Amsterdam....I am

Our final full day in Amsterdam lead us to exploring the city and going to Vondelpark (central park).  Our first stop was at the Rijksmuseum.  It was such a beautiful day and we could not have asked for better weather.  Of course the whole city also knew it was a beautiful day and they were out in force.

Haley, Ian and Hana walked the grounds surrounding the Rijksmuseum and quickly found a little labyrinth designed for children.  They spent the next 20 minutes running down one path until they could go no further.  Eventually Ian lead them out and we moved on to the iconic "I Amsterdam" signage.

As you can imagine the signage was packed.  We must have waited 20 minutes to "get our turn" to have the kids climb up on the letter of their choice and take a picture.  Of course Haley tried to pick the highest point to climb to, in this case the letter T, but the wait was to long.  So we took a few pictures on the "other letters" and moved on.

We took a nice long walk down a gorgeous parkway and past more museums.  At the end of the parkway we found our way to the Vondelpark (central park).  As we entered the park we came across another and less crowded "I Amsterdam" sign.  The lack of crowds made it far to tempting not to stop and get another "I AM" picture with the kids.

After the quick stop for a picture it was off to one of the parks nice cafes.  This one looks like a UFO landed right in the middle of the park.  With such a sunny day we move to the upstairs patio for some sweet treats and a coffee (my first in 3 days).  The apple pie was amazing and the coffee was good (of course at this point any coffee would have been good).  The kids had brownies that received a so-so review.  Ian does not like "nuts" in his brownie and did not appreciate the waitress not informing him of this "brownie issue".

After our snack pit-stop, we continued our exploration of the park.  The kids continued their search for playgrounds and that lead us to a nice little area of the park with a water feature and small playground.  There must have been 300 people in this part of the park.  Entire families were together enjoying the weather and some leisure time.   The kids quickly ran off to play while Myiesha and I found a nice sunny spot to sit down in.

After about 30 minutes Ian came running over to me to express that his "new friend" had invited him to go play soccer.  Ian has been showing a new interest in soccer and he wasn't going to miss this opportunity.  As with all American parents, be paranoid about our children, I decided to walk with Ian to where he was going to play soccer.

When we arrived at the spot with Ian's new friend (please note I don't remember this child's name) I was met by his mother who happened to be an expat from Canada.  While Ian pursued his "soccer pitch" dreams I heard about the ups and downs of living in Amsterdam.  In many ways the Europeans seem to be more "pro family" than Americans.  They seem to understand that to be "pro family" you have to be pro "mom"/"women".  You have to be pro time off so family's can be together.  You have to be pro healthcare for all for the entire family to be healthy.  You cant be pro family if you only want to support a child in the womb but care nothing for the child once it is born.  As an example, after a woman gives birth she is allowed off time from work to be with the child.  When this time "runs out" she goes back to work at only 80% time (4 days a week) but receives 100% pay.  This last for 8 years.  Wow!  Now that is pro family.

In addition, it was truly nice to see so many "families" together.  Fathers/husbands were everywhere.  Many times we saw fathers with their kids only.  We were told this is common in Amsterdam as one day of the week is "father's day" when the dad takes full responsibility for the children so the mother can rest.  How refreshing it was to see this.  Yes I know many will say these type of "government regulations" will hurt a society but I must say they all looked very happy, healthy and relaxed.  Just saying.

After another hour of play time we decided to pack up and head out to the highest rated Ethiopian Restaurant in Amsterdam.  It was so nice to have a great meal of food we understood and enjoyed.  The owner of the restaurants was very friendly and also brought us a twist on our favorite "honey wine".  It seems he adds carbonated water to the honey wine and it was a perfect refreshing drink for an early dinner.

After dinner we headed back to our apartment to get ready to pack.  Tomorrow we would be leaving for the next segment of the Taylor Schlitz Family Amazing Race....Paris, France.  As you can imagine everyone is excited and Haley can't wait to see the Eiffel Tower.  But before any of that can happen we will get to experience the wonders of high speed rail in Europe.

