Back to Groningen

Monday brought us back to another train to make our way from Den Haag to Groningen.  It was a wonderful weekend and it is always sad when a holiday comes to an end...but I had some beautiful scenery along the way.  Did I mention how much I LOVE windmills??:)

 It was a beautiful sunny day and it was even still sunny outside when we got home to our front door and it was actually hailing while the sun was out!!  You gotta love this Dutch weather!!:)

Hail on our welcome mat

Doei!:)

Easter Sunday

On Easter morning, my very own personal morning daisy was up early to make our traditional Resurrection rolls.:)

 And while they were baking, it was time to follow the clues the easter Bunny had left around the flat to find the easter baskets he brings every year.:)

 Lots of clues hidden all over the flat...

 And then, the baskets were found!!!

 I think they were pretty happy with the goodies the bunny left for them.:)

 Then, it was time to feast on the special Easter rolls.:)

 Of course, we had to take a few pictures before heading off to church...

 We went to Easter Mass at the Roman Cathoic Church of Our Savior...

 It was a beuatuful service complete with a baby being baptized and a little boy making his first communion.  The Hague has a huge internatinal community and it was so neatto see so many people from all over the world gathered together in one place.:)

Of course, no Easter would be complete without our tradiional Easter Egg hunt!!!

Picture courtesy of Elizabeth.:)

 That evening, we were off to a Mexican restaurant ( yes,.that's right... A Mexican restaurant in The Hague).  it had one of the best steaks I have ever had!!!:)

 A few pictures from around The Hague...

J's favorite pose...the Dab:)

This is where I feel I am living most of the time!!:)

So happy we could spend such a great Easter in such a great city.:)

Easter Weekend - Day 2

 Saturday morning brought us back to the Tram Station in Den Haag to head to the main train station...

Heading back on the train!:)

 
 And this time, our destination was Amsterdam!:)  Along the way, I had my camera out to capture some pictures of the Dutch countryside rolling past us ...

These little sheds dot all over the countryside.  They are garden sheds and people rent plots of land to grow their own gardens.:)

Lots of cows..for all that Dutch Cheese!

And lots of sheep!

And what train ride wouldn't be complete without a game of Simon Says?!

Love , Love Love all the windmills!:)

 And the best surprise of all was getting to see all of the beautful flowers blooming!!!!

Houseboats along the canals....

 And then we arrived in Amsterdam:)

Pic in front of the station.:)

Saint Nicholas Basilica

Dam Square

Love all the Canal houses:)

stopped to do a bit of shopping ( and snacking ) at an open market:)

 Then, it was a stop at a great Moroccan restaurant..... with a surprise for the kids after lunch...

Then, to the Rijksmuseum...

 Guy found an app called "Family quest" for the Rijksmuseum and downloaded it to all of our electronic devices.  It was a really neat way for the kids to also explore the museum and for all of us to learn a bit of trivia as well!:)

Heading off to see Rembrandt's "The Night Watch"...

 Did you know that there is a trap door that the painting can fall into in case of an emergency so it will not be damaged??!!! We learned that on our quest!:)

 We also learned about a gun that doubled as a sword incase you ran out of gun powder!:)

Elizabeth posing in a remake of vermeer's "The Milkmaid"

 Loved seeing many of vermeer's paintings here.  He was from Delft.  We were able to visit that small town back in November..

One of my favorite paintings done by Vermeer

 Love this picture of Jeremy learning about the real use of what we all thought was a gravy boat!!!:)

 Turns out it is really a chamber pot!!!!!

 Lots of fun pictures at the I Am Amsterdam sign!:)

 Pretty pictures from around Amsterdam...

 Then, a stop off at the Anne Frank House.  The kids were actually here when they were much smaller...you can see them if you click here.  It is such a humbling experience to go there and see where this brave girl lived two years of her life in hiding..

 And then, we were back on the train with some lovely views on our way back to Den Haag...

A wonderful day planned by my very favorite trip planner in the world...my hubby!:)