Going Dutch

For the end of the trip, we headed back to the Amsterdam area. This time, we actually stayed in Haarlem, about 30 minutes away from Amsterdam (for any number of reasons, including a cheaper place to stay, parking, and easier access to some of the things we wanted to see — and most of all, seeing something new.)

We completed the drive back from Berlin to Haarlem, which was, more or less, as boring as the drive from Amsterdam to Berlin. We did get to stop and check out Potsdam, which was adorable.

Checked into our hostel (Hello, I'm Local), which was adorable, and had a light dinner there.

Then, we headed into Amsterdam, where Patrick had snagged tickets to the Vermeer exhibit. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I could fill this blog with pictures of the pictures, but they would not do it justice. Suffice it to say that Vermeer is one of my favorite artists, and I was familiar with almost every work in the exhibition. But seeing them all there together, and their relationship to each other, and to be standing close to them and inspecting every brushstroke was revelatory. It was even fun to have it be so crowded, almost like it must have been in the great Impressionist exhibitions, where everyone gathered to see and talk about the art. Seriously amazing.

The next day, in another highlight of the trip, we had tickets for Keukenhof Gardens, the tulip gardens which are only open a few weeks of every year. Despite the cold rain (which eventually tapered off) it was gorgeous and suggested that spring might, some day, actually arrive...

SO many amazing tulips, but none I could bring home...

We drove to Zandvoort, so Beatrix could see the North Sea, which tuned out to be problematic because there was a huge running race threading through the town and ending at the dunes:

From there we headed into Amsterdam center to buy a skirt Beatrix had seen earlier and loved, to check out the "Pure Market" (why don't we have amazing markets that sell delicious food, and vintage things, and handicrafts, and other cool things?)

Finally, we returned to Haarlem and explored a little. It is a really adorable, charming little town!

We had one more quick jaunt into Haarlem to hit the coffee shop the next morning, and then flew home.

I have to say, even Delta impressed me on the trip. Flight staff were lovely, the food was good, the plane ride as comfortable as those things can be.

I already miss being on vacation.