Hmmm, Holland

Sometimes things don't go as planned.  This trip was one of them. 

I had found a place to rent in The Hague months before our departure.  One week before we are ready to leave, the owners contacted me to tell me they couldn't rent their house because some neighbors complained and they weren't really permitted to rent it as a vacation home in the first place.  Great! By this time the slim pickings of rental houses were even worse.  I did manage to find a place, but it was, um, quirky?  Glass bathroom doors (in addition to the Dutch shower - the kind where there is a drain in the middle of the floor and a shower curtain and that's it), really steep stairs, construction next door and on and on. 

I mentioned how nice it was to return to a place that was familiar, but what I did not mention is where our familalarity landed us... As we were looking for a parking place in Bruges, we came across the underground parking garage we had parked the time before.  However, unlike the time before, this time we had a new roof box on the top of the car.  Yeah, we remembered we had the box attached as we heard the fiberglass cracking and crunching.  Doh!  As if that was not bad enough, as Sam was trying to carfeully pull the car back out of the garage half a dozen people gave same the shameful finger wag.  

It just went on and on like this.  We had problems at border control because of our large group.  Laney was sick with a chest cold. I got dog poo all over my new coat at the park.  I lost the Flat Stanley that I was supposed to take pictures with during our trip.  The Internet connection at the house went out just as Sam had a major conference call.  On and on it went.  

Thankfully it wasn't all bad... 

We were able to spend time with Grammie

We got to walk on the beach.

The kids got to play at the pier.

Well, this would have happened no matter what (it was a complete mouthfull).

There was time to chase some pigeons.

We pretty much had the square in Delft to ourselves. 

We were in Delft.

I do love Delft.

Yellow windows and a swan - both plusses.

The kids had fun at the poop park.

We got to go to the outdoor museum Zaanse Schans.

It was really pretty. 

So interesting to see the wind-powered saw mill in action. 

Best of all we got to travel. 

In the end, not all went according to plan, but that is part of traveling.  As we were standing at the fish stall this little girl came over to Laney and tried to tell her something.  She didn't speak English and Laney doesn't speak Dutch and yet they were able to share a laugh about the pink toy cat.  I guess that is why I love traveling - sometimes there is something new to see or experience and sometimes it is the same and sometimes the similarities are more profound than the differences.