So many fun visits in the spring time! At this point, we have had 5 visitors in 5 weeks…. busy busy. This time, my dad came to visit for his first trip outside of the states! We had a great time with highlights below.
Biking together 50+ miles in total! We did several different bike rides from around the parks in Amsterdam, to Oude van Amstel. Additionally, a few days when I was working he went on his own to the Haar Castle and up north.
Utrecht & Kayaking. I have always wanted to go out on the canals in Utrecht. The canals are lower down vs Amsterdam so perfect to enjoy the views a bit more. It was awesome seeing everything from the canals! Of course, we got some unexpected rain even though we tried so hard to time it and avoid the rain. An authentic Netherlands experience what can I say! We also rented our kayaks from these like 10 year old boys- too funny!
One weekend we went to Haarlem and biked around in the National Park there. They had highland cows and wild horse which was fun. I think I saw more highland cows in Haarlem than when we were in Scotland haha. We got stuck a bit with water blocking our path, but it was no match for my dad. He impressed quite a few people going through deep water to continue biking along on the trail. Afterwards we stopped at the beach for borrel (afternoon snacks)
One of the most special things that we did was do some exploring our family history together. Fun fact, my great grandmother was born in the Netherland. Ik ben een beetje Nederlands! We took a drive to some of the smaller town to see what it would have been like to live there, saw the church that my great great grandparents where married in and more. There was even a bakery in the town with my great grandmothers maiden last name. We went inside to ask some questions but their English wasn’t too great. I still like to think the people working there are distant relatives. Crazy to think my great grandmother left for America as a little girl and never came back and I am living here about 150 years later. So special ❤️
Of course, we did so classic around Amsterdam like renting a boat and going out on the canals, watching the bikes go by and more. My dad is a big biker if you couldn’t tell from the above amount of biking so it was interesting for him to see how different it is here and how biking is so a part of every day life.
Cheers to another great visit!
❤️Melanie
Smiles from Miles Away 