The Red Light District

After my refreshing nap yesterday afternoon we walked around and stopped to eat at a nice pub. I had grilled chicken and amazing fries. Great meal.  After dinner we headed to Amsterdams red light district to see what all the fuss was about.

First, there were a lot of tourists and even some tour groups with a guide. It made it seem a little less seedy. We walked along and there are all of these glass doors with scantily clad women behind them. Occassionally we would see a man approach a door and talk to a woman but nothing to interesting happened. Other than the models being alive it was about as risque as the window displays at Victorias Secret.  There were lots of stores selling all sorts of stuff but we didn't venture into any of them.  Overall I'd say it was a lot pess "exciting" than I expected.

After our walk we went back to the hostel and talked to our two roomates a little before bed.

Suzie :-)

On our way to see the tulips!

I slept great last night and feel like I may be adjusted to the time difference. We got up got ready and then walked to the grocery store for breakfast. We got some warm crescents, cheese and bananas and then hopped on a tram to the central train station. Now we are on our way to Keukenhoff to hopefully see the fields of tulips.

Suzie :-)

The Darker Side of German History

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

This morning we began a very busy sight seeing day. We started by taking the train down to the Jewish History Museum. I expected the museum to be mostly about the atrocities of wwii but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the museum covers the entire history of Jews in the region now called Germany. The Jews in Germany have always had a difficult time and have faced various forms of discrimination throughout history. This background certainly made the attitudes of the Germans of the 1930's make more sense.  The museum was huge but very well laid out with lots of interactive stuff.

After the Jewish Museum we began walking towards the Topography of Terror exhibit near Checkpoint Charlie. This exhibit is built on one of the old Nazi ministry buildings where they would detain people before sending them to concentration camps. The outside exhibit runs alongside one section of the wall and gives a timeline of Berlin from the rise of Hitler to the trials and the tearing down of the wall. There was so much information it was a little difficult to take it all in. In addition to the outside exhibit there was a museum with even more information and artifacts that focused on the war and the role of the SS in particular. It was very interesting but by the end I was definitely tired of reading and "museumed out."

After that we walked up to Checkpoint Charlie, the border crossing between East and Wesr Berlin. On the walk over there we stopped for ice cream and took some pictures. We opted not to go in the museum there but instead took in the street scene and then took the Ubahn over to Brandonburg gate, one of the original gates to the old city of Berlin. After that we walked ovet to the Reichstag, German Parliment building. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside or climb the glass dome due to terrorist threats so we took some pictures and got on the Sbahn down to the East Side Gallery.

The East Side Gallery is a part of the Berlin Wall where a bunch of artists painted and it has been redone and made into an actual gallery. It was way better than the formal galleries we've been visiting!

After the gallery we headed up to the oldest Biergarten for pretzels and brats, they were amazing and the atmosphere was awesome. The weather was perfect for outdoor eating as well.

We ended the day by strolling back to the hostel down a very lively street. It was a great day!

Suzie :-)

Artapalooza

This morning began with a trip to the Van Gogh Museum followed by the Reiksmuseum.  To begin we got the Van Gogh miseum and looked at some of the work that supposedly inspired Van Gogh. It was intersting to learn about Vinny's early life. I guess I didn't really know much about the artist.  For example, I didn't know that he had been a curator before becoming an artist.

I really enjoyed the paintings that used the pointellist style, using dots of different colors to add depth and light to the work. In particular I really enjoyed his painting "Wheatfield with a Reaper" I love all of the colors that are used to make the wheat move.

I also really enjoyed his work inspired by Japanese wood cuttings. The cherry blossoms and poppies are beautiful. It's rather tragic that Van Gohh killed himself especially when you imagine all of the work he could have done. I wonder where he would have gone with his art.

After the Van Gogh we walked down to Vondel Park and had lunch at a little cafe in the park. It was a perfect sunny day.

The Reiksmuseum is undergoing extensive renovation so they have kind of a best of show on display. This included a selection of Rembrandt's and Vemeer's. The work here was much more realistic and life-like. Rrmbrandt had a way of making the light emphasize the place on the canvas where he wanted you to focus your attention. It was pretty amazing and very different from the Van Gogh museum.

Our last museum of the day was the Amstelkring or, Church in the Attic. This is a secret church where the Cathics worshipped from the late 1600's to 1880's. During the early part of its use Catholicism was banned in the Protestant country. A wealthy business man bought three houses and converted the upper floors into a three tiered cathedral. While the house is currently undergoing renovation it was quite impressive, the church part of the house is quite a bit bigger than the living quarters. I wish I could see it once all of the renovations are complete.

After visiting the church we walked back to Dam square where tourists seemed to be flocking and then back to the Jordaan area to wander around!

Suzie :-)

Dutch Pancakes and Laundry

After touring the Anne Frank house we stopped for dinner at a cafe specializing in pancakes, both savory and sweet. I had a bacon and cheese pancake and it was delocious, more like a crepe than a traditional pancake.

