Final Kampen visitors

Last Friday, my Aunt Susan and Uncle Roger arrived in Kampen for the weekend, ready to make some very special Netherlands memories with us.  These were our final visitors of the year, and what a treat it was for us to have them come!  Seeing as their visit had them arriving on a Friday afternoon, we wasted no time, hopped on the bikes, and introduced them to our weekly tradition of "Gelato Fridays."  I know, life's tough sometimes.

Geoffrey would rather be eating than posing for pictures.

We walked around the main stretch of Kampen, giving them a brief tour of our historical town.

Aunt Susan found herself a professional "ear-warmer."  (He's really good at holding onto your ears while riding on shoulders, which comes to be appreciated when it isn't particularly warm outside!)

This was opening day of a big weekend waterfront festival called, "Sail Kampen."  We didn't go inside, but this was one of the dozens and dozens of ships docked to shore that could be explored over the weekend.

Not a sight we are used to around here...the bell tower, and then a giant Ferris Wheel off in the distance (set up for the festival).  The kids spotted it immediately and we knew, before the holiday weekend was over, we would need to make a special trip to the wheel.

One thing Maddie and Geoffrey have become a little too accustomed to, living so far away, is that visitors with suitcases means there might be something special inside for them.  This was no exception!

Thumbs up!  We're ready!

I think they are equally excited...all three of them.

Geoffrey was given some new headphones, just like the ones his big sister already has.  He was thrilled!  And so are we; now the airplane ride home won't be spent fiddling with the cheap ear buds the plane has.

They brought Maddie two very special Frozen books - she was beyond excited!

Story time, complete with headphones!

And Geoffrey was given a special book we remembered from our childhood's: Richard Scarry's, Cars and Trucks, and Things that Go!   It was a big hit.

Uncle Roger read Frozen to Maddie twice the first night, and it's not a short book.  Lucky Maddie!

On Saturday morning, we woke up to a gorgeous day.  We took our special guests on a bike ride to the Kampen windmill, the market and our favorite lunch spot on Oudestraat.  After lunch, the kids and I went home for naps, and Brant took Aunt Susan and Uncle Roger out across the river for a view of the skyline (and the hopping festival that was taking place).  The late afternoon also included a special outing where Maddie showed Aunt Susan her school and playground, and two rounds of Old Maid were enjoyed by all.  It was a great day!

Our favorite volunteer miller was on hand once again, to give us an in-depth look at the inner workings of a flour mill.

Grinding the flour down into the sack.  It was quite loud in the mill, with all gears turning and stones grinding.  

That's us!

Beautiful day.  Beautiful windmill.  Beautiful bunch.

An impromptu session of rolling down the hill began, which led to several minutes of belly laughing and dizzy kids!

Aunt Susan and Maddie, holding hands, preparing to roll down together.

Far more successful when two are linked together.

Of course, Geoffrey wasn't going to be left out! 

One of the best sandwich makers I've ever come across.  And yes, those fresh baguettes you see in the background are a big reason why!

Maddie explaining the menu.

The bike ride looked like it was lovely.  Springtime in the Netherlands sure is a treat!

Blue Herons are everywhere around here.

"Sail Kampen."

So many boats were on the water.

I know pictures similar to these have been published on the blog, but what's the harm in another one?

Kind of looks like a Californian family, am I right?

Old Maid shenanigans.  One of Maddie's favorites!  

On our final day together, we took my aunt and uncle to see some tulips, cause you know, that's sort of the "thing to do" around here.  Stay tuned...

Colorful egg fun

We live in a country where the most common color of an egg is brown.  In fact, when the calendar declared we were approaching "egg dying" season, I was doubtful we would even be able to partake in this activity because I couldn't picture brown eggs turning into beautiful shades of pastels.  However, as luck would have it, we managed to track down some white eggs at the store (at the very bottom of the supply, almost out of sight) in time for a fun egg-dying experience!

Our friend Ever, along with her mama and baby brother, came over to join in the festivities.  My sister-in-law had given us some egg dye from the states when she visited, and Bekah had tracked some down at a store in town.  We were well stocked with white eggs and lots of dye!

Hard at work.

Geoffrey found stirring to be his best method, and he took it very seriously.

Truly, dyeing eggs, even in one solid color, takes concentration.  

Ta-da!

It's like magic.  One minute it's white, and then this happens!

Three musketeers!

Who knew dyeing eggs could be this fun?? (Actually, this was their response to finding out we were having pizza for dinner.)

Maybe next year she will want to dive into creating multi-colored eggs.  She was pretty content with solids this time.

As I pointed out before, he took this very seriously.

We let the eggs dry before hiding them in the backyard for an egg hunt.  The kids thought this was amazing, and proceeded to continue hiding eggs long after the original hunt had ended.  

