Like usual we got up around 8:38 AM and went to the "Hotel" breakfast (this hotel has probably 20 rooms - it is a small place). We were the only people in the breakfast room, which is a room on the second floor of the restaurant - and it overlooks the brewery exterior. [The view is very cool.] It was a cozy breakfast, with Sara ever-eager to obtain things from the buffet.
We packed up, and left. The drive was easy. Along big highways and not the little tiny roads that we've been taking. One stop to go to the bathroom lead us to a gorgeous roadside restaurant where we decided to have some lunch. I had mushroom soup (no cheese!) and Dan had a roast beef sandwich. It was funny - we had just crossed the border into Holland/Netherlands and they supplied "tap water" where in Belgium you never, never, never saw tap water. You had to buy a drink or go thirsty. (We would re-fill water bottles with tap water before heading out - that worked well.)
Anyway, we decided to visit the beach at "Scheveningen" before arriving at Delft. It was awesome. Like, totally way cool. It had a huge sand dune area (with biking, walking paths). It had a long boardwalk/promenade perfect for strolling. And, it had a pier for you to walk out on. The best part was the boardwalk/promenade which was happily crawling with bicyclists, walkers, and happy people. Along the left side were the shops, restaurants, and so forth. Along the right side was the beach. And after the beach came the water - as far as the eye could see all the way to the sky.
Our beach time was so perfect I felt like we were part of a movie. There was a slight breeze, sun in the sky, sea-gulls soaring in the air, and Sara was jubilent. She road the carousel 4 times (at a total cost of 6 Euro) and that kid just loved it. She choice a carousel horse 3 times and a motorcycle one other time. Yes, the carousel had 1 motorcycle on it - all the other choices were vintage horses. We loved the music on the carousel. So funky. Sara was the picture of cuteness with her hair blowing in the breeze as she went round and round on the sea side carousel. Like I said, it was so perfect it was like we were in a movie.
We went onto the beach and had several "sea shell parties" where SAra and I sat in the sand and played with shells. There is something about playing in the sand next to the rolling surf that is magical. Dan stayed up on the boardwalk with Julia to keep her out of the sea breeze, which was a good idea as it is Fall afterall and Julia is still only 7 months old! She is such a trooper to go along on all these adventures with us! She never is anything but happy. The only time she cries is right before she needs to sleep, and so we just help her get to sleep and all is well. :)
Hopefully we will go back to Scheveningen sometime in the next 10 days, as it is an easy tram ride from where we are now "Delft." We planned to turn in the rental car today, but kept it for one extra day and Dan will go out to return it in the morning. There is no need for a car here in Delft.
We are in a "Home Away" here. There are 3 floors. The bottom floor is kind of like a big living room, the main floor has the kitchen, dining area, bathroom, etc. The top floor is for sleeping. Sara has a room and Dan/Julia/I have a room. It is very comfortable. I think this house was built in 1650 or something. I'll have to look that up. It is very historic anyway. And, we are across the canal (the house is canal side) from the oldest fish market in the world (?) and perhaps even one of the oldest stores in the world (?). We read that, but it is hard to believe?
Dan and I have been to Delft before, which is why we picked it to come back to with the kids. We liked it the first time and wanted to spend more time here. The owners of the house we are in (who we met when we got here) have two girls also - that are around 5 years old so they gave us all sorts of toys and books for Sara. She is beyond thrilled with that.
Dan has been on vacation for nearly 2 weeks now, and will go back to telecommuting on Monday. That means that the next few days and the weekend are a really good chance to do fun family stuff. The whole trip is 1 month, so about half vacation and half working.
Well, time to sign off. It has gotten pretty late!
:) Lori
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