Zandevoort

Today we took a train to Zandevoort, a town on the coast of the Netherlands, near Haarlem. Zandevoort is an old fishing town that has miles and miles of beachfront and sand dunes. It is a very popular spot in the summer, when millions of people from around the Netherlands (and some from Germany) flock to the resort to enjoy the sun.

We took a train from Amsterdam Centraal Station to Haarlem, then switched trains to Zandevoort. I was very impressed that Jeff and I were able to easily navigate our way through the train stations and hop on the correct trains (with 3 kids in tow), without having to ask any questions, or verify that we had the correct trains! We're getting pretty good at this!

Since it is off-season in Zandevoort, there were not a lot of people there. Those who were there were Dutch, as Zandevoort is more of a local haunt and less of a tourist area. I met a few people who did not speak English (this tends to be rare) and most of the street signs, shop signs, and restaurant menus were in Dutch.



The areas near the beach are very modern - hotels, shops and casinos that look like those found near popular beaches in the US.







The beach is lined with small cafes and restaurants. Each of them has their own outdoor area of the beach - with little tables, lounge chairs, sun umbrellas, etc.



This restaurant has sun/wind shades advertising one of our favorite drinks - Dubbel Frise. It is a yogurt drink that the kids love - a mixture of yogurt and fruit juice (no added sugar!) that comes in a variety of flavors. I just wish they made something like this in the US!



There were many little play areas for toddlers/preschoolers. Jagger loved to hang out in this area and pretend that he was selling hotdogs from the little cart! He met another little boy who looked to be about his age. It was really interesting how he and the other boy continually talked to each other - Jagger in English and the other boy in Dutch - neither of them seemed to notice that they couldn't understand each other, but were able to turn the little toy oven around together and pretend to sell each other items.



Many parts of the beach have these enclosed areas with large windows to shield beach-goers from the wind.



Miles and miles of beach!






When we were getting ready to leave the apartment this morning, Jeff wanted to know WHY I was packing an extra change of clothes for each of the kids. "You know it's too cold to swim, right?" Yeah sure!!

Jeff rolled up their pant legs so they could each get their feet wet...keep in mind that the outside temperature was around 58 degrees today, and it was windy!



Jeff and Justice at the edge of the water.



Justice enjoyed running on the beach, as fast as he possibly could run.



As usual, Jagger showed no fear of the water at all. It didn't seem to matter to him that he was wading in the *icy* waters of the North Sea!



JOurney enjoyed digging in the wet sand. We were all amazed at the number of sea shells on the beach. When Journey dug into the wet sand, he found that the layers underneath were made of smashed shell particles.



Journey found some sea shells in strange shapes - long thin shells - 6 or 7 inches long!



Journey and Jagger wading in the water.



Justice used the long shells to draw pictures in the sand.



Journey and Jagger running in the cold water.



Jagger eventually "fell" into the water and was completely wet. Wait, WHY was it that I brought extra clothes?



Jagger splashing in the water so hard that his face was wet!


After everyone was cold, wet, and tired, we were HUNGRY!

We changed clothes and then went to Boomerangs, and Australian restaurant. Jagger and I shared a large sirloin steak, (which the waitress kept referring to as "cow" in order to differentiate it from the ostrich and kangaroo steaks on the menu!), steak fries, and salad. Jeff, Justice and Journey each ordered the shrimp cocktail - served in a fancy cocktail goblet with baby shrimps, mayonaisse, fresh lime, avocado slices, slices of hard boiled egg, and fresh baked bread with real butter. Justice and Journey loved it! Jeff also had the onion soup and Journey had his usual tomato soup. Justice was extremely hungry and also ordered a Joey meal (kid's meal) consisting of a hamburger, fries, and applesauce.

When the meal was over, the waitress brought each of the kids a special treat - a fancy goblet of fresh tropical fruit mixed with fruit juices, with vanilla ice cream, real whipped cream, and a wafer cookie on top! The look on their faces when she brough it over was so adorable!





Jagger was so exhausted after his romp on the beach, that he looked like he was going to fall asleep while eating his dinner! He somehow managed to stay awake for the train ride home and didn't crash until about 9pm!


Justice ended up eating ALL of his food - the shrimp cocktail and the full kids meal. He was quite hungry! Of course a day in the sun brought him even more freckles!


It was really a fun day and we hope to visit Zandevoort again sometime when the weather is warmer.