicily.  The valley of the temples was amazing.

Some cool contemporary art scattered in with the ruins.

One of the best preserved Greek temples on the planet.

4-wheelin' in the Smart Car on the way up the mountain to Piazza Armerina.  

The ruins of a Roman Villa just outside Piazza Armerina was the highlight of the trip for me.  This site has the best preserved tile floors ever found.  I love this kind of stuff because it shows so much of daily life and is exactly as it was when the empire fell.

The famous "Girls in bikini's" on the floor of the baths.

Touching history.

Sunset from Piazza Armerina.

While the off-season delivered excellent hotels at cheap prices for most of the trip, there was literally only one open hotel in Piazza Armerina and it was a toilet.  The bed was so worn out and squeaky that we didn't sleep all night.   Beth figured out how to make the squeaky springs sound like an ABBA sound by doing the twist.  And, "yes", that's another Van Gogh on the wall...go figure.

Piazza Armerina

Then it was back over to the coastal town of Taormina where we made up for the previous hotel with this spectacular view from our deck.   You can see the storm hammering the mainland in the distance.

We based ourselves in Taormina for the rest of the trip.  This fantastic, hilltop Greek settlement was perfect for hiking, shopping, and eating.  That's a Greek era theatre on the cliff behind the city.

Hiking a coastal trail.

Sitting out a rain shower under an old boat house on the coast.  

A different vantage of the same little island.

Back on the mountain in the Greek theatre.

Old Taormina

Marble carving?  This guy was brilliant!  A true craftsman...we could have easily spent the inheritance in his shop.

Hiking in the opposite direction...up the mountain to the monastery.   We decided to take a picture looking down to the town, but my sensitive wife vetoed this one as having "too much forehead"...

...so she made me put the hat on. Nice!

Cool in the Smart Car.  This thing was a life-saver for navigating the tiny streets of Sicily...and more importantly fitting into the tiny parking spaces.

Kerstdagen

We've been doing the rounds for Christmas markets these past few weeks, starting off in Haarlem where there was an old-fashioned street fair.   The "sleep fairies" sprinkled me with magic dust, but that still couldn't compete with the 1800's hookers in the windows...gotta love those knee length knickers.

A new "heritage" law states that the Christmas tree can't go up until after 5-December, which is the oh-so-Dutch celebration of Sinterklaas.

Then it was into Amsterdam to see the lights, do some shopping, and grab a nice dinner.  The Bijenkorf (The beehive) always does it up properly.

But we still prefer the quiet, back streets of the city as apposed to the hustle and bustle of Dam square.

We also took a road trip over to Cologne, Germany for their Christmas markets.  There was some amazing history in the city, including one of the best Roman towers and mosaic floors that we've ever seen (not the one in this photo).  50 AD and survived the bombings of WWII...amazing!

Of course Cologne is all about "the" church.  Too massive to capture in a single photo, it was truly impressive.  But the rest of the core city left us a little disappointed.  We loved the outer rings, with their eclectic neighborhoods and parks, but the rebuilt center was too crowded and didn't have the charm that we've come to expect on our Chrismas market jaunt.

Love locks - apparently there is a tradition to place a lock on this fence when you get engaged to declare your undying love.   There were some pretty interesting stories in those locks - tens of thousands of them.  I wonder if they go back and remove them when they get divorced?

I know, I know.  I say it every year...but the "brats" in Germany can't be beat.  If there is no other reason to drive 3.5 hours, it's for the brats.

A new twist on street performers.  He was hilarious!  Although it was a bit creepy when he wagged his tail as a pretty girl walked by.

We slept late on Sunday and didn't get up much before checkout time - it must have had something to do with that last pub.  So on the way home, we got to talking and decided to stop in the small town of Kevelaer for a final German Christmas market.  There were two reasons for this, and I've already mentioned the brats, right?  So let's be open and honest about this.   Since leaving Cologne, our drive was a  beautiful, blue-sky road trip that took us back to the days of crossing central Oregon with nothing but sunshine and open horizon.  That is until we got within 15 kilometers of the Dutch border.  The dark, soggy clouds looked ominous, and oh-so-familiar.  I hate to admit it, but I might have (finally) reached my limit.  If 2012 plays out like 2011 (weather wise), I think it's time for some soul searching.