We gave Geoffrey a head start - the girls were not allowed to begin until he had found one egg - it was pretty cute how long it took for him to see this egg that was right in front of him. :)

Happy determination.

I discovered that Geoffrey's bag was empty, and soon after, realized that once he would find an egg, he would return it to it's hiding place.  Clearly, with that expression, he didn't seem to mind too much!

Nothing like happiness on a child's face; and from something so simple as hunting for hard-boiled, colorful eggs.

Geoffrey figured it out and began holding onto the eggs he was finding.  He catches on, eventually! 

Happy egg-dyeing, everyone!

Castle Muiderslot

Adventures continue to call out to our little family, and yesterday found us answering the call and going way back in history, as we explored Castle Muiderslot.  We had a relaxed morning (which is not typical for "adventure days"), and boarded our train at lunch time, ensuring our arrival to the castle to be just after it opened for the day.  Our train took us to Weesp, which is near Amsterdam, and then we hopped on a bus that took us into the town of Muiden.  From the little we walked through to get to the castle, we found it to be a charming, and very quaint Dutch town (I read the population is around 6,200).

Charming.  

There is the castle in the distance, as viewed from town.

They are standing in front of the sign, "Muiderslot," but it's difficult to see.

It was our first visit to a real castle in Europe.  Pretty cool that we were able to visit one in the Netherlands!

All three of them were pretty happy about the drawbridge.

Muiderslot was built around 1280, and had several owners over the centuries who resided inside of its walls. It is currently a national museum, and the insides of the castle, its rooms and kitchens, have been restored to look like they did in the 17th century.  Several of the rooms now house a good collection of arms and armour, which was neat to be able to see and explore with the kids.  In fact, the entire castle was so child-friendly, the visit was incredibly simple and easy to enjoy. :)

The dungeon...  we couldn't quite explain too much of it in detail to the kids.

Geoffrey, just chillin' on the big, and very old, rocks.  They would use stones like these to drop down on enemies and intruders, from up above.

We went on a 30 minute tour, which gave us a far more in-depth look into the inner rooms of the castle.  Our guide informed us that most all of the furniture in the rooms are the original pieces from the 17th century.  

Taking in the view, while the tour guide talks.  

Unfortunately, the seat was not big enough for two, which caused for a noisy disruption.

We managed to work it out.

Every room had a giant fireplace, but this was the most immaculate. 

Tile lined the base of the walls, with every other piece being a Delftware picture, depicting children's play. 

The fireplace was also lined with Delftware.

The pillars on this mantle are the original sandstone pieces.

And the restored box-bed in the corner, for people to sleep in the sitting up position - I can't imagine sleeping like that.

A little extra touch on the staircase.

After the tour, we were able to explore the remainder of the castle freely.  I was pleasantly surprised at how open the entire place was, as I had sort of been expecting to have many restricted areas.  We all had a great time on our castle exploration!

Remember the picture of Geoffrey sitting on some big stones?  See those little people down below?  This hole is one of many found throughout the castle, where guards would be able to drop the big stones...

Both kids were in awe that they were exploring a real castle!

A look down into the courtyard.

Geoffrey was a real trooper, considering we set foot on the castle grounds right when his nap time usually commences.  He made it all the way through (and crashed on the train ride home!).

This was one particular door where there was no entry, which was rare.  There were all sorts of nooks and crannies like this one, perfect for the kids to discover.

Here we are, pulling at swords stuck in a table.

Maddie insisted we take their picture in front of the barrels.

If you look closely, you can see how worn down the brick stairs are - and how old!

The top of one of the towers.

It is so fascinating to me to have been able to peer inside several towers this year, each one built so differently.

We continued on, and ventured into the next room, which speaks for itself.

I never miss an opportunity to use "jazz hands!"

Oh, I cannot begin to tell you how excited she was about this one!

Lady Maddie and Knight Geoffrey

I can't find the right caption for this picture; there are just too many...

Oh, yes.  And then this happened.  :)

Like I said, very kid friendly.

I spy with my little eye, two little braids and a pair of red shoes.

So much to explore.

Lady Maddie and Knight Geoffrey were promoted to Queen Maddie and King Geoffrey.  They were thrilled - really, they were!

Trying to open the well...why spoil their fun and tell them that it is sealed shut?

I can't take credit for this picture, nor can I give an explanation for what is happening.  It just is.

It was a successful trip!

And here comes mama at the rear, holding everyone's belongings.  It's a job I'm blessed to have!

Goodbye, Castle Muiderslot.

Every little king and queen deserves gelato - and so do their parents!

We have 6 more weeks left in the Netherlands, before we fly back home to America.  That is plenty of time to go on many more family adventures!