Where You Land Is Key To A Good Trip

One of our best decisions in planning this amazing trip for the Taylor Schlitz family was picking an initial city where we could take a couple of days to get used to the time change.  Amsterdam was a great choice for so many reasons.

First, when facing such jet lag, it was great to be in a place where we could easily communicate with people.  The people were so nice from the moment we arrived.  They never seemed irritated that we knew very little to no Dutch.  They constantly expressed to us how grateful they were for our willingness to come visit their wonderful city.

Second the food was great.  Our apartment was located in a very diverse area of Amsterdam and there were many "ethnic" food choices.  We ended up eating at a great little restaurant, PERA, that featured Mediterranean foods that the whole family would eat.  Chicken is chicken they say and PERA helped our children maintain a food regiment that they were used to eating at home.

Third point was that they had great local grocery stores.  The beauty of the apartment is it allowed us to go to the local grocery store and help keep our food costs down.  The store close to the apartment was fully stocked with all the necessities and the price was very reasonable (although the Dollar to Euro made us lose out on the cost end anyway).  A side note they do not refrigerate the eggs at the grocery store.  They are on a normal aisle shelf right next to the other items like honey and cookies.  A side note for our local grocery store was that they were running some type of promotional campaign aimed at children that gave each our children a little animal figure during each visit.  As you can image the kids quickly fell for these cute little animals and were constantly asking us to take them to the grocery store.

Fourth point is mass transit.  Amsterdam has a great light rail system that can get you to anywhere you need to go.  There are no ticket machines.  Instead they have staffed ticket counters on the train.  They must have a strong public employees union to be able to pull that off.  :-)   The cost was a little expensive and you could buy hourly or daily tickets.

Final point for those traveling with children is pick a city with great parks.  I can't stress how happy our kids were to see the playground when we went to the park.  In particular there was one park with a zip-line ride that they kids just loved.  I believe we could have spent everyday in Amsterdam at this one particular playground if the kids had their way.

Anne Frank. A Home Everyone Should Visit

Two summers ago I bought Haley age appropriate books on different historical figures for her summer reading.  This list included John F. Kennedy, Michelle Obama, Franklin Roosevelt and Anne Frank. I thought these individuals would help her gain a better understanding of leadership, courage, dedication and compassion.

One book I read to her was the one on Anne Frank.  As a little child I remember watching the Anne Frank movie on television with my father and brother.  I remember thinking how horrible it had to be to have to live in fear and realize that you were being hunted just because of your religion.  As I read this biography on Anne Frank to Haley we ended up having many of the same conversations I had with my father.  I struggled to explain to such an innocent soul such as Haley how man has used institutions such as government and the church to spread fear and loathing of others.  So many people have died in the name of religion that it is actually the reason for so much division in our world.

At the end of reading and discussing the book, I expressed to Haley that when we go to Europe I will make sure we go to see the Anne Frank house for ourselves.  So as we began to plan our trip I was pulled to flying into Amsterdam so we could all experience Anne and her family's story.

So after getting some catch up sleep from our first day of travel, we decided to get up early and make the trek to the Anne Frank house and museum.  We were warned that if we did not get to the museum by 8:30am we would end up waiting in line for a very long time.  Luckily we found our way there (after feeling lost so many times) and were about 15th in line.  

As we waited for the museum to open, we were able to talk with the other people in line.  The line reflected the diversity of Earth.  Everyone from everywhere seemed to be waiting in line with the hope to try and better understand the struggles of the Frank family and how the world could let one nation under the rule of a horrible person kill so many innocent people.

Right next to us in line was a couple from Maryland.  They were seasoned travelers but were making their first visit to Amsterdam and the Anne Frank house/museum.  The small talk ranged from airline flights, weather, why we left California for Texas and sharing information on the children's university model school they attend.  Throughout this pleasant conversation you could sense the underlying tensions of what awaited all of us.  Beyond those doors we would have the opportunity to explore the worst of humanity while seeing the beauty of the human spirit.

As the doors opened, I was not sure what to expect as we entered.  Please note that you have to be careful how big a purse/backpack you bring.  Plus you have to wear any backpacks on your chest with straps over your back.  After we purchased our tickets we entered the first part of the museum.  It is very simple layout that uses Anne's words to immerse you in her experience.  Quotes from her diary line the wall and set the stage for your journey into their secret hiding place.  

