The Netherlands Day Two, Amsterdam

We decide to take public transportation to spend the day in Amsterdam. First, we had a short bus trip and then got on the train. We started really early and walked a ton! We tried to go to the Anne Frank House first, but the line was sooo long we just kept wandering along—just walking through the city and exploring the streets. We went to the Rijks Museum first. We saw some  Vermeers, Rembrandts and Van Goghs. I liked the museum, but it was a little too crowded for my tastes.

Eric, Bianca and Portia in front of the Rijks Museum

In front of the Rijks Museum

In the Rijks Museum

Yes, it's a four-story library

Portia in front of a Van Gogh

We decided to find a place to each lunch—we were walking around for a while and we stumbled upon The Pantry.  I'm so glad we did! It was the perfect traditional Dutch food we were looking for. I had the fried goat cheese, a cauliflower pie with potatoes and cheese and mini pancakes for dessert. It was really amazing! Best dinner in The Netherlands for sure.

Traditional Dutch Food at The Pantry in Amsterdam

We went back to the Anne Frank House after lunch; Eric and Portia waited in line (free wi-fi while you wait) while Bianca and I did a bit of shopping. We aw a vintage dress shop but I didn't buy anything because we had less time than we realized. Bianca and I had both read The Diary of Anne Frank while we were in France and it was so important that we went in. It was a sad, sobering place but it was cool to see the place where it all happened. I tried not to tear up but seeing Anne's postcards on the wall made it so real. We didn't realize until we were signing the guest book that it was Anne's birthday! It made it really sweet to have gone.

In front of the street where Anne Frank lived

Next we rented a paddleboat and went all around the canals. That was a serious leg workout. We were pretty beat after that.

Paddle-boating in the canals of Amsterdam

The back seat of the paddleboat in Amsterdam

We tried to do a little more shopping but I'd had enough. We took the train, then the bus back to Noordwijk. Amsterdam really was picturesque and I'm so glad we made it there, even if it was just for a day. This was our last night in The Netherlands—It was sad it had to come to an end! I really loved it there.

Just a couple other pictures of beautiful Amsterdam . . .

The Netherlands Day One, Noordwijk

Because Eric wasn't feeling well, we decided to stay around Noordwijk and take it easy today. We slept in, ate breakfast at HEMA (it's IKEA but with clothes and lots more than just house stuff) and did a bit of shopping. I bought this cute tye-dye crochet top, Bianca got a new sweater and Portia got a koala Littlest Pet Shop. Then we bought beach towels and hung out at the beach all day.

Portia playing in the waves

One of the many jellyfish on shore at the beach in Noordwijk

I wanted to sleep but Portia was up and down, in and out of the water so I had to keep on eye on her. We ate at a restaurant on the beach for lunch, called "Blu Beach." It wasn't my favorite (I think I just had a salad) but the view was nice.

Blu Beach in Noordwijk

We also went for gelato afterwards, then Eric and Bianca went grocery shopping and Portia and I headed back to the beach (she just couldn't get enough). We all got plenty of sun, though, because we have a sun burns. But this definitely beats all the rain we had in Ireland and France.

We had a small dinner at a cafe in town.

A nice, relaxing beach day...

Here are a couple pics I took of the girls on the bench in front of the house where we're staying.

Our cute beach house only 100 meters from the sand

The living room of our cute beach house

Regretfully, I did not take pictures of any doors today . . . so I've decided to whet your appetite with a door from tomorrow's adventure. Can you guess our next stop?

Leaving France, Entering Holland (Delft and Noordwijk)

This morning, we packed up, stripped the beds and left France. First, we stopped in Hesdin one last time because Bianca had seen some shoes in the store window the first night and wanted to try them on. Unfortunately, they didn't have her size, but I ended up with a new pair of sandals. I'm in love! We also stopped at a Boulangerie for pastries. Mine was a flat, twisted chocolate pastry. So good!

One last door in France (Hesdin)

Then we drove. I liked France, but that house was horribly uncomfortable and I'm pretty sure there is some kind of creature (or ghost) living in the attic as one night, I woke up from a scratching in the ceiling. Plus, the house was so humid it felt like we were getting into wet sheets every night. Bianca couldn't tune her viola last night, it was so humid.

We drove through Belgium. I'm not impressed with Belgium; it looks so industrial, with none of the charm of France. Then we drove into The Netherlands. Within a mile of entering the country, things stopped looking industrial and were just beautiful. Windmills, flowers, charming everything. We stopped in Delft on the way. Delft is where Vermeer (who painted Girl with a Pearl Earring) was from. It's also famous for Delftware (the blue-and-white pottery). It was a gorgeous old city.

In Delft town center (Stadhuis)

Cathedral in Delft town center

We had lunch at Grand Cafe Willem van Oranje. I had schnitzel but the girls had pancakes (Bianca's had bacon and apples), Portia had mini pancakes with Ice (which I know now is actually dessert). Portia did love her meal and rightfully so! Eric had this amazing seafood dish that I wished I had ordered. It was raining while we ate but we sat out in the Delft market square under the umbrellas and ate.

One of the pretty canals in Delft, with lilypads

We shopped a little after lunch. I ended up buying a rain jacket in a second-hand store because it was raining. I also got Bianca a pair of high-tops she wanted.

After a couple hours, we continued our drive to Noordwijk, a beautiful coastal city where we're staying. Our little house is snug but so nice! So much better than our last house. The owner had put fresh peonies in a vase (it's almost as if he know how sad I was that I was missing my own peonies blooming back home) an a box of Dutch cookies.

Eric wasn't feeling well so he laid down while Portia, Bianca and I walked on the beach (which is a short walk from our house). They're always picking at shells! This was odd, though, because the beach was strewn with tons of jellyfish.

We unpacked and got situated. Portia and Bianca have bunkbeds.

We broke open the box of Dutch cookies and went to bed.

Doors of Delft

The Doors of Paris

Of course, there were a million amazing doors in Paris, so I decided to dedicate an entire post to the awesome doors. My girls were pretty good sports the entire trip and ended up fighting over some of their favorite doors at times. Here are the highlights.

We think this is a door...