For the last couple of decades, we have studied, lived, and
worked in the shadows of Iberia. Bri
served his mission in Brazil and studied Portuguese and Spanish language and
culture for his undergraduate degree. I
grew up with a dad who served his mission in Brazil and then I served a
Spanish-speaking mission in New York City.
After Bri graduated from law school, we traveled together to Brazil for
two weeks, served in the Spanish branch in Oregon when we lived there, and then
spent two years in Angola speaking Portuguese for our first foreign service
assignment. After all of that, we
decided to take advantage of the embassy holidays and the kids' Spring Break
and spend 10 days at the source of it all – in Portugal and Spain. It was our luck to plan the trip and buy our
tickets about a month before airBaltic announced a direct flight to Lisbon; so we
decided to take advantage of unavoidable layovers before that and to also see
Amsterdam on the way there and Barcelona on the way out.
At 4 am Friday morning, we rolled out of bed, got our gear
packed up in the van, and met a pair of cabs at the embassy, who then took us
to the airport (in the middle of a snowstorm, I might add). At the airport, we unexpectedly met up with
the ambassador who was heading to the Baltic Summit in D.C. with President
Trump and then on to see her husband (who is the US Ambassador to Moldova –
quite the power couple). We spent the
next hour catching up with the ambassador and listening to stories of her 30+
years in the foreign service. She is
quite a woman! Soon we were on our plane
and headed to Amsterdam. Here we are catching some Zzzzzzz on the plane.
The trip to Amsterdam was fairly short
(everything is short after a tour in Africa) and uneventful, and we touched
down at Schipol Airport about 9 am. Our
goals going to Holland were to see the tulip fields (which are notoriously hard
to time correctly for the bloom) and to visit Amsterdam itself and the house of
Anne Frank. We checked our carry-on
stuff into an airport locker, grabbed some croissants and sandwiches at a small
grocery in the airport. 
We then headed out to see Keukenhof, Amsterdam's
famous tulip farm. We quickly found the
Keukenhof shuttle and were soon on our way.
Holland was very flat, a little rainy, and definitely just emerging into
Spring as we sped by swollen ditches and plowed fields that were just starting
to bud. In what became a hallmark of our
trip, however, we had the good fortune not to be rained on (very much) during
our time in Holland.
Keukenhof is known as "the Garden of Europe,"
covers 80 acres in South Holland, and is where approximately seven million
tulip bulbs are planted each year. Keukenhof consists of both the formal
gardens with lovely woods and lakes and vast tulip fields for commercial
production. For our visit, about 20% of
the formal garden's bulbs were in bloom, and they were lovely; the big tulip
fields hadn't yet come up. But for a
family that just survived a Baltic winter and came here in a snowstorm, it
definitely felt like spring and was a treat.
We spent hours at Keukenhof, wandering through the gardens, watching a magic show that was hosted by an old salty Dutchman, getting to know a third-generation clog carver, wandering in the hedge maze, and soaking it all up. 
We could imagine what the tulip fields would look like in full bloom!
The kids had fun running around the maze while Briant and I tried to find them.
A windmill! We were glad we got to see a windmill up close while we were there.
Selling dried salty fish
The trip to Amsterdam was fairly short
(everything is short after a tour in Africa) and uneventful, and we touched
down at Schipol Airport about 9 am. Our
goals going to Holland were to see the tulip fields (which are notoriously hard
to time correctly for the bloom) and to visit Amsterdam itself and the house of
Anne Frank. We checked our carry-on
stuff into an airport locker, grabbed some croissants and sandwiches at a small
grocery in the airport. 
We then headed out to see Keukenhof, Amsterdam's
famous tulip farm. We quickly found the
Keukenhof shuttle and were soon on our way.
Holland was very flat, a little rainy, and definitely just emerging into
Spring as we sped by swollen ditches and plowed fields that were just starting
to bud. In what became a hallmark of our
trip, however, we had the good fortune not to be rained on (very much) during
our time in Holland.
Keukenhof is known as "the Garden of Europe,"
covers 80 acres in South Holland, and is where approximately seven million
tulip bulbs are planted each year. Keukenhof consists of both the formal
gardens with lovely woods and lakes and vast tulip fields for commercial
production. For our visit, about 20% of
the formal garden's bulbs were in bloom, and they were lovely; the big tulip
fields hadn't yet come up. But for a
family that just survived a Baltic winter and came here in a snowstorm, it
definitely felt like spring and was a treat.
We spent hours at Keukenhof, wandering through the gardens, watching a magic show that was hosted by an old salty Dutchman, getting to know a third-generation clog carver, wandering in the hedge maze, and soaking it all up. 
We could imagine what the tulip fields would look like in full bloom!
The kids had fun running around the maze while Briant and I tried to find them.
A windmill! We were glad we got to see a windmill up close while we were there.
Selling dried salty fish
We started up a conversation with the shoe carver, asking him about his craft, and if they really actually wear the wooden shoes. He said they do and that they're actually comfortable! He then took the time to make little wooden name carvings for each of the kids with a little tulip as well. A nice personal touch that gave the experience more meaning for us.
The Magic Show that amazed us all!
The Magic Show that amazed us all!
After about four hours of being amazed by the gardens, we headed back to the bus and caught
a ride back to the airport so we could then catch a bus into the city.
