Away in Amsterdam

January 15, 2011

As we all know, traveling with children can be quite an experience. You never really know how it is going to turn out. Will they act up on the plane, get bored in the car,  get sick, like the food or even just have fun?


We took a vacation to visit family in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This was going to be our first trip to Amsterdam, so we were all excited. At the time, Sophia was just over a year old and loved using her new walking skills. This was going to be her first airplane trip. We left Houston on a ten hour flight to Amsterdam. Our flight departed around 5:00 p.m. Houston time and would arrive a little after 8:00 a.m. in Amsterdam. I must say it was nice flying at night, because Sophia was used to going to sleep at night and after they served dinner, she began to fall asleep, as did the rest of us. We woke up and looked up at the travel log on the screen and saw we had about an hour left before we would land.

We touched down in Amsterdam, and my sister was there to greet us. We took a taxi back to her place, and then we were off and running. When my husband is on vacation, it is like something is inside of him and he wants to go explore everything. With my sister as a guide we put Sophia in her stroller and began to stroll through the streets and canals of Amsterdam.

Besides all the old, historic, streets and buildings, one thing that is everywhere in Amsterdam is people on bicycles. It was amazing to see how many people used bicycles as their form of transportation. They even had a three-story parking garage only for bicycles. There is a certain charm about Amsterdam that grabs hold of you, and just walking the streets, entices the eyes with many wonderful sights.


Buildings hundreds of years old are still standing, and it is amazing walking on these old cobblestone streets. There are so many wonderful little shops, parks and cafes surrounded by canals. I was thrilled because their were so many cheese shops. You get entranced walking these old streets window shopping. Plus, Amsterdam has many open air markets, with people selling everything you can imagine. Another thing I love, is the flower markets, with rows and rows of fresh tulips and other flowers. Almost every place you go in Amsterdam is a postcard moment. From the moment we woke up till the sun would go down, my husband had us strolling all over Amsterdam perusing the museums, parks, shops, malls, markets, art galleries and yes even the Red Light District.


As Sophia was still a little young to know what really was going on, we hauled her in her baby chariot stroller up, down and all around Amsterdam. The plane ride was just the first of many modes of transportation Sophia  experienced while in Amsterdam. She also took a trip down the canals on a cruise, she rode a bus, the tram and even a train when we went to visit my aunt in Eindhoven. Talk about planes, trains and automobiles, we did it all. LOL.

We had a wonderful time in Amsterdam and it was so sad that it had to end. However, we are definitely planning on returning, not only to see my family again but just to enjoy such a wonderful place and to visit.

Sincerely,

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20 Comments

  • Reply Michelle January 16, 2011 at 1:51 am

    I love the Netherlands! It’s been 15 years since I’ve been there, but I really want to take my family. The environment is so different than what we’re used to and with so many visual things for kids to see! It’s great you’re traveling with your little one!

  • Reply Andrea January 16, 2011 at 3:20 am

    Thanks for the visit and follow! Following you back 🙂
    jellybean529.blogspot.com

  • Reply Tawnya January 16, 2011 at 11:48 am

    I would love to go to Amsterdam! It is a great idea to take an overnight flight! I had the most difficult time flying with my son on just a 2 hr flight!

  • Reply Emy January 16, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    Seems like you had a great time! My son is good on flights and hours long car trips.

  • Reply April Yedinak January 16, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    It looks like a great place to visit!

  • Reply Becky January 16, 2011 at 8:21 pm

    I love Amsterdam. Did you visit the miniature city while you were there?
    I’m following you from the Take a Stroll Blog Hop. 🙂
    http://www.dutchgirlsfavoritethings.com

    • Reply showmemama January 16, 2011 at 8:32 pm

      Yes, Madurodam was really nice to see and it was raining when we went but it sure was worth it. 🙂 Everything was so tiny 🙂 Love it all. Thanks for sharing your comment.

  • Reply Jennifer January 17, 2011 at 3:40 am

    Great pictures!! Sound like it was so much fun!! I would love to make a trip over there.

  • Reply Katie January 17, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    Just beautiful! And I think it is amazing that Amsterdam had a three story building to park bicycles!

  • Reply Lara January 17, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    I am so glad you posted this! We are traveling to Canada in the fall and I am a wreck about traveling with a little one. She will be over 2 by then, but it just seems so complicated! It looks like it can be done and you can have a fabulous time! Great photos! I may be hitting you up for ideas and tips for this trip 🙂

    • Reply showmemama January 17, 2011 at 8:01 pm

      Oh, don’t get me wrong, we were extremely worried and I just stopped and said, I will make it this the best trip ever. I made sure that she had every toy, movies at hand and you know what… most of the time she was sleeping. On our way back we left in the AM hours, so she was awake but we kept her occupied with movies and hey, she was just fine. Just remember they are as nervous as we are so all they want is to feel comfortable and happy. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I will be happy to help. Have a great day.

  • Reply Terri January 18, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    It’s been a number of years since I traveled in Europe, but your post brings back many fond memories!
    Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply Sara @ Mom Endeavors January 20, 2011 at 3:11 am

    Wow! What an incredible family trip! Would love to get back to Europe sometime!

  • Reply mrs. shopper January 21, 2011 at 7:19 pm

    I have gone to Holland when I was 16 yrs. old visiting family and many sites. It was a very unique place to travel. Many people ride bikes, a number of streets had brick. There was some windmills. Many people speak English.

    Glad you had a great time!
    Mrs.shopper@simplyshopandsave.ca

  • Reply Tazim Damji January 28, 2011 at 10:01 am

    I’ve never been, but I know many people there who’ve offered me a place to stay. I would absolutely love to go and experience it all. I used to live in Houston, by the way! 🙂

  • Reply Karen Stinchfield January 31, 2011 at 1:06 am

    Hi there,
    Just wanted to say thank you for following my blog. Following yours as well 🙂
    Karen
    http://www.bellaandgracies.blogspot.com

  • Reply MompreneurPlus9 February 3, 2011 at 12:08 pm

    Thanks for the fun blog about Amsterdam and the Twitter follow at ViveVita. I visited Amsterdam before I had kids and loved it also. I love traveling too and have always had great experiences taking our kids. The weeks and days before the trip always seem to be filled with much more anxiety (anticipatory anxiety!) than the trip itself. I will never forget all of the grand moments I have shared with my kids in places I thought I could only dream of standing. Cheers to you and your family and …. many travels together!

  • Reply Austin Baroudi July 17, 2012 at 1:06 am

    This is my dream vacation! I want to go there so bad!

  • Reply Jennifer Mae Hiles February 15, 2013 at 7:54 pm

    What a cool place to choose to visit! What made you decide on Amersterdam? I would love to go there someday!

  • Reply ellen beck March 6, 2013 at 6:39 am

    Amsterdam is one of those places that would be a joy to travel to. It always looks fun with interesting things happening!

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