Volendam

Yesterday we spent a few hours in Volendam. This is a Roman Catholic fishing village right on the IJsselmeer in North Holland. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. We had a very windy and rainy day along the water. This kept our trip short, but we did pick up a few souvenirs. One of which is a picture of us dressed in traditional Dutch clothes. I also bought a pair of wooden shoes! We had coffee, hot chocolates and lunch in the harbor before heading back home. It was a nice day out, just wish the sun would have come out!

Zuiderzee Museum

October break is upon us. Since we are not going away on holiday, we decided to day trip up north. We drove to Enkhuizen, where we hopped on a ferry over to the Zuiderzee Museum. This is an outdoor museum of a typical Dutch fishing town from many years ago. As you stroll through the town you can go into a shoe maker shop, see how brooms were made, walk through a fisherman's shipyard, and even stop off at the town school for a writing lesson. The town church wasvery simple and looked more like a town hall then a church. There were cows and sheep wondering about. Many boats on the sea to see as well as boats on the canals that ran through the town. We had a beautiful day as the sun was shining the entire time. The kids loved it! It was a nice get away for the day.

London Baby!

Last weekend I was able to get away for 4 days with my neighbor Melissa. We took the train from Holland to Brussels, then under the water over to London. It was a nice change from flying. Our first night there was a little rainy, but that didn't stop us (we are used to living in the Netherlands). We went to see the Houses of Parliment, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We also had fish and chips at a near by English Pub for dinner. Then on Saturday we got up bright and early for our 12 hour Harry Potter tour. We started our tour at Stonehenge. The sun was out and we were one of the first groups in. We then went to Lacock, Oxford, and ended back in London. Our tour guide was great and full of information. Sunday we got some great pictures with sun and clear sky's. We went to Buckingham Palace, saw the Horse Guard parade, and toured the Tower of London. Then we walked along the river to Covent Garden. We ended our day with a traditional Sunday roast in another pub. We had a great time. London is one of my favorite cities I have seen so far while living over here.