My Travel Blog
This trip is a little different for us (and for travel blogging!) in that we aren't doing very much at the moment. Usually we are moving around or visiting places we've never been before, but this year we are staying for 2 whole weeks in Amsterdam to maximize our family visiting. We hope to sneak a few day trips in here and there but mainly we will be eating a lot of meals with family and sitting around in backyards chatting and drinking Heineken.
We are staying on the very edge of Amsterdam so that we are close to the rest of the family, and today we thought we'd head into central Amsterdam to reacquaint ourselves with the city and eat some lunch. We caught the tram just down the street from us and it helpfully deposited us at Central Station - the best place for a 'tourist' to arrive into the city in my opinion. Chaos, but a whack in the face of AMSTERDAM. It's impossible to think that you're anywhere else when you look around at the canals, the tall pointy brick buildings and the biggest bicycle parking lot you've ever seen. People and trams and buses all compete for space but in a non-threatening way and you just need to jump right in and experience it all.
There is a discount department store here called HEMA and for whatever reason the kids love it. In the past we have bought party supplies there (very cute and different from at home) as well as tights and paper and regular household goods. It's sort of a Dutch version of Target and the kids can't get enough of it - we went into two different ones today and I'm sure we'll enter many more of them as the next week and a half unfolds. Today's purchase was eclectic - a bar of soap, a package of pipe cleaners, and an eyeshadow brush. Our other main goal for the day was to visit one of the many English bookstores because we both needed some new reading material and we easily accomplished that; happily the book choices were plentiful and the prices were pretty much exactly what they are at home. Nice!
We had a traditional pannekoeken lunch and strolled for a few hours before catching a tram back to our apartment just as the rain started falling. The morning was hot and muggy and we had no idea that rain was in the forecast. Julia had checked the weather on her iPod before we left and she said there was a high of 25C today. That sounded great so off we went, and when the rain started I said, "That's weird, I had no idea it would rain today!" Julia said, "Well I did - but you only asked me about the temperature." Ahhh, children - so literal.
We completed our day with a fun evening at the De Zoete Inval which is a recreation complex with a restaurant and bowling lanes. We had a great time with a variety of family members and the only downside was that I had to wear some strange plastic socks that resembled shower caps. Note to self - take my own socks next time!
All in all it was a very nice day, and now the adults are relaxing with a glass of wine while the kids have taken their weary bodies to bed. The sweet, sweet sound of silence...
Schnitzel! Our original plan of heading south changed direction and instead we went east for a daytrip into Germany. Jeff's dad Nico came with us as our unofficial tour guide and navigator. (He also knows some German which is helpful!) We drove for about an hour and a half and found ourselves in the delightful town of Emmerich am Rhein. It's on the Rhine (the giant river for those who don`t know!) and there is a nice walkway along the river. It was a gorgeous 33C and sunny so we had a nice time walking around and then finding a great riverview café to eat lunch in. We wanted authentic German food (otherwise why drive all that way?!) and we definitely found what we were looking for. I had schnitzel with a mushroom sauce (super good) washed down with German beer served from a German man in Germany. So, we did it! Julia only wanted the salad bar and went back 8 times for more cucumbers and 'crunchy lettuce'. Chloë wanted the 'kid schnitzel' which was still a gigantic portion and I think Jeff was a bit jealous of it because he somehow ordered a piece of turkey with pineapple and cheese on top. (Chalk it up to a slight language misunderstanding). In any case, we were all pleased with the experience and now the kids can add Germany to their list of countries.
On the way back we veered off of the main highway and spent some time on the back roads of east Holland. It was calm, idyllic, and very pretty. Lots of green grass and sheep, but not a single windmill in sight! We eventually got back on to the fast road and headed for home. The weather was still gorgeous so we sat outside for awhile playing UNO and then Jeff and Julia took off Dutch style (she rode on the back of Jeff's bike) to the grocery store to pick up a few things for tomorrow's breakfast. We eventually looked at the clock and it was already 8:30 pm and we still hadn’t eaten dinner - this explains why the kids were so tired and lethargic looking. Oops! Nico needed to get back to his sister's house so we drove him with a pit stop at a Chinese restaurant. Chinese food here is not at all like it is at home - actually not a single dish on the menu was what we call 'Chinese' - we would call it Indonesian with it's chicken satay and loempias. Regardless of the nationality the food was delicious and quick. Hooray!
Now off to bed for everyone. Chloë has been fighting something these last few days and her little body is working hard - sleep should hopefully come quickly for her! I had trouble keeping my eyes open on the way home from Germany today but perhaps that was due to excessive schnitzel consumption.
Until tomorrow!
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