After a few minutes of exploring background information on the time period and reading about the Frank family and those who hid with them you finally reach the secret bookcase.  It is amazing to see such a little bookcase and door that kept the forces of evil and tyranny away for over two years.  As you crouch down to go through the doorway, you realize immediately how depressing and isolating the "secret annex" was for Anne and her family.  You are immediately met with the darkness brought on by "blackout" curtains.  One small light fixture with a single bulb lit the room.  It was barely enough to generate a person's shadow. 

At the same time you see many of the original items the family had posted on the walls.  I was particularly taken by the growth measurements of Anne and her sister.  Those lines in pencil meant to capture a family's effort to measure time were now there for eternity to share that they were human and yet were treated so inhumane.  As a parent you can only imagine that those lines on the wall could have easily been your own children.  

Not far from these lines was a small map of northern France that Otto Frank had posted.  There were little pins on the map that represented the movements of Allied troops as they rolled back the Third Reich and approached Amsterdam.  You imagine how those pins were placed on the map with such hope.  How could Otto not imagine that those pins moving east towards Amsterdam would bring validation and freedom for his family.  He had to have dreamed that one day he would be able to place a pin on Amsterdam and then take his family outside their small sanctuary for the first time in two years.  So close those little pins looked yet they were an illusion for the Frank family.  A sense of hope that only Otto would live to see.

After this we moved up the steep stairs to the view the other rooms.  You see the original bathroom and small rooms and you have to think could you do it?  Could you live in the dark for two years with the constant fear that people are out to hunt you and your family down for the purpose of killing you?  I am not sure any of us have the ability to endure what the Franks and so many millions more did during Hitler's tyranny.   

The children were amazed how small the living space was.  Myiesha and I talked to them about the restraint Anne and her sister had to have to be quiet everyday for two years.  Ian seemed to be unable to move beyond the thoughts that they were forced into hiding just because of their religion. He asked me many times why did the good people let Hitler do this?  He even made the connection to the Kony 2012 campaign.  He looked perplexed that we as a world continue to allow bad people (mainly men..when have women ever done anything like this?) to hurt and kill innocent families?  Unfortunately that is one of those questions no parent can truly answer.

Haley was focused on who would have told the Nazis where the Frank family was hiding after such a long time.  Haley was irritated that someone would "tell on them" and for what reason?  She wanted to know what did they get for doing this?  Another great series of questions but we have no answers.

There is so much I could say about this visit but at some point our words can truly never capture the emotions we all feel when faced with such a horrible part of man's history.  At the same time these children are quick to understand that what was once history can still be seen today in our world.  How many more people must die because of religion?  Why do we allow these conflicts to continue when we know they lead to atrocities such as these.  As Haley said to me..."Have we learned nothing?"

I hope that anyone who reads this will take the time in their lifetime to come visit a place like the Anne Frank house and museum.  It is definitely worth the time and travel to ensure that we all remember that not long ago we let one person lead a nation down a path of hate and destruction that touched us all.

Amsterdam - day one photos.

 On our AMAZING Adventure!!

 Very decent airplane food.
Hint:  get the gluten-free and get "better" food as an adult.
The children "appreciate" kid-food as it is familiar and "comfortable" for them.

 Ready to go to the top?!!

Even you, Ian?

Nah.  Not Ian.

At the zenith!!

Zipline in the park!!

And We Are Off....

No matter how many trips I plan or take, I never seem to get over the stress of getting the first part of the trip going.  It does not matter if we are in a plane, train or automobile I just want the trip to start.

So early this morning that day finally arrived and set off on our Taylor Schlitz Family Amazing Race 2014.  We are fans of the show and today we actually hit a few road blocks, detours and challenges.

