Happy Birthday Mom!

Before coming to Stirling I spent about a week and a half with my mom. First was eight days in Amsterdam and then two days in the Orkney Islands.

On our first day in Amsterdam in the Reijksmuseum..  

Day trip to Zaanse Schans an outdoor museum to see some of the few still running windmills. The first one visible behind Mom is used to cut lumber.

Another day trip but this one to Delft! We went on a tour of the Royal Delft, the premier delft porcelain maker of the area. this in in their shop where they make the pottery that is later painted on

Pretty plates!

While in Delft we went to see Johannes Vermeer's house which has been turned in to a museum all about his artwork. On one of the floors a studio was set up where if a picture was taken from where they said it could look like you were in a Vermeer! The above photo looks pretty good!

At the flower auction house in the Netherlands. A small city of flowers being sold and shipped around the world.

In Orkney. This is Maes Howe, a 5000 year old tomb built by the stone age people who lived on Orkney. Inside there is 1000 year old viking graffiti on it. Amusingly, it is much the same as we write now: "so and so was here" "so and so is the best rune carver in the whole world"

A hop skip and a jump away from Maes Howe is the Ring of Brodgar the third largest standing stone ring in Britain. 

Thank you for travelling with me Mom! I love you! Happy birthday!