We are having a wonderful time in Holland. I don't imagine any of these blog posts will be super inspiring, but I want to document our trip as we go. By the end we won't be able to remember the beginning.
After arriving in Amsterdam near midnight, we arrived at our hotel to find we had two rooms, on two different floors. No worries, we pushed three single beds together in one room to make one big nest. It was touch and go for awhile, with the jet lag and exhaustion turning the kids into twitchy monsters, but we finally fell asleep.
The next day we met up with The Captain's college friends who live in a picturesque little town. Their house backs on to a canal, with a view of sheep. We took a lovely walk and enjoyed a water pump and sleuce at the nearby park.
Next we went to Zandvoort, where we lived when we were first married. We spent several hours sitting in the sun at a beachfront cafe, sipping drinks while the children played in the sand.
That evening we arrived at the country house where we would spend a weekend with The Captain's family. They gather every year to spend a weekend enjoying each other's company.
The weekend included a ride in a horse drawn cart. Each of the children took a turn riding on the front bench and asking questions. I could see Sprout entering the "horse phase" of her girlhood, right before my eyes!
Isn't the farm house gorgeous?
We ate SO MUCH good food, but let me just mention pancakes with Dutch syrup, called Stroop. Yum!
I had so much fun riding the "skelters". My sister in law and I even raced around together.
Sprout, who has struggled to ride her own bike for about a year, saw her four year old cousin riding his bike with no training wheels, and suddenly found the motivation to learn how to ride. By the end of the first day she was owning that bike, and so proud of herself.
The weekend was fabulous, and it was wonderful to spend time with my husband's family. They're great people, and I am so fortunate to have married into such a wonderful family. The farm house property was bordered by a dyke. I had a lovely walk along the top, marveling at the great expanse of sky and green.
Now we're on another adventure that I'll report on soon, but the 2014 Family Weekend was a great success, as always!
Comments