Jon Is Being Deported (Kinda)

Sorry for not posting in awhile; but our trip to The Netherlands was cut short by about 3 weeks. It turns out that if we had stayed through the end of July (as originally planned), Jon would have been in the country for more than 90 days in a 6-month period. So Greyson and I flew home yesterday and Jon is returning back to Gainesville on Sunday. After Greyson and I have adjusted to the time difference, I'll post one last time.

Botanical Gardens

On Saturday, we decided to spend the day in Delft exploring something new. We decided to go to the Botanical Gardens. It is a short walk from our apartment. Greyson had fun running along all the paths and looking at all the sculptures. Unfortunately, there weren't many plants flowering this time of year at the gardens. In a couple of the greenhouses, they had quail roaming free. Greyson was determined to catch one....luckily for the birds he did not succeed. (We're not sure what he was going to with a quail, if he had actually caught it!) Greyson's least favorite part of the garden were the bee houses. He is terrified of bees and he has never even been stung by one. (I think his fear comes from watching a Curious George video about bees!)

Canal Boat Tour in Delft

We've actually had a couple of days of really nice weather here. So Greyson and I decided to take a canal boat tour here in Delft. It is similar to the ones in Amsterdam; but on a smaller scale. We had a good time. Greyson got a kick out of all the ducks we went past in the canals. It is a really nice way to take in all of the different architectural styles here and to learn little tidbits of Delft history.

Father's Day

Today, was Father's Day here in The Netherlands. We decided to spend the day in Amsterdam to celebrate. We took the train and arrived in Amsterdam mid-morning. Although, we've been here for 7 weeks now, Greyson had still never experienced Dutch pancakes (they are fluffier and larger than a crepe; but not as fluffy as American pancakes.) We found a cafe in Amsterdam and had a late breakfast of Dutch pancakes. Greyson ordered his with vanilla ice cream and loved it.

After filling up on Dutch pancakes, we decided to take one of the boat tours around the city. The canal tour allowed us to hop on and off at various stops throughout the city. Jon and I had done this years ago and thought Greyson would enjoy seeing the sites from a boat.

We made a quick stop by the Anne Frank House. We didn't go inside this time (the line was too long and Greyson is too young to appreciate the significance of it.) Jon and I went several years ago and it is really moving. We took Greyson's picture outside of the Anne Frank House-so one day he can say, "I was there."

Then we decided to go to the Heineken Experience to celebrate Father's Day. Greyson seemed to actually enjoy himself. He wasn't crazy about the "ride" where you became a bottle of beer. Greyson was a little freaked out by it. We bought a special Heineken beer with Greyson's name on the bottle for a souvenir.

After going to the Heineken brewery, we walked around Amsterdam--went through the Flower Market and then headed back to the train station to head back to Delft.

Swan Family

Yesterday afternoon, we looked out our window and saw a swan family swimming in the canal across the street from our apartment. I don't think I've ever seen baby swans before. It was so cute to see them swimming in the canal.

Greyson Gets Wet Again (This Time In Belgium)

We decided to head to Belgium for the day to go the zoo and sight see. We took the 1-hour train the Antwerp this morning. The weather was drizzling when we arrived; but at least it wasn't cold! The Central Station in Antwerp is spectacular to see.

One of the best things about being in Europe, is their mass transit systems. When you walk out of Central Station, the Antwerp Zoo is right there. The zoo is one of the oldest in the world, dating back to 1843. The zoo was really nice and had a park-like feel to it. (It was much nicer than the zoo we went to in Rotterdam.) The only not so great part was the light rain; but it did stop after awhile.

After going to the zoo, we walked towards the old city center. The architecture in Antwerp is pretty amazing. It is a neat combination of Dutch and French styles. You would walk down one street and you would think you were in Amsterdam and the next street was like being in Paris. It was a great mixture of both styles.

We stopped at the Grote Market. This market is full of cafes and restaurants. Many of the buildings here date back to the 16th century. The city hall is located in the square as well. There is a large fountain (The Fountain of Brabo and the Giant's Hand) there, full of kids playing in the water. Well, Greyson decided to join in the fun. He stood on this rock and slipped and fell right into the fountain. Luckily, I had brought an extra pair of clothes for him, so we quickly changed him and continued on our sight-seeing.

We then decided to find an authentic belgian waffle. Most of the best places were closed since it was Sunday. We eventually found a place and we all had belgian waffles. They were delicious. After our waffles, we headed back to train station to catch our train back to The Netherlands.

Dutch BBQ

On Saturday afternoon, we went to a Dutch BBQ at house of one of Jon's co-workers. Rob lives out in the country outside of Rotterdam. Every year the Dutch band, Golden Earring (who's claim to fame in the US is the song, "Radar Love" performs a show near the village where Rob lives.) The show was last weekend; but the weather was "typical" Dutch, so Rob postponed his BBQ one week. So Greyson and I finally met all the people Jon has been talking about for the past 2 years, since he has been working for Applikon. Most everyone was very nice and friendly.

Greyson made a new best friend (Sabine) at the BBQ. Sabine is Rob's girlfriend. She spoiled Greyson rotten the entire time--with chocolate milk, candy, and ice cream. Greyson didn't want to leave when it was time to go!

The only thing on the menu for a Dutch BBQ is pork! I don't thing I've ever seen so many different types of pork before served at one place. Of course, none of us are big pork eaters, so we "pretended" to enjoy the food.