Amsterdam Journal Entry

Amsterdam was absolutely wonderful. Falling in love our first day, I felt at home here. We explored and Byron found two skateparks. One near a school nicely situated a short walk from our flat. He would go there accidentally at lunchtime and the students would watch him. He became very popular fast with children making requests for tricks. These kids looked like they were 7-9 grade. He is so humble that the first time he left. I encouraged him to go back and enjoy the attention. He did. Luna loved it too. She would ask to return to put on a show. That’s a Leo for ya!

The Van Gogh museum was short but fun for the children. He is Liam’s other favorite artist. He brought his book and made beelines to the paintings. His favorite is “The Potato Eaters” a dark reflection of the poor in Van Gogh’s time. He thinks the name is funny and likes dark paintings. Luna loves the Japanese painting.

We made an excursion to Den Haag (The Hague) to see the Peace Palace where the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is. It was fascinating seeing the court. The kids were bored. I have hope in this place in the future. With more power there could be an avenue for the US to be held accountable for its atrocities. The same day at The Hague we went to Madurodam, a miniature Holland park. The miniatures are 1/25 size of real sites in the country. It was really cute. We were like giants. Kids loved that. The last full day we visited a windmill in the city. The children were fascinated by the old wood. We got vegan treats and packed bags. Earlier in the week we found a store with vegan ice cream. Yum!

We took a train to Eindhoven, south of Amsterdam. I was invited to a midwifery luncheon, quite an honor. I loved these women. They are working towards keeping midwifery strong in Holland. Apparently it is following the west with a rapid decline in homebirths. 30% of women have homebirths there. While that is significantly higher than the US, it was 90% 20 years ago, a rapid decline due to western influence.