Today was the day at the Floriade. This is a Horticultural World Expo that occurs every 10 
years. It is in the Netherlands and is a Dutch event, but hosts countries from all over the world. Cousin John drove my mom and I to the event that covered several acres. Lots of cool sustainable architecture and many beautiful flowers. Many of the buildings and structures are "temporary" and will be moved to new locations. The gondola cars will be moved to Austria, one of the buildings will be reconstructed as an office building in the town, the natural wood footpath will be shredded and used as mulch in the forest.
years. It is in the Netherlands and is a Dutch event, but hosts countries from all over the world. Cousin John drove my mom and I to the event that covered several acres. Lots of cool sustainable architecture and many beautiful flowers. Many of the buildings and structures are "temporary" and will be moved to new locations. The gondola cars will be moved to Austria, one of the buildings will be reconstructed as an office building in the town, the natural wood footpath will be shredded and used as mulch in the forest. There was a sound installation in the forest path called, "Soundscape." As you walked through the forest path, the sound "followed" you through with the whispers of a story and sounds, natural and musical, to guide you through. It was a surreal and yet welcoming experience. I think I could have walked that path all day and not gotten tired of it.
There were booths and pavilions from all over the world. There was a booth from DPR Korea. They had a bunch of postcards, including lots of propaganda cards. The woman in the booth 
didn't speak at all. The section of the building from the Russian Federation was really big, however, they had packed up and it looked like an abandoned warehouse! My cousin said it was an example of (un)reliability!
didn't speak at all. The section of the building from the Russian Federation was really big, however, they had packed up and it looked like an abandoned warehouse! My cousin said it was an example of (un)reliability! There were pavilions from Yemen, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakastan, Bangladesh, India, Israel, the Netherlands, and more. Each was an example of the architecture, fabrics, furniture, jewelry, etc. from the country and the pavilions were little sales booths. There were some lovely batik fabrics in the Indonesian one and the Yemen one was like and outdoor bazaar.
My mom wouldn't ride the London Eye (a huge ferris wheel) because she said she was scared of heights, but we had no problem riding the gondola
over the park...that one felt far less safe (not unsafe, just less safe). She said she had ridden the cable car in Switzerland at Interlochen in 1962, so this was fine. The Floriade is in the middle of a national forest so we went over the trees and had a really lovely view. The pylons for the gondola had to be placed by military helicopters from Switzerland because the trucks and cranes weren't allowed in the forest. This is the first gondola in the Netherlands and the department of transportation had to approve it because it had never been done before...new bureaucracy.
over the park...that one felt far less safe (not unsafe, just less safe). She said she had ridden the cable car in Switzerland at Interlochen in 1962, so this was fine. The Floriade is in the middle of a national forest so we went over the trees and had a really lovely view. The pylons for the gondola had to be placed by military helicopters from Switzerland because the trucks and cranes weren't allowed in the forest. This is the first gondola in the Netherlands and the department of transportation had to approve it because it had never been done before...new bureaucracy. We came home in the evening and had a nice home-cooked meal. I got to cross another thing off my "things to eat in the Netherlands" List. We had chocolade vla for dessert. Vla is a cross between a really smooth/fresh custard and pudding. It's not hard like pudding, but is pourable out of a carton. They also have vanilla, which I like equally, but the chocolate feels particularly decidant on vacation. I had 2 bowls and finished off the carton. It was WONDERFUL!!!!
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