Provost European Adventure

 Our trip would be so much less enjoyable and manageable without our new bestie Rick Steves.  I remember seeing Rick Steves travel shows on PBS as a young adult. I literally never thought they would apply to my life. Leading up to our trip, I watched every video and purchased every book I could. But I have found his free audio app to be the most useful resource of all. He offers an audio walking tour through the “spine” of Amsterdam that we decided to take our first day. It’s designed to be two hours…I think we did it in about four.  Amsterdam is such a cool city. Everywhere we went, there was so much more to take in than whatever landmark Rick was talking about. It didn’t feel insanely touristy, aside from the crowds of people. The weather was gorgeous and overcast—such a welcome change from the heat and humidity of Switzerland and Germany!  The walk began at the main train station. Such a pretty building!              So many tour...

 We left very early for our train into Amsterdam. Here was our final view from our upstairs skylight. Düsseldorf was just incredible and we loved it much more than we ever expected. It really felt like a home. The journey ended up feeling pretty long. We went from Germany to Amsterdam Centraal on a very noisy and crowded train. From there, we took a train to the airport so we could meet our newest travel companion…my brother!  My brother is my only sibling and has always lived near us. He has been a huge supporter of my girls their whole lives. He has been teaching 6th graders for over 20 years and, as a result, is a great hang. We were all so very happy to see him.  We took an Uber to our new home in Den Ilp, a suburb outside of Amsterdam. It is a breathtaking neighborhood and we were all instantly comfortable. While Andy and the girls took naps, Donnie and I traipsed 30 minutes to and from the grocery store. We got home, made an easy dinner of tortellini, and got to bed...

 On our last full day in Germany, we slept in and stayed close to home in Dusseldorf. We fell in love with this livable, friendly city. Elise had started her antibiotic and was feeling much better. We went to breakfast at a local bakery, and went into a nearby church for some quiet reflection. The steps up to the church had a gorgeous floral arrangement…we have never seen this!  We decided to walk through the palace gardens, as it was too hot for it on the day we toured. No regrets. It was spectacular. Early dinner at our new favorite German restaurant. We were the only ones there for a little while and loved the quiet. Crazy baked potato shaped like a swan! This time, we did get to split our meals. Still plenty of meat!