Rainbolt Travel Diary

Well we have finally arrived in Lagos, Nigeria after months of talking about it. We left Seattle under gray skies and misty eyes and arrived in Amsterdam with even darker clouds and rain. We tried to be savvy travelers and pack just one suitcase for all of us for the four days we were in the city. Bad plan. Very bad plan. After 6 days in the same clothes because we only packed shorts we looked like weary travelers. Amsterdam with children is a different experience than it was a long time ago when it was only Gina and I. We still had an amazing time. Jacob slept through the Van Gogh Museum on our first day. Jet lag is bad on adults and absolutely murder on kids. We spent the next morning looking for warm jackets and dry places to stand. We certainly enjoyed the complimentary umbrellas and the trams. On Saturday we got out of the city and visited the windmills in Zaanse Schans. Jacob had a great time climbing around the windmills, but he wasn't real happy about trying on the wooden shoes. While we were out we recharged the kids gameboys so Gina and I could enjoy a "ristafle" dinner. We peddled a paddle boat around the canals, stared in awe at Rembrandt's "The Night Watch", enjoyed bami from the vending machines, and ate fries covered in garlic sauce. Emily was ok with the fries, impressed with the chocolate, and not having the Dutch pancakes at all.