Punctuating the move!

Dutch plates on the car are the final step in our move to the Netherlands. We now have all the trappings of local Dutch folk and can start to explore further afield, including a driving trip to a x-country skiing mecca over in Germany. By the way, the car is intentionally up on the curb. The streets in our neighborhood are pretty narrow and since the sidewalks are wide, most people pull up on to the curb to give enough room for other cars to get by.

Belgium

We spent the weekend in Brussels and did a day trip out to Brugge. Brussels was pretty nice...in my mind it was "just another big city", but there were a few highlights. The new EU parliment building was very impressive and the war museum was the best I've ever seen...although they did not have a Stuka...bummer.

Brugge was outstanding. It's a fully intact medevial town loaded with canals and cool nooks and crannies to explore. It's been a UNESCO world heritage site since 2000. Beth and I have hit a few places on the world heritage list now and have been very impressed. I think we'll start using it as a basis for future travels.

However, rather than just post pictures of monuments, museums and Euro scenery we thought you'd enjoy this little compilation. The first one is the world famous Mannekin Pis statue in Brussels....a bit cliche, but we thought that the Christmas outfit was hilarious. We missed them loading the fountain with beer by a week...a once annual event where the boy pee's beer.

The second picture is again from Brussels. Jesus Paradise Cafe - Peace, Love & Food Cocktail Bar. Now there is a religion I can deal with....only they ought to move it to Amsterdam and convert it to a coffeeshop!

Finally, some serious news upon our return to Haarlem. Mac, the little one year old beagle that was Sage's best friend in Zannenpark was killed by a car on Friday evening. It happened at the same park and at our usual 7:00 pm meeting time. Several dogs were playing in the hedgerow and Mac spotted something across the street. He bolted in front of a car before anyone noticed. Inclusief ga mogen u rust in vrede.

Pictures fom home 

Ijmuiden

Pronounced "eye mauw den", this is the seaway entrance for the port of Amsterdam. It sits just north of Haarlem and is bordered by the National Dune Park. I know that my last post was about wide beaches, but these shots really capture how wide they are. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the beach and then went to the overlook restaurant for fish -n- chips and beer. Superb!