Back Home?...or maybe not!

Many of you know that in the States we live near Holland, Michigan.  Well, this weekend we were in Holland again.  We took about an hour drive to the Netherlands.  The boys thought that it was funny that we were in Holland again...although not in Michigan:)

The Netherlands is very green.  There are canals of water EVERYWHERE.  The cows and sheep are grazing on the edge of water reminding me of the picture book about the cow that couldn't get out of the canal.  We saw lots of windmills.  Some were the modern wind turbine generators.  There were also many old wooden windmills.  The boys recognized them right away and remembered the one at home by the Outlet Mall.

In the middle of the little town where we stayed.

 

In the Netherlands there are cameras quite frequently to enforce the speed on the highways.  Coming from Deutschland, you can tell immediately when you cross to the Netherlands...everyone slows down and goes the posted speed limit.  As part of the European Union, we crossed the border just like visiting another state in the US.  There was a sign on the side of the road welcoming you to the Netherlands.  No checkpoint, just drive right through.  We were noticing the different license plates on the cars.  The boys were trying to figure out where each car was from...kept them entertained for awhile.

Our place for the weekend

Liam, Alex, Carter eating in our place...yes, Dominoes in the Netherlands!:)

We drove to the coast and stayed in a Euro Camp in Wassenaar, Netherlands.  Euro Camp has parks throughout Europe.  They offer small trailers or campsites.  When you stay there, you get to spend your days in the attached amusement park.  We stayed in a three bedroom caravan.  This was the first time "camping" for the boys.  They thought it was fine...they were intrigued by the small rooms and unique use of space.

Carter, Liam, Alex boating

The amusement park was a hit.  They were excited about driving bumper boats, the monorail, riding the little train rides, the enormous sack slide.  They were even brave enough to ride the little roller coaster!!!  It helped that mommy and daddy rode, too.  Alex rode with ST...so brave.  Carter had a strong grip on Greg's arm the whole way.  Liam rode with me and was laughing:)  (Kaleb was watching with Jen - ST's pregnant mom.)  The boys were proud of themselves, but didn't need to do it again!  Greg rode some adult rides, too.  It was a nice wooded setting and a cooler day (60s) with sprinklings every so often...not one of those really hot days standing in line at Cedar Point in the bright sun and no shade!

Greg and Carter on the monorail.

The other...and perhaps favorite...activity the boys enjoyed was pedal go-carts.  They were 4-wheeled, 2-seated carts with pedals.  They got to ride the carts throughout the campground.  They didn't even notice how wet they were getting from the rain - too much fun driving and racing each other!  A little boy's dream!!!

How Kaleb spent  the day!:)

One morning we had breakfast in the little town nearby.  There was a visitor center that we went in and felt right at home- wooden shoes, "I Love Holland" souvenirs, and lots of windmills.  It was all of the souvenirs that we would find back at home!  There were even plush "wooden" shoes to be worn as slippers and Dutch costumes like we see in the Tulip Time parade in Michigan.  Pretty crazy!

We had a good time in the Netherlands.  I'm sure that we'll be heading back as there's suppose to be good shopping...even on Sundays...and items that you can find there that we don't have here in Germany (maple syrup, cheaper peanut butter).  Go Dutch!