Part 5: Fields of Green... and Red, Blue, Orange, White, and Purple.

You can’t visit Holland without experiencing the flowers. A former professor of mine mentioned that Holland is the floral gateway to the world. They grow them, ship them, and show them off better than anyone. If you are lucky enough to fly into Holland during the daylight hours of April or May, you will likely see a tulip quilt dotting the landscape. The pictures directly below are postcards; we didn't have the luxury of flying into Holland during the flower season, but they are a great example of what it looks like from the sky.

Since our good friend Phil (from England) visited us this weekend, we decided to make a day of flowers. We first stopped at the market to get a picnic lunch and made OFF to the KuekenhOF. The Kuekenhof is the most widely acclaimed floral exhibition in Holland(http://www.keukenhof.nl/).

I know we are biased, but doesn't Jacob look cute in the bottom-left picture. In my opinion, that is the picture of innocense.

The garden did mix a bit of artistic freedom with the natural beauty of the flowers. The tree above (bottom picture) is budding with white blooms, but they have added some color by attaching bath sponges to the branches. A little odd, but kind of cool too.

This is the closest we got to the "fields of color". While they aren't quite as picturesque as the postcards, they are still amazing. And guess what, the tulips haven't even really started blooming yet. Everyone says that this place will even better in 2-3 weeks. We may have to make another trip when my Mom and Aunt Sherry come visit.

Toward the back of the garden complex is a greenhouse / building called Beatrix's House (presumably dedicated to Queen Beatrix of Holland). Inside there was an incredible assortment of orchids on display. We don't know if it was a temporary or permanent exhibition, but it was incredible. We love orchids; We can't grow them (or keep them alive), but they are amazing...

That ended our time at the Keukenhof.

Phil knew of a spot on the sea near Noordwijk Aan Zee. So we headed there to end the day… It was a nice place, but quite honestly, it didn't seem to belong in Holland; miles and miles of sand dunes. It seemed odd that we could move from such lush beauty to a desert within just ~10 miles. Nonetheless, a beach is a great way to end a day.

Part 4: Cheers Mate!

Day 1: Getting to London
As luck would have it, our good friend Phil lives in London. So it was only natural for our next trip to be Great Britain to take advantage of the free lodging.

We decided to dive into this trip just as we did with Amsterdam: 100% reliance on public transportation. On the outside, it seems like a real drag --- waiting on trains, busses, and people can be frustrating. But, in this case and in most cases, it actually worked really well.

Since I planned to work in Rotterdam both Monday and Friday to conserve vacation, we decided to catch a flight to London after work Friday and from London before work on Monday. So, Amanda and Jacob met me in Rotterdam, we all hitched a ride on the bus to the airport, and off we went.

Upon arrival at London-Stansted, we took the Stansted Express to Liverpool station and met Phil at the Burger King. The four of us then jumped through 2 sub connections and made it to Phil’s apartment in West London around 10pm…

As the long day ended we hit the sack with great anticipation for the next day’s adventure. After all, we were off to see the queen, or at least some sights.

Day 2: Seeing the sights
Morning came a bit earlier than expected (thanks to Jacob) so we headed out to Westminster Abby. On a Saturday as nice as ours (65F and Sunny) we knew the popular places would be especially busy, so we tried to hit them early.

I fondly remember Westminster Abbey from my 10-day high school Euro vacation in 1992. It was the highlight of that trip and this trip as well. For me the most remarkable aspect of this sight are the graves; it is surreal to be standing right next to (or on top of) the remains of Issac Newton, Charles Darwin, Geoffrey Chaucer, Edward I (the Longshanks from Braveheart), etc. If only those walls could talk. The picture in the top middle is the front of Westminster Abbey, the picture on the bottom left is the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye (London’s big ferris wheel).
We left the Abbey and walked toward Trafalgar Square. If you remember your history, the Battle of Trafalgar was the turning point in the Napoleonic wars: a great naval victory for the British over Napoleon. Lord Nelson, the leader of the British Navy (27 ships), defeated Napoleon’s 33 ships without losing a single ship. While Lord Nelson lost his life, his achievement is memorialized with a statue of him on top of a large pillar.

Apparently, today Trafalgar square is a popular spot for protests. Within the 2-3 hours we were there, we saw a protest by Tibet against China and a protest for women's rights. Trafalgar square is conveniently located near Tony Blair’s residence at 10 Downing Street.

