Democrats & Republicans Coming Together in Peace...

I was a bit nervous about entertaining such politically diverse dads, who'd only met once at our wedding 13 years ago, but I was worried for nothing. We enjoyed touring the Peace Palace (apologies for the lousy photo). This magnificient building is filled with amazing artwork from the many member nations and houses the International Court of Justice, which settles border and financial disputes between nations. After this inspirational tour you'd think we would have solved all the world's problems over lunch, but sadly we only unilaterally agreed that it should be illegal to marry your own grandmother.

Slumming it in Holland...

A week after my dad arrived, Jimmy's dad came out for a long weekend. We dragged the two of them to the Leiden market, our favorite Saturday hangout; the girls convinced Buddy into paddling into the centrum while Grandpa was relieved to ride in a city bus. In fact, we dragged both of them on many trains, trams and buses. For guys accustomed to the finer things in life, they never complained about slumming it with us in 2nd class. In this photo Veronica's showing Buddy how to tram surf.

Mother Nature Shows Off...

Just had to include this photo since it was one of the most spectacular sunsets I'd ever seen. Amazingly, it was from our front yard in late September. Not sure what the atmospheric conditions were to create such a show, but would love for it to happen again. While we do occasionally see sunsets and sunrises (sadly we wake up around here before the sun comes up about half the year), this was definitely a rare one.

Dutch Specialities...

We ate out a lot when my dad visited. While the girls were at school, he and I explored nearby towns in search for the best lunch. The runner up was an Uitsmijter (sunny side up eggs and cheese on toast) at a cafe in Haarlem. The winner was a Tuna Carpaccio sandwich at a Leiden canalside cafe. We skipped the Filet American which is raw hamburg.

We didn't eat out often for dinner because most restaurants offer multiple courses served over several hours and are quite expensive. The philosophy is that once you have a table, it's yours for the night. However, we did go out for some traditional meals-- Pannekoeken (Dutch pancakes which are similar to crepes), Rijstafel (Indonesian rice table) and the shown Mosselen (mussels steamed with wine and veggies). Eet smakelijk!

The World's Oldest Profession...

No tour of Amsterdam is complete without a walk through the infamous Red Light District dating back to the 1300's. Yes, the rumors are true, women legally sit in windows plying their trade while tourists walk by gawking. Strangely, there are even boat cruises advertised as "romantic" that specialize in the area. Not surprisingly, the area is quite sleazy with sex shows, shops and coffeehouses.

My, That's Funny Smelling Coffee...

If you're looking for a good cup of coffee, you'll want to avoid Amsterdam's coffeeshops and stick with a koffie house or cafe. As you walk through the streets of Amsterdam, it's hard to avoid the smell of marijuana pouring forth from the many coffeehouses where it's allowed (although still technically illegal) to buy and toke. As old hippies, my dad and I couldn't resist posing in front of Amsterdam's first coffeeshop, The Bulldog. Of course, we just liked the paintings.

Sharing Dutch Culture with Dad...

I must admit I was a bit nervous about hosting my dad for 10 days before my stepmom joined him for another 10 days. He's used to a lot of space and a 1st class lifestyle, but he adapted to our 2nd class existence brilliantly and we had a great time sharing father and daughter moments all over the Randstad. Here you see us at the Heineken Experience which is basically a giant ad for Heineken, but was lots of fun. Click here to check out the silly video we made.