Another Rainy Day
Nate is quiet as a ninja as he wakes and gets ready and off to work. The kids and I are still trying to adjust to the time change, and we sleep in until 9 AM.
The kids and I take shifts eating breakfast and I wash the bowls and spoons in between and after we're done.
The cereal in the Netherlands has way less sugar, and the dye used is typically from natural ingredients not artificial. The cereal is also much harder and crunchier which means is doesn't really get soggy in your milk... I'm still trying to decide if I like the extra crunch or not.
Their cereal may not have a ton a sugar, but sometimes they eat hagelslag, which is a Dutch "breakfast" of sprinkles on bread. I bought some for the kids to try and they both like it…but it's hard to go wrong with sugar.
Landon has been complaining about being cold because I didn't pack him any long sleeve shirts (thought we didn't need to as it's summer). We head to the nearby mall. They have a TK-Max, which is basically the same as TJ-Max in the US. I find a long sleeve t-shirt for 7,50 euros, and buy that for him, which he promptly puts on as soon as we're out of the store.
By the time we get out of the mall there is a little blue sky and the sun is shining. I'm warm enough in my non-breathable rain coat that I take it off and put it in a bag. We walk down to check out MediaMarkt which is like a Best Buy. I want to find a night light for the bathroom but they don't have anything. After more shopping it's noon and Kailey is hungry. Landon really isn't but I don't want to wait too long. Nate had texted saying that we would be going to a coworkers house for dinner at 5:30.
With a break in the rain we decide to take pictures by St. Catherine's Church, which we call the "double-steeple church", and Father's Church or Sacred Heart Church that we call the "Diving Jesus church". St. Catherine's church is in the middle of town and easily spotted walking around. We show the kids how to find their way to our hotel from there, so if for some reason they get lost they can find their way home.
We decide to grab Burger King for lunch, mainly because it is cheap. You can get a hamburger or a cheeseburger for 1,50 euros, which seems like a steal compared to the Five Guys we had yesterday where the cheapest burger was 11,50 euros.
I decide to bring it back to the apartment as I need to use the bathroom and you have to pay to use the public restrooms in Europe. Just as we are getting back to the Pullman it starts to rain. Within 5-10 minutes it is dumping rain and there is thunder and lightning also, so it was good timing.
The kids and I play a round of travel Phase 10, and then I teach them how to play Rummy with a deck of cards I bought.
By 3:30 the rain has stopped and there are sun breaks once again, so we leave to get some fresh air and exercise. We get back to the apartment shortly before Nate arrives home from work.
We are going to his coworker Edward’s house. Edward's family is originally from China, but moved to Eindhoven several months ago. He came to our house a couple years ago when he visited Arizona.
Nate didn't realize that he had a meeting he was supposed to be in and so he asks me to drive so he can take his call while we are on the road. I'm not super excited about it, but don't have much choice.
Our rental car is a Peugeot and quite nice. Nate punches the address into the GPS and we go to leave the parking lot, only to find the front desk gave him the wrong kind of parking pass. So I park the car and he goes back inside to get it traded out.
On the road it's very confusing, some places are two-way streets with no lane markings down the middle, with bike lanes on the outside. Thankfully the speed limit is slow so I have time to figure out where to go. It is still stressful as there are lots of pedestrians and bikes to watch out for.
Nate is still in his call when we arrive, but finishes up just as they finish preparing dinner.
Edward and his wife made an amazing spread of food which they said is the traditional Chinese style. Making about one dish per person, but sharing all the dishes. My favorite dishes were a chicken with garlic and beef with peppers, but really it was all quite good. Kailey enjoyed a carrot and pork dish. There was also beef with mushrooms, sausage and peas, cucumber salad, fresh cucumbers with a soy dipping sauce, strawberries, sticky rice with red bean in it, and an amazing honeydew melon. The only dish I don't try is a prawn and celery dish, as I don't really care for shellfish.
After dinner the kids have fun playing with their son, not sure how his name is spelled, but it's pronounced "How Chin". He is 9 years old and seems very shy, it could be in part due to English being his second language. He does attend an international school that's taught in English, and they say he is pretty quiet and shy there too. Hopefully this experience will help him open up more, and by the time we have to leave they are all having fun together.
It stays light so much later here than home, not getting dark until after 10 PM, where at home it's dark by 7:30. We leave around 9 PM as we lost track of the time while visiting.
The kids are still wired when we get home and break out Phase 10 again, which we let them play since they are getting along nicely. We finally turn out the lights when their game is done, close to 11:30 PM.
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