Mia and I vacationed in Europe again, this time after I
attended a conference in the Netherlands.  



My officemate Qiong getting some pointers on Dutch pronunciation from Steve Pizer, my boss.  This may be their first
appearances in my photos.


We arrived in the Netherlands a few days earlier to include a couple of professional visits, in Rotterdam and Utrecht. 
Qiong and I stayed with an Erasmus (Rotterdam) counterpart, Michiel (who you see later).  Anyway, in one of the
off days, Qiong and I toured the two cities.  Here at the Euromast in Rotterdam, "the city of rolled-up sleeves."

 
We then took a quick train to Utrecht to see Dom Tower and the beautiful old city.  The view on the
right is seen from above when we climbed Dom Tower (which is awesome, you have to try it).


Qiong and I had a filling lunch at De Oude Muntkelder, a pancake restaurant that Steve recommended.


Then we had the strength to climb to the top.  The view from above.


The demos and tour we got at Utrecht was great, and a bunch of UNC people attending
the conference made it.  Afterwards, Max (on the left) took us out to rijsttafel, an
Indonesian dinner that has become popular in the Netherlands.  Tom, Tim, Qiong,
and Steve (and a little blurry, I was trying to tune the camera parameters).


The very hospitable Michiel with Qiong and Oleh (another Erasmus graduate student) for a last night out
before going to the conference.

Then off to the conference

 
The conference venue was Rolduc Abbey in Kerkrade, a gorgeous converted seminary
dating to 1104 or something.

 
The church the abbey was built around.


The well populated bar at Rolduc.

After the conference, I flew to Berlin, where Mia was waiting
with our friends Christian and Jacqueline.


 
A neat Lutheran church, relatively simple compared to the extravegance in others.

 
A really extravegant church, this one build very recently (like 1904).  Pretty amazing interior.


Germany is apparently famous for these beautiful organs.  They're huge.


At the wall.  They have an interesting outdoor museum along a stretch.


A long day of walking in Potsdam, at the Neues Palais.

Then to Dresden...


Sascha, Jacqueline, and Christian in Dresden.  Sascha is a Jena native who lives in Dresden now.

   
During the Cold War, the ruins of Dresden center were left untouched as a monument to our agression, but since
reunification, they've been rebuilding.  So we visited the Frauenkirche, finished only recently, where the darker
parts of the church are from the original.


The Shamrock?!?




Christian, Mia, and I then headed to Heidelberg.

 
In Heidelberg with Tobias and Ivo, a connection I made at the IPMI conference only a week earlier.  Tobias is the man in Heidelberg.

 
A wonderful dinner at Wirtshaus Zum Spreisel right next to the old bridge (Alte Brucke).  In a bit of
foreshadowing, the wife in the couple that now own the restaurant is from Greece, and offered us a round of Uzo.

 

At the Heidelberg Castle the next day, our last in Germany, for this trip at least.  In that morning, Tobias and Ivo gave
us a great tour of the work they do at dkfz at the university (behind Christian's right shoulder).
 

Then Mia and I flew to Mykonos to relax for a few days.



I've never been to a conference where a colleague invites me to stay at his beach villa on Mykonos, but my wife had that
happen to her.  Now was the time to take advantage of the opportunity.  Our view outside our door.




The villa was a short walk from Super Paradise beach.  This was just awesome.  Maybe my education has
prejudiced me, but Mykonos (with Naxos in the distance), and Greece as seen from the planes, just seem
epic in a way that other places don't.

A very brief stay in Athens before heading home.


We were in Athens for only a day.  The 5.5 hr boat from Mykonos took 7, and started 4 hours late, so we didn't get
to our hotel until 5AM or so.  We awoke for breakfast then went back to bed til around 1.  We were at the Apollo hotel,
not incredibly well reviewed online, but a clean and very inexpensive hotel, convenient to the Acropolis.  This is at the
Acropolis.  Pretty much it really is this bright. 


If one could choose where to put up a great structure that would stand for thousands of years and would be seen from
everywhere, this is exactly where one would put it.

 
Shopping after the Acropolis visit.

Before going home, we stuck in one more evening of fun, this time in Brussels.


At La Grand-Place with Mia.  We went to buy chocolates and drink beer at A la Mort Subite
for one last evening.  The next morning, we arrived at the airport at 4:45 for Mia's 7AM
flight.  After she left I waited for 6 hours before I could even check in for my 12:30.  And it
was overbooked.  The good news is that when they bumped me, I got a little more time at
La Grand-Place, and a voucher for a trans-atlantic round trip!  So we're going again!. 



 
After getting to the airport at 4:45AM, I finally got my stuff to the new hotel and returned to
La Place at about 5PM, to say goodbye again.