More Holland

Rather than hang out with war criminals in the Hague, I checked out the M.C. Escher museum.

 

Here's the beautiful square in Amsterdam.

 

At least the part of the city that isn't under construction is pretty enough.

 

The little red house belongs to someone who doesn't like property taxes.

 

Newtonmania in Leiden

Leiden's science museum was one of the greatest ever. There were tons of physics toys to play with for "Newtonmania," and it was free.

 

This is the apple that fell on Newton's head.

 

This is some boring book Newton wrote.

 

Fun with the brachistochrone. Ila knows the lion by its claw.

 

Keukenhof

I took an extended weekend to visit Holland and Belgium. Ila, a Caltech friend, is studying in Leiden, giving me a good excuse to have a look around. Without purposely planning it, my trip coincided nicely with tulip season, so we went to Keukenhof to see the flowers. I came away with many more photos than I care to post. Here are just a few.

 

 

 

Food

Sometimes people are shocked when they hear about the awesome Caltech cooking class. In addition to furthering my love of physics. Tech instilled a love of beef tenderloin. I finally found a butcher that will sell it at a reasonable price in Oxford, so I made a feast. I can't recommend Meatmaster highly enough.

 

Love Never Dies

One of the more surreal aspects of living in Oxford is that on a whim I can pop into London to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's new sequel to Phantom of the Opera. I was well aware that the reviews were lukewarm, but I figured the novelty of seeing the Phantom in Coney Island would make it all worthwhile. Indeed the plot is a little silly, but the score is catchy and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Boar's Hill Walk

About a month ago I went on a stroll to Boar's Hill, just outside of Oxford. Some of my buddies forgot that when it rains every day, it makes things muddy. Less than 24 hours before the hike, Joe O'Shea had actually purchased some brand new Wellingtons [boots] for a research trip to Scotland. By the time this picture was taken he was really regretting leaving them at home.

 

Crayfishin'

 

Pre-Dinner

 

Dinner

 

I've been pretty bad about posting lately. I have been working a fair bit, and everything seems less photogenic when it's dark and rainy. Since it's finally staying light past 6 pm again and the sun is popping out from time to time, I'm resolving to post a photo every few days. Here's dinner from a week ago. American crayfish have invaded the Thames, pushing out the British species. This means you're allowed (and encouraged) to eat the much larger American ones.