Holiday 2019, Sept. 7 and 8, Bakkeveen - Kircheim - Day 3 and 4

We have very few pictures of Sunday as it was spent socializing and going to church - as it should be! 😀  We went to church in the morning in Maruum so we could visit with Andy's Uncle Frank and Tante Tiekje.   That was enjoyable.  Lunch was at the Ikeleane with Wobbe and Liesbeth and the kids. After lunch Wobbe and Andy went to church in Bakkeveen.  (I didn't go with the kids as they didn't understand the language anyways so the exercise was a bit futile). There they met Uncle Willem and Tante Geesje who were also visiting that church so they came back to the campground for coffee and cake. Later in the afternoon we went for a stroll around Bakkeveen and climbed the lookout tower.  The kids were so busy goofing off and running around that we couldn't get pictures of them. 

Monday morning on the way out of town we stopped at the Slotplaats to take a picture.  My Beppe Viersen used to know this place quite well when she still lived in Holland.

And a quick look at the canal Andy used to skate on, back in the day when Holland actually had ice😉.  All so picture perfect for these western Canadians :)

Once we made it across the German border we had a stop to have some lunch and realized that our SIM card did not work outside of Holland, which was very much to our dismay. It was also frustrating for our navigating, since the van did not have a GPS system.   Good thing we had the map loaded and made sure to not touch a thing till we could get wifi again or we would have had no way of getting to the next rental cottage.  That was a bit nerve wracking.  But thankfully we made it all the way to the Seepark in Kircheim, which was in central Germany. It took us approximately 6 hours to get to, even racing on the crazy German autobahns - new experience already!  We had a lot planned for the next few weeks and it was so great to finally be there.  We picked up some groceries, made dinner while the kids explored the area and then settled in for a cozy evening and good nights rest.

Holiday 2019, Sept 6 - Bakkeveen - Anjum - Lauwersoog - Wierum - Drachten - Day 2

The best way to recover from a time change, is to pretend it never happened.  And since we were only going to be in the north of Holland for the weekend, we had to hurry and see all that was on our list.  First thing in the morning we met up with our cousins, and Andy's brother (they had come to welcome us at the Ikeleane - so much happiness to see them!!) It was so special to be able to do this with them, even though the cousins could not talk to each other very much they all tried hard and had big smiles.
The first place we went to in the morning was a quick stop in Anjum, where my Pake was born, good thing Andy knows all that information, because I don't retain it. There is a well known windmill there which we wanted to see.  Normally we don't like doing all the touristy things, but this time we felt like seeing and doing all the things that made Holland Holland. And it gave us and the kids a real feel for what their heritage is.

Next stop was Lauwersoog to see some fishing harbours and boats and find some lekkerbekjes to eat.

Eise, Marla, Rowan, Abby, Seth, Mathijs, Marlies, Tristan and Auke

Even our bird-like eater Marla was willing to give it a try and wanted to finish the piece! Win!

Wierum came next. A tiny little fishing village close to the sea made famous by Miendert Dejong and his book Dirks Dog Bello, one of our family's favourite read alouds.   The local Bijlsma family hadn't heard about the book as it is an American book so I think they thought we were crazy to be interested in this sleepy little village. But it was just as described in the book, down to "Peppermunt Straat", and the sheep on the dykes.

We went for a walk along the dijks. Its called the Waddenzee here. It was fascinating because the tide empties all the water between the land and the islands further out. The water is salt.  

Seeing Andy and Wobbe together and having so much to catch up on was heartwarming. 💓

After all the touring around we went back to Drachten to get a SIM card for our cell phone.  Lots of food and fellowship followed.

Holiday 2019 - Sept. 5 - Schiphol to Bakkeveen - Day 1

I got a new computer!  Finally.  It was one of those things that had to be done, but never got done.
And now, because of that, I have no more excuses not to blog about our holiday.
We were blessed to be able to go on a wonderfully long trip to Europe last fall!  This trip had been in the making for quite some time, slowly coming together and we were very excited to get some time away from the farm, to see other things, and expand our horizons again.
Of course, life being what it is, threw a loop into it when Andy tore his ACL and MCL on his knee just three weeks before leaving playing a game of soccer with friends and the kids.  Thus the brace.  We weren't even sure if we should go at all, but being home would not have facilitated rest any more than a holiday so we decided a bit nervously that we would make the best of it, the Dr. being ok with us going.
So September 5th, we flew with all seven of us out of Calgary, to Edmonton, then straight to Amsterdam.  It was a good flight.  The kids love adventure and were happy and very excited.  That makes travelling much easier for us.  I don't think we would do it, if the kids weren't such easy travellers. Shiny eyes and shiny shoes, backpacks filled with snacks and a favourite toy, plus journals and sharp pencils, we were ready for whatever was to come our way.

In Schiphol, after a missed night, waiting for the rental van.

Rowan was exhausted at this point and he couldn't even stand anymore. :) 

He could have/should have slept in the airplane but the screen in front of him was too enticing. 

Even the stewardesses were amazed he pulled an all nighter. 😁

With five kids to care for in the airplane who didn't sleep in unison, we didn't get a chance to sleep either.  After landing and getting the rental we drove for a while and stopped by the Afsluitdijk to sleep in the van before heading to the campground we had a rental at.  SO yes, above, we are so amazingly tired 😆 , BUT we had arrived, and all was good!  We felt much refreshed after sleeping for a while and continued on, passing the farm Andy grew up at and lived at till he immigrated to Canada in 1999.  ❤

We arrived at the Ikeleane in Bakkeveen and it was very exciting and beautiful. Like a dream compared to Alberta, everything neat and tiny, the kids couldn't stop smiling.

The stacaravan we rented for the weekend.

We got groceries on the way and had so much fun showing the kids all the vla and hagelslag in the cutest and best smelling little grocery store.  After hours and hours of travel it was the best supper we could ask for.  ❤