We were half way through our trip in the US when we decided we would go to the Netherlands for a few days after returning to Germany, and after a day back in Heidelberg, we started planning a trip for the following weekend! Everything was very spontaneous and not well planned, but it was a lot more fun that way. :)
First, we coordinated with the Erasmus friends we knew living in the Netherlands, then figured out we could meet them both in the same region, and booked a room on www.airbnb.com in den Haag. The flaw in our plan was expecting that we could take Fabian’s grandma’s car for the weekend. Two days before the trip, Fabian’s dad said we shouldn’t take the car because the locks don’t work well and it wasn’t good to drive it in the snow (it’s an older car, and it does make weird noises sometimes…), so we should look for train tickets. Well. the train was going to cost about 350€, and I said to rent a car for a fraction of the price instead!
Day 1: We woke up at ass o’clock to finish packing, then Fabian went to pick-up the rental car. The first thing he says when he gets back is, "There was a problem with our reservation and we didn’t get a car." My reaction was “WHAT??!!!” until I realized that he was just pulling my leg. But there really was a problem with the reservation—they didn’t have the car we reserved, so they gave us a BMW 320. Ha! At first, we both felt a little bit ridiculous, but after 100 km it was just fun. It was definitely the fanciest car I’ve been in.
We set off, realizing an hour in that we forgot to bring our Christmas money, and had no cash. Oops! We also didn’t have a map, and only had directions to the house we were staying at, but not to Delft, which we were going to visit on the way. However, as luck would have it, we were in a fancy BMW and navigation was included! Crisis averted.
Emma was really happy in the car, even though she is a bit big for her car seat (we need to hurry up and buy the bigger size!). I was worried she was uncomfortable, but she was able to sleep for a few hours and didn’t complain too loudly, so I guess it was okay.
***
We started our vacation with a visit to Delft. Delft is a smaller city (~100k people) in southeast Netherlands. Fabian had picked a random parking lot vaguely near the center from the navigation thing, and we drove a very roundabout way through the city through really small curvy streets to get there.
Emma was very excited to get out of the car and see something, and we decided to find a cafe where we could enjoy a coffee and cake to kick-off our vacation.
I was concentrating on keeping Emma occupied so she wouldn’t start crying, and Fabian was on the lookout for a cafe. We passed seven or so before I just picked one (Thuis In) because Emma was getting too heavy. The cafe was a funny split-level place with the kitchen in the lower level, bakery on the main level, and a few tables on the upper level. The cafe man greeted us then asked what he could get for us. We said we wanted to stay for coffee, and he said, “Okay, I have some toys your baby can play with if you want to sit upstairs.” Fabian was amazed! (He is used to being greeted with disdain when entering bakeries/cafes with small children in Germany.) So, after five hours in the car, Emma finally had her chance to crawl around and unwind. We ordered cappuccinos, Fabian picked out some funny cakes, and we sat in the cafe for an hour.
We walked around Delft for two hours and saw some interesting/strange/pretty things including a hobo snowman, and posts lining a public square that looked like swastikas from the top (awkward!). The city is quite gorgeous, and looks especially beautiful at night all lit up.
Eventually, we left Delft and drove to Den Haag, and had a relatively easy time finding our host’s flat. We had a hard time figuring out where to park though, and had to wait for the guy to come downstairs to show us where to go.
Our airbnb hosts were a very nice Iranian family. They were very welcoming, and enjoyed playing with Emma. :)
***
Day 2: Our second day in the Netherlands we explored Den Haag. We had a late start—I was up for three hours at 3:30a because of a stuffy nose and the whole not being able to breathe made it hard to continue sleeping. We weren’t out of the house until after 11:30a and set off for a very cold walk to the central station to meet Matea and Krzysztof. (They live in the northern part of the Netherlands, but were coming to the south for a day to visit some Polish friends, and since we were there at the same time, we all hung out together.)
We met up around 12:30p, and decided it was very cold and their friends took us to a funny bar/restaurant called Pavlov, where we had tea and sandwiches. Emma was happy to be out of her snow suit and was jumping around for a while. She did take a nap before we left the restaurant, which made me very happy since she was acting cranky and exhausted.
After lunch, we walked around in the center, made our way to the Escher Museum (he’s the guy with the crazy perspective art and tessellations). The museum was cool, and on the top floor there was an interactive exhibit with lots of space for Emma to crawl around. The security woman was entertained until we were in the regular exhibit area and Emma was babbling very loudly, so I went to the coat check area to wait for everyone else.
Next, we continued walking in the cold, which wouldn’t have been so bad if the wind wasn’t as extreme. We saw the castle, then the group split up because Emma needed to sleep again and it just wasn’t working to stay outside anymore.
We stopped in a cafe so I could feed Emma, she passed out, and we walked around looking for a place to eat dinner. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant (NL has amazingly delicious Mexican food compared to a lot I’ve had in Europe!), and Fabian was getting frustrated going out for dinner with Emma because she was waking up and it was becoming an ordeal. But, the waiters were all smiling at Emma and waving as they passed, and it wasn’t a big deal at all. We enjoyed a delicious dinner complete with yummy and overpriced cocktails.
