Sun Valley

A couple weeks ago (Labor Day weekend) we took a trip to Sun Valley, Idaho with Emily's two sisters, Amy and Abbie, and their husbands. Amy's husband, Whitey (actual name is Scott) has a grandpa that lives there and had invited Amy and Whitey down - so they called us and invited us - we are really grateful they did. (The first picture posted here was actually a hike we did on a Saturday at Bridel Veil falls in Provo Canyon - it was fun).



We left early Saturday morning with Amy and Whitey and got down there around noon. Whitey's grandpa's house was really big and nice. It was in a nice neighborhood with ponds and big houses right up against the mountains. Whitey's grandpa was very generous the entire trip, buying groceries, letting us use his bikes and tennis raquets, etc. The first thing we did was get on some bikes and ride down to downtown Sun Valley for a parade that was going on.



Emily had been to Sun Valley numerous times but this was my first time. I loved the place. It felt a little like Park City, but not as big. There were bike paths everywhere and everything was very well kept. We spent the rest of the afternoon riding around town, playing tennis, and making dinner at the house. On top of all that, the US Open was going on, so we watched some tennis too.



Abbie and Jon arrived late Saturday night after all of us had gone to sleep. Sunday morning we lounged around and Em and Amy made german pancakes (a favorite and Em and I's) and then we went to church. In the afternoon we went on another pretty long bike ride (not to difficult), made dinner and dessert, watched the US Open, and then in the evening we played the Wii for quite a while. Whitey's grandpa had the Wii fit which provided us with entertainment until around midnight - it was really funny.



Monday (Labor Day) was our favorite day. After breakfast, Amy, Whitey's grandpa, and Em and I went mountain biking. Abbie wasn't feeling great so her and Jon stayed home - as did Whitey to watch their daughter Sammie. Em and I hadn't really been mountain biking before (at least for a very long time) so we were excited to try it out.



Whitey's grandpa knows Sun Valley inside and out and took us on a really pretty ride through some hills that overlooked Sun Valley. We LOVED it. It was a great workout and it was so different than biking we had done before.



We loved going uphill and downhill and riding through all the turns of the mountains. We loved the views around us and the fact that it wasn't too hot or cold. We would love to do it again soon.



After we got home, we all went to the Sun Valley ski resort (except Whitey who went on his own bike ride at the ski resort) and took the lifts up to the top.


It was really great scenery and besides the freezing cold winds it was fun. At the top we took took another lift to the top of another mountain and walked around for awhile enjoying the views.



There were a bunch of hang-gliders that were taking people with them (200$) that looked really fun but too expensive. Maybe next time... We later went to lunch and then stopped by a bike shop as Em and I really wanted to buy mountain bikes after how much fun we had. They were a little too pricey so we didn't buy any but we are still looking around for some good deals.



The trip was a near perfect trip for us as it combined all the things we love to do on vacation - exercise (lots of biking, tennis, and swimming), eating (great homemade food and ice cream), games (Wii sporting games), and watching tennis (both Federer - Em's favorite, and Nadal - my favorite, were victorious that weekend).

Em's Classroom

We haven't written on our blog for some time so we thought we'd update it. Since our trip to Europe we have mostly stayed around Provo except for a week long Statistics Conference that I attended in Santa Cruz, CA. Emily spent the remaining weeks getting her classroom ready at Edgemont. She had originally been told that she was going to be in a portable classroom but when we returned from Europe, it wasn't there and wasn't going to be there until shortly before school started. So Mrs. Twitchell, my sixth grade teacher (and Emily's mentor), gave Emily her classroom.



Emily worked really hard (like she does with anything she puts her mind to) and received some help from me and her sisters. In the end the class room looks great!



