The next week on St. Patrick's day I met the girls from York at the London Bridge station to go to Gatwick airport. We tried to sleep there to no avail. Our flight left at 6:15 to Amsterdam where we were going to meet Nikki and Hilary who had got there a day earlier from the States. Running on pure adrenaline, we traipsed around Amsterdam wide-eyed. It wasn't how I pictured it, and the dreariness probably didn't help, but it was still pretty awesome. We were starving for some Dutch pannekoeken (pancakes) and poffertjes, the most delicious thing in the world, so after plenty of walking we happened upon a cute little cafe along a canal. After satisfying our appetites we made our way to Anne Franks house. There was quite the line but we stood in it graciously as we reminisced about the Calvin days. The museum was really interesting. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one in the family who survived and the exhibits were made according to his orders. The the house was not to be furnished so it was easier to walk through. We saw Anne's actual diary's so that was cool.
Nikki, Kaitlin, Jessie and I went off to Den Haag after that to stay with Nikki's cousin. I really enjoyed walking through that city. The next day we went to Leiden which was the cutest and most quaint Dutch town. It had tons of canals and little alley ways with shops. We also got to walk through the very busy market running through the streets full of scrumptious treats, fresh vegetables and fruits, and all sorts of interesting fashion. I, of course, had to stop at the candy and get a bag of Dutch treats for myself :) Stroopwaffles were also purchased by almost everyone in our group. Sean, a Calvin grad getting his masters at Leiden University, was our tour guide and we got to rest up at his place for a bit. Grace, Karie and Jessie resided there for the weekend. We went on a small walking tour and got to see Rembrandt's house and place of birth. The house led us to the Rhine river where we of course had to take a picture "Over the Rhine". That in turn led us to a beautiful little windmill that we got to climb up into and peer out.
We also surprisingly encountered a small parade that was for the International Day Against Racism. After meandering about the city we got some groceries and had a lovely picnic in the park. That wrapped up our glorious day in Leiden and ended the night takin it easy in Den Haag.
The next day was spent in Delft. It was Sunday so not much was open, especially as early as we had gotten there. But it was wonderful to walk lazily around in the sunshine strolling along canals and admiring old Dutch architecture. We went the the center square of the town and did some souvenir shopping and got some beautiful Delft gifts for the parents :) I went to the Vermeer museum by myself and that was educational yet lacking in any of his original work. I joined the girls at a outdoor cafe and we bathed in the sunshine while eating toasties and pannekoeken once again.
We headed back to Den Haag and regrouped at Nikki's cousins house. We decided that 3 of us would ride bikes to the beach while the others took a tram. Hilary, Jessie and I decided to try and conquer this task which started off a bit rocky. We may have almost gotten ran over by cars and yelled at by Dutch natives but once on the right road it was practically smooth sailing. Their very different street signs and rules were difficult to navigate and follow to say the least. Great experience all in all! We met the other girls and Hilary's distant relatives joined up with us to show us around. We walked down the boardwalk at Scheveningen beach which was quite enjoyable and nice to feel the North Sea breeze. We all tried pickled herring which was disgusting because I hate fish.. and had some gelato to wash it down. After the beach walk we headed back to where Hilary had been residing at her relatives house to have a traditional Dutch meal. While it was being prepared the girls and I were trying to learn Dutch from the oldest daughter but all failed miserably which she found hilarious. It was sausage, mashed potatoes with cabbage, another dish with sausage, cheese, vegetables, and mashed potatoes, and much more. It was soooo very good and had a delectable dessert, homemade by the youngest daughter.
Our last day in the Netherlands was spent in Amsterdam. We had a quick lunch upon arrival and went on a delightful canal cruise. The house boats we saw were cool to look at and the architecture was awesome to see from canal as well. We did some short souvenir shopping and hung out in Dam's square for awhile. Then we relaxed at a corner pub and had a Heineken as the sun set. That concluded our wonderful trip to our very own Motherland :)
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