***
Day 3: We had big plans for our last day in the Netherlands. First we wanted to see the coast, then we were going to Rotterdam to see Robbie. We left our hosts around 10:00a, and drove to Monster to see the coast, and a windmill.
The closer we got to the coast, the windier it became, and by the time we walked from our car to the becah, I couldn’t feel my face, legs, hands, or neck. I’m extremely glad that I had a sleeping Emma in the carrier with a big blanket around her to save her from the wind. But, I think she was still effected because she woke up to scream a few times after there was an extra strong gust of wind. Before the wind it was –4° C (25° F), and I don’t know what the temperature was with a wind chill… All I can say is that it was FREAKING COLD!
From Monster, we drove to Rotterdam. We arrived in Rotterdam at the Park and Ride around noon, then took the train to the central station. The original plan was that we would walk around for an hour and a half before meeting Robbie, but it was snowing, windy, and extra gross, so we stayed in the train station and had coffee and tea, and funny ham and cheese sandwiches (extra cheesy, topped with cheese).
We met Robbie, and he took us around Rotterdam to a cool restaurant (De Machinist) where we tried kroket, to Delftshaven, the historic part of Rotterdam that survived WWII (and I saw a second windmill!), the cube houses, and to a fun marine-themed restaurant where we had drinks and Dutch pancakes. Mmm!
Robbie tried SO HARD to win Emma over, and he came so close! She is still very cautious of people she’s never met, which is a good thing, but it can be so frustrating for our friends/family who want to give Emma some love and she’s not at all interested. This picture was after Robbie tried holding Emma, and she crawled right back into Papa’s lap…
After pancakes, we went our separate ways and went back to the car to start driving to Heidelberg.
***
I had a great time visiting friends in the Netherlands, and I definitely want to go back when it is warmer (I’ve only been to NL in January), so I can see tulips, and, of course, more windmills!
After this visit, I am very curious to learn a bit more about the Dutch language. It is a crazy combination of German and English, and I find it fun to listen to. Matea was telling us a little bit about her Dutch-learning experience, and said that you really have to think.
For example, counting to ten, it sounds more German, but then there are 5, 7, and 10 that sound more English (that Dutch ‘ij’ combination makes a similar sound to an English i):
Anyway, off my linguist rant. I had a wonderful time, and hope to visit the Netherlands again soon!
First, we coordinated with the Erasmus friends we knew living in the Netherlands, then figured out we could meet them both in the same region, and booked a room on www.airbnb.com in den Haag. The flaw in our plan was expecting that we could take Fabian’s grandma’s car for the weekend. Two days before the trip, Fabian’s dad said we shouldn’t take the car because the locks don’t work well and it wasn’t good to drive it in the snow (it’s an older car, and it does make weird noises sometimes…), so we should look for train tickets. Well. the train was going to cost about 350€, and I said to rent a car for a fraction of the price instead!
Day 1: We woke up at ass o’clock to finish packing, then Fabian went to pick-up the rental car. The first thing he says when he gets back is, "There was a problem with our reservation and we didn’t get a car." My reaction was “WHAT??!!!” until I realized that he was just pulling my leg. But there really was a problem with the reservation—they didn’t have the car we reserved, so they gave us a BMW 320. Ha! At first, we both felt a little bit ridiculous, but after 100 km it was just fun. It was definitely the fanciest car I’ve been in.
We set off, realizing an hour in that we forgot to bring our Christmas money, and had no cash. Oops! We also didn’t have a map, and only had directions to the house we were staying at, but not to Delft, which we were going to visit on the way. However, as luck would have it, we were in a fancy BMW and navigation was included! Crisis averted.
Emma was really happy in the car, even though she is a bit big for her car seat (we need to hurry up and buy the bigger size!). I was worried she was uncomfortable, but she was able to sleep for a few hours and didn’t complain too loudly, so I guess it was okay.
***
We started our vacation with a visit to Delft. Delft is a smaller city (~100k people) in southeast Netherlands. Fabian had picked a random parking lot vaguely near the center from the navigation thing, and we drove a very roundabout way through the city through really small curvy streets to get there.
Emma was very excited to get out of the car and see something, and we decided to find a cafe where we could enjoy a coffee and cake to kick-off our vacation.
I was concentrating on keeping Emma occupied so she wouldn’t start crying, and Fabian was on the lookout for a cafe. We passed seven or so before I just picked one (Thuis In) because Emma was getting too heavy. The cafe was a funny split-level place with the kitchen in the lower level, bakery on the main level, and a few tables on the upper level. The cafe man greeted us then asked what he could get for us. We said we wanted to stay for coffee, and he said, “Okay, I have some toys your baby can play with if you want to sit upstairs.” Fabian was amazed! (He is used to being greeted with disdain when entering bakeries/cafes with small children in Germany.) So, after five hours in the car, Emma finally had her chance to crawl around and unwind. We ordered cappuccinos, Fabian picked out some funny cakes, and we sat in the cafe for an hour.