When we first arrived at DFW Airport, we were met by the wonderful and friendly staff of KLM.  They were very helpful and were quick to give us our first roadblock.  It seems that when you fly internationally, at least on KLM, that they actually do care now about the total weight of each of your carry on pieces of luggage.  Of course we spent months planning how to pack for this adventure and it all went up in smoke in a few minutes on the KLM luggage scales.  So here we are at the check-in counter opening and pulling stuff out of bags and moving them to other bags.  After 15 minutes of the bag game, we were finally able to get all the bag weights correct and move on to airport security.

Oh my old friend TSA.  Just when I think I might start to miss you I go on a trip and realize how crazy we have made air travel post 911.  I am not going to go into a long diatribe about it but as usual this "challenge" is time consuming especially when you have three children.  The TSA agents were nice and helpful but it just seems like there has to be a better way to do this.  A side note to the creative staff of Amazing Race you should really incorporate navigating TSA as a challenge.  Just provide each team with two or three kids and have them have to get through this process.

Once in the airport we were able to catch our breath and grab a quick snack.  Before we knew it the time had come to board the flight to Amsterdam.  Once again the staff at KLM was amazing.  Super friendly and well organized.  We were allowed to pre-board and got to our seats with time to put our bags up in the overhead (this will lead to our second challenge when we land in Amsterdam).

We choose to go economy plus on KLM because we felt the extra leg and reclining room may help us feel fresher and ready to navigate Amsterdam when we land.  The extra leg room was great and made it easier to sit in one place for 8 hours.

Right after takeoff we were served our first meal.  Myiesha had pre-ordered kids meals and gluten free meals for all of us.  Sometimes ordering gluten free can be an amazing/scary food adventure but the meal was amazingly good.  After the dinner it was time to catch up on a couple of movies.  I finally got to see Monument Men and Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  Breakfast came about an hour before we landed and it was also great.  I can only imagine how great the business class is when the economy class is treated so well.  Great job KLM.

I must say that my wife really had the kids ready for this trip.  She had everything packed for them that they would need during the flight and that made it easy.  She is amazing to be married to.  In addition Haley, Ian and Hana did great on the flight.  They are natural travelers.  No worries at all.  Can navigate the airport without getting lost or confused.  Understand geography and distance extremely well.  They did not complain at all even with only 3 to 4 hours of sleep.

When we landed, we are all very tired.  8:00am in Amsterdam is 1:00am in Dallas/Fort Worth.  Kids actually got a couple of hours of sleep so at least they were functional.   After landing and getting to the gate it was time to depart the plane and unbeknownst to us the start of our second challenge.  We actually got of the plane very quickly and moved on to customs.  No line at customs and the customs officers was very helpful in getting us through the process in less than five minutes.  Shortest customs process I have ever gone through and I would recommend to all my friends and family flying through Amsterdam when heading to Europe.

Now we moved on to the meanest and biggest beast in the airport.....baggage claim.  As we wait for our bags to come out of the beast, Myiesha asks me a simple but complex question....how many bags did we check?  I confidently and proudly produce the claim checks to show her I was on my game.  Unfortunately my proud answer to this one question opened up another question and our latest "challenge".  It seems I miscounted the bags and had left my carry on on the plane.  CRAP!  How could I do that?  Well maybe lacking sleep and being stressed had a small part to do with it but I should have know better.

Faced with the challenge, we decided since it was my bag it was probably best I complete the challenge.  So off I run to the KLM baggage office to see if they had found my bag on the plane and how could I get it.  Once again the KLM staff acted like an "express pass".  I know I came across like a crazy American when I spoke with them but I was so tired.  They very calmly called the gate and were quickly informed that my bag had been found.  Great I thought but you know there will be a catch.  Wait for it.  Here it comes.  The polite KLM staff inform me that although the bag had been found it could take up to 24 hours to get it.  (Tired William must do all he can not to lose it).     I think my facial expression must have gotten me some sympathy because after another quick talk in Dutch with the gate agent I was informed that my bag would be brought up to me soon.  Of course there was a language issue that had us waiting in the wrong location but after 30 minutes we had the bag and we were on our way to meet our car service.

The car service was great.  Very friendly and it really helped to have someone not tired meeting us at the airport to help us get all our bags to a car and then to our apartment.  I had thought about using public transit but I am glad I decided against it.  We were in no shape to navigate language and an unfamiliar city transit system after the flight.

