Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa John come to Holland

(posted by John)

On February 19th we received our first visitors from the States since we began our European adventure.  Jen's parents Jeanne and John came to spend ten days with us!  We were so excited to host their first trip to Europe.  Jen, Allie and Matthew picked Jeanne and John up at the airport at 9:30am (Ryan and I were at baseball practice) and following Ryan's practice and a quick bite to eat we had them on bikes touring Amstelveen.  I think it had been quite some time since John and Jeanne had been on a bike, but as the saying goes, they had no problem remembering how to make it go. 



Biking in Amstelveen



We took them to ISA (the International Scool of Amsterdam) where Allison, Ryan and Matthew go to school but the school was already closed for crocus break (All Dutch students receive a week off in February to celebrate the blooming of the crocus flowers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus).  We kept them moving, fighting jet lag by going to one of our favorite restaurants, L'Arena in Amsterdam Oud Suid (Old South) http://www.arenaristorante.nl/about-us.html. 


Dinner at L'Arena





We succeeded in keeping them up the entire day (Grandpa John took a 30 minute power nap but as we all know that is normal for a Saturday afternoon) so they could get on European time.



We awoke to a crisp but nice Sunday morning and trekked into the city.  We boarded the bus for the 20 minute ride to the Jordaan area of Amsterdam, best know for the Westerkerk church and the house where Anne Frank hid during WWII http://www.amsterdam.info/jordaan/.  We toured the houseboat museum that is located on one of the many Amsterdam canals http://www.amsterdam.info/museums/houseboat_museum/.  Following this we ate a late brunch at a Dutch pancake house that served pancakes with ham, cheese and mushrooms as well as others with ice cream and hot fudge.  We had both variaties as well as an adult beverage.  That hit the spot!  Matthew was not with us during this tour because he was asked by a friend to attend his first professional soccer (Voetball in Dutch) game.  Ajax is the Amsterdam team and they won 1-0!  The day ended with a bowl of the legendary Feriancek Chili back at our house.

Museumplein in Amsterdam

On Monday morning I left for Minnesota to attend a meeting at AMS.  Unfortunate timing for sure.  The reports I received were that on Monday, everyone painted Allie's room.  We certainly appreciate the help making our Holland house feel more like home.  Allie's room is now a very non-subtle pink...and she loves it!

It's Pink!

On Tuesday Jen took John, Jeanne and crew to the Amsterdam flower market.  As many of you may remember, Holland has a rich tradition in the flower trade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floral_industry. 

Wednesday entailed more paining, turning our very white living room into a soft sage green.  We love it! 

The crew visited the the Nemo Science Museum http://www.e-nemo.nl/?id=5&s=85&d=551 on Thursday and received a scenic tour of Amsterdam.



Arc d'Triumph

 I arrived back in Holland on Friday morning and we immediately hit the road for Paris.  We arrived in Paris at about 3pm and went directly to the Eiffel Tower, but unfortunately the top level observatory deck was closed for the evening, so we hopped on the Metro and went to visit the Arc de Triumph instead http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe.  You must see the Arc in person to truly appreciate how impressive it really is (so come and visit us!).



Musee du Louvre

 We awoke Saturday morning and it was raining.  Good thing there is plenty to do in Paris even in the rain.  We took the opportunity to go to the Louvre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre and John and Jeanne enjoyed the experience.  Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa were a few of the works we saw.  I think it would take a good two weeks to see everything in this massive museum, maybe longer.  Allison, Ryan and Matthew were very good tour guides for their Grandparents. 

Later in the day the skies cleared a bit and we were able to asend to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  No matter how many times you do it, I don't think it ever gets old.  What a magnificent structure http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower. 


Top of the Eiffel Tower



We ate dinner that evening at a nice restaurant that unbeknownst to Jen, was showing the England vs. France Rugby game as part of the six nations cup http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/home.php.  I thourougly enjoy the opportunities to be in a foreign country and not feel like a tourist.  In this case, we were immersed in a bar to enjoy a rivalry on par with Vikings vs. Packers or Yankees vs. Red Sox, only these two countries actually did go to war against each other on a number of occaisions.  Good stuff.



Grandma & Grandpa at Notre Dame

Our last day in Paris consisted of visiting Notre Dame http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris and one of Jen and my favorite landmarks, Sainte Chapelle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Chapelle.  When the sun shines through the enormous stained glass windows of this chapel, it is truly a unique experience.  The rest of the day consisted of souvenier shopping, lunch at a cute Italian restaurant on the River Seine near Pont Neuf, and our favorite Parisian gelatoria that was the perfect end to our Paris excursion.  At 5pm we piled (or wedged ourselves) back into the car to drive back to Holland.  We loved the opportunity to share this experience with John and Jeanne and can't wait to do some more exploring with them on their next trip to visit us.

Aalsmeer Flower Market

On the last day of the trip John and Jeanne were able to tour the kids' school as well as visit the Aalsmeer flower market, the largest flower market in the world http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aalsmeer_Flower_Auction.  The building itself is 10.6 MILLION square feet, the third largest building in the world. Awesome.

On Tuesday morning, March 1st, John and Jeanne flew back to the States.  We had a great time and can't wait for their next visit!

Hope to see you soon,

John



:)