Day 2: Snow Day!

  Doetinchem, Gelderland, Netherlands
Monday, November 24, 2008

What we learned today:  In Germany, when you order water, they will bring you fizzy water by default.  And our kids do not like "bubble water."
 
Our stupid American moment:   Assuming credit cards are as widely accepted as they are in the US.  Many stores here are cash only.   We rarely carry cash at home. 
 
What made it all worth it today:  Ben asking "Can we live in the Netherlands forever?"
 
The details
 
We  tossed and turned playing musical wake up till 2 am - Russ would cough, Carly would cry, Elly would wake...lather, rinse, repeat.   I kept fearing that Ben would be up at his usual 6am, but I woke to a sun filled room and a clock that said 9:59.  I thought it was wrong!  Once I realized that was correct, I went and woke everyone up.  Ben has never slept till 10 in his 7.5 years.  Wow.  

In the night, Sinterklaas had come and left treats in everyone's shoes.  Technically, he isn't supposed to do that till Dec 5th, but we figured the kids wouldn't mind a little twist on Dutch tradition and reap the benefits twice.  They especially liked the chocolate letters.  That was a fun way to wake up.  
It had continued snowing all night so we decided to scrap any big plans for the day (zoo, etc) and just go shopping to find the kids some snow boots and then play in the snow.  I figured that of all of the museums and castles we could visit...a day of playing in the snow would probably make the biggest impression on them.  
 
Carly was napping, so Wout offered to stay with her while we shopped.  That way we were able to fit in one car, too.  We found some great boots for the kids at our first stop in Doetigheim - a pretty pink pair for Elly for 12 Euro and a bright(!) red pair for Ben for 10 Euro.   The kids had a blast stomping through puddles as we continued to shop.  I really enjoyed shopping (normally I hate it) and could have spent a couple more hours, but we were worried that Carly was screaming for poor Wout.   I did sneak in a few frivolous purchases, including a magnetic music box that is very similar to something I had as a child and have not seen since.  My girls *needed* that music box.  
 
So we picked up some sandwiches for the kids and some chocolates at a bakery and headed back to home base.  There we were amazed to find Carly still sleeping!  An unprecedented 4 hr nap.  Easiest babysitting job ever for Wout.

(A windmill we saw on the way home)   


After lunch for the grownups, we headed out to play in the snow. The snow wasn't very sticky, so our snowman is kind of pathetic. Elly made a snow angel, we fed the carrots (that were supposed to be the snowman's nose) to the donkeys and Ben enjoyed running around singing in the snow.  
 
Deciding to tempt fate two days in a row, we went out to dinner again.  This time in a small town across the German border,  Anholt.  Ben was pretty tired again and quite fidgety.  Elly napped in the car and was very full of energy.  Luckily the server had lots of patience for the loud clanging of silverware on the wooden floor and her incessant need to blow out candles on the table (and singing Happy Birthday each time).  The kids ate spaghetti and we had schnitzel.  It was great.  Russ was still not convinced to try the mayonnaise on his potatoes.   




 
Two kids are in bed, Carly is getting close and our train plans are all made for tomorrow to get to my Aunt and Uncles house near Frankfurt.  Looking forward to being in a country where I can at least read a smidgen of the language and make my way around a menu.   Dutch may sound like German to an outsider, but it's very different.
 
All in all, it was a very fun, relaxing day.