So continues the tale of our European outings. These past few days, launching from our base in Utrecht, we've seen quite a bit of Holland. Friday found us in Den Haag (The Hague) for another visit to a FabLab (very cool location in an old cigarette factory transformed by the city in to a center for innovation) - as well as a partly cloudy trip to the beach at Scheveningen (pronounced s'CHay-fuh-ninger - try that on for size!), which is a neighborhood of Den Haag.
Scheveningen is not our favorite spot in Holland. It felt a bit like a run down version of Atlantic City - but with bikes and frites on the North Sea. However, as it was partly cloudy and previously rainy, the beach was deserted and Samuel got to play in one hell of a big sand box making it, most likely, his favorite part of the trip so far.
On Saturday we made our way through Utrecht with a stroll through the Flower Market and along the canals in the old part of the city to the Central Station for a train ride to Weesp, a lovely town half way between Utrecht and Amsterdam.
On the train we introduced Samuel to his first Kinder Surprise. And as you can see here, the SURPRISE was as much fun for Jack as it was for Samuel. I believe that we'll see a lot more father-son moments like this in the future.
Weesp is home to our friend Klaas' sister, Janneke, and her family - one husband and two children (3 years and 11 months). They took us on a bike ride that is, thus far, one of the highlights of my trip. The route made its way over a drawbridge in the heart of Weesp, and then along a canal past two windmills dating from the 1690s. As luck would have it one of the windmills, which is maintained and operated by a volunteer group, was open and milling corn meal. We were allowed right up to the top floor to see the grinding at close range. And not only that - they were selling their flour in a small store at ground level...and they had a pannekoeken mix made right there in the mill. I went a bit over board and purchased quite a bit, which we now have to lug home...but I'm sure it will be worth it.
This first shot is a view from the grinding level (about 25 feet up from the ground) of the open windmill we toured, looking at the second windmill which is a private home (for sale by the way). Jack may have to post a bit more about how the windmills operate because it is such a clever system.
Our route continued on through some of the most beautiful countryside - full of canals, rich green fields with cows, sheep and horses, adorable canal-side homes, and extremely bike-friendly drivers. Not to mention a bike ferry to cross one of the canals that was operated for us by a teen aged boy FOR FREE!
As Samuel did not have his afternoon nap on Saturday, he enjoyed a wee snooze on the back of Daddy's bike. If we hadn't stopped to adjust the straps that appeared to be cutting off his windpipe, he probably would have continued napping quite happily.
We spent this afternoon in Amsterdam - getting a little preview of the city before we transition there for a couple of nights at the end of this week so Jack can participate more fully in the FabLab conference, which kicked off this evening with an "Open Source BBQ". Images and tales of Amsterdam Outings to follow later in the week.
No comments:
Post a Comment