Lisa, Beau and I spent a beautiful day driving from Giethoorn to Volendam. Our journey required us to cross a huge causeway that was created to tame the flooding of North Holland. There are colorful and quaint villages all along the route.
|
|
| You can never get enough tulips! |
 |
| Composting Tulips |
The composting tulips were very interesting, but a bit smelly. It was such a huge pile that I can't imagine that they do anything more than just pluck them from the ground and pile them up for fertilizer in another year or so? Can you imagine how much money this pile of compost would be worth as sell-able bulbs?
 |
| This year's crop |
 |
| All of them were perfect |
 |
| I just love the rows and rows of flowers |
 |
| You don't see pink tulips that often? |
These are now starting to seem common place, but it is still really cool to contemplate all of the wind energy that is generated in Europe. There are no advertisements along the roadside in Europe so the turbine may be the most 'offensive' roadside obstruction to nature that they have here. I think that they are pristine and welcome them over the golden arches any day.
This is actually more of a sea wall holding pond? Anyway, the sea looks like you would expect it to. The more interesting part is that they barricaded it with a causeway. It is similar to driving across the Florida Keys.
Doshemommalove AGAIN....these are so cute!
 |
| Baby Dutch 'cows' |
 |
| Fold in your side mirrors! |
OK, in case you think that there is nothing more to Holland than tulips and windmills, here is one of the iconic draw bridges over a canal. This is much more exciting when you are driving over it in the family wagon. I stopped traffic for a while contemplating if I actually would fit. The Dutch are smart, so they thoughtfully included concrete pillars on either side of the road so that if you scrape the side of your car while trying to enter the bridge, you know that you should reverse and double the damage versus driving off into the canal.
 |
| Seriously scarier in person |
 |
Our best shot in Volendam
Skip this tourist trap |
 |
Monnickendam is a
beautiful old fishing village |
 |
Our "water front" hotel
We think that they flooded the back yard! |
This would be even more beautiful if I hadn't cut off the bottom of the reflection. This was the sunset from our 'water front' hotel in Volendam.
Now, on to Amsterdam...
These are now starting to seem common place, but it is still really cool to contemplate all of the wind energy that is generated in Europe. There are no advertisements along the roadside in Europe so the turbine may be the most 'offensive' roadside obstruction to nature that they have here. I think that they are pristine and welcome them over the golden arches any day.
