The Asian Tourists ... April 11, 2009
We have experienced a number of times where Asian tourists (mostly Japanese) want to take pictures with the kids. They seriously get so excited and truly seem to enjoy the experience. We have always accomodated. The Keukenhof garden was no exception as a number of different tourists that ran into us asked us to stop and allow them to take some photos. I decided to take a couple of my own.
Brugge, Belgium ... Apr 12, 2009
We left Antwerp and spent the rest of the day in Brugge, Belgium. We had tried to find a hotel there before we left, to spend Saturday night, but were unable to find something within a reasonable price range, which is why we spent the night in Antwerp instead. One thing I LOVE about European cities is waking up early in the morning and taking a walk down the cobble stoned streets before anything is really open and before the crowds of people arrive. Brugge would have been the PERFECT city to do that in, however we showed up around lunchtime, so obviously we didn't get to experience this part. Maybe next time.
We enjoyed a great lunch at the main gate. I had the Mussels, a staple for the region. It was a lot of Mussels, but pretty good.
We walked around the city for a while, but the main square, in my opinion was ruined by the crappy carnival type stands that were up. These stalls juxtaposed with the churches and historical architecture surrounding the square really made no sense to me. I can imagine how wonderful this area would have been without these stalls. Oh well, again, maybe next time. The great thing about Brugge, though, is it truly is a city that had somehow maintained its medieval roots, with little unchanged through time or through war.
We drove halfway home that evening, stopping at the same hotel in Nuremberg that we stayed in on the way out, finally finishing our trek on Monday afternoon. As is usual for us, we saw a lot in a short period of time, but it was a fantastic journey. (The last picture is the girls trying to block out the sun so they could see their ipods better.)
We enjoyed a great lunch at the main gate. I had the Mussels, a staple for the region. It was a lot of Mussels, but pretty good.
We walked around the city for a while, but the main square, in my opinion was ruined by the crappy carnival type stands that were up. These stalls juxtaposed with the churches and historical architecture surrounding the square really made no sense to me. I can imagine how wonderful this area would have been without these stalls. Oh well, again, maybe next time. The great thing about Brugge, though, is it truly is a city that had somehow maintained its medieval roots, with little unchanged through time or through war.
We drove halfway home that evening, stopping at the same hotel in Nuremberg that we stayed in on the way out, finally finishing our trek on Monday afternoon. As is usual for us, we saw a lot in a short period of time, but it was a fantastic journey. (The last picture is the girls trying to block out the sun so they could see their ipods better.)
Antwerp, Belgium ... Apr 12, 2009
We left Delft Saturday night and drove an hour to Antwerp, where we stopped for the night. The next morning we enjoyed an Easter egg hunt (see next post) then attended church at a ward in Antwerp. And before leaving the city we visited the Cathedral of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal), the tallest structure in that part of Europe (we are told). We then continued on our way to Brugge.
Easter Sunday ... April 12, 2009
Of the three years that we have been in Europe, this is the second Easter Sunday we have celebrated in a hotel room. It would have been all three, most likely, had Heather not been 8 months pregnant last year. So once again, we brought the Easter stuff and baskets and the girls did a little egg hunt around our hotel room. Despite the small size of the room, the girls still had a good time following the clues to their eggs, and ultimately to their Easter baskets. Even Ryan got to join in the fun. After our egg hunt, we all got dressed and went to church in Antwerp.
The Hague/Delft, Netherlands ... Apr 11, 2009
We left Keukenhof Gardens and made our way toward Delft, Netherlands, stopping off in the Hague to visit the Mauritshuis Museum. Here we saw a number of works by Dutch painters, including Vermeer's "Girl With a Pearl Earring". Katie has really enjoyed the museums this trip and hopefully she will continue to enjoy the cultural benefit. We also passed a town market that had pony rides, so we let the girls take a ride. I didn't realize the beauty of the Hague, as I always pictured it more modern construction, considering the Nazi occupation (they destroyed a number of buildings) and the bombings it took during World War II. I need to remember that the Europeans are very good at restoring their cities to their historical beauty.
We continued to Delft where we parked up against one of the many canals of the city. It was amazing to see how people parked up against this canal, trying to parallel park into a small space with no curb/protector prohibiting you from driving your car right into the canal if you are not careful. You can notice that I didn't take much chance and am the car furthest from the edge.
Delft was home to William of Orange, the man who led the Dutch to Spanish independence and key player in formalizing the independent Dutch state. It was also home to Vermeer and other artists. Delft has a wonderful medieval town center and I hung out there with Ryan and Ashley while Heather and Katie shopped around for Delftware (the famous blue pottery). She settled on a pair of candlesticks. We saw both the old and new churches and strolled the canal lined streets. 
We continued to Delft where we parked up against one of the many canals of the city. It was amazing to see how people parked up against this canal, trying to parallel park into a small space with no curb/protector prohibiting you from driving your car right into the canal if you are not careful. You can notice that I didn't take much chance and am the car furthest from the edge.Delft was home to William of Orange, the man who led the Dutch to Spanish independence and key player in formalizing the independent Dutch state. It was also home to Vermeer and other artists. Delft has a wonderful medieval town center and I hung out there with Ryan and Ashley while Heather and Katie shopped around for Delftware (the famous blue pottery). She settled on a pair of candlesticks. We saw both the old and new churches and strolled the canal lined streets. 
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