Netherlands Part III

Upon leaving Amsterdam, we made a quick stop at Clara Maria Clog and Cheese Farm. It is a small working farm, specializing in shoes and cheese- and we happened to be there the same time as three large tour busses. The line to tour the cheese making facility was out the door, so we only stayed long enough to purchase a wooden tulip and eat some free samples of cheese (garlicky Gouda with sweet mustard… yum).

all the cheese!!!

 Our next stop was Efteling Park- a fairy tale based theme park that happened to be a good pit stop for the way home. Now, I am definitely not a theme park person- I hate rides (especially ones that spin) but I thought this one was geared more toward small children and LJ would have fun. Turns out, it was great!  All three of us had a great time. The park was opened in 1952, and all of the attractions are based around different fairy tales- from Little Red Riding Hood to Sleeping Beauty. Many of the attractions featured animatronic shows that played out each fairy tale as you rode through in a little cart, but there were also roller coasters, water rides, etc. Some of the characters were a bit creepy, if old puppets and that sort of thing creep you out. We enjoyed some rides together, and then LJ napped in his stroller while Corey and I took turns on different rides. We had a blast!

Marionettes

Little Red Riding Hood

this guy was a trash can- he sucked up your trash and shouted (in Dutch)  "papier here!"

a house in the fairy tale forest

one of the animatronic shows

the mushrooms were speakers playing classical music

this one creeped me out… haha!

 

Netherlands Part II

Part 2 of our trip to the Netherlands began with a drive to Amsterdam. We parked just outside of the city at a Park and Ride and hopped on a tram, hoping it was heading in the right direction. A nice Dutch man sat next to me and told us when to get off, right near the Heineken Brewery.
The Heineken Experience took us on a tour through the brewery, where you can taste some hops, barley, and plenty of beer. At the end of the tour there were some fun interactive games, and it kind of felt like we were at a hip new club- we took some pics in the photo booth and made our way out. LJ could only take so much clubbing, I guess, because by this point he was ready to go! Anyways, it was a fun experience for beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers :)

Hops and barley

the Heineken Horse Stables

 We then wandered around the streets of Amsterdam for a bit, enjoying some beautiful views of the canals that are an important part of the city. We stopped by Starbucks for an essential collector's mug, and then strolled through Vondelpark. We were then off to our next adventure: Efteling! (See Netherlands Part III)

Netherlands

Ever since we've moved to Europe, I've wanted to see the famous tulips in Holland. We decided to take advantage of time off for spring break and went on a road trip to the Netherlands. We drove 2.5 hours and made a pit stop in Tongeren, Belgium to hit up a famous antique market. We loved the flea market, and spent about an hour browsing. I purchased a Dutch cookie mold and two paintings for 20 Euro. We then drove 15 minutes further to see "Reading Between the Lines-" a sculpture in the middle of the Belgian countryside that was the perfect place for a picnic lunch.

picnic in the Belgian countryside

"Reading Between the Lines"- Borgloon, Belgium

 2.5 hours later and we reached our destination- Holiday Inn Leiden, Netherlands. We checked in and had a fine time here; it was very kid friendly with a play place and pool, and a good variety buffet for breakfast where we tried some famous Dutch pancakes. Although, we did have an issue with finding a flea on the bed- yuck (maybe it followed us from the flea market! haha bad joke)! So, we asked to switch rooms.

 Anyways, next morning we made our way to Keukenhof Gardens, where the tulips were hopefully in bloom. The gardens were huge and I would say about 60 percent of the tulips were not bloomed yet, but it was still gorgeous to stroll around. LJ napped in his stroller for most of the time which made it easier on us to enjoy the stroll!  There were displays set up throughout with windmills, Dutch girls, canals, wooden shoes, etc. The petting zoo was a highlight for LJ- he loved the baby goats and chickens!

We then made our way about 30 minutes north to an Airbnb in Zaandam. We easily met our host and checked in, then drove a short distance along the canals to Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans is an open air museum with working windmills and little shops you can tour, like the cheese and clog farm or the chocolate maker. As soon as we stepped out of the car it smelled like the most amazing chocolate and I thought we were going to see Willie Wonka himself. I also ate the most delicious waffle of my life, smothered in honey!

Zaanse Schans

the most delicious waffle ever!

Inside of a working windmill

wooden shoes for everyone!


Part II- Amsterdam and Efteling Park- coming soon!!!

Paris

Paris was good to us. We decided to take a trip to this beautiful city after our family had been visiting us in Germany this past November. Our brother in law had booked himself and my sister a nonrefundable honeymoon suite in Paris for the wrong nights- he kindly offered the reservation to us, and we were on our way!    

We took the ICE train from nearby our home, and after 2 1/2 hours of zooming through the French countryside, we arrived in Paris. I had been to the city once before, so I was prepared to use the public transit and it was only slightly less confusing the second time around. As we were going to pay for the 24 hour Metro pass, we discovered that all public transit was free for the next few days (due to the heavy volume of air pollution in the city)!  

at the train station

Somehow, we found our hotel- the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand. It surely was "le grand!" We ventured out and found our way to a Christmas market on the River Seine. We wandered around the market and enjoyed the scenery of the city. At this point it was getting late and we headed back to the hotel where we found ourselves ordering room service for dinner- first and only time I'll ever order 20 Euro chicken nuggets for LJ! 

We decided to visit the catacombs first thing the next day. When we arrived the line was not too long, and we only waited for about 30 minutes. While in line we witnessed a man being pulled out of his car into the street by a couple of police men, and listened to an argument ensue (in French of course)!  We made our way into the ticket office and ventured down a long winding stairway underground and into a series of dark tunnels. The catacombs of Paris holds the remains of about six million people- this underground cemetery was created in the 1700s as a solution to the overcrowding of cemeteries in the city. It was erie and surreal to be walking amongst millions of human remains lining the walls, and the tunnels go on for miles. 

After leaving the catacombs we wanted to visit the Louvre, so we hopped on the nearest Metro and easily got off right outside of the museum. As we went to buy our tickets, a museum employee came up to us and offered free tickets! Not sure why, but we accepted and were grateful. We saw as much as we could, including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Napoleon's apartment, before LJ started having a melt down and we decided to leave!

Venus de Milo

We explored the River Seine a bit more and went to the Eiffel Tower, but did not go to the top- an adventure for another time, maybe!  There is so much to see and do (and eat!) in Paris.

Paris was not on the top of my bucket list, but I have now been twice into the city and would go back again!

Freinsheim Blossom Festival

The Freinsheim Blossom Festival is an annual event that takes place in the medieval town of Freinsheim, surrounded by vineyards and wineries. The event allows wineries to showcase this season's wines, and allows visitors to have a taste of all the goodness. We purchased our tickets (12 Euro for 16 glasses/150ml) and had a good variety of "wet and dry" (Corey's joke)… 

There were also a few carnival rides, a bake sale, and some vendors selling homemade goods. It was a beautiful sunny day, and a cute town to just walk around with friends and take in the gorgeous surroundings!

The town's wall was constructed in the 1500s, but the town likely dates back to the 6th century!

A view a house connected to the Town Wall

An interesting street corner and Corey the juggler

After exploring the town, we took a walk through the local fruit groves of Kreuzhof Winery. We were passed by horse pulled carts carrying loads of visitors, and a colorful train shuttling visitors through the streets.

I wish I had taken a few more pics of the actual festival! Maybe we'll be back to Freinsheim :)