Edam and Volendam Fun

We had a big day out on Wednesday to visit Edam for the cheese market. I'd only been once 8 years ago when Rachel came to visit and I remember it being really fun. It did not disappoint. Nothing like seeing older retired gentlemen toss balls of cheese and run with cheese sledges! 

They dropped the balls occasionally! 

A break from the rain

Heavier than it looks! 

From Edam we drove to Volendam for lunch in a waterfront cafe and a surprise... 

Eurocup fever was in full swing and one of the players lives in Volendam so the town was decked out. They played later that evening in the Semi Final! We wandered through town before the surprise. 

This nameplate on this house bore the last name of the played from the village, Joey Veerman. Maybe his house?? 

Surprise time! Leslie and Peyton were good sports as we went full Dutch for some fun photos. We hadn't done this in 6 years so it was fun to do again. 

Being a Dutch villager is serious business! 

Back home, Peyton was itching to go on a bike ride. We even got Leslie on a bike (took a bit of work). It was a beautiful evening and we made it to the windmill and back!

That evening Leslie stayed in with the kids so we could watch the Semi Final game at the local college bar. Very sadly the Dutch lost, but it was a good run and a fun start to the summer of sports. 

Leslie and Peyton Came to Visit!

We had some special visitors this summer- Aunt Leslie and Cousin Peyton came to town! We were excited to show them life in the Netherlands and packed a lot into the week despite a stomach bug that made the rounds. 

Welcome party

Reunited! 

First up, a visit to the goat farm! An introduction to the petting zoo culture. 

She was enjoying it!

 

The kids spent a lot of time creating a play and our expectations were high when it was show time. A lot of screaming and running around ensued and we couldn't quite follow the plot! 

We took the tram into the city to start exploring! 

A somber visit to the Anne Frank museum (kids' first time). 

Peyton was not feeling well at the museum from the bug so we got some ice cream and let the kids play at a nearby playground before heading home for a chill night. 

Taylor Swift ERAS Tour July 4th

The long anticipated day had arrived! A year prior, I had bought 4 tickets for the July 4th ERAS tour in Amsterdam. The only tickets available after the 2 hours of waiting behind 50,000 people online were standing VIP tickets. Melissa, Rachel, and Samaya were thrilled to take the extra tickets off my hands and as luck would have it, Brittany and Shauna had tickets for the same day in the same section! Outfits were chosen, friendship bracelets were made and the Amstelveen crew met up to cycle to the Arena together. 

We were not die-hards and arrived to the VIP line just as the early doors opened at 3:30. Many people had clearly been camped out for a while as we have to carefully step over all of the trash and food they left behind when the line started moving. We still had hours to wait until the opener began so we got as close the stage as we could and sat down with the others around us to save our legs for the long concert ahead of us!

A few bracelets were traded and we caught up on each other's summers thus far. 

We all stood up when Paramore came on the stage and we quickly realized that despite being just 10 rows or so from the stage, our views were going to be seriously blocked by being so close to everyone around us. A few gals had already moved back to an area near one of the rigs so that they could lean and have some space. We all joined so we could be together. 

Then is was go time! When she came towards our end of the stage for the first time, I will admit that I got teary-eyed. It was pretty powerful being there in her presence with so many adoring fans. 

Snow coming down during the epic 10 minute "All Too Well."

 A fun surprise! 

The rest of the concert was really a blur, and I wasn't even drinking. There was a lot of shuffling to try to get better views. It didn't help that there were some REALLY tall Dutch people in our vicinity. Exhibit A above. I underestimated how big a stadium is and how small she would seem on the stage. Watching the tour on Disney plus gave me a false sense that we would be much closer in person. It was a non-stop singing and dancing fest though and I still loved every minute. 

Our acoustic surprise song mashups were "Guilty as Sin" and "Untouchable" on guitar and "The Archer" and "Question.. ?" on piano. 

So impressed with her performance, her stamina, everything! Swiftie for life! 

We had a debrief after the concert at a nearby hotel bar. It felt so good to sit down! Then we cycled back home with all of her music floating in my head. 

Mykonos Stopover

There are no direct flights off Naxos back home, so we had booked a direct flight home from Mykonos, a 45 minute ferry ride away. We'd considered staying a few nights on Mykonos, but decided to stay put in one place on Naxos for the most relaxation. We were happy with that decision after seeing the half dozen cruise ships in the port on Mykonos! It was so busy in the downtown area and the island is a lot more expensive and showy than Naxos. 

Games waiting for the ferry. I remembered this ferry terminal well from our 2-hour delay there 6 years ago! The ferry ride itself was very civilized and passed quickly. From the ferry port, we found our way to the bus line to catch the bus to the downtown area. Then we lugged our suitcases through the midday heat to a restaurant by the water. We had a few hours before our flight home so we had lunch and then Nana and Pops stayed with the kids so Pete and I could see a bit of town. It was madness until we found some back streets. Mykonos town is very charming though. I loved the colors contrasting with the white-washed buildings. 

Then we all headed to the airport together by bus. Nana and Pops rented a car to start the next leg of their Greek adventure- a few nights on Mykonos and then a few nights on Santorini. Sadly, we had to say goodbye and it was home time for us, but I had a very exciting July 4th planned the next day...