We have definitely reached our busiest times since we have been married. Her job as a full-time teacher (full-time doesn't do it justice) is very time consuming and it is not uncommon for her to put in 60 plus hours a week to get everything done. Our typical day goes something like this:
6:00 am : wake up, hit the snooze button approximately 5 times
6:30 am : get out of bed, shower, get dressed
7:00 am : I eat a quick breakfast and prepare Em and I's lunches/snacks

7:15 am : We arrive at Em's school (we only have one car now) and we both carry all her stuff that she needs for the day
7:45 am : I arrive at my office at school
4:30 pm : I leave my office and meet Em at her classroom
5:00 pm : We haul all of Em's stuff that she needs to work on at home out the car
5:30 pm : We get home, possibly eat something, I get ready for tennis lessons
6:00 pm : I started teaching, usually one to two hours (I don't teach too many hours now as it is too hard, but I upped my prices a bit and now only have a couple students - which is great)

9:00 pm : I get home, Em is still working on teaching plans
9:30 pm - 10:30 pm : Relax - read together, watch a tv show (we have started watching 'Glee', etc.
10:45 pm : Go to sleep



It is really busy but I am enjoying my last year of my masters program and Em loves her kids, loves her coworkers, and overall enjoys her job. That being said, she has definitely become a strong believer in raising teachers wages for all they do - as have I.

Trip Final Analysis

Now that our trip is over we decided we would analyze and rank different aspects of our trip. Overall, we loved the trip. It was so much fun and was a great educational experience about the world. Plus, it was great seeing mom and Loel and touring the Netherlands/Belgium with them – it was definitely a highlight of the trip.
Since Em and I sometimes have different tastes, we are including top ten lists from both of us. Note that there are many famous/popular museums that we didn't get to, for instance the Tate Modern or the British Museum and etc., so this list is just of the sites that we visited.

Brad’s Top 10 Places
1. Gimmelwald/Interlaken, Switzerland
2. Cinque Terre, Italy
3. Amsterdam, Netherlands
4. Salzburg, Austria
5. Paris, France
6. Rome, Italy
7. Broek in Waterland, Netherlands
8. Bruges, Belgium
9. London, England
10. Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Emily’s Top 10 Places
1. Bruges, Belgium
2. Gimmelwald/Interlaken, Switzerland
3. Salzburg, Austria
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Cinque Terre, Italy
6. Paris, France
7. Rome, Italy
8. Broek in Waterland, Netherlands
9. Luxembourg, Luxembourg
10. London, England

Brad’s Top 10 Sites
1. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
2. St. Paul’s Cathedral, London
3. Centre Court, Wimbledon
4. Coliseum, Rome
5. Eifel Tower, Paris
6. Pantheon, Rome
7. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
8. Hellbrum Palace, Salzburg
9. Versailles, Paris
10. Arc de Triumphe, Paris

Emily’s Top 10 Sites
1. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
2. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vaican City
3. Centre Court, Wimbledon
4. Pantheon, Rome
5. Versailles, Paris
6. Coliseum, Rome
7. Eifel Tower, Paris
8. Gazebo (Sound of Music Site), Salzburg
9. St. Paul’s Cathedral, London
10. Duomo, Florence

Brad’s Top 10 Meals
1. Pesto pasta and buffalo cheese pizza, Venice
2. Fruit parfait and fresh squeezed orange juice breakfast, Broek in Waterland
3. Pesto pizza, Corniglia, Cinque Terre
4. Fish Ravioli, Monterosso, Cinque Terre
5. Rijs Toffel, Zootimier (Netherlands)
6. Schnitzel dinner, Delft
7. Tomatoes and Mozzarella, Innsbruck
8. Savory pancakes, Amsterdam
9. Salmon, salad, crème brulee, Paris
10. Sausage dinner, Salzburg

Emily’s Top 10 Meals
1. Pesto pasta and buffalo cheese pizza, Venice
2. Mozzarella and tomatoes, Innsbruck
3. Pesto pizza, Corniglia, Cinque Terre
4. Rijs Toffel, Zootimier (Netherlands)
5. Savory pancakes, Amsterdam
6. Fruit parfait and orange juice breakfast, Broek in Waterland
7. Gyro and Fries, Brussels
8. Ravioli dinner, Monterosso, Cinque Terre
9. Schnitzel dinner, Delft
10. French onion soup, salmon pasta, chocolate mousse, Paris

Brad’s Top 10 Gelato Flavors
1. Coconut
2. Lemon
3. Vanilla
4. Straciotella
5. Mint
6. Ferrero Rocher
7. Grapefruit
8. Mango
9. Bacio (chocolate and hazelnut)
10. Peach

