Our Arrival, Jan 27th. Let the Fun Begin!

Goodbye mountains of Utah!

We were on the plane so long that we've got to have (yup, I know your jealous) our supper and then our breakfast on the plane ride to the far away place we would be going. The Netherlands.

Our flight was just about 13 hours and let me tell you I was antsy, nervous, and excited when the in flight screen showed me this. We had landed. And now let the fun begin of being in a far away place for 9 days. The time difference between Utah and the new time we would get accustomed to, 8 hours.

It was nice to see familiar faces waiting for us when we came through customs. Both Yvonne and Rennie were there with sign in hand to welcome us.

Our condo wouldn't be ready for check in til 9 so Yvonne and Rennie made a surprise stop to say hi to Dove and to let her know that we had made it. Little did she know we were right outside her house. She was really excited to see us. I had met both Rennie and Dove in PA last year. Now it would be Stuart's turn to meet these lovely ladies.

A picture of a typical Dutch street. Now I know why everyone rides bikes, look how narrow they are.

When we got to the condo we were again greeted by surprises, all courtesy of Yvonne and Alex. This really made adjusting more like being at home. There were fresh cut tulips,

snacks on the table,

and food in the fridge. She even thought of the Diet Coke!

The place we stayed at was called De Noordduinen in Katwijk and not far from Alex and Yvonne.

A very modern little place. We got settled in and had a very much needed nap, then our first adventure would be the street market and grocery store with Yvonne.

I could smell it the minute we stepped in, the fresh stroopwafels were baking. Your missing out if you haven't had the opportunity to try one of these delecious treats. Two hot wafel cookies with hot caramel spread in between.

We were in heaven having our first dutch treat of our trip.

If you are in Sp.Fork stop by the "Spout" for Hot Chocolate and this great Dutch treat! We found a steady supply. How great is that!It's always fun running into people you know at the market, right? Yvonne ran into her Dad's sister and her husband. She introduced us and said some kind words about us and in return they extended a welcome to their country.

At the market they had everything from fresh fruit and vegtables, fish, candy, clothing and

fabric and embellishments.

Another typical Dutch picture. This would be the first of many bikes we would see. This was taken outside the school yard. Let me tell you right now, I have never in my life seen so many bikes! They are everywhere.

Now our first trip to the grocery store. Here you take your shopping bags with you or they charge you for a plastic bag.

Oh we need bacon!

We drove to the Van Rijn's home and there we would be eating supper with the two of them. A little history of the house they live in. They are the caretakers of an old Jewish cemetary that is located on this property, in the back yard. They took this job over from her parents and their home, which is over two hundred years old and is on their historical records.

We were honored to meet Kelly, Cees and little Rosa for the first time. We've come to know this cute family through emails and blogging but it was nice to meet them face to face.

Stuart and Rosa getting to know each other. She wasn't quite sure of what to think of these strangers envading Oma's house.

Yvonne fixed us a lovely roast dinner with all the trimmings. Our first dutch meal and it was delecious as we soon found out the rest of our meals would be the same. We enjoyed every meal the whole time we were there.

And for dessert, ice cream bar. It almost reminded me of chocolate chip ice cream with a chocolate topping. Oh my, I'm hooked! We said our goodbyes for the night. A big Saturday ahead for both Yvonne and I. The Bloggers Sewing Bee!

So to say the least, day one was a great one. Now what will the other days hold. I can't wait to share them with you. So I hope you will stay with me as I relive my wonderful trip to Holland.