Lots to catch up on- Warning long post!!!

**** I am having some issues uplaoding blog posts- so I apologise in advance if this is missing the pics... I'll try and fix it up later *****

I was waiting on Amy to finish her post re Madrid and Segways so haven't caught up for a few days....

 We had a lovely stay at Den Haag and Casa del Cohen. Allison and Brian made the kids and I feel so very welcome it was wonderful. We arrived quite late in the evening and had a nice family dinner and an early night (by spanish standards).

We missed James and Brian heading out for their day in the morning but Jack enjoyed his chocolate sprinkles om toast and Amy set off with Allison and Clare for the school run on a bike borrowed from their neighbours. Very Dutch!

It is quite a bit cooler here, even though we have gorgeous blue skies so we have packed the shorts away in favour of long pants and jackets. We set off to visit Amsterdam for the day. The train ride up from Den Haag was easy, with great scenery along the way. The communities along rail lines aren't usually great, but we saw very pretty towns and sights along the way including a few of the 'old windmills' and lots of flower fields.

We started with a canal 'hop on hop off' boat. Our first stop- the Heineken experience! Jack has asked to blog that part so I'll cover the rest of the day. The boat was lovely, but J and A got a little bored in the hour it took us to get to our planned stop. I loved the look at Amsterdam from the water, and the insight into the history.

This is Jack and the church of Saint Nicholas- Patron Saint of children of course aka Santa! I also enjoyed some of the modern buildings, including 'Nemo' which Allison later told us was a great place for kids to enjoy a museum outing.

By the time we reached our planned stop I suspect the other tourists trying to listen to the commentary didn't enjoy the Amy 'tour guide' game and Jack laughing her off. Grrrr. We jumped off for the Heineken tour, but more from Jack about that later. We spent so much time there, we were only left with enough time for a late lunch (3pm!) and a quick wander through the Albert Market and flower markets on our walk back to the train station to get home on time for another yummy dinner laid on by Allison. Delicious Mexican treats both nights Jack was in heaven!

The next morning we packed ready for our train to Paris, and then had a wander and morning coffee in the square close by. I LOVED it! I wish we could further embrace this style of living in Australia, thougn I feel North Perth may already be part way there. 

Real holly found growing in a garden along their street.

Bakery treats...

Cheese.... 

Seafood!

And morning coffee with a wonderful view.

Allison very kindly drove us to Rotterdam for our train, amd we had an easy trip down. We had booked first class (oh lala) and that included plush seats, meals and a few drinks! Much nicer than the budget airlines by far and we arrived on time at Gare North in Paris.

We easily found pur Paris digs via Metro and a short walk. The apartment is very comfortable and here's the view from the street outside our apartment. Not too shabby!

I'm going to sign off now as it's late and we walked lots today, but there is more to come including Jack's Heineken experience and our first day in Paris. Bon Nuit!