Christmas time is almost here! And that can only mean one thing, Christmas markets in every city. We decided to go out to Haarlem this past weekend and see what the fuss was all about. Boy were we surprised! There were so many people in the streets! The Haarlem downtown area had vendors lined up and down the length of the square. For a few weeks these specialized vendors sell seasonal items as gifts or home decor. The first thing…
I missed last weekend’s post because of a major change in our lives but I’ll be making a post on that later! Before that, I want to talk about an early autumn date that we had in Haarlem. It’s a few days away from it being winter in the Netherlands. I want to reflect on fall before it completely escapes me. We spent the day catching Pokemon and touring the small streets in the historical city. There are many large…
Early in October, we received an invitation out to take a day trip to Stavoren. It’s a small coastal city which houses a population of around 1,000 people. Our hosts were Sander’s aunt and uncle and method of travel was something exciting! Sander’s uncle Renè owns a sailboat, complete with full mast and motor. The cabin can house up to 6 people and is pretty spacious down in the living quarters. Renè and Carla picke us up and together drove…
The first family trip was down to Oosterhout in the southern area of the Netherlands. In simple terms, we stayed in a rental house park. A family rents an entire house with shared backyard space, where one can relax and enjoy the outdoors. Since we went early October, it was pretty cold and even a bit rainy at times. Still, it was cozy on the inside and there were plenty of snacks to have with tea. The park was impressive…
“Life was hard in young Amsterdam, much harder than it is now. When you died, where were few religious rites to send off the dead. A small prayer, a sign of the cross, and the people who knew you, buried you deep in the ground. When those people died, your memory died with them. While most of the spirits moved on to afterlife, not all them did.” – Our Haunted Tour guide. It’s finally that time of the year again,…
Every morning the trees are deeper shades of reds and golds. We’re greeted with crisp, autumn air and the sun takes longer to come up over the horizon. I never thought I’d get to experience a change in season because I lived in California. Now that I can experience autumn… It’s something out of a fairytale. Sander offered that we travel to the local park since it seemed to be a hot spot play Pokémon GO (yes we’re still on…
I never expected my first race to be in the rain at the end of the season. We were surrounded by die-hard fans who made the trek in the middle of October to the dunes of Zandvoort. This was the final race of the 2016 Autowasbon Mazda MaX5. Sander’s office sponsored one of the drivers and this was their time to come out to support them. The previous races of the year had been much further away but this one…
The Efteling is an enchanted place, older than Disneyland, and filled with unforgettable stories from our childhoods. The park opened in 1952 and only included a walk through a fairy-tale forest, but as popularity grew, the theme park flourished. Much of The Efteling remained dedicated to the original idea begin the forest walk. Fairy-tale lore is sprinkled throughout the theme park. Much of it focuses much on European tales, save for a few attractions. We walked past Rapunzel’s tower, saw…
I jumped at the chance when Sander asked if I had wanted to first visit the Franz Hals Museum. Hals was an artist who lived in Haarlem and was most active active during the Golden Age of the Netherlands. We opted for a digital tour since we thought it would be fun. The tour began with a video detailing some of the history behind the painter. He was extremely detailed oriented and much of the film confirmed this. His fine…