Spring In Amsterdam

While my parents were visiting last spring, we took a day trip to visit Madurodam, the miniture city. The city was built in 1952 in memory of George Maduro who fought the Nazis in the Dutch resistance, and died in the Dachau concentration camp.

The children loved seeing all of the miniature houses, cars, people, etc.

My dad and I loved the accuracy of the project, like this replica of Amsterdam's Red Light District.

The miniature city had giant wooden clogs!

This is a photo of Maisy with her beloved teacher - Wanda!

Sophie chilling on a park bench.

The girls on the canal outside our house.

Sophie and mommy outside our front door.

Sophie, smiling for the camera. Something she got very used to by the end of grandpa's visit!

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.

Queens Day

April 30th is Queen's Day in Holland. This is the largest Dutch celebration during the year, and can be considered equivalent to our fourth of July in its importance. It is also the only day during the year that you do not need a business license to sell things. As a result, the city (country) turns into one giant yard sale!

When the sun rises the streets fill with vendors - old and young. Wonderful bargains can be found, especially in the wealthy neighborhoods! The Vondel Park is open to children only. Which means that only children can sell items, food, and give musical performances for money.

We spent the morning walking around the Vondel Park in search of gently used Dutch books and videos. We also found pony rides for the girls, which they loved. But I must admit that I did not enjoy paying 6 euros ($10) for something we can get free at grandma's house in New Hampshire!

One giant yard sale

Orange is the national color in Holland, so everyone wears orange on Queens Day.

Is there anything cuter than a little girl on a Shetland pony?

An Afternoon at Keukenhof

We took our first trip to see the tulips at the keukenhof gardens outside of Amsterdam while the Dixons were in town. Six million tulips bulbs fill the gardens. We timed our trip perfectly. Everything was in full bloom, including the cherry trees and azaleas! The kids enjoyed running around the gardens. The best time to visit the gardens is at the end of April, although they are open until the third week in May. So plan your visits early, as our guest room books up quickly!

Jill, Joel and Ollie in the trees!

We all took a turn in the wooden shoes.

Maisy took this photo.