The Fountains at Alhambra

While visiting Nerja we took a day trip to Grenada, Spain to see the famous Alhambra palace. Alhambra had the most amazing water fountains. The fountains operated on simple water pressure - the water originated from the highest point on the grounds and descended via a system of interconnected aquaducts throughout the entire property. The water system was built in the 13th century by the Moors. They were very clever. I'm not sure a modern day water fountain would last 700 years!

These water channels that ran down from the hill helped establish the water pressure needed to operate the fountains below.


Maisy and Sophie positioned themselves at the top of this "waterslide" and launched leaves down the hill to Ollie.

The fountains were simple but beautiful.

It was a warm day and the girls couldn't resist dipping their hands in the water!

Ollie and Sophie tried to clim into this fountain for a swim.

We all loved the Alhambra palace, fountains and gardens. To learn more about them, check out this wikipedia link.

Beach Days in Nerja Spain

After spending a week with us in Amsterdam, our friends continued on to Nerja, Spain. The girls and I joined them for a few days in the sun. The beaches were surrounded by beautiful desert mountains. The girls had fun digging in the sand. The weather wasn't hot enough for me to swim, but I enjoyed the sunshine after a long dark winter in Holland!

Cruising The Canals

The morning after Queens Day we rented a boat and cruised the canals of Amsterdam with our visiting friends and all the kids. Amsterdam is a beautiful city to see by water.

Navigating the canals the morning after Queen's Day presented a nautical challenge. The water was filled with debris from the Queen's Day festivities, and the plastic bags continued to get tangled in our motor.

The skipper had the unfortunate job of putting his hand in the water to untagle the bags.

The debris under the bridge!

Daddy working from the boat.

Maisy helping to navigate.

The girls checking out all the debris in the water.

Children sleeping on the boat.

One of the historic wooden draw bridges.