A Wandering WeyrCat...

The Aviodrome is a nifty aviation museum. My 5 year old liked it, though his favorite part was the indoor playground. My 3 year old was too short out too young for most everything. The museum section was too long for both of them, though I liked it. So my oldest has his "pilot's" license for my scavenger hunt efforts lol.  Kid Highlights : Indoor playground (big-3 and up). 4d movie (didn't try the 3yo in there). Outdoor trampoline (3yo too small). Flight simulation. Rowing-planes and cars! Nemo caught some air! Adult Highlights : English translation in maybe half the museum. The Spitfire exhibit was awesome (a lil scary for 5 and under). Lovely Air Post section in the 1:1 Schiphol Airport model.  Could be better : the Snack and Drink voucher I got online covers an appelflap and coffee. Coffee cannot be swapped for something kids can drink. And English translatio...

 De Groote Museum (The Great Museum) is centered around the concept that everything is connected . It's part of the Artis Royal Zoo complex (like Micropia) but has a separate entrance and fee (included in the Museum Card).  The museum was closed for 75 years (not a typo!) and reopened in 2022. It used to be the  'Main Building' or 'Zoological Museum' for Artis. You can read more about it's scientific use at their website ! ARTIS honorary member and professor of Anatomy Willem Vrolik (1801-1863) gave lectures on the autopsies he performed on animals that had died in the zoo. He published the very first scientific description of various animal species. After the autopsy, the animals were prepared and ended up in the museum. At that time, ARTIS mainly wanted to collect and understand nature, in order to promote knowledge in an accessible way. The main hall has a nice area for rest (and maybe yoga). Everything needs rest! There's a soundscape that plays throug...

When growing up, I was obsessed with the movie Labyrinth. It probably is the root for a lot of things I love: owls, Escher, fantasy, and Goblin King's, of course. I searched and searched for a puzzle of the poster in Sarah's room. My Grandmother found one and brought it to her annual beach retreat, and invited me, my sister, and my mom. It would be the last time we would all be together. I have the puzzle hanging in my home, and now I've been able to see the real one.  As 2023 is the 125th anniversary of Escher’s birth and to celebrate, works from his teacher Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita were shown, too. I like his work too (I like woodcut style anything)!  But I was thrilled to be able to see the Metamorphoses , Ascending and Descending , and Waterfall . Some were new to me, like Paradise and 5th Day of Creation .  The insane detail on works like Scarabs and Inside St. Peters is amazing. The latter literally made me dizzy (it's a view from an ...