But today it's Christmas week.  So Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!  Bodacious Bar mitzvah!  or whatever other greeting floats your boat...you know what I mean.  

Cheers from Holland! 

Ajax

No, not the 1970's dish detergent.  I'm talking about the Amsterdam football team...as in soccer.  In Dutch it's pronounced "I-ax".

I thought that I was doing pretty well adapting to the Dutch lifestyle when I carried my first case of beer home from the grocery store on the back of my bicycle.   And when I bought my first sausage from the Hema I started really feeling like a local.  But it wasn't until I was finally able to speak the language that I people started to second guess my nationality.  I could keep them strung along for a little while, even with my thick accent....until the subject of football came up, which it inevitably does.  I don't know squat about soccer.

But everyone else in Holland knows EVERYTHING about soccer.  And they fall into one of two camps - Ajax or Feyenoord.  Amsterdam or Rotterdam.  And when I say camps, I really mean adversaries...enemies.  It can come to blows.  In fact, it has gotten to be such a big rivalry that the fans of Rotterdam are not allowed to attend a match in Amsterdam and vice versa.    

I'm not much of an organized sports fan, but I thought that if I really wanted to fit in over here that I needed to experience a soccer match and see what all the hoopla was about.  So I went with my friend Frank into Amsterdam on Saturday night for a match.  I still don't get the rules, but the atmosphere was really a great experience - from the fanatics in "Block 14" with their endless chanting and flag waving, to the whacky guy who ran through the crowds, back and forth through the aisles for the last 15 minutes of the match.  Ajax dominated the play (75% of ball handling) and easily beat their opponents 4-1.  It was fun...but once was enough.  Now I think that I can hold my own in a conversation.   Just don't tell my boss that I went to see Ajax...he's a Feyenoord supporter.

We've got a jumper!!

We hit some fantastic weather on our trip back to America this fall.  While it was nice to get a little bit of snow in between the 70 degree sunshine, we were glad that we didn't go in October when the region was coated with over a foot of the white stuff.  We got to visit with relatives on both sides of the family, but had this increasingly rare opportunity for a full Glasstetter family photo: (unfortunately from the nursing home)

Beth and I spent some much needed "down-time" at the homestead in Maryland...

..and really enjoyed getting out into the woods for some physical labor.  It sounds sadistic, but blazing a trail through the forest or building a bench or cutting some firewood is a great break from our sit-on-your-butt-all-day-in-a-stuffy-office routine.

Some things never change.  Even doing these testosterone-filled, manly activities in my rough-and-rugged woodsman overhauls, Beth managed to quickly emasculate me with a simple comment.   When I asked her why she was taking a picture of me cutting firewood she said (and I quote), "I think you look sexy in your jumper."   What!?!?!?  The only thing that comes to mind when I hear "jumper" in a clothing context is this old photo of Abba...nuff said.

And yet, even dressed in her best hillbilly garb she somehow manages to still look cute.

Time for a barbecue?  This all that remains of the old dump site on the property.  We had the whole site cleaned up over the summer in preparation for our next venture...Glamping anyone?

We're starting to see the Marcellus shale rigs creeping toward the Maryland line.  This one in PA is only a few miles from the border.  Maryland is still putting together the research on "fracing" and will make a decision on what conditions need to be met for drilling in 2014.   Our own verdict is still out.  There is a lot of conflicting information out there.  But it's not something we can ignore as the land-men start knocking on doors and passing out checks.  Even if we said "no", how would we know that they don't just reach under from your neighbor's property and steal the gas out from underneath you?    Anyone in PA had any "real", first-hand experiences with Marcellus shale drilling?