July 23rd

Early this evening, we arrived at Cora's parents' farm, where we unpacked and settled in. They live very close to Purmerend, Monnikadam, Edam, and Vollendam. They have a beautiful house, surrounded by canals and gorgeous flowers. We really felt like we were in true Holland here, and we looked forward to our time with Cora and her family.

July 24th

The day was windy, but not raining, so Cora took us to see a windmill that had helped drain a lake. Hundreds of years ago, wealthy merchants in Amsterdam financed these windmills to create more land. When we went to the windmill and saw the time-series maps of Holland, we were shocked by the number of lakes and sea channels; and how, in the past, the Netherlands were more a series of islands than the single land mass it is today. During our tour of the windmill, we saw how the water was moved; and because it was such a windy day, we really saw it working! Margaret thought it was really cool, and marvelled at how inventive the Dutch are. After the Windmill, we went to Edam, famous for Connor's favourite cheese. We went into the museum that Margaret had been to when she was seventeen, and saw the portraits of a 450 pound man, a nine foot tall woman, and a man who grew a 6 foot beard. Then we stopped for a beer (of course!) and enjoyed the sun. Afterwards, the kids were happy to head home, where they met Peter's fifteen rabbits, and then jumped on a trampoline for a while. Cora made supper (she's a great cook) and then we all went into Purmerend to see the new Harry Potter movie, "The Order of the Phoenix". They have bars right in the theatre (we didn't have a drink, but we still thought it was pretty cool). Halfway through the movie, the screen changed color and the word "PAUZE" appeared. Margaret thought there was a technical problem, but it was just an intermission! Apparently, they always do that. Strange. Very strange.

July 25

When the sun rose, warm and inviting, we knew it was a great day to explore Amsterdam. Cora drove us to Ilpendam, where we caught a bus to Central Station. From there, we bought tickets for a canal tour of the city. It was interesting to hear the history of Amsterdam and see the range of industry and progress. Cora even learned some things about Amsterdam, so that was good! Afterwards, we wandered through several streets towards the old Church, and Barry seemed to have no problem finding the Red Light District. Every second building was a "coffee shop" (code for "you can buy drugs here"), and there were numerous sex shops, as well. The prostitutes stand behind glass doors and smile and wave at everyone who goes by. Needless to say, Connor and Tessa were traumatized (to say the least), but Barry seemed to enjoy himself, a little too much…. Later, we sat and enjoyed the square near the palace, having lunch. Europe has the best sandwiches and Margaret claimed she could live on bread forever. After our lunch, Barry and the kids went back to Cora's house, while Margaret and Cora went into Ilpendam to buy some groceries for supper. Margaret was, once again, amazed at how reasonable it was to buy groceries. When we returned, Tessa was on the trampoline again, surrounded by rabbits, sheep, horses, and a dog that ran around the trampoline barking madly.

That night, we invited Tante Jans and Oom Siem to join us for dinner, so it really felt like home with a full table and a great meal. After supper we had coffee and a visit. Margaret tried to phone one of her aunts on her father's side but there was no answer. This aunt lives in Purmerend, so it was a shame not to meet with her, but it gives us a reason to return to the Netherlands again.