Emily’s Top 10 Gelato Flavors
1. Lemon
2. Coconut
3. Bacio (chocolate and hazelnut)
4. Hazelnut
5. Pineapple
6. Pistachio
7. Mango
8. Strawberry
9. Mint
10. Chocolate

Brad's Top 5 Museums
1. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
2. Dutch Resistance Museum, Amsterdam
3. D’ Orsay Museum, Paris
4. Louvre, Paris
5. National Gallery, London

Emily's Top 5 Museums
1. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
2. Louvre, Paris
3. D' Orsay Museum, Paris
4. Dutch Resistance Museum, Amsterdam
5. National Gallery, London

Our Top 5 Least Favorite Sites
1. Baths of Diocletia, Rome
2. Concierge, Paris
3. Mozart House, Salzburg
4. Roman Museum, Rome
5. Choco Story, Bruges

Last day visiting the small towns

We woke up early to drive an hour and a half to Waterland, a small town outside of Amsterdam where the Brubakers were staying to meet them for breakfast. We are so glad we did. Waterland ended up being a highlight of the trip. It was a tiny little town on some lakes and canals and cobblestone streets and it was really nice. Each home had really nice yards and the Brubakers were staying at a bed and breakfast (where we were to meet them).

For breakfast we sat out on a table on the grass a couple yards from the pond. The temperature was perfect and setting was great. We had a yogurt parfait with kiwi, mango, passionfruit, pineapple, and bananas and then fresh squeezed orange juice (real fresh squeezed orange juice), hot chocolate, and about five different breads with

three different cheeses and a couple meats. It was great. Plus, it was fun to visit with mom and Loel and the Brubakers and there was a really cute black dog that sat and played near us.

After breakfast, we spent the entire day up in the northern part of the Netherlands, above Amsterdam. Our first stop was Edam a small town known for its cheese. It was a pleasant little town and for two months during the summer on Wednesdays it has a cheese festival from 10:00 to 12:00 noon. They had a group of people in the center of

town reenacting the cheese market from years ago, it was fun to watch. We walked around town tasting different cheeses (pesto cheese was a favorite), got some gelato, and then left for our next town.

The next place we stopped was Volendam, a small fishing village on the ocean. There were more people than expected but it was fun port town with a rocky beachfront. There were lots of small fishing boats in the harbor. We walked around the main part of town peaking in and out of shops – eventually Em bought a Holland apron (surprisingly she doesn’t have one) that has pictures of windmills on it.
The last town that we wanted to see was Markum. It was across the bay (I think) from Volendam and also was a small fishing village. An interesting aspect of Markum is

that all the houses are a darker green color with white trim. It was fun walking through the town and peaking in different people’s yards. Of course there were some pretty canals lining the streets and the center of the town was the harbor with various fishing boats and small café’s and shops. It was a really fun place to visit.

Our last stop on our way home was not a town but a series of 19 windmills along a canal. The place is called Kinderdijk and many people visit to get a picture of the windmills. We were glad we went as it was by far our best view of windmills. We


didn’t stay to long – mainly walked along the canal snapping pictures of the windmills – kind of fitting for our last day in the Netherlands.
Overall it was a really fun day. We loved how each of the towns we went to the past
couple days had their own unique feel. They each were really old towns with small


houses and gardens – we had never seen anything like them before.

Haarlem and Delft

For our last two days in Belgium/Netherlands, we decided to see some of the smaller cities that many people visiting don’t see. There is an empty apartment in Rotterdam (somewhere between Brussels and Amsterdam) so our plan was to spend both days in the Netherlands and stay overnight in Rotterdam so we don’t have to come back to Brussels each night. So we went with mom and Loel to the Rotterdam apartment where we helped the Pankratz (another senior couple in the mission) move out. We then left for Haarlem.

Haarlem is a small town outside of Amsterdam that has a similar feel to it. We spent a couple hours there wandering around and souvenir shopping. Our first site (and only) that we wanted to see was Corrie Ten Boom’s house. It is the house where ‘The Hiding Place’ took place. Corrie Ten Boom was part of a family that hid Jews in her house during the period when the Nazi’s overran the Netherlands. Unfortunately they were eventually discovered so Corrie and her family were sent to concentration camps where everyone but Corrie died.