There was a slight traffic backup on the freeway but we were to our Amsterdam apartment in about 20 minutes.  When we arrived at our apartment (thank Wouter for helping us get in at 10am instead of 4pm) we were met by a wonderful young woman who gave us a quick tour, tips for getting to city center and the key.  I cant believe we had made it to our first "Pit Stop".   It was a heck of a travel experience but we had made it and we weren't eliminated.  All we need was the carpet and Phil and it would have been real.  LOL.

After unpacking, we decided to go out and explore, get a quick meal and stop by the local grocery store to get a few things for the apartment.  We had Mediterranean food and it was good (or we were really hungry).  We went to the grocery store and in many ways it was the same but in many ways it was not.  It is always interesting to see how the American brands we are used to are re-branded in other nations.  Frosted Flakes is Frosties here. Wasn't sure what the difference was in the orange juice brands besides a traditional container or a rectangle shaped container.  Kids were happy because when we checked out they had some type of little toy promotion and they each received one for free.

I am amazed how small and specific many of the stores in Amsterdam seem to be.  I feel like if you want a fork you go to a fork store but to get a spoon you have to go to the spoon store. Very small town feel.  People are so helpful and seem very welcoming to us Americans from TEXAS.  LOL.  Side note we have told people Texas and get a blank stare but then share we are originally from California and those blank looks turn into smiles.

After our trip to the grocery store we decided to investigate a very large park near our apartment.  We quickly stumbled upon a playground and the kids took off running.  They had one large obstacle made from rope that went at least 3 stories high.  When we first got there a little boy, had to be 5 years old, had climbed all the way to the top.  Myiesha and I watched and she quickly whispered to me if this kid falls it is a "code orange" (maybe it was yellow but I am tired).  I laughed and then we saw our three kids deciding they would try to climb to the top.  It must be ok or they would have taken it down right?  So of course Hana the gymnast is moving quickly up the obstacle.  Haley, a little nervous about he height, pushes her fears aside and moves right up with Hana.  Ian, poor Ian, decides to be bold and start the climb.  Now we all know Ian does not like heights but he is quick to tell Myiesha and I he wants to do it.  So we watch as the girls make there way to the top and Ian comes to his senses about half way up and decides the view can not be worth the risk.  ( Will post pictures later).  A few minutes later and they are all off the obstacle and we are continuing our exploration of the park.

After a brisk walk on a park trail we come to another playground and of course the kids take off running.  Another few minutes of swings and slides and then they saw the junior zip line.  We must have spent 25 minutes of watching them each take a turn zipping down this junior zip line.  They had a blast and are still bugging us to go back tomorrow. But we have a full day planned starting with the Anne Frank house.  Not sure we have time for zip line adventures.

My final point is that it is very clear that the bike/scooter rule the roads here.  Yes there are cars but the bikes are truly everywhere.  They have their own roads that are clearly separated from autos.  This has caused us to constantly warn the kids to keep their heads up and looking for bikes/scooters/motorcycles.  I can see how a tourist here could really get hurt if they are not paying attention.

Well the first day is done and we are looking forward to getting some sleep and trying to adjust to the time change as quickly as possible.

More updates soon.

Pre-trip packing

Preparing for this trip, with 3 young children, took time and planning.  We ordered luggage that they could manage months ago.  I was looking for a duffel-bag type article that would stand on end without support.

After looking for weeks and weeks...we finally settled on these beautifully functional, reasonably priced, quality bags from www.kidstravelzone.com.

The attempt was made to pack light (and with many mix/match item to keep the volume down).  Each child managed their OWN back pack and rollie-luggage bag with minimal problem.  The only issue was...the number/weight airline guidelines as discussed in a previous post.  With this "new" information, it may be wiser to get one more "large" back for check-in and pack it tight to minimize the weight in the carry-on bags since we underestimated the amount of bags we'd have to check and the weight of the carry-on bags (combined with the 'personal items').  

Update 5/18/14:  Kids handling their own bags in a busy train station (very necessary!!).