It's Been a While.....

I apologize for not adding any updates. I have not really touched my computer since some point at the beginning of May due to no consistent WiFi access and although being back in the States, I still have not gotten on my computer until today. I’m going to try to wrap up 3 weeks in 3 separate blogs spanning hopefully just a few days apart, so bear with me.

I was reminded that in the last blog I forgot to mention that I actually played a gig in Ramstein. I actually got to play with some Air Force guys (and non Air Force), mostly just songs that I know already and played before for one set, and in the other set, which was just a jam band feel, I actually played bass! I forgot how much fun it actually was to play bass, not just your typical 4 beat pattern in most churches, but full runs and odd beat patterns. Not all fun is just in guitar, although I still think its tops! Well after leaving the Sitter’s I went to Luxembourg. The first and main thing I wanted to do was see the World War II Memorial to all the US Soldiers that gave their life to keep us safe. At the head of all the headstones was General Patton’s gravesite, as if he was still commanding his troops. It was a really good place to reflect and just step back and appreciate all that our service men and women do for us. After the memorial, I headed to the center of town only to be disappointed and finding not much of anything, so I just hopped on the next train to Brussels! First thing I did in Belgium (after finding a place to stay for the night) was have a Belgian Waffle, and of course it was divine! After being there and eating all the wonderful foods, I decided I cannot live in Belgium because all I would do is gain tons of weight from eating all of the unhealthy (but amazing)! The next morning I went to the European Union headquarters and took the tour there. It was interesting in seeing how their form of government differs from the US. After spending quite a bit of time at the EU, I went next to the Museum of Music, which basically goes through all instruments from around the 1200s to present from all over the world. I loved it and only wish that I could have actually tried all the different instruments instead of just seeing them and hearing samples of what they sound(ed) like. There are so many little things to see in Brussels, so I won’t mention them all, but name it and I probably saw it! Next up on the list was Amsterdam. The whole town was really nice and chill, with very few cars around and of course most everyone high, which is why it was so chill. The main places that I went here was the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank’s house. I was actually rather disappointed with the Van Gogh Museum, not because I don’t like Van Gogh (because I do!) but because they made it seem like they actually had his infamous Starry Night there, when in reality, they didn’t. I mean you would think if it was a museum all about the guy, and they were selling paintings/posters with Starry Night on it, you would assume…..but I guess that’s what I get for assuming. Other than that I had no complaints about it, other than maybe a bit of a steep price, but then again I think most museums should be cheaper. Anne Frank’s house was definitely one of the places that if you are ever in Amsterdam is a must see! Especially if you ever read The Diary of Anne Frank. As I was walking through, I actually was recalling most of the diary even though it has been around 12 years since I’ve read it (back in grade school)! You actually get to go through the rooms that they had and hid in. What a sad story, but what a good thing that it was able to be shared with the world. All because of her diary, we were able to see this crucial time in the world from a completely different perspective, even if it was just in the eyes of a 14 year old. Amsterdam usually is given a bad wrap just because of the main two things, pot and the red light district, but I actually found that it was a really nice place worthy of another visit someday.