The happy part is that the Jews she was hiding weren’t found and survived. So touring the house was interesting – especially seeing the actual hiding place. It was a small space behind a wall that could barely fit six people (pictured).


After the tour we got some Gelato and then got in the car and headed towards Delft. We thought that ‘The Hiding Place’ tour was great but the rest of Haarlem was just ok – a smaller not as nice version of Amsterdam.
Delft is another small town in the Netherlands that houses a university and is famous for its Delft blue and white pottery.

We all loved the place. It is pretty small, yet very clean, and has a large main plaza with a pretty grand church in the center. There are tons of little restaurants and pottery shops scattered throughout. Also, there are many canals - but they weren’t like other canals we have seen because they were very green. They had tons of water lilies floating on the surface. It also seemed like there were lots of flowers and swans scattered along the canals.

We spent time looking in different pottery shops which contained real delft pottery and imitation pottery. We weren’t really tempted to buy any of the real stuff as it was pretty outrageously priced. But we are still considering ordering a plate with a windmill and all the eight countries we have visited on this trip.

Mom also found a thicker Netherlands table cloth that she had been trying to find for a while and Emily liked it so much that we got one too.

The best part was having dinner on a boat on the canal. We found a small restaurant right on the canal that had an extension of itself on a boat that was pretty much connected to the dock.


On the boat where numerous tables and hanging lights for people to eat. The food was nothing spectacular (we all got an eight euro schnitzel deal) but they did give us tap water (a rarity here) with ice! It was the first drink Em and I had with ice in over a month. It was really fun talking with mom and Loel on the boat with a slight breeze and not being in any sort of rush to get to another place.

Spending time in Belgium

Sunday and Monday we stayed mostly in the Brussels area with Mom and Loel and took it easy. They turned out to be two really enjoyable days. On Sunday we went to church with them and met lots of the nice members there (pictured is mom and Em with Julie, a really nice member who is good friends with mom). We also went to a baptism that afternoon and met more really nice people. The rest of the evening Loel made some chicken (very tasty – reminded us of home) and we took a walk around the neighborhoods.

On Monday Em and I went running again and in the afternoon we had lunch with mom and Loel’s mission office. There were ten of us total and the night (and morning) before Em made her famous sweet rolls (pictured with mom helping) – they were a huge hit. Everyone had multiple servings and the missionaries were thrilled (and bragged to other missionaries on the phone) to take home the couple rolls that were left over. It was a fun lunch. Mom and Loel really do have a great mission family here in Belgium.

That afternoon we went out to Breendock, the only concentration camp in Belgium. I was the only one that hadn’t gone to a concentration camp before and was a little nervous that it might be really hard to see. Overall it actually wasn’t as hard as I imagined – there were less pictures than I would have thought. We spent about an hour and a half there and had an audio guide which told us what all the rooms where. The whole place had a really somber feeling to it. The rooms had low ceilings and hardly any windows. There were rooms with over 40 beds crammed together and bathrooms that looked nothing like a bathroom.

This, along with the Dutch Resistance Museum and Anne Frank House, really made us think about what Jews really went through during World War 2. It still puzzles us how Hitler did what he did – I still don’t really get it, it just seems to extreme. Overall we were really glad we went to Breendock.
We finished off the day by going to a favorite dinner location of the missionaries around the area. It had really cheap Gyro type sandwich wraps that were delicious. Of course we also got Frits.

Bruges

Saturday morning Em and I went running (not the best picture - it is hard to take a picture while running, plus Em wants everyone to forgive her for disgracing her body with a BYU t-shirt - she wanted to bring a shirt that could be thrown away) at a park near mom and Loel’s house. It is only about a mile away and is huge and really nice. It felt really good running and the temperature was perfect.

After breakfast we headed off towards Bruges. On our way we stopped at a local farmers market near mom and Loel's that had tons of fresh fruits and vegetables and various spices. Mom and Loel bought tons of fresh vegetables to make some salads and Em bought some spices.

Bruges, like Amsterdam, has its own unique feel. It had canals running through it also yet it is older and feels more medieval. Most of the buildings are stone and it isn’t the best biking city as there aren’t really bike paths – just cobblestone streets. There were a couple sites we wanted to see but for the most part we just wanted to wander the city.

