St. James Girls visit Holland & Belgium

(posted by John)

Jen will eloborate on this post at a later date, but I wanted to acknowledge the visit made by Jen's friends from high school made from May 20 - 30 this year.  Originally I believe the plan was for the four of them to go somewhere warm to celebrate their 40th birthdays.  Well, our move to Europe put a little kink in those plan so we were very excited when Nikki, Julie and Andrea decided that a European vacation was a great way to celebrate as well!  So the girls packed their bags (many bags) and headed to Holland.

The first part of their trip was focused on Amsterdam and a few other cities in the surrounding area.  The kids and I had fun partaking in the Heineken experience with them (a tour of the original Heineken brewery in Amsterdam) and eating at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Jen and the girls the headed off to Belgium for three days and I heard many stories of fantastic sightseeing, great food, and great chocolate!  I believe the city of Brugge, Belgium was the highlight, I have not yet been there but can't wait to go!

As I said, Jen will insert more detail about this trip, she was very excited that the girls made the trip across the Atlantic to expereince a slice of Europe with us.  Thank you!

Canal cruise through Amsterdam

John

Queen's Day!

(posted by John)

What is Queens Day you ask?  First, it's April 30th and it is the official day when the country celebrates the Queen's birthday.  Most importantly its the single biggest party in the Netherlands!  And for our first Queen's Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koninginnedag it did not dissappoint.  We bagan the day with the kids selling random stuff (think garage sale) in Vondelpark within Amsterdam.  On Queen's Day, Vondelpark is traditionally reserved for children only to hold a giant garage sale.  Some even perform; singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument.  Allie & Matthew already have big performing plans for Queen's Day 2012. 

The kids crew in Vondelpark wearing the official royal color - ORANGE

After selling for 3-4 hours, we made our way to the home of our friends the Manbecks (Keith, Tracey, Kelley, Tommy and Jack) who live in the Old South (Oud Suid) section of Amsterdam.  Here we joined in on their block party and met many new friends.  Can't wait to celebrate again next year!

How do we look in Orange?

Cheers,

John

Grandma Betty, Jenny, Jon and Andie visit the Netherlands and Italy

(posted by John)

Wow, it's been a while since we last posted.  Lots of fun stuff to bring you up to speed on.  I'll try to catch up over the next week or so...

Jon, Ryan & Matthew biking to the Gelatoria

On Thursday, April 14th Grandma Betty and the Donovan crew (my sister Jenny, her husband Jon and daughter Andie) made the trek accross the Atlantic to visit us in Europe.  We were long awaiting their visit and were excited to show them around our European home.  As is customary for everyone who pays us a visit, once you arrive we take you to visit the kids school, the international school of amsterdam http://www.isa.nl/.  Next the kids took Jon to our neighborhood gelatoria for the first of many gelato cones during their visit.   It was a bit difficult at first for 20-month old Andie to fight the jet lag so Jon, Jenny and Jen took turns during the night staying up with Andie. 

The next day Jen took everyone to tour Amsterdam.  Many of the stops I've blogged about previously were on the itinerary such as the Anne Frank house, Museumplein, Leidseplein.  The best part of this day and the entire trip may have been the weather.  We've enjoyed what is by all accounts an abnormally pleasant April with a typical temperature in the mid to upper sixties and SUN!  Yes, we have had an amazing stretch of sunny days and we are enjoying every minute of it!

Friday night I took Jenny and Jon into Amsterdam for the evening. After a quick stroll through the red-light district (no pictures allowed, sorry), we had dinner in the Leidseplein area of Amsterdam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leidseplein and then went to a bar to watch a couple of local bands play covers of American classics well into the night.  Lots of fun!

Saturday morning the girls went to visit the Keukenhof flower garden which was in full bloom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keukenhof.  Ryan and I went to his baseball game in Haarlem (they won both games!).  We took it easy Saturday evening since we had an early flight the next morning.

The girls at the Flower Farm



Sunday morning we departed for Italy!  Our itinerary called for two days in Rome and four days in the Tuscany region.  We flew into the Rome airport which sits about 45 minutes outside of the city.  Once we touched down, we took a train into the center of the city.  For those of you who have never been to Rome, this is a BUSY city.  More that eight million people and not one straight street!  Our hotel was located near Termini train station, very near the Colosseum.  After such a crazy day, we decided to check into the hotel and find something to eat.  Of course, finding something to eat in Italy is the highlight of any trip!  Lasagna, spaghetti and pizza...mmmm. 