We walked around Delft for two hours and saw some interesting/strange/pretty things including a hobo snowman, and posts lining a public square that looked like swastikas from the top (awkward!). The city is quite gorgeous, and looks especially beautiful at night all lit up.
Eventually, we left Delft and drove to Den Haag, and had a relatively easy time finding our host’s flat. We had a hard time figuring out where to park though, and had to wait for the guy to come downstairs to show us where to go.
Our airbnb hosts were a very nice Iranian family. They were very welcoming, and enjoyed playing with Emma. :)
***
Day 2: Our second day in the Netherlands we explored Den Haag. We had a late start—I was up for three hours at 3:30a because of a stuffy nose and the whole not being able to breathe made it hard to continue sleeping. We weren’t out of the house until after 11:30a and set off for a very cold walk to the central station to meet Matea and Krzysztof. (They live in the northern part of the Netherlands, but were coming to the south for a day to visit some Polish friends, and since we were there at the same time, we all hung out together.)
We met up around 12:30p, and decided it was very cold and their friends took us to a funny bar/restaurant called Pavlov, where we had tea and sandwiches. Emma was happy to be out of her snow suit and was jumping around for a while. She did take a nap before we left the restaurant, which made me very happy since she was acting cranky and exhausted.
After lunch, we walked around in the center, made our way to the Escher Museum (he’s the guy with the crazy perspective art and tessellations). The museum was cool, and on the top floor there was an interactive exhibit with lots of space for Emma to crawl around. The security woman was entertained until we were in the regular exhibit area and Emma was babbling very loudly, so I went to the coat check area to wait for everyone else.
Next, we continued walking in the cold, which wouldn’t have been so bad if the wind wasn’t as extreme. We saw the castle, then the group split up because Emma needed to sleep again and it just wasn’t working to stay outside anymore.
We stopped in a cafe so I could feed Emma, she passed out, and we walked around looking for a place to eat dinner. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant (NL has amazingly delicious Mexican food compared to a lot I’ve had in Europe!), and Fabian was getting frustrated going out for dinner with Emma because she was waking up and it was becoming an ordeal. But, the waiters were all smiling at Emma and waving as they passed, and it wasn’t a big deal at all. We enjoyed a delicious dinner complete with yummy and overpriced cocktails.
***
Day 3: We had big plans for our last day in the Netherlands. First we wanted to see the coast, then we were going to Rotterdam to see Robbie. We left our hosts around 10:00a, and drove to Monster to see the coast, and a windmill.
The closer we got to the coast, the windier it became, and by the time we walked from our car to the becah, I couldn’t feel my face, legs, hands, or neck. I’m extremely glad that I had a sleeping Emma in the carrier with a big blanket around her to save her from the wind. But, I think she was still effected because she woke up to scream a few times after there was an extra strong gust of wind. Before the wind it was –4° C (25° F), and I don’t know what the temperature was with a wind chill… All I can say is that it was FREAKING COLD!
From Monster, we drove to Rotterdam. We arrived in Rotterdam at the Park and Ride around noon, then took the train to the central station. The original plan was that we would walk around for an hour and a half before meeting Robbie, but it was snowing, windy, and extra gross, so we stayed in the train station and had coffee and tea, and funny ham and cheese sandwiches (extra cheesy, topped with cheese).
We met Robbie, and he took us around Rotterdam to a cool restaurant (De Machinist) where we tried kroket, to Delftshaven, the historic part of Rotterdam that survived WWII (and I saw a second windmill!), the cube houses, and to a fun marine-themed restaurant where we had drinks and Dutch pancakes. Mmm!
Robbie tried SO HARD to win Emma over, and he came so close! She is still very cautious of people she’s never met, which is a good thing, but it can be so frustrating for our friends/family who want to give Emma some love and she’s not at all interested. This picture was after Robbie tried holding Emma, and she crawled right back into Papa’s lap…
After pancakes, we went our separate ways and went back to the car to start driving to Heidelberg.
***
I had a great time visiting friends in the Netherlands, and I definitely want to go back when it is warmer (I’ve only been to NL in January), so I can see tulips, and, of course, more windmills!
After this visit, I am very curious to learn a bit more about the Dutch language. It is a crazy combination of German and English, and I find it fun to listen to. Matea was telling us a little bit about her Dutch-learning experience, and said that you really have to think.
For example, counting to ten, it sounds more German, but then there are 5, 7, and 10 that sound more English (that Dutch ‘ij’ combination makes a similar sound to an English i):
| Dutch | een, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien |
| English | one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten |
| Dutch | een, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien |
| German | eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn |
Anyway, off my linguist rant. I had a wonderful time, and hope to visit the Netherlands again soon!