After orienting ourselves on a map, we realized that we were really close to the Choco Story museum. We had wanted to go there so we decided to do that first. It is a museum about the history of chocolate and they give out samples. It actually turned out to be pretty boring as it explained – in great detail – the origins of chocolate

and every tool and plant that was involved. We kind of skimmed through that to get the end where there was a live demo. That part was interesting as a man made chocolate in front of us and then gave us a sample – the chocolate tasted so good, Em and I’s favorite.

The guidebook we have contains a ‘sites’ section and for Bruges it also had an ‘Experiences’ section which was all about the different foods to ‘experience’ there. So we ended up spending a lot of time eating different foods which we loved! We had another Belgium waffle because the first one I had (the first day we got in Belgium) I didn’t love because I was fairly full and I am glad I gave them a second shot. It was so good – it was lighter and more flavorful than the one I had gotten before. We also

got ‘The Best Hot Chocolate in the World’ which mom and Loel’s mission president had recommended and it lived up to its name. Most of us agreed that we had never had better hot chocolate. We then got some chocolates at a Leonidas shop (one of the many shops on pretty much every street) and in the evening we got Gelato – getting a new Ferraro Rochur flavor that was great.
Aside from eating…we did tour the Church of Our Lady which housed one of Michelangelo’s only sculptures outside of Italy, it was pretty cool. And we also did a boat tour that let us see more of Bruges.

Em and I really loved Bruges – it was really pretty and nice and had a great historic feel to it. We would both love to come back to it and Amsterdam.

Amsterdam

Em and I went with mom and Loel in the morning to one of the mission chapels to drop off some materials for the missionaries. It was fun meeting everyone and seeing how much the missionaries love and appreciate mom and Loel. The chapel was in Amsterdam so we left the car there and used public transportation to get to downtown Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a very interesting city.




Probably about half of the streets have canals running through them with trees and bike paths lining the canals. Apparently there are more canals in Amsterdam than Venice. All the buildings are different colors but have similar architecture which gives the city its own unique feeling. Also, there are more bikes here than cars – and we definitely witnessed that.

We have never seen this many bikes in our lives – there were thousands. Every corner and fence had bikes chained up in stacks.
Our first site was the Anne Frank house. Before this trip Em and I hadn’t learned very much about Anne Frank or her diary but when we got to Belgium mom and Loel let us borrow ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ so we read lots of it before we went to the Anne Frank house. This made it one of our favorite museums of the trip.

It actually isn’t Anne Franks house but it is the ‘Secret Annex’ – where her and her family lived for two years when the Nazi’s occupied Belgium during the second world war. Overall the place had a somber feeling to it as it was very small and dark and made you wonder how a family could live there for two years without ever going outside. There were quotes from Anne Frank in all of the rooms that gave you a sense for what she was feeling. Of course it is also very sad that everyone in the house was eventually found and taken to a concentration camp where only the father survived. But we left feeling really glad we went there.

Our next stop was lunch at a famous pancake house in the area. Rick Steves recommended it and we loved it. We split three pancakes between the four of us – bacon and onion, chicken and cheese, and blueberry ice cream. There were all delicious.

For the next couple hours we mostly walked around the city and stopped in a few shops. Em and I both really love the city – it is such a unique and pretty place. We stopped at big candy shop where we tried tons of different candies then went across town to the Dutch Resistance Museum. This museum was all about the different ways in which the Dutch people resisted the Nazi’s.

It explained groups that made homemade radios, forged identity cards (Hitler’s way of keeping track of the Jews), and some that found ways to escape the city. It was a

fascinating museum and more uplifting than the Anne Frank house.
On our way home we stopped at the temple in Zoetermeer and walked around the grounds. It is a pretty small temple but really pretty. We then finished off the evening at a Chinese restaurant that mom and Loel had been to before. We got these dishes that gave us about 12 different foods that we could put on our rice – really fun and good.

We especially enjoyed the music (we were there about an hour and a half because the service was a little slow) that was like retro Nintendo music that you would have your kids listen to in time out as cruel and unusual punishment.