Holland-- Tulips!

Kuekenhof is the huge tulip garden-- only open for a few measly weeks a year when the iconic dutch blossoms are putting on their full show. It also showcases: flying cows

I loved these strange twisty inside out ones.

Some of the blooms have already come and gone-- we saw be-overalled gardeners individually clipping off each spent blossom with a pair of shears, and silently mowing that short green grass with a manual rotary mower. Met. Ick. You. Lous.
And in the midst of the flowers, a shining familiar face! Tracy! Whathe?! What's the likelihood, really? This is us guffawing in unbelief.
There was a cute little Kinderboederij-- petting zoo-- with cute (possibly too lethargic?) baby animals. Rosie did not appreciate the proximity of this calf. Even though the poor thing was probably on his last breaths...
Cute kid with cute kids...
Ooh I just lubba wubba ooh a skwooshy mooshy lamber. Seriously. I wished I could stuff one in my suitcase and take home for my very own.
Rosie Mastering chess.
Rosie liked being on Grandpa's shoulders, "like Mei-chan!" (from totoro. That's the catchphrase. "Rosie, eat your meat, just like Mei-chan!")
"Little tiny fing"
And... a town square. I think this is delft?
And the beestenmarkt--- in Edam. I love going to places named after cheese. ;)

I think this is Haarlem. We had friets and poffertjes here and went on a fruitless search for Indonesian rijstafel. It seems to have gone out of style!
We went to the mind-bending Escher museum in Amsterdam. Rosie screamed through all the echoey reverent galleries but loved the surreal top floor with all the hands-on stuff.