Good Friday 2011
The girls of the family have been struggling with allergies. So, I took the empty box of Sudafed (for which I had to sign my life away in the states) into the pharmacy to buy something similar. I was promptly told that she was not permitted to give it to me and it is, in fact, illegal in the Netherlands! Whoops. I sheepishly tucked the box away and settled for the nose mist she gave me (not tremendously effective, by the way). I then picked up some VERY yummy raspberries and strawberries from the produce shop and grabbed Claire and Caroline their favorite breakfast items (a mini loaf of bread and a croissant).
We spent the day relaxing and napping and playing with the babies. Lee and Paul popped out to the supermarket and fishmonger to grab some dinner items since Paul's family was coming in the afternoon for a BBQ. Caroline, Claire, Paul and Lee worked on blowing up the baby pool (yes, it took all 4 of them to accomplish this).
It was terrific catching up with Paul's mother, brother, Frank and his wife, Chang Heng and their little girls--lots of giggling and fun to compare cultures and customs of 3 nations.
Holy Saturday 2011
Today we rented bikes for the family and set out for Bloemendaal aan Zee (the seashore). The ride was about 6km to the beach. We didn't do much at the beach, it was more just a destination for our bikeride. We really hoped we'd blend in with our cool rented cycles but, since we were all a tad too short, we had to pop off the bikes every time we came to a stop. However, we really didn't have to stop that often on the way out because bikes have the right of way at intersections and roundabouts--there's even a bike lane in the roundabouts! It's very, very cool. It was difficult to get used to trusting vehicles to stop or look out for you but Paul assured us that awareness of cyclists is so ingrained in drivers that accidents rarely happen. After the girls gasped at some of the gentlemen's beach attire, we grabbed some lunch and cycled back to Haarlem.
After an ice cream snack, we went for a guided tour of the Corrie Ten Boom house in the Haarlem Centruum. The Ten Boom family were jewelers by trade and devout Christians who hid Jews and citizens involved in the Resistance. Through their efforts, 800 Jews avoided capture.
http://www.corrietenboom.com/history.htm
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| Atop the Corrie Ten Boom House |
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The Hiding Place-alarm would sound in the house (unheard from outside) giving people about a minute to climb through this closet (via bottom shelf), close the door and then close a secret door behind. Torn away section shows the space where they hid--there was only enough room to stand. They had stored some biscuits and a bucket but had forgotten water. 6 people stayed like this for 2 days!
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Misc. shots
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| Along one of the canals in Haarlem |
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| Not a clue, but isn't it hilarious? |
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| Haarlem |
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| Notice the bicycle traffic light |
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| Check out the awesome bike lanes! |
yay, a picture of KAREN! Sounds like each day has been more fun than the one before. So glad you're having a great time. When do you head home? I'm thinking tomorrow (Monday?)..Be safe!
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