A day out in the Netherlands, part 2

...continuing our afternoon adventure after Madurodam...

We hit the beach!!  The weather was not warm and sunny Southern California beach weather, but it was clear and beautiful, so why not?    

This is Scheveningen Beach.  If you look up pictures of this beach in warm weather, it becomes strikingly similar to that of any popular Southern California beach.  

We did not have a plan as to what we were going to do at the beach - no buckets, no towels, no suits - but that didn't stop us from meandering around for a bit, exploring pieces of the boardwalk and the sand.  It was chilly; this beach is the shoreline to the North Sea and, well, let's be honest, it is technically still winter here.  So yes, cold, but completely worth it. 

A highlight for the kids was sitting in McQueen.  A highlight for us was that they had no idea he could move if you put money into him.  Win win! ;)

Not too cold for ice cream on the boardwalk!  (Almost too cold, but not quite.)

Everyone else agreed, too.  The weather was pretty enough for a trip to the beach.

Diving in - our little California babes! (Although love of sand and beaches is not secluded to that part of the world!)

Their happiness made the whole trip worth it - even all the cat and mouse chasing that went on earlier in the day!

Maddie broke out her yoga moves.  Geoffrey was just salivating at the ginormous sandbox he was playing in.

Beach beauty in her dress, leggings and fleece coat.  Her mittens were tucked in her pockets.  Ha!  Just such a difference from every other beach trip we have made in her childhood. 

See what I mean?  Salivating... 

Selfie in the wind...

Upon looking at the last picture, we both agreed there was just a little too much forehead action going on, so tried again.  Brant took care of it for me.

The Scheveningen Pier.  The tower in the background is used for bungee jumping.  It wasn't running when we were there, but I can imagine it is probably pretty popular in the warmer months. 

Getting their toes wet in the North Sea!  I can't believe we managed to convince them that they could only get their toes wet, especially with how selective their listening skills had been earlier that day.   I was sure we were destined to be carrying wet children home with us.  They loved it for a few waves, and were content to come back to the sand.  Phew!

Maddie was quite keen on making sand angels.

I didn't know what I was taking a picture of until I came home and looked it up.  This is the Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel. It was right along the boardwalk and definitely dominated the scene, but not in an obnoxious way.

And finally, because I have no shame in how silly I might look after a long day out, I will share a few pictures of how Geoffrey and I passed the time during some of the long journey home.  Thank goodness for cameras that have a flip screen = easy entertainment! 

This kid has a really long tongue, and he is becoming more and more infatuated with it, which means this is a pretty regular sight in our house.  

Two more sights to check off of our list.  We are looking forward to filling up the rest of our time with more uniquely Dutch destinations.