Landal Landgoed 't Loo and Zwolle with Oma and Opa

Oma and Opa's visit didn't overlap with any of our holidays, but we still wanted to get away and show them a bit more of the NL. We booked a weekend at our first Landal vakantiepark and it was great! Tons of activities for the kids and we nearly did them all. We had beautiful fall weather and made it out of the resort both days- one day to Zwolle and the other to a nearby hiking area. We stayed all three nights and Pete and the kids got up early Monday morning to drive to school while Oma, Opa and I checked out and spent a few hours in Naarden before hearing home. 

Visiting Bollo the mascot's house

We rented a house on this little lake

The central building with all of the activities, indoor waterpark, and restaurants

We spent the entire first morning in the atelier. Kids could do their own woodworking under parents supervison.

After lunch, we spent a lot of time in the pool and then dragged the kids away to head to the nearby city of Zwolle. They were bribed with a treat at IJscowd ice cream farm. 

One of Pete's homebrew friends lives in Zwolle so we stopped by his house to say hello and try some of his beers. I hope his set-up (taking up almost the entire top floor of their house) didn't give Pete any big ideas.

We didn't have much time to see Zwolle before our dinner reservation back at the park, but what we saw was very pretty!

The kids were entertained during dinner, getting to make their own pizzas, while the grown ups got to chat, uninterrupted! 

Probably doing Sudoku

There was a meteor shower happening at night so we bundled up and went to the lake. As soon as we got there, Jude and I looked up and saw a shooting star! We stayed a while longer, but there were no more. When I was pregnant with Jude, Pete and I watched a meteor shower along a lake and saw dozens of shooting stars, so it was fitting that he and I got to see one together. 

The wood burning fireplaces at these places are what I come for! 

Sunday morning we went on a nice walk in Natuurpark Wezepsehei. The purple heather was mostly gone, but I imagine this place is stunning earlier in the fall. 

Bowling time!

An afternoon full of activities and swimming with Oma and Opa. Each evening they had an outdoor fire with different things to roast. This evening it was waffles. A very light pre-dinner snack ;) 

Another nice meal at the park's brasserie to end a great little getaway. We are already plotting our return to this place!

Kröller- Müller Museum with Oma and Opa

This was my second visit to the Kröller-Müller museum in the Hoge Veluwe National Park with Oma and Opa. We booked a weekend at a vacation park near Zwolle and left early on Friday to spend the day at the museum before meeting Pete and the kids after school. It was a beautiful fall day and we had a yummy lunch in the outdoor cafe before setting off to explore the sculpture gardens and indoor art. A few days prior, I had met another genetic counselor who is Dutch, but studied in the US. She was back to visit family and had looked me up to chat about life as a GC abroad. Imagine my surprise when I ran into her in the Van Gogh gallery of the museum! In addition to the museum, there are also free bikes to cycle through the park. I did a short ride before it was time to leave. 

There is a lot of modern art in the museum, but I was there for the Van Goghs!

I love the colors in this one! 

Oma and Opa's October Visit: Olmenhorst

Oma and Opa came for 2 weeks in October and it was really nice to host them during this season. The kids had school during the weeks, but we had fun together on the weekends. We borrowed a friend's car and went to Olmenhorst for our annual apple picking. We picked a ton of apples and the kids enjoyed the playground time and a pony ride. Later we put the apples to good use in an apple pie. 

Oma got to ride in the bakfiets express to our dinner out at Neni!