Dinner in Italy...Mmmm



After dinner we wrapped up our evening by visiting one of the many famous gelatorias in Rome, and I know you'll think I'm exagerating...but there is nothing quite like Italian gelato....

Gelatoooooooooooo

Monday was our day to see some sights.  We purchased tickets for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour which is quickly becoming a favorite of ours as we tour Europe.  We saw the Colosseum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum, Roman forum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum, and Vatican City http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City among many other sites.  We waited in line to take a tour of the Vatican Museum, the highlight of which is the Sistine Chapel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel.  Amazing.

St. Peter's square

Our day was capped off by another great dinner and a bottle of wine (or two :))

Can you tell we like dinner in Italy?

Tuesday was our last day in Rome and we gave Grandma Betty the morning off (she enjoyed a leisurly morning of Breakfast on her beautiful terrace) and the rest of us toured the Colesseum.  We beat the lines by getting there early.  This was my second visit and I still find it amazing that they built this structure nearly 2,000 years ago.  One must see it to believe it.




Allie at the Colesseum


As we departed Rome, we made a quick stop at Trevi Fountain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevi_Fountain.  Beyond the fountain itself, the most amazing aspect of this stop was that I drove a nine-passenger van right to the fountain site.  Not an easy feat!




Tossing coins into Trevi Fountain


We departed Rome mid afternoon for Tuscany.  After a three hour drive was arrived at Bosco Della Spina http://www.boscodellaspina.it/.  This resort came highly recommended by Jen's cousin Julie who stayed here in the fall of 2010.  The hotel is located about 30 kilometers south of Siena in a town called Murlo http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=murlo,+italy&aq=&sll=37.230328,-95.712891&sspn=43.860855,123.134766&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Murlo+Sienna,+Tuscany,+Italy&ll=43.068888,11.25&spn=5.088194,15.391846&z=7

What a find!  Many thanks to Julie for recommending this resort.  Great location close to many fun sites and in the middle of the Tuscan wine country.  We ate dinner at the resort Tuesday night and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Grandma & Jenny - View from the Terrace

On Wednesday we spent the day in Siena http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena, and this may have been our favorite day of the trip.  Fun shops, historic sites, great food & gelato in a city that has not changed much in the last 700 years.  Jenny, Allie, Matthew and myself clinbed to the top of the clock tower that dominates Piazza del Campo, the primary town square.  The girls also enjoyed the weekly flea market.

Piazza del Campo in Siena

We caught our breath on Thursday and stayed at the resort for the day.  Jen, Betty and Jenny did break away for a winery tour while Jon and I took the kids to the park, ate lunch, and swam in a pool that proved to be a bit chilly.  We at dinner that evening in Murlo.  We went to bed a bit early that night so we had plenty of rest for the big Friday we had ahead of us...

Andie loves Italian food!

We left the resort early Friday morning and drove to Pisa, location of course of the leaning tower of Pisa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa  We were again blessed with beautiful weather as we inspected a 1,000 year old building that truly should have fallen over quite some time ago.  Pretty cool.




The Leaning Tower of Pisa



We spent about an hour at the tower and then departed for Florence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence.  Florence is a past capital of Italy and the historic rival city of Siena.  Florence is also home to Michelangelo's David http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo) which we went to see in person.  We also toured the Duomo (Church) at the center of town and found another great restaurant for dinner.

Grandma & Kids in Florence



Saturday was our day to depart back to Amsterdam.  Our flight was in the evening so we were about to squeeze in another great meal and sight seeing on the ride back to the airport in the village of Montepulciano http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montepulciano.  One of the best meals we had!

Matthew, Andie and Ryan in Montepulciano

 

That night we flew back to Amsterdam.  Early the next morning Betty, Jon, Jenny and Andie flew back to the states.  We had a great time during their visit; we're so glad they came! 

Allie and Andie at Keukenhof

Hope to see you soon, plenty of room at the Hotel Feriancek in Holland!

