Home Reno and a Trip to Gouda

Thursday was the start of our first home renovation project. The front windows on the ground floor and 1st floor needed to be replaced after we noticed leaking and broken seals. We didn't have plans for the day as we didn't know how involved we'd need to be during the process. It soon became clear that construction project + kiddos was not a good combo. So we packed the diaper bag, snacks and our Netherlands guidebook and got in the car with no destination in mind. The weather was not looking good for a beach day and I remembered that the Gouda cheese market takes place on Thursdays in the summer, so to Gouda we went! 

Front of the house removed.

I was expecting the cheese market experience to be identical to that in Edam where Rach and I went last summer, but it had a very different feel. In part because Gouda is a decent sized city whereas Edam is just a small village. In addition to the cheese market, Thursday is also the day of the town market so the streets were filled with vendors and the cheese market was just a small portion of this. The Edam experience was charming with farmers rowing their balls of cheese to the market and theatrically tossing them about. In Gouda, the large wheels of cheese were rather unceremoniously thrown from the horse drawn carriages to the tractor. The Goudse Waag (original cheese weighing house) was very cool though with the beautiful facade depicting the process. We didn't see any cheese tasting or bidding going on, but the people running the market were happy to pose with tourists. 

Unloading the goods

15th Century Town Hall, modern day market

Pete was able to check "get new Iphone and service plan" off his pre-school year to-do list when we walked past the shop he needed to visit. Not what we intended to do while in town, but glad to have that done with. During that whole process, there was plenty to keep the kids entertained. Jude would have stood dancing in front of this player all day I think. 

Behind the weigh house the town sets up a children's games area. Some cute cheese themed activities included a shuffle board-esque game with small Gouda cheese wheels, Gouda Plinko and "catch the falling foam clogs."

Goudse Waag (Weigh house- now a museum)

Inside you could find out how many wheels of Gouda you weighed.

Surveying the scene on the Markt

Say Cheese! 

We eat Gouda daily so sampling the cheese was not a priority, but we were sure to find a yummy cafe with a view of the square for lunch.

 
 Slowly, but surely we are getting around our adopted country!

And back at home, progress on the window install was slow as plaster walls had to be resized and the workers broke the two large panes of custom glass during the process. Work would continue the next day we were told (and then the day after that and still not be done), so we made a very last minute decision- "Let's go to France tomorrow for a long weekend!" Never mind that Pete and I both had plans that evening with a babysitter coming and we hadn't packed or a booked a place to stay. Just details.

The extent of the work at 7pm Thursday evening.