Here was the "ticket office" to get bus tickets. No wonder we had a hard time finding it! ;)
In preparation for the trip, we read The Diary of Anne Frank as a family and felt a real kinship with Anne. Unfortunately, all of the tickets for Anne Frank's house were bought up two months out from our trip when we tried to get them, so we did an online virtual tour beforehand and prepared to make our pilgrimage to her house if only to see it and the neighborhood. At the airport, we figured out which bus would take us to the city/Anne's house, bought our passes from a special red bus that served as a mobile ticket booth, and were on our way. En route, we got to know an Italian woman who was spending a few days in Amsterdam, and she got us oriented and pointed in the right direction. 
After spending an entire book with Anne, we felt
like we almost knew Amsterdam. But it
was very crowded! Hard to believe that a
Friday in the middle of March could be that crowded – it must be insane during
the summer. We stopped for cookies and
bread at a bakery for fortification, and were off.
With the help of GPS and Google Maps, we found our way through the crowds and the shops to Dam Square. This is the main transportation hub of Amsterdam and is called Holland's Time Square, and it felt it! A ton of people – and all kinds of people – were wandering around the square, taking in the sights of the Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk, and the National Monument to victims of World War II. 
In the Square, we all plugged into our mp3 players, and Rick
Steve's started us on a walking tour towards Anne's home.
The canals of Amsterdam are enchanting, and we have never seen so many bikes! There are an estimated 17 million bikes in Holland, and it felt like they were everywhere. Colorful boats were moored along the canals, and lovely old brownstones and rowhouses leaned at slightly odd (and sometimes concerning) angles over the canal, the result of centuries of settling on the pylons and wet foundations that keep the city afloat.
We made our way through the Grachtengordel neighborhood and
began to hear the bells of the Westerkerk that so annoyed Anne in her diary and
kept the beat for her two years hiding in the warehouse. Finally, we arrived on the crowded street
where the house is located. It was
nondescript, a little plaque and a hundred people vying for a selfie the only outward
indicators of its significance. We took
a photograph there and reflected on hate and violence and war and its impact on
the innocent, and remembered Anne and all that she and millions of other Jews
went through during WWII. It was a sobering
moment to touch and connect with this piece of history juxtaposed against the
canals and a lovely city.
In preparation for the trip, we read The Diary of Anne Frank as a family and felt a real kinship with Anne. Unfortunately, all of the tickets for Anne Frank's house were bought up two months out from our trip when we tried to get them, so we did an online virtual tour beforehand and prepared to make our pilgrimage to her house if only to see it and the neighborhood. At the airport, we figured out which bus would take us to the city/Anne's house, bought our passes from a special red bus that served as a mobile ticket booth, and were on our way. En route, we got to know an Italian woman who was spending a few days in Amsterdam, and she got us oriented and pointed in the right direction. 
After spending an entire book with Anne, we felt
like we almost knew Amsterdam. But it
was very crowded! Hard to believe that a
Friday in the middle of March could be that crowded – it must be insane during
the summer. We stopped for cookies and
bread at a bakery for fortification, and were off.
With the help of GPS and Google Maps, we found our way through the crowds and the shops to Dam Square. This is the main transportation hub of Amsterdam and is called Holland's Time Square, and it felt it! A ton of people – and all kinds of people – were wandering around the square, taking in the sights of the Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk, and the National Monument to victims of World War II. 
In the Square, we all plugged into our mp3 players, and Rick
Steve's started us on a walking tour towards Anne's home.
The canals of Amsterdam are enchanting, and we have never seen so many bikes! There are an estimated 17 million bikes in Holland, and it felt like they were everywhere. Colorful boats were moored along the canals, and lovely old brownstones and rowhouses leaned at slightly odd (and sometimes concerning) angles over the canal, the result of centuries of settling on the pylons and wet foundations that keep the city afloat.
We made our way through the Grachtengordel neighborhood and
began to hear the bells of the Westerkerk that so annoyed Anne in her diary and
kept the beat for her two years hiding in the warehouse. Finally, we arrived on the crowded street
where the house is located. It was
nondescript, a little plaque and a hundred people vying for a selfie the only outward
indicators of its significance. We took
a photograph there and reflected on hate and violence and war and its impact on
the innocent, and remembered Anne and all that she and millions of other Jews
went through during WWII. It was a sobering
moment to touch and connect with this piece of history juxtaposed against the
canals and a lovely city. 
After hours of fun exploring this beautiful city, we miraculously found our bus station again, and caught the bus
back to the airport, grabbed our stowed bags, and had enough time for dinner at
Burger King (and croissants for Thomas, who hadn't yet had enough of them!)
before finding our gate and plopping down exhausted. Soon we were on another relatively short
flight, but this time the PA was announcing in Portuguese – we gladly settled
in again to the warmth of the Portuguese culture and understanding what
everyone is saying around us! This
happy feeling, however, did not extend to a smooth landing; after one of the rockiest
landings we can remember (one that makes you wonder if you're going to make
it--no one clapped on this one), we got off, got our bags, found a cab, and
headed into Lisbon. Latvia, the Netherlands, and Portugal all within a 16 hour period! I honestly couldn't believe the kids were still awake and ready to smile for a picture at midnight!
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