Hanging out in Holland

Just spent a weekend in Holland. Love that country. So well-run.

It's only an hour flight from London.

Lexi had a softball tournament in The Hague on Friday and Saturday and Chris had meetings there the following week so the three of us joined up for a weekend together in Holland.

It was a weekend of memories as we had spent the summer of 2005 in The Hague when Chris worked there.

Went by our apartment from that summer. Here is a photo of the tram that Chris took to work each morning running in front of the apartment building:

Apartments from our summer of 2005

Trams run every few minutes to easily get you around the city.

Better yet, bicycles are the way to go! It's such a flat country and that makes for easy cycling.

Some of the many bikes parked

Bike paths are laid out so well along the streets that you feel very safe in your own lane. Kids grow up on bikes. When they start driving, they have a healthy respect for the bikers.

The order of precedence on the road is: bicycles, trams, pedestrians, cars.

Cars must yield to everyone else and cycles don't have to yield to anyone.

Special bikes let parent and children all ride together:

Cute, isn't it?

We rented bicycles from our hotel for the day and rode around. Such memories of 2005.

On our bike ride

We rode all over the city, got a little lost at one point, but found our way again.

I wondered why I wasn't more adventurous when we lived here to just go out exploring. The kids were 10 and 14 at that time and I remember being nervous about them out on the roads.

Or maybe it was just me not feeling brave enough. I think living four years abroad has made me more adventurous.

We stopped for hot chocolate in the town center plaza and soaked up the warming April sun.

These Eco Toilets that get set out on the weekends amaze me.

Males only please!

Back at the hotel, the lobby had modern decor, including this glass enclosed fire pit that caught my eye.

We are back in England now but the tulips Chris brought back help keep the memory of the weekend (and 2005) alive.

Nothing says Holland like tulips