The Netherlands: Monday, May 5th - Thursday, May 8th

After arriving early evening on Monday we woke up early Tuesday, eagerly anticipating our visit to the world's second largest flower gardens (the largest is in Dubai)!  One of our friends we met on the cruise ship told us about these gardens which open to the general public for only a few weeks each spring.  We rearranged our traveling schedule so we could see them.  We are sooooo thankful we came here.  We expected to see acres of fields covered in multi-colored tulips, but we were met by an incredible array of tulips, as well as numerous other flowers, graceful fountains, meandering pedestrian pathways, gentle streams and canals which flow lazily through the park, arched stone and wooden foot bridges to connect the many paths, mature trees to create shade umbrellas for the plants and flowers that need protection from the direct sun, and buildings which house very special exhibitions of plants such as orchids and other exotic flowers, as well as gorgeous decorating ideas for the home and garden.

We walked around the gardens in awe of the incredible beauty and creativity of this place.  Although Bob took LOTS of beautiful photos, when we looked at a few of them we realized there was no way to do justice to this magnificent display of flowers and gardens through pictures.  His photos are absolutely gorgeous but the flowers need to be viewed in the entirety of their magnificent setting to do them justice.  This would be a great trip to add to the bucket list.

After our fabulous walk through the gardens we decided to drive to Kinderdijk which boasts 19 functional windmills and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The windmills are located along both sides of a lovely, peaceful canal and create a gentle idyllic setting.  Although the windmills now have additional means of power, each day one of them operates using its wind power and offers tours to the public.  We walked down the quiet and calm pathway to tour the open windmill.  The useable living space inside the windmills is quite small, however the one we visited housed a family of six!!  Every single inch of space was used to make room for the family.  There was a stove inside the largest room where the family spent most of its time, but the cooking was traditionally done in a separate building outside using a large outdoor oven/stove.

After our tour we wanted to see the rest of the windmills so we took a canal cruise and sailed by them.  So lovely.  Most of the people who currently live in the windmills have added small structures in the yard to serve as extra space.  Everyone has a small boat docked in front of their home, as well as bicycles.  In addition, there are garage doors underneath each windmill they can use to store their boat underneath their house!  This is such a relaxing environment.  I could feel any tension we had fade away as we spent time in this delightful area.

Finally, we drove back to our hotel area and went to the beach to look for a restaurant for dinner.  There was a "strand" like we have in the South Bay and a sandy beach.  However, it's MUCH cooler here and the wind is strong.  There were people flying kites and kite-surfing.  We didn't feel the water but it looked very cold!!!  We  enjoyed a lovely dinner, however service was very slow.  Europeans can spend the entire evening eating dinner.  It's much more of an "experience" than it is in the U.S.  We found we must ask for our check, otherwise we'd be sitting in the restaurant all night!!!  After a long, fun-filled day we returned to the hotel to plan tomorrow's adventures.  Excited to spend more time in this charming place.

Today we drove to the towns of Delft and Haarlem.  First, we went to Delft, which is the home of the traditional blue and white Dutch pottery.  The town is quite charming.  It has a large town square with cobblestone streets and old brick buildings.  On the edge of the square there is a large coffee shop with probably 50 chairs outside on the courtyard, all facing the middle of the square so people can sip their expresso and watch the people.  There was a large church on the square which we visited.  Although there is at least one church in every town in The Netherlands they are not nearly as plentiful as they are in other European countries.  The Dutch are not a particularly religious society.  The remainder of the town square is filled with small souvenir shops, bakeries, fresh produce, dairy, and meat markets, as well as an abundance of cozy cafes.  We enjoyed our walk around this delightful village then got back in the car to continue our adventure in the town of Haarlem.

It is such a calm and quiet drive along the beautiful country roads to the village of Haarlem.  Although there's nothing really specific to talk about when describing this small town, it is a charming place to visit.  Once again, we were met with old cobblestone streets, brick buildings and a large town square which appeared to be the center of activity.

By far, the predominate building in town is the Great Church of St. Bavo.  It stands majestically in the center of town commanding attention from anyone who visits the area.  The first church on this site was built in the early 1300's, but construction was begun on the present building in the late 1300's after a fire ravaged the first structure.  Additions and renovations continued through the centuries until the present time.  In 1766 the magnificent organ was played by Mozart, who was 10 years old at the time.  It was also played by G.F. Handel.  The organ is nearly 30 meters high and has 5068 pipes.  While we were there the organist began to play some classical pieces so we listened to the beautiful sounds for a little while.  What a treat to hear such grand music on such a magnificent instrument.

After visiting the church and walking through the delightful town we headed back to our hotel to rest for a bit and get ready for dinner.  Once again we drove to the local beach and had a nice meal at a casual restaurant located right on the sand.  It remains quite windy and cool on the beach.  Not terribly conducive for sun bathing but lovely for a walk as long as you are bundled up well!

Today was our last day in The Netherlands and I managed to squeeze in a visit to the hairdressers.  We drove into the big city of Amsterdam to see Owen.  I had been to Owen's salon on a previous trip and was anxious to see him again.  He was able to return my bleached out hair to a more natural color and shape it so that it feels and looks much better now.  Bob walked around and explored the city (including the famous "Red Light District") while I was occupied.

Although we still appreciate the beauty of Amsterdam with its numerous canals, markets, and diverse architecture and people, we found that we now prefer the small, quiet villages with fewer people.  As we drove back to our hotel we were glad to be back in a country setting where we have a little more space, as well as a calm and restful environment.  Early tomorrow morning we will leave The Netherlands and drive to Heidelburg, Germany.  Over the next couple of days we will drive over the "Romantic Road."  Should be beautiful.  Hoping the weather is nice.  It started raining here this afternoon but since we will be driving south tomorrow we're hoping the weather will improve.