part six - nether, netherland.

this morning we got a croissant at our favorite place ever and I got mint tea. 

awkward...because the mint plant the stuck in my cup kept slapping me in the face as I took a sip. :/

it's weird here...everytime someone looks like they're about to talk to me I say "hello" so they know I don't speak their gibberish language. 

sometimes they still do and then figure out the problem based on the lost and confused look on my face. 

we went to an art museum.

we then did some last minute souvenir shopping after getting our lunch at the french fry vendor...and are now back at the corrie ten boom museum. 

doing some last minute studying up before heading back home early in the morning.

it's bittersweet. 

I'm ready to be back...but I know after few days' return, I'll be ready to travel somewhere new.

on an amusing note...ever since the 1500s the church clock and rung for 30 straight minutes (from 9-9:30pm). 

it used to be to remind the villagers the town gates were closing. 

and they thought, "why not just keep the tradition going?" 

unfortunately the church is right next door to our hotel. 

oh the agony of that 30 minute gonging. 

golly.

part five - nether, netherland.

went to amsterdam today. 

busy, crowded, and cold. 

we took a bus tour of the city (apparently a big attraction there is the legal prostitution and sale of drugs?! shocking) and then went on a canal tour. 

i won't lie...amsterdam is not going on my list of favorite places.

it was only alright.

however...we visited anne frank's hiding place!

which was cool, but the museum was not very clearly laid out at all. 

I DID see her original diaries and the original bookcase that hid the door to their secret hiding place. 

very COOL. 

that story is just so very sad, though.

goodness.

we bought a chocolate covered waffle with sprinkles (!!!!!) before getting on the train back to haarlem. 

and spent the rest of the night watching the BBC channel and journaling.

time well spent, although I will say there are some STRANGE shows on the BBC channel.

part four - nether, netherland.

do you want to know what the most ironic thing a person can do is? 

spill water all over them self right as their mother is telling someone how bright there are/were as a child. 

that may or may not have occurred today at lunch. 

awkward and sad.

we spent the day doing a corrie ten boom tour (among other things). 

we went through the house. 

crawled into the actual hiding place where Jews hid for days when the house was raided. 

went up on the roof. 

saw where everything happened. 

and then got a walking tour around the town seeing places where corrie has spent her childhood. 

pretty incredible.

tonight we stopped by a french fry vendor and got a paper cone full of the best fries of the universe. such a brilliant and tasty idea!

well...tot zeins for now!

part three - nether, netherland.

did I remember to tell you about...

...when I got off the plane the way they do in the movies when we arrived in rotterdam, holland...?

...the accordion player in the middle of haarlem...?

...the game I played when waiting in the airport for hours (8 guitar cases, 7 elbow patch jackets, etc)...?

...the game mom and I started when passing by people in the streets of london, guessing where each tourist family/group was from...?

...the man who asked me questions about where we going on the way to the airport that I suddenly became concerned was going to follow and murder us...?

part two - nether, netherlands.

that awkward moment when haarlem, netherlands is more sophisticated than london. 

wifi everywhere. 

and...I just had the best muffin of my life. 

what IS this place? 

it's like a little town out of the storybooks that looks supremely old...but is super up to date and modern. 

the best of both worlds! 

how do you get to nether, netherland? 

second star to the right and straight on till morning!

there's a flower market in the streets...in winter!! 

beautiful and cold. 

that's how I'd describe the day thus far.

I finally got a big chunky circle scarf. 

so warm and cute. 

and anybody who is anybody in europe has one.

we visited an ancient church (where corrie ten boom used to go). 

it was also desperately cold.

we're starting to pick up on words. 

toiletten means toilet! 

and ya...that's about all we know. 

but it's an important thing to know!

well...SHMOOGEN FLAHGGEN to you for now! 

:)

part one - nether, netherland.

oh what a day this has been. 

frustrating, to say the least.

we got up super early to catch our plane, but once we got there...we discovered you have to be there THREE hours before boarding!! 

we missed it, even though it still hasn't left. 

we went to two different terminals had to buy brand new tickets (ugh) and got on a train to yet a different terminal to get on the plane. 

on that bus we met a famous actress (ali macgraw) on that train...she was headed to Dublin. 

she was very nice.

we got to the right place finally. 

went through security. 

got breakfast (a custard filled donut, strange but somehow delicious, and not a donut at all). 

ran to our gate because they didn't put up our gate number until 5 minutes before the plane was supposed to depart. 

luckily it was delayed. 

we got onboard. 

I took a nap. 

an hour later we got a small snack from the servers (the best cookie of all) and were already there in holland. 

mom's phone went off as we were landing (phones are supposed to be off) and a young man in front of us gasped very loudly and jokingly chided her.

we got off the plane and I suddenly freaked out. 

words everywhere that I couldn't understand. 

never before yesterday did I have a stronger urge to know dutch. 

gah!

we got on a bus to take us to the train station. 

we got to the train station and got on a train. 

we got to another train station (that actually looked like an old fashioned train station...it was beautiful) and they were having tango lessons in a room in the station. 

weird. 

well. 

we then walked for about 20 minutes on cobblestone, with our luggage dragging behind us, in my bright green coat...as the natives stated at us from their bleak garments while riding their bicycles past us.

basically...yesterday was like a terrible nightmare version of "leap year" but instead of the natives being hard to understand...they are 100% impossible to understand...because WE CAN'T SPEAK DUTCH!! 

everything is just "shmoogen flaagen" and I legitimately don't understand a word of it.

HELP!

the day ended on a good note when "call the midwife" came on the BBC channel right before bed.

our hotel is situated right outside of an old church (that just loves to play the clock bells every chance they get). 

little children run around in the streets, and every person and their grandmother rides a bike to get around the town. 

quaint and cute, to be sure.

part ten - bashing around london.

remember that day when the editor of vogue walked in on me in a dressing room in a vintage dress shop in london? 

ya. 

good times.

I bought a pretty lace 50's dress. 

it was expensive. 

but now has an incredible story and well...totally worth it and beautiful.

also...I found the tardis (doctor who reference for all you non-whovians).

went to a classical music shop and picked up a few records.

and am sitting at the sherlock holmes pub awaiting my fish and chips.

today's been pretty freaking cool (even though half of the subway is closed down and a mess).

we finished the day off at the british museum. 

we stared at a bunch of old things we didn't know anything about. 

they all looked fairly important but...who knows. 

we probably should have studied up on our ancient egyptian artifacts.

also interesting...i swear i saw "the doctor" intently staring at the rosetta stone at the british museum.

and any doctor who fan knows this must mean one thing...he was somehow involved in it's creation.

i wanted to follow him around to see what happened...but he disappeared before i had the chance.

very curious, i must say. 

we grabbed some crisps and cookies at a small store inside the metro station and headed back to the hotel. 

whilst walking we saw a lady's bike get stolen and yelled some very shocking profanities. 

oh dear.