One Step at a Time: Amsterdam...Canals, Windmills, Bicycles, Tulips...Wonderful!

Wow! Each time we take a trip, I think "This was the BEST trip!" then, the next one is even better! We had an awesome time! God paved the way with surprises and fun more than we could have imagined. We had no idea when we booked our tickets that we would be arriving on Queen's Day, a huge national holiday in The Netherlands. There were people everywhere, and it was a sea of orange! The canal, the park, the streets were full of people! Everyone was so friendly, and just having a great time, but not offensively like I was afraid it would be! Perfect!

The next day we went to Anne Frank's Hiding Place! To imagine two families hiding in the close quarters of an attic, having to be quiet while people worked in the same building, never going outside...how were they able to endure? I honestly don't know! That afternoon, we went to Keukenhof Gardens! Oh my goodness, the tulips and the garden itself were BEAUTIFUL!!! God's creation was definitely showing off! It is a 30+ acre garden with several inside displays, plus tulips, hyacinth, and other "beauty" outside. There are literally fields of tulip crops, just like fields of cotton where we grew up! From the air, while we were landing, we saw huge "flags" on the ground of color...they were tulip fields!!!

Our trip to Brugge, Belgium was wonderful too! It was a three hour drive on a tour bus there and back, but we were able to see the countryside, which was so pretty! It reminded us of Upstate New York. Brugge is a town that has beautiful old buildings, lovely canals, delicious CHOCOLATE, and gorgeous Belgium lace! It was a great side trip!

Our last day was my favorite I think. I'm not sure...it's hard to top the tulips! We went to the Van Gogh Art Museum to begin our day. They have a large collection of pieces by Van Gogh. What a very talented man! He was always one of Ben's favorites. And, Larry really enjoys art museums as well. It's fun seeing things you think your children would enjoy...like the museum for Ben, the tulips for Emily, the market for David, and Queen's Day for Luke! They would have all loved this trip!

Then, the rest of the day, we just enjoyed the city! We took a canal ride, walked through the Red Light District, and enjoyed a park. For dinner, we met the sister of a friend from Dubai! We enjoyed so much visiting with her and her husband...hearing how it is to live in Amsterdam, and enjoying a "brown" cafe. So fun!

The next morning before we left, we went to a market! Another unplanned surprise that was the BEST! It was the perfect end to our trip!

There were hundreds (at least) of bicycles! The traffic was crazy! At times when we were walking, we had to watch for the tram, taxis/cars, bicycles, busses...all moving in different directions on different paths!

We are so thankful to have been able to go to Amsterdam! God had such nice surprises in store for us, and guided us One Step at a Time!