We arrived at our hotel in Lisse, not too far from Amsterdam. We didn't have time for anything but checking in and learning that the cheapest meal on the hotel restaurant menu was about 21 Euro, so we split a meal and ate crackers and cheese back in our room! They did provide wonderful breakfasts, so we made up for the 21 Euro really fast the next morning and the rest of our stay. We did, however, refrain from their evening meals anymore!
We left for the Haag on Wednesday morning, 'cause the church website indicated that we could get a temple session on Wednesdays. But, when we got there, they said that Wednesdays were now only for missionaries (meaning the young elders and sisters who served in the Netherlands and Belgium). Well, they took pity on us when they learned we were calling them from our car in their parking lot, and we got to attend a session with about 40 elders and 8-10 sisters. It was a wonderful experience. Their mission president officiated, and the prayer he offered at the end of the session was so powerful and so heart-felt. The whole thing was just a sweet experience.
This is a view of the Haag Temple from across a canal.
We wandered along some streets that were in the neighborhood of the temple, all with canals in their back yards. I haven't shown you the canals, but I had to show you the way they trim some of their trees! This way they don't have a tree hanging over their yard or the canal, yet they get privacy and shade by summer. This is just one example of their trimming! I hope Dad doesn't get any wild ideas!
Just had to take this picture of the "Tweewielers"! I wish I had asked what it really means, but as for me and my posterity, it's a store that sells "three-wheelers"! 
The first thing a person notices in Holland is that everything is built out of brick instead of the stucco of Germany. Oh! It's beautiful. Even the barns are brick. I think the cows are really lucky!
Just another example of the beauty of brick!
More brick...
A street vendor with his goods. Usually I'm not afraid to eat at one, but between the pickles and the flies, we were a little leary!
Varied architecture, the old with the new.
Had to show you this thatched roof. So many of the modern, brick homes have thatch roofs, 'cause they're still the best thing for all the rain that falls. I didn't believe that until I saw how the thatch is really built, and then I decided that there's no way a raindrop could penetrate all those layers of thatch. See below.
These next few pictures are an attempt to give you an idea of the masses of bikes in Holland. An awfully lot of Germans ride bikes, but mostly for pleasure and out in the fields, etc. Here it is a total way of life, from the sharply dressed businessman to the perfectly coiffed, stilleto-wearing businesswoman. Bikes are it! I'm more afraid of getting hit by a bike than I am a car over there. It's wild! Anyhow, my pictures don't begin to show the quantity of bikes. Just multiply what you see by 100's, and you'll come close.
A woman coming home from shopping, with her vegies standing tall in back.
This is a common site--a bike, an old woman with a walker, a dog on a leash, and regular "walkers"--all maneuvering the cobblestones like they were carpet.
This was my favorite bike picture. Doesn't this mom look spiffy? I just hope there are no potholes--I don't know how tightly the kids are wedged in! We passed this woman, and I wanted a picture so badly that we pulled into an illegal parking space and waited for her to catch up to us--it was worth the wait!!
This is a small example of bike parking. By the train stations, etc., they are two deep and all tightly secured with locks.
This woman had a large package, all wraped with bows and ribbons. Maybe going to a party?
We traveled on Friday to a famous little city called Alkmaar. It's famous for its cheese. We bought a little stained glass picture of some tulips from this cute little man. We hope to hang it in our kitchen some day.
Back to the cheese. There is a harbor right into this city, and in the old days, the cheeses would be brought into the city by the makers, weighed by the ship people, and then piled up to be loaded onto the ships. These days, they do a reenactment of this on Fridays, so we happened on one such reenactment. It was always a contest among the cheese makers who could get their cheeses weighed and loaded first. Each maker wore a different colored hat. So, in the pictures, you can see the men as they literally run with their loads of cheese, get them weighed, and take them to the end of the area where they would be loaded for the ships. Kind of fun, and the people seem to love their job, making it fun to watch them.
Notice the different colored hats (or ribbons).
This guy just posed with a family while holding one of the large rounds of cheese. Each one weighs a whole lot!!!
The scales.
The "red" team.
On Thursday, after visiting the famous Keukenhof (which you will see very last), we took a boat ride along the canals of Amsterdam. It took about 1 hour 15 minutes, and we felt like we had really seen a lot of the culture in that short time!! This was the inside of our boat, but we preferred sitting out back in the wind and air, and picture taking was more fun!
This is one of the many, many house boats that people live on along the canals. Some are quite nice, others are scary. 
Just a small example of the huge number of bridges over the canals throughout the city. Unbelievable.
Now to the Keukenhof. I'm sure you've all heard of these gardens, and luckily our hotel was within walking distance. It only took about a half hour to walk there, and it saved a bunch in parking!! And since it was so cold, the walk kept us warm!! These fields were on our way to the Keukenhof. We got to Holland a little late in the season, but it was the only available time for us, and many of the fields had been "topped" in order for the nutrients to return to the bulbs for selling. So, much of the color that would have been there a few weeks earlier was gone. Still beautiful, though!
This was a lovely little house that appeared on the way to the Keukenhof. Isn't it a storybook kind of home? 
And, of course, I had to pay Hank to pose with these little beauties. See how mad he looks at having to do it?!?
Just to demonstrate how huge some of these blossoms get--larger than Hank's hand as they open!
Color and more color...
A cute little windmill that they transplanted from somewhere in Holland to give the gardens a little more spice. 
Gorgeous lakes and fountains within the Keukenhof. 
More color...
And what is a blog without a bird?? This was my bird of choice! They have a little petting zoo here for the kids. I don't think that the chickens tolerate much petting, but the goats and other animals seem to like it! This guy sure looks fluffy, though! Tempting...
All varieties of flowers...
Hank posing again to show the size of the blossoms! He either has a tiny head, or those are some real beauties!
Don't ask. I have no idea what this is, but I just had to save it for posterity. The gardens had a number of really nice statues that seemed to fit with the beauty of the place......So, I'll never know how they came up with this!
You can tell that they have topped many of these flowers, as much of it is green. But the overall feeling was so intense, I can guarantee that we didn't feel cheated. When I was here 40 years ago, we were in the peak of the season, the day that they had their parade with floats made of flowers and blossoms. It was really something I'll never forget.
I thought this was kind of cute...you'll get your education as to the many variations of wooden shoes that are made available to the mannequin with taste!
Even shoes to go backwards in...
Boots?
Kind of fun, huh? I was quite surprised they haven't come up with a wooden flip-flop yet.
More wisteria. It grows here like our dandelions do at home!
Streams and gorgeous trees.
Color...
Swans...
This was fun. Instead of benches, they bring in these huge bales of hay and stick in some pitchforks to rest on! Believe me, after walking the acres and acres and acres of the Keukenhof, people were mighty glad for these bales!
Look good enough to eat, don't they?
Cameras just don't do the color justice!
Hummm.
And, I think that's it, folks!
This is just one of those experiences where you become so sated with the colors that you just feel like you can't hold it all. But in spite of the hundreds of acres here, I've felt the same awe on Temple Square and sometimes even in Mom's beautiful berms of poppies, iris, tulips, roses, etc., etc. It makes me grateful for my senses, even though I seem to be lacking the once sense known as "common." Love you all so much!
