They met us at the port. We had been waiting for several months to see these two. It was so exciting, and we couldn't wait to get started. They took us straight to our hotel, we dropped off our bags, then headed on over to their pad.
They looked great, and we started talking immediately about our plans. We were excited to have blue sky and sunshine, because those were two things we weren't expecting. Of course, my travel plans always revolve around where we are going to eat next. Their place is about a half-block away from this canal. They are on the third level, that is considered the second floor in Europe, so they have great views of the city from their flat.
There was a prompt reenactment of how these two would act in the man cave at home. Manners lacking, but they did make the effort to use coasters.
As is always the case with our fam, the guys provide the drama. Or lack thereof.
I can only attempt to describe this cup of hot chocolate prepared by the young Mrs.
It was the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever had. Maybe it's because I didn't prepare it myself, you know how that is sometimes? But I had been hunting a fabulous cup of hot chocolate since we hit Switzerland 10 days earlier, and I had completely struck out. And here's the deal... possibly every human being in the world has heard of this except me, but she prepared the hot chocolate, then put a York Peppermint Pattie in the bottom of the cup, smashing, crushing and stirring it until it dissolved. She didn't tell me that's what she did, so when I tasted it, I about fainted -- it was THAT good. We promptly started talking about all the things we could do and wanted to do and what we could skip. We weighed the options of what would be open and when since it was the week of Christmas. Surprisingly, there were several restaurants and other things open on Christmas Day. A bit disturbing, really. The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day. It is treated as much of a holiday as Christmas is. I only know that they celebrate Boxing Day in many parts of the world, and if you want to know what it is, you will have to Google it. It was one of those things that I just thought, "meh -- doesn't matter. What's open for lunch?"
So our tour guides led us out into the beautiful day to roam about the streets and get our bearings. They live in Haarlem, which is about 10 or so miles from Amsterdam city limits. Their community is considered small, but for a town of over 100,000 -- there were people everywhere. You can't tell from this picture. They were in the city square, and if you have ever been to this part of the world, city squares don't usually look this empty. It's not like it was 10 degrees below zero. It was 45-50 fahrenheit, and there was no wind. The church in the background is almost always open. It is known as De Nieuwe Kerk, "the new church." Look at the natural wood on the ceiling. The tower was built in 1613, and the church itself was replaced by a newer design completed in 1649.
It was truly a huge structure with remarkable detail inside and out.
I had to go in for a close up of that organ. Absolutely beautiful.
We considered going there for a Christmas Eve service, but after finding out
it was all in Dutch, we opted out. :(
These signs were a bit easier to read than our previous sign experiences in Germany and France. Looks pretty easy to get around, doesn't it? Well, it was. English is very accepted in the Netherlands. While most citizens speak Dutch or Flemish, if you indicate you speak English, they are happy to speak that with you. Gant's graduate program is totally presented in English. Good for him, not so good for the girl from Russia, the girl from Brazil, or the guy from France who speaks no English. Well, maybe he does now, but since Gant can speak French, he has been able to help him somewhat. If he is reading this, he is probably rolling his eyes. I read minds. "Mom, I am not fluent in French. Stop it." Whatev, Gant.
