My Host Parents

This past weekend my host parents came to visit. I am so happy they were able to make it!! We had a great weekend…and they even helped me pack. Uwe and Andrea arrived Friday afternoon, about the same time I got back from Stavanger. I met them at Amsterdam Centraal, which was perfect, and we stored our bags and went for a canal cruise. The weather was fantastic, and quite warm, so we enjoyed the city from water level then dined on some Dutch pancakes. We were all tired so we decided to call it a day and head back to Haarlem. Upon arrival at the train station, I offered for them to take the bus, but they wanted to walk home from the train station. On that walk, I ran into some upper managers who were here for work. I didn’t even realize they were in town, but it was good to chat a bit with them.

On Saturday we decided it was a Haarlem day. We saw some sights that I had not yet seen (churches and markets) then headed to the beach. We didn’t get there till around 3 but it was probably just as well because it gave enough time for the mass crowds to leave. It was still busy since the weather was so wonderful but the traffic and parking was tolerable. I also managed to suffer my first sunburn of the season on my back side so now my back and back of my legs are about 2 shades darker than the front side. I guess I will have to try and correct that while at the lake for a few days. After the lake, we made it back to Haarlem in time to see America loose our soccer game. What a sad 2 hours of my life.

On Sunday we headed into Amsterdam. The original plan was the Van Gogh museum, but we decided to take a bus tour of the city and see some other sights and learn little known facts. One of these facts: on average 1 car per week ends up in the canals. We were also able to go to another big market that is open every day. I went to more markets last weekend than my entire time here, combined. They do sell some pretty good things! After touring the city for awhile we came back to my apartment to pack and watch Germany kick England’s butt in soccer. The packing has gone so easy thus far I’m worried. It seems too good to be true. I guess I’m not done yet, though.

Me, Uwe, and Andrea on the bus during our tour around Amsterdam. It was a double decker.

I am really going to miss this country!


They definitely know how to support soccer! It is a ton of fun watching it in this country.

The crowded beach at Zandvoort. Only a week before it was stormy and full of foam. This is much better!

Uwe & Andrea in front of the St. Bravo church in Haarlem. I had seen pictures of this place but this was the first time I had "found" it.

A Day on the Beach

Welcome to Zandvoort. It is a beach town that is only 15 minutes away. Very nice. Kelly and I decided to go check it out. We wanted to see it in the winter with snow. Well there wasn't a lot of snow left, but you can see little patches of it. It was windy and cold but sunny. The most sun we have seen since moving here. It is a cute town with lots of shops and restauraunts. It was a pretty happenin' place today, a cold Sunday in January, I can only imagine what it is like on a warm weekend in the summer. We will have to come check it out!

I was a little jealous Kelly has the cute ear warmer. My ears were a bit cold today, but I lived. It was exciting to have a reason to wear our sunglasses. Zandvoort is the closest beach town to Amsterdam which is what makes it so popular. It is also home to the largest nude beach in Holland. We didn't venture down that way, but something tells me there probably wasn't anyone there today. It was a warm 5C (41F).

Kelly hasn't had a Dutch pancake yet so there was a little restauraunt right by the beach. After strolling around a bit seeing what else is around, we decided on the pancake place. It was small and cute and decked out in a pirate fashion with cannons and all. There were also a TON of kids there. They have a little play land for the kids with little cars they can ride and push with their feet. Well I guess small children don't understand a limited play space so there were kids on cars doing laps around the restauraunt. They better be happy I'm not in charge, I might have eliminated a few of the "wonderful" children. Anyways, the above picture is my ham and cheese pancake.

Kelly decided to get the chicken satay. I have never had satay before so that was neat to be able to try it with the peanut sauce. We definitely shared so we got the best of both worlds and still had plenty of left overs. We also had a great little bowl of onion soup to warm us up a bit. Besides their service being terribly slow, it was a great meal!

After our huge dinner we needed to walk around. That is when we were able to check out the town, the shops, and all of the cute cafes and other restauraunts that were around. We found a few we want to check out on our next trip. It is so close, we will definitely have to take advantage of it more often. We also found some restauraunts on our way there we want to check out. It's a good thing that Kelly and I have very similar eating preferences...and the fact that we like everything! We finshed out our day by watching the sun set at the beach. Can't ask for more!

We weren't entirely sure where we parked our car but we found it with no major problems. The fun part came though, trying to pay for parking. We found the machine and it was 13 Euro for the day. We get up to the machine, put our card in, and go to put money in. Turns out that the machine doesn't accept bills, only change. We don't know how to get the ticket back out of the machine, there is a line forming behind me, everyone staring at me wondering why I can't figure out the simple machine. Kelly got change from a cashier and we finally got the ticket paid and went back to our waiting car. A fun (cold) day on the beach!!