Gourmetten

Gourmetten (pronounced like hur-met-in) is a dutch tradition.  A large griddle is heated up and then you put little pans on the hot griddle.  The little pans (about the size of a piece of pie) are filled with small pieces of meat or potatoes or onions or veggies.  It makes about 1 or 2 bites at a time. For dessert you put in some pancake batter and make an individual pancake.  

     

Here are some pictures of me and john's family enjoying the Gourmetten. 
  
  
  

Stadspark festival

 

There was a small festival at the park by our house the Monday after easter.  It was about getting people to move.  The scouts were there and we got to roast pieces of bread over a fire: 

    

There was also a sailing school demonstrating how to sail on a small lake in the park:

Printzenhoff Garden

The Prinzenhoff Garden is in Groningen.  It used to be a part of the prince's house.  Now it's a nice garden in the city.  They also have a tea house. Here are some pictures I took easter weekend. As it gets warmer, roses and other plants start to grow. 

     

  

Stadspark Today

Today was gorgeous.  It was around 70 and mostly sunny.  John and I biked around the big park by our apt. building.  The trees were blooming and the leaves were coming out on the bushes.  

  

We got indonesian take-out at one of the shops in the city center and ate it on a small hill overlooking a field that had big metal plates sticking out of the ground.  I think they are some sort of sculpture. 

  

There is a network of small canals and lakes in the park.  Here are a couple pictures of the interior of the park.  On the right is a bee hive in the woods. it's the wood shack you can sort of see.

  

There is a race track in the park.  They do chariot style races there.  Here's a picture of a horse and chariot. 

 

  

Around Groningen

A couple of weeks ago we experienced our first true nice day of spring. The crocuses (croci?) were just blooming, and the birds were chirping.  

Here's a picture of John getting flowers at one of the stands.  you can get 30 tulips for about 6 euros.  quite a bargain!  And here's a view of the Aa Kerk (Aa Church) on market day.

  

This is the center of one of the roundabouts full of croci.

  

Here's me on the way back from the market with my bike basket full of goodies and flowers :)

 

 

St. Patricks day

John and I celebrated st. patricks day like "irish" people do in the states.  we went to our local irish pub in Groningen and drank a pint of irish beer.  John brought out his beard and hat and i put on some green beads.  It was a small celebration and not as crazy as st. patricks day in Boston.