Our weekend was quite a dichotomy. I can only describe it as going from the Garden of Eden into Sodom. On one side, you have the most beautiful gardens that I’ve ever seen and on the other side, you have a city that is a playground for sin.
The brighter side… This trip was one of my top two that I wanted to take while we are in Europe. I dreamed of seeing the tulips in bloom in Holland. Ken arranged for us to drive to Keukenhof, a park only open from late March to mid-May for tulips. It was spectacular and far exceeded my imagination. Click here or on the photos link on the left to see more of these photos. There are few flowers with such bright, intense color as tulips. I didn’t know that they were Ken’s favorite as well until we were there. Ken did some amazing stylist photography while we were there. His photography skills really are impressive. I would recommend this place to any flower aficionado (as well as those that aren’t)! Just make sure to get there early in the morning before all of the tour buses get there. As we were leaving around noon, we saw cars backed up for over 4 km.
After the park, we went to downtown Amsterdam to see the Anne Frank House and take a Canal Tour. They were all good, but required some walking to get from one to the next. That is where my heart broke. I knew that Amsterdam had a famous red-light district and that drugs are legal there, but I really wasn’t prepared for it. There were sex movie stores and “toy” shops on many streets downtown- not just in the district. There was even a sex museum. Then you have the coffee shops that sell more than just coffee. You could smell the pungent smoke as you walked by and could nearly get a secondary high. I had the same feeling that I’ve had two other times in my life- the power of darkness. (The other two times were in New Age stores in Tucson, AZ and in Madison, IN.) It was really creepy. I was so glad that Ken was at my side. This is not a place that I recommend visiting without either a tour guide leading the way or a man at your side. I personally never want to visit downtown Amsterdam again.
On Sunday, we visited the Heineken Brewery. It was really interesting to learn about the beer-making process. After that we visited a farm to see how Dutch cheese and wooden shoes are made. The two “we won’t try anything new” Lawrances were brave and actually tasted the cheese. Shockingly, we actually liked the Gouda they made and bought some to take home.
Kristy
4 comments:
What an amazing trip to see some amazing flowers Kristy. I never knew that tulips could grow so densely. Hope to see you in some sabots back in Hoosierland!
-Matt
Kristy ist in die Niederlande gegangen. Kristy in den Blumebetten sehen. Kristy Abnutzung Sabots sehen.
Doktor Matt
Hey Matt- what is a "sabot"?
Hi Kristy!
I think Doktor Matt means "wooden shoes" by "Sabots." :)
Wow...the Netherlands, what a place!!! My uncle got the chance to go to Amsterdam at least once that I know of and he talked about the dichotomy there as well. It's really sad...people think the only way they can have true freedom is to throw off all restraints and live their lives with a "devil may care" attitude. But having no parameters or boundaries leaves you feeling out of control and empty inside. It's funny how the freedom you thought you were experiencing feels like chains in the end.
And then you decide to follow Christ and set up those boundaries for yourself and it's amazing the True Freedom you experience. In the end, isn't that what Christianity is all about? Well...guess I'm preachin' to the choir. :) But you know what I mean! :)
Matt and I want to call you guys sometime, but we have to figure out a way to do that. He's the details guru in the family. Every family needs one of those! :)
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