Which would you rather explain to a 3 1/2-year-old?

A. Why there is a lady in a bra and panties standing in a window.
B. Why Anne Frank isn't hiding in her attic anymore.
C. Why the horse pulling your carriage is named "Elvis."

I'll get to all of these later, but I'm sure most of you would prefer to answer question C...

Keukenhof for the Tulip Farm
We went on Easter Sunday to Keukenhof in the Netherlands (http://www.keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html) to see the tulip farms -- about a 2-hour drive. It was interesting to see signs for places like The Hague and Delft (famous for their pottery). We started feeling rather worldly.

It's a HUGE farm, complete with playgrounds, a working windmill, food vendors, the works. It was PACKED, though it didn't seem that busy (it's a big place, so it's easy to spread out). The kids loved smelling all the flowers, and it really was nice.



There was also a petting zoo with the usual suspects. Jack, especially, had a blast brushing a calf.



We had these fantastic hot smoked ham sandwiches, and a cup full of delicious strawberries topped with fresh whipped cream. Just heavenly. Amelia and I went on top of the windmill and we got a great view of the tulip fields on the other side of the farm.

It was a beautiful day, and a great way to spend Easter away from home.

Amsterdam
After Keukenhof, we drove 1/2 hour to Amsterdam to spend the night. We checked into our hotel, and then headed out to take a canal boat tour. As we walked from our hotel to the boat dock, we accidentally walked by a few homes in the red light district. And yes, even at 5 p.m., there were a few ladies in the window, waiting. Luckily, Amelia didn't see them, so we didn't have to address question A. It was a little disconcerting to see, and it was hard not to take a second look to see if you really saw what you thought you were seeing (I didn't realize we were going to be heading that way).

It was amazing to see all the bicycles in Amsterdam (they say there are more than 600,000, and I believe it). That is clearly the preferred mode of transportation there (and understandably so). It's hard to fathom that that many bikes actually exist! And unlike everywhere else, you saw virtually no one wearing helmets. Even with riding in traffic...with kids riding up front -- no helmets.

T.J. and I enjoyed the boat ride, once we finally got there, although it was hard to hear the commentary over Jack and Amelia hooting and hollering at each other across the table on the boat.

We followed the boat ride by a dinner at the Pancake Bakery. (Pancakes in the Netherlands are actually crepes.) Amelia got a Princess Pancake, which arrived as shown below -- with a tiara, gummy animals, a sparkler and a lollipop. A non-traditional Easter dinner, but it was good. We all had a great dinner and a great night of sleep.



We started the following morning with a big buffet breakfast, then we did some exploring of the city before our 11:30 a.m. tickets for the Anne Frank museum (tip: Buy Anne Frank tickets online! You'll skip a HUGE line.). I really enjoyed the tour (especially because we got to bypass the line of 200 that were waiting). Jack fell asleep, so he was easy. I tried to explain Anne Frank's house in very general terms (A little girl used to live here, but she moved.) Amelia was mostly interested in where her toys were, and she wanted to see more rooms where people were hiding. I was able to dance around ideas of war and the holocaust this time, thankfully, but she definitely picks up on more than you think she's picking up on.

The tour was a bit of a sobering experience, and it makes me want to read more about the Frank family. Hard to imagine hiding in an attic for 2 years...

Below is a picture of Amelia next to the Anne Frank statue.



We learned that taxes on houses in Amsterdam were based on the width of your house and the number of windows. Bet you can guess that this guy didn't have much money (the red house in the middle)...




We ended our trip with a horse and carriage ride (on Elvis) through town, which we all enjoyed.



And just a 2-hour drive home! It's funny to think of going to a different country in a shorter drive than going from our house in Virginia to the beach. It would make a nice (but long) day trip for anyone who is thinking of visiting...

We felt accomplished with being able to make our first big excursion out, and we look forward to our next one. My mom and sister are coming to town at the end of the month, and then we're going to meet some friends in Germany next month.