Amaryllis

When we went to the Keukenoff gardens in April, we bought a couple of amaryllis bulbs as our souvenir.  We planted them in late May and have lately been enjoyed these lovely blossoms.  

While the bulbs weren't cheap (about $10 a piece) they are definitely of high quality and we've been enjoying the flowers for close to 3 weeks now.  Certainly cheaper and longer lasting than a bouquet of cut flowers.

Since our visit to the Netherlands to see all the tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, etc, I have been pondering whether or not to purchase a bunch of bulbs for planting in our yard (in Virginia) next fall.  I think the answer is yes.

Keukenhof - Tulips in the Netherlands

One of my "must see while in Europe"  was to see the tulips in the Netherlands.  Allen and Kyra did not consider it a "must see" but were compelled to come anyways.  I don't think Kyra had a strong objection but Allen was less than thrilled.

The Keukenhof gardens are a three hour drive from our home.   This means we spent 6 hours driving to spend just under two hours in the gardens.  Without kids and crazy crowds I could see spending about three hours at Keukenhof.

As we drove in we passed by the commercial fields.  See all the bands of color?  There is field after field of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils growing in rows.

The gardens themselves are landscaped with mixtures of various bulbs planted in swirls and arcs.  There are fountains, bridges, and swans.  Photo ops abound.  Every background is lovely.

Tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils of every variety can be found throughout the garden.  If you have a favorite, you'll find it there.  Kyra and I were partial to the yellow and red tulips of differing varieties.

As you might imagine the Keukenhof gardens are popular.  People come from all over and often by the bus load.  The gardens aren't exactly peaceful but with patience you can find a good spot for a photo and there is always someone at hand to help with a family photo.  (you may see this one again on our Christmas card)

Christmas Caves

 On Sunday, before we went to Snow World, we stopped in Valkenburg in the Netherlands for their Christmas Caves.  Almost every town in Europe (at least in our area) has a Christmas market.  These are primarily located in the town squares.

In Valkenburg, the market is located in caves below the downtown.  The caves are decorated for Christmas with trees, lights, Santas, and manger scenes.  This was Flat Stanley 2's first time out, as you can see he is not as photogenic as Stanley 1.

Given the enclosed nature of the market, there is controlled access to the market.  Even so, we found it to be crowded and that we were constantly struggling to make our way through the caves.

On the plus side, it was far warmer than an outside market and there wasn't any wind.

I enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the Christmas Cave.  I was disappointed that the merchandise for sale was not very special. I had hoped to see hand-crafted goods, but the majority of the goods were things you could buy in a store.

Kyra found some of those bracelets that are popular among school kids these days.  Apparently the animal shapes are numerous and easy to find, but she found fruit shaped bracelets which she called "rare."  She was willing to pay a euro for the purchase.

Allen spent more - 10 euro.  He found a non-sport watch that he wanted.  It was a pretty good deal, as the seller removed the extra links so it fit him and threw in an extra watch battery.  Allen was pleased with his purchase.

I told the kids that we couldn't leave the caves until I took a photo of them.  Can you tell which kid was the least thrilled by the experience?

Snow World

 This weekend was kind of busy for us.  Saturday we filled with errands, chores and just generally getting stuff done.

That left our Sunday wide open for a trip to the Netherlands or if you prefer French - Pays Bas.  Part of the country dips down between Belgium and Germany.  You can see it if you click here.   It is about a two hour drive from our house.

Our first stop were the Christmas Caves.  They will be another blog (perhaps tomorrow).

Then we ventured on to Snow World.  The men's group of the church sent an email out to organize this trip.  Not many came but we were glad we did.

Snow World is an indoor ski place.  There were a couple gentle slopes, an intermediate run, a snowboarding area and an "advanced run."  If you love skiing mountains, do not come here.  If you want to ski without wind and in a setting that is now overwhelming, Snow World is great.

Kyra had never skied before.  Now she has.  The bunny slope was perfect for her and it had a conveyor belt to move beginner skiers to the top which meant that she did not have to try to learn to use a rope tow or t-bar.

This is Allen (in the middle of the photo)

Kyle had been once before (14 years ago or more) and could not manage to stay vertical or make it up to the top of the bunny hill.  Now he has done so.

Not surprisingly, Allen is a natural skier.  He just loved having the opportunity to go fast.

I spent most of my time on the bunny hill with Kyle and Kyra (no lessons were available) but also worked in a couple of runs on the intermediate run.

I was pleased to discover that even though I haven't really skied in over 20 years (with the exception of one run down an intermediate slope 14 years ago), it all came back pretty quickly.

All in all not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.