How can you visit London without indulging in the famed “Fish and Chips”? You can’t…. Phil knew a nice little diner (off the beaten track) that served up a great pile of fried cod fish and potatoes… Good stuff!

Because of our abbreviated stay in London and our desire to stuff as much as possible into two days, we really didn’t get a lot of time to enjoy the National Gallery. We did spend about 1.5 hours there; the first ½ hour we buzzed through the “hot-spots” and saw a few Monet water lilies, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and Da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks. The last hour was spent with a tour guide. She picked 4 paintings to discuss in extensive detail; Jacob and I lasted through one and Amanda and Phil made it through three. It was a bit more art than I was ready for. I think I will stick to the audio / fly-by tour next time.

Okay, so after 6 hours of cobblestone stomping sightseeing, we were wiped-out and needed to sit and relax for a bit. Phil recommended a stop for English Tea at St. James Park. It was wonderful. I think this is an example of the “real” value associated with living in Europe. While it is nice to see the “tourist-hotspots”, it is sometimes even better to sit in a small park and just people watch. There happened to be a lot of flowers blooming, so we snapped a few really good family pictures.


To cap off the day, we enjoyed one of London’s unique “night walks”. Because the city has so many different historical neighborhoods, many multi-themed night walking tours are hosted. Our tour was called “the Ghosts of London”, so our guide meshed fictional London ghost stories with historical facts to create lovely factional stories.

That essentially ended the day…

Day 3: Closing it down
We slept well the night before and decided to slow down the pace a bit for Sunday. Instead of the “see-everything-you-can-as-quickly-as-possible”, we focused on Lunch, Dinner, and the Tower of London.

Phil took us to a really interesting place for lunch near the Globe Theatre (made famous by Shakespeare). We again indulged in an authentic British meal: Toad in a Hole, Bangers and Mash, and Steak and Ale Pie. The carb and fat packed meal was completely fulfilling…

After our meal we sluggishly plodded toward the Tower of London. Along the way, we crossed the Thames river via the Tower Bridge (commonly mistaken as the London Bridge, but the London Bridge was sold to a business tycoon in Arizona) and passed by London’s new City Hall and Gerkin building.

Tower Bridge is absolutely beautiful, but is only ~100 years old. Most Londoners are irritated that the London Bridge (~1000 years old – remember the song – London bridge is falling down…) was sold and the Tower Bridge was preserved.
London’s current mayor (Lord Mayor of London John Stuttard) is apparently a raving liberal. He has endorsed multiple “modernization” projects that have “polluted” the skyline. I abstain from judging the decision; you can judge for yourself.
I think the Tower of London can be described in three sections: (1) the architecture, (2) the Beefeaters, and (3) executions.

The architecture is self-evident - fierce fortifications and simplistic beauty.


The Beefeaters are Guardians of the Tower. They have been housed inside the Tower of London’s walls for 522 years and are considered to be an elite unit (ok, elite may be overdoing it a bit now, but at one time). They are now the primary tour guides for the tower. Most are loud, kind, and opinionated, but all are loyal to their country.
We made friends with one Beefeater who couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved America (but, had never been) and how much he hated the current Mayor…
The executions are legendary and everyone has heard the term (hung, drawn, and quartered). I didn’t really understand what that meant until the Beefeaters explained it. Apparently, they would take a prisoner and hang him until he “almost” suffocated and then cut him down. Then they would open his belly, remove all unnecessary parts and burn them next to him (so he could watch). Finally they would decapitate him and quarter him… Quite a way to go… This method, by the way, is a much better way to go than how Edward II went. I will leave that to you as a Google search assignment.

That ended our whirlwind tour of London. That evening we dined at a nice Chinese restaurant and got ready for our early 4am wake-up call.

It was a great weekend! We got to see – (1) Westminster Abbey, (2) Houses of Parliament, (3) Big Ben, (4) Trafalgar Square, (5) National Gallery, (6) London Walk, (7) St. Paul’s Cathedral, (8) Buckingham Palace, (9) Fish and Chips, (10) Tower Bridge, and (11) Tower of London.

Part 3: The Arrival

February 22, 2007 – The Arrival

Sea freight arrived – check.
Air freight arrived – check.
Customs cleared – check.

It is time to officially move in… Movers plan to arrive on Thursday, Dustin plans on 2-days of vacation (Thursday & Friday), and Wednesday night seems like Christmas Eve. We are ready.

