by Eric, Nicoline, Frank, Mark, Jenny
The year 2015 marks the 25th and 20th anniversaries of Eric and Nicoline. On May 22 they are legally married for 20 years, and on October 8 they are together for 25 years. We have thought about how to celebrate this event as a family, including Mark’s girlfriend Jenny. After bouncing around a number of ideas, we decided on a road trip—for old time’s sake. And the destination we agreed on was New Orleans.
Everyone’s schedule aligned on the first week of May. All of us are of drinking age (an important consideration when going to New Orleans) and exams are done. We decide on the “ultimate road trip experience” by driving down from Maryland to New Orleans in one day, then schedule three whole days in the Big Easy before taking two days to drive back.
There is a story behind the banner photo at the top of this page. When Eric took the photo, with the express intent to use it for the website banner, he didn’t pay attention to the background. Consequently, there were portapotties along one side. When I first saw the result, I told him to fix that, and Frank and Mark agreed. “You are going to make me take out all those portapotties, nondeju” Eric grumbled. —Nicoline
“Nondeju” is a Dutch corruption of a French curse and how most of Europe has experienced French aggression. They just didn’t make themselves quite as universally hated as the Germans, but I agree with the 19th century historian Thomas Carlyle, who wrote after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71: “that noble, patient, deep, pious, and solid Germany should be at length welded into a nation and become Queen of the Continent, instead of vapouring, vainglorious, gesticulating, quarrelsome, restless, and oversensitive France, seems to me the hopefullest fact that has occurred in my time.”—Nicoline
Preparations are half the fun. As I usually do for big trips, I created a website on which we collected information and ideas for the trip. We all voted on the ideas, giving an idea of what would be most interesting for all of us to do. Then when we actually got there, we ignored most of it and just did what we felt like.—Eric