After dinner we were exhausted but we had one chore that needed to be done. We needed to wash a few things so that they would have time to dry before we leave for Copenhagen.  Laundry in the sink is how you can pack for 3 weeks in a 38L backpack!

Tomorrow's agenda is calling for the Van Gogh museum, the Reijksmuseum and the secret Catholic Church!

Suzie :-)

Weekly Weigh-in

Starting weight: 212.6

Last week (3/21): 189.6

This week: 188.2

Change: -1.4

Total lost: -24.4

Even better than the 1.4 pounds lost is the fact that I finished the Great Race in 3:04:51 which means that I improved my time from last year by 46 minutes! That is a huge PR. I really wanted to come in under 3 hours but I'm still so incredibly proud of how I did.  The 25 fewer pounds along with the proper training that I did for this race made a huge difference!

This coming week my goal is to stay focused and go on a few short runs and then have fun on the walk for water.

Suzie :-)

Weekly Weigh-in

Starting: 212.6

Last Week (3/10): 190.2

This week (3/14): 190.2

Change: 0

Total lost: -22.4

Since it had really only been 4 days since my last weigh in I'm okay with the number. However, I reached my lowest weight of the week on my home scale on Saturday morning and I think that if I had made better choices on Sunday at Disneyland I wouls have seen a loss. I'm tracking this week and am determined not to be derailed over the weekend.

As for my training this past week I didn't get any of my training runs in until the Saturday group run. We ran out on the trail where the race will actually be.  I was running with a great group and we did really well completing 11.28 miles in 2:29. We were only supposed to be running 9.5 miles but we got a little bit confused about where the turn around was. Oh well, this weeks 8 mile will seem like cake after that!

Tomorrow I plan to get up and run on the trail before class and the rest of the week I'm going to continue tracking and doing what I know should to take off the weight!

Suzie :-)

Weekly Weigh-in

Starting: 212.6

Last week (2/28): 190.0

This week (3/10): 190.2

Change this week: +0.2

Total lost: -22.4

This weeks weigh in comes on Thursday since I was out of town on Monday. I'm pretty happy that I only gained .2 pounds while I was in Las Vegas, that's a success!

I plan to go back to my regular meeting on Monday and I am going to try to follow the plan as closely as possibly over the next few days so that I can hit the 25 pounds gone mark. I really want to kick this plateau and say goodbye to being obese!

So, what does it mean to follow the plan closely? It means that I will track everything I put in my mouth, I will exercise as planned and even do some crosstraining on Friday and Sunday, I will not eat all of my bonus points, I will not go out to eat more than once this week!

I am committing to just 4 days of healthy behavior!

Suzie :-)

Post Vacation Weigh-in

Starting weight: 212.6

Last week: 193.0

This week: 190.0

Change: -3.0

Total lost: -22.6

I can hardly believe how well I did this past week given that I was on vacation. I still have 2 pounds to get to my low of a few weeks ago but I'm feeling confident again!

So, while on vacation I did an excellent job staying within my daily points allowance. I used up all of my weeklies and activity points but I feel great about the way that I navigated all of the restaurants and desserts. I even ate two Voodoo doughnuts and stayed on plan!

I had planned to run while I was there but it was so stinking cold that I just couldn't do it!

This week my challenge will be our trip to Las Vegas for the basketball championships. I'm going to utilize the same strategies that made me successful in Portland because I really want to hit the 25 pound mark soon!

Suzie :-)

Weekly weigh-in

I almost skipped my weigh-in today because I knew my weight would be up.  However, I still came to the meeting and weighed in and accepted the number as just a number.  Here are the numbers:

Starting weight: 212.6

Last week: 187.8

This week: 193.0

Change: +5.2

Total lost: -19.6

Yep, I supposedly gained 5 pounds this week. I was craving salty foods on saturday and sunday because I lost so much salt on my 12 mile run on saturday. I stayed within my points although I ate all of my activity points on saturday and sunday.

It was tough to see the number but at the same time I know that it couldn't possibly be fat that I've gained. So, my plain for this week is to do my scheduled runs and keep tracking and keep drinking tons of water.

In terms of running this week I did my 6 mile run on Wednesday and then 12 miles on Saturday. It was a tough run but I absolutely loved it!

This week I'm travelling to Portland to visit friends and so I'm going to run Mon, Tues and Wed and try to do my long 10 mile run while I'm up there. I will be successful and stick to it!



Suzie :-)

Reviving The Desire to Blog

So, I sort of lost interest in blogging for quite awhile but I just feel like talking and recording my thoughts even though no one is reading this.  My goal is to eventually move my old Spark blogs and WW blog posts over here so that I can have a permanent record of them.

I originally started the blog to procrastinate in writing my dissertation but now that I am getting ready to defend I see this blog taking on a new life. I want to record bits of my life including weight loss, running, teaching, family and fun.  Who knows how long I'll keep it up this time but at least it's always here for me, a place to think things through and say what's on my mind.