As with any move there are many tenuous moments: the big dresser balanced on the small man’s back, the couch grazing the wall, etc. With this move, however, it seemed a bit different.

With The Netherlands (all of Europe really), real estate is scarce. Therefore, they build their homes narrow and tall. Our home is no exception. So, when trying to move a US house into Dutch dimensions, it gets a bit tricky.
Lucky for us nothing was damaged (except for one ceiling tile) and we were able to get everything into the house (except one couch – not sure what is going to happen with it now). The movers were a little “rambunctious”, but they got the job done quickly.

Amanda and I were so excited to get our furniture, we could hardly sleep the night before; it was like Christmas Eve. We pretty much had the house was nearly set up before the movers left…
It was a good weekend. And, I think our house looks great.

Part 2: I amsterdam

February 17-19, 2007 – I AMSTERDAM

No matter how you shake it, 8 weeks without your personal furniture is a long time. With the exception to the week we stayed with friends in Houston, we have been living with just a few basic items: air bed, TV, card table / chairs (Houston), IKEA chairs (Holland), and some basic cooking and eating utensils.

To say the least, we were ready for a good night sleep. Here comes Amsterdam. One of our main goals during our stay here is to travel. Take every advantage to see Europe; we don’t know when my company will pull me back, it will help with the transition, and it will be fun. So, in the interest of achieving our primary goal (early) and sleeping in a good bed, here comes Amsterdam.

At this point we still had our rental car, but we had to turn it in that weekend. So, the general plan was to leave from Voorburg, drive to the airport and drop the car, and then use public transportation for everything else. This was our first time to really be 100% reliant on the PT system, so it was a little nerve wracking. Nonetheless, the three of us left with one suitcase, the diaper bag, and a stroller.

Remember, I still had my cast on, so I was hobbling with the stroller while Amanda was dragging an oversized / loud suitcase. To put it simply, Europe was not made for the Graco Travel System. It does not fit through the turn styles, in the train (at least not in the main cabin), or on most cobblestone sidewalks. Your first impression is probably right; we stuck out like a sore thumb.

Throughout the weekend we had a difficult time working Jacob’s schedule into ours. Simple things like bathrooms big enough to change Jacob were difficult to find. So, we had to improvise.

We did arrive at the Bilderberg Hotel at a decent time without injury or scare. After a little room service (there aren’t McDonald’s at every corner) and after Jacob was sleeping, we hit the sack and had the best night’s sleep in weeks…

For Saturday, we had four main items for the agenda: (1) Visit Anne Frank’s House, (2) Eat at the Pancake Bakery, (3) Take a canal cruise, and (4) visit the Rijksmuseum. We think pictures describe Saturday best – here is the slide show…

Anne Frank’s House – It was a small house, surreal environment, and disturbing memories of WW II. It is thoroughly amazing that she was such a good writer at her young age.

The famous Pancake Bakery – They supposedly serve the best pancakes in Holland. Neat environment, friendly service-minded staff (good service is unusual for Holland), and great food.
Canal Cruise – A little less cool than it seems. We did get a few good pictures and Jacob slept for most of it.

Rijksmuseum – As mind numbing as museums can be, when you do the audio tour it is actually quite good. There is just something exciting about being around famous artists’ paintings. It is equally cool to learn about the history behind the paintings and the artists.

At the end of the day we found a quiet little café and ate dinner. It was a good end to a long and exhausting day.

Sunday was a much slower pace; we needed a little more recovery from Saturday. We woke early (8am – early by European standard), ate a bit of breakfast, and started walking to meet Van Gogh. The museum is located near the Rijksmuseum, about a 20 minute walk from our hotel.

Big Takeaways for Van Gogh – (1) Great artists are seldom recognized while living – normally because what they are doing is new / unique, (2) Most act crazier / more eccentric than the general public, and (3) many other artists were inspired by his style.

The rest of Sunday was spent walking, talking, and looking around. The temperature was near freezing, so the walks were necessarily broken by chocoladamelk met slagroom (hot chocolate with cream) breaks.

In general, Amsterdam is a beautiful city. The architecture is beautiful, the canals are romantic, the food is good, and the people are friendly. It is too bad that its international reputation focuses on the marijuana and red light district.
We did manage to find our way back home around 6pm via public transportation (i.e. 2 trains and 1 tram later). We considered the weekend a success.

