On Monday, I was working at the Technische Universität Dortmund, a technical university in Dortmund, Germany which has recently spun off a data mining software company called Rapid-I. I have been working with them and their software for some time now, and I am looking forward to incorporating many of their tools into my textbook on data mining. Here is a shot of part of the university.
On Monday afternoon, I drove to Cologne to meet with one of the university's professors, Katerina Morik. We met in a very cool area of Cologne near the old cathedral, a Roman Catholic church near the banks of the Rhine River. Construction commenced in the 13th century, and the twin spires, at 157 meters tall, represent the second tallest church spires in the world, even to this day. My meeting with Dr. Morik was very beneficial, and getting to see the cathedral made the meeting place all-the-more ideal.
That evening, we drove north and west into Holland. We had a hotel reserved in Amsterdam. I didn't know a lot about Amsterdam, but it is a city built on canals an bills itself as the "Venice of the North". It certainly is of the north, it was freezing cold there. The city is very cool, like most European capitals full of architecture, and as the home of both Rembrandt and Van Gogh, boasted its share of art as well. Of course what Holland is most famous for is its windmills. We found several good ones near a small chocolate manufacturing town just outside Amsterdam.
After checking out Amsterdam for a day, we went on to Belgium on Tuesday evening. Brussels was one of the crazier cities to drive in, but I had bought Europe maps for our GPS, and it got us right where we needed to go. There is much to see in Brussels. At the heart of the city is Old Town Square where there is a main cathedral and a royal palace. This photo is of Grand Place, which is now a museum.
It wouldn't be Belgium without Belgian waffles and hot chocolate.
Joanne was pleased to find Aldi very plentiful in Europe, and we stopped to stock up on chocolate and other goodies as our trip drew to a close.
Our final stop was in the city of Compiègne. It was here in 1430 that Joan of Arc was captured by Burgundian soldiers at age 19. She was later sold to the English, tried for heresy, and executed. These are the remains of the castle where she was captured.
After our brief stop in Compiègne, we continued on to Roissy-en-France, which is the outskirt area of Paris where Charles de Gaulle Airport is located. We spent the night there, then returned our car to the airport and boarded our flight to Pittsburgh the next morning. My dad picked us up at just after 2 PM, and we came home to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together, prepared by my mom.
We had an excellent time on our trip, and look forward to someday seeing other parts of Europe. For now, it's good to be home and to have a few days to rest before heading back to teaching.
On Monday afternoon, I drove to Cologne to meet with one of the university's professors, Katerina Morik. We met in a very cool area of Cologne near the old cathedral, a Roman Catholic church near the banks of the Rhine River. Construction commenced in the 13th century, and the twin spires, at 157 meters tall, represent the second tallest church spires in the world, even to this day. My meeting with Dr. Morik was very beneficial, and getting to see the cathedral made the meeting place all-the-more ideal.
That evening, we drove north and west into Holland. We had a hotel reserved in Amsterdam. I didn't know a lot about Amsterdam, but it is a city built on canals an bills itself as the "Venice of the North". It certainly is of the north, it was freezing cold there. The city is very cool, like most European capitals full of architecture, and as the home of both Rembrandt and Van Gogh, boasted its share of art as well. Of course what Holland is most famous for is its windmills. We found several good ones near a small chocolate manufacturing town just outside Amsterdam.
After checking out Amsterdam for a day, we went on to Belgium on Tuesday evening. Brussels was one of the crazier cities to drive in, but I had bought Europe maps for our GPS, and it got us right where we needed to go. There is much to see in Brussels. At the heart of the city is Old Town Square where there is a main cathedral and a royal palace. This photo is of Grand Place, which is now a museum.
It wouldn't be Belgium without Belgian waffles and hot chocolate.
Joanne was pleased to find Aldi very plentiful in Europe, and we stopped to stock up on chocolate and other goodies as our trip drew to a close.
Our final stop was in the city of Compiègne. It was here in 1430 that Joan of Arc was captured by Burgundian soldiers at age 19. She was later sold to the English, tried for heresy, and executed. These are the remains of the castle where she was captured.
After our brief stop in Compiègne, we continued on to Roissy-en-France, which is the outskirt area of Paris where Charles de Gaulle Airport is located. We spent the night there, then returned our car to the airport and boarded our flight to Pittsburgh the next morning. My dad picked us up at just after 2 PM, and we came home to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together, prepared by my mom.
We had an excellent time on our trip, and look forward to someday seeing other parts of Europe. For now, it's good to be home and to have a few days to rest before heading back to teaching.
I am SOOOO jealous! I loved seeing all the places you visited (especially the places we've been).
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