John

A Visit to Texel

(posted by John)



Last Sunday, March 27th, Jen, the kids, Bella and I traveled to the northern section of The Netherlands to visit the island of Texel (pronounced tessel).  Texel is the first island in a chain of islands that extends from Holland northward http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texel. 

On the ferry to Texel, still a bit chilly!



We drove north from our home in Amstelveen for about one hour and twenty minutes until we reached the town of Den Halder which is at the northern tip of the mainland.  Once here, we parked our car and took a twenty minute ferry ride across the sea to Texel.  So now how do we move around Texel?  Of course since we are in The Netherlands, we rent bikes! 



Biking to the beach



We optimistically had hoped to bike around the island, but Texel is MUCH too big for my crew, so instead we biked to the beach (aren't you surprised Jen wanted to go to the beach?)  The ride from the ferry port to the beach area took about an hour and a half.  A fairly liesurly ride, except for Bella.  She received quite a workout!



The landscape is beautiful.  Imagine small farm houses with orange tiled roofs, lots of sheep, and flower fields everywhere.  Yes, the are flower farmers!  I guess I never though about who grows flowers, but yes indeed, there are flower farmers.  We were a bit early to truly appreciate the beauty, that will occur about a month from now, but already a few fields were springing up yellow and purple.  I express my amazement to my Dutch colleagues, and they shake their head.  Flower farms are quite normal to them.  Maybe you have to grow up around corn and bean fields your whole life to be amazed...

Flower field

 

The bike ride was great.  Jen and Matthew shared a tandem bike and Matthew did an outstanding job.  Allie and Ryan were on adult sized bikes and did a fantastic job as well.  In addition to the farm landscape, there was a forest and of course the beach. 

We hung out at the beach for about 90 minutes, had lunch and ran Bella around on the beach and in the sea.  we also basked in the sun and enjoyed the beautiful day.

Any day on the beach is a good day

The bike ride back to the ferry went just as well as the ride out, but we had to slow down a bit for Bella.  25 kilometers running next to a bike wore her out!  Once we returned out bikes, we bought some ice cream while we waitied for the ferry.  Another ferry ride back to shore, back in the car and back home.  Another great European adventure!

Beach Bums

We hope you are all doing well!

John

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



:)



A Day at the Beach...in February!

(posted by John)

In honor of another snowstorm that is bearing down on Minnesota today, we wanted to share our day at the beach last Sunday, February 13th.  We live approximately 20 miles from the North Sea, so the trip is short.   One unique aspect of the trip is that about the last 1/2 mile is uphill in order to get to the ocean.  Most of the Netherlands sits below sea level, which you don't realize on a day-to-day basis until you drive to the beach.  Too bad it was only about 45 degrees outside because the beach was huge and beautiful.  We can't wait to go back when it's warmer.  Also dogs are allowed off-leach so Bella will be a frequent beach goer as well! 

The signature Feriancek team "Jump"

The beach makes us happy!

After visiting the beach we went to the town of Haarlem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haarlem) an historic town dating back to the Middle Ages. We ate dinner in Haarlem at a restaurant that had great hamburgers (Ryan's request) and was located directly on the square in the center of town.  Like so many cities in Europe, Haarlem has beautiful archetecture, great restautants, and lots of fun things to do.  That being said, all the cities we've been to so far are truly unique in their own way, which makes exploring quite enjoyable.  We look forward to having many visitors that will share some of these experiences with us.  Plenty of room at the Hotel Feriancek!  Take care, John

Matthew in Haarlem

Jen's Cute New Car

(posted by John)

Most families in Holland own only car families.  The public transportation is great, gas is expensive ($8/gallon), and cars are expensive which makes one think before purchasing a second car.  Given where my office is located (City of Breukelen if you are curious), public transportation is not a great option for me so we decided we needed a second car (my company provided us our first car).  Jen had been driving a minivan for the past 10 years which although practical for moving kids, gas prices and the size of parking spaces ruled out a minivan in Europe.  So we settled on something practical (4 doors, seats 5), cute (red), European (made by Renault), and much to Jen's delight, a stick shift!  The result is a very fuel efficient 2004 Renault Modus.  Keep you fingers crossed for us that it runs for a while!

John