Part 1: The Departure, The House, The First Trip

February 5, 2007 - The Departure

Following an emotional weekend filled with well-wishes and good-byes, we opened the morning with a few remaining chores and a flight to catch at 3:30 pm. As expected, not all of the chores were completed and the time slipped too quickly, but we accomplished as much as we “needed” to and made our first international flight as a family of four.

Dustin, Amanda, Jacob, and Dave (the cat) were off. The European adventure began.

Really, the trip over was seamless. For a family of four (including 1 feline and 1 fractured leg), we reached Amsterdam with little trouble. Jacob flew in style with his own seat and bed (we highly recommend the bassinet seating), our bags were waiting on us at Schipol Airport, Dave didn’t die, all bags fit into the rental, and we found our hotel room…

February 6, 2007 – The New House

Remember this was Amanda’s first time on European soil, and in turn, the first time she had seen the house in person. We met our relocation service at the house, got the keys, and started moving in. This house is slightly smaller than our place in Houston (2600 ft2 to 1500 ft2), fewer bedrooms (4 to 2 and a small walk-in closet size room for Jacob), fewer bathrooms (3.5 to 1.5), and a smaller yard (.75 acres to 0 acres.). But, a house is just a shell; the life comes with the people.

We think our house is very cozy and can’t wait until our furniture arrives… We live in Voorburg, NL (just outside Den Haag).

February 6-10, 2007 – Venturing Outside the House

After the initial shock and realization that “we just moved to a different country” wore off, we ventured outside “the safe zone” (i.e. Hotel) to learn the lay of the land. The various trips included:
(1) Tax office for a SoFi number (Dutch Social Security Number for Dustin),
(2) Town Hall for official registration in Voorburg,
(3) Rijswijk for temporary resident visas for Dustin, Amanda, and Jacob (apparently Dave wasn’t good enough),
(4) Four Grocery stores to see what kind of stuff they sell (the rumors were wrong, they do carry Peanut Butter and “normal” Cereal, but we still haven’t seen Q-tips yet),
(5) IKEA (twice) to purchase some bare essential living items,
(6) Car Dealership – we just can’t go without a car, we just are not that Dutch,
(7) Bank to open an account so we could get internet,
(8) KPN for internet, cable, and phone,
(9) Mall for Amanda,
(10) T-mobile for cell phones,
(11) Open Market for flowers, fruits, vegetables, cheese, bratwursts, and some tasty stroopwafles (syrup waffles – there’s a guy there making them fresh, and they are yummy).

February 11, 2007 – The First Road Trip: A Southbound Destination

With only a map, PB&J’s, grapes, and bottled water in hand, we set out around 2pm (or 1400 hrs as it is over here) to find my new office in Rotterdam. Along the way, we decided to extend the trip by driving out of Southern Holland and into Zealand.
The trip was full of windmills - they were huge, pictures don’t show the scale, enormous and many fields and pastures - which is odd since Holland is the most densely populated country in Europe, and lots of water – the North Sea is a very scary creature – the water is incredibly choppy and violent. The towns are small, quaint, and filled with nostalgia. Most are centered around an enormous church which you can see for miles. Amanda and I think we may start a “church-book” because each is so distinctly beautiful. We stopped to take a picture of one in Welberg (pronounced Velburgk – the “gk” sounds like you are hocking a loogy).

The roads are normal, except instead of using stoplights, they use circle drives. Initially, I thought they were a waste of time, but quickly learned to like them because they avoid sitting at stoplights. They still use stoplights, but fewer than they could.

Midway through our trip and around 5pm we happened upon a town called Bergen Op Zoom (same “gk” sound for the g) and saw a lot of people dressed up in costume; hundreds in fact. Around every corner we found people dressed and walking toward the town center. We decided this was a great opportunity to see something new so we parked and started walking with them --- to somewhere. Along the way we asked a lady what was going on and she said it was the 3rd weekend of the 4 week Carnival. We asked her if it was a gathering for people to “eat and drink together” and she responded “really just drink together”. We assume it is something like Mardi Gras in New Orleans and / or Carnival in Brazil, but on a much smaller scale.


When we reached what appeared to be the final destination, we found clans of bands playing music and lots of people drinking… It was a great experience and we were lucky to find it.

On the way back to home we drove across 20-30 miles of bridges; actually they were roads built on top of the expansive levee system. It was impressive. A great drive at sunset.