Amsterdam

After seeing meeting with my parents in Freiburg (previous post) we met them the following weekend in Amsterdam. The weather was gorgeous and the flowers were in bloom, which was a very different experience compared to the last time I visited in February 2012 when it was rainy and freezing cold. I guess most trips are better when the weather cooperates.

On one of the days we took the train to Haarlem, rented bikes and cycled to Zandvoort, a coastal town on the North Sea. The last day we met with our friends Joost and Karen (who we met in Nashville) and their little daughter Hannah. We also saw our friend Lex but don't have any photos with him. (thanks, Lex, for the drive to the airport!)

Canal near our hotel in the Jordaan district

Zandvoort

Cycle path in Zandvoort

Cathedral square in Haarlem

Canal tour

Ribs at De Klos

Clever window display

Cafe with Hannah, Joost, Karen and Karen's father

Freiburg

We went to Freiburg in May to meet with my parents who had just finished a boat/barge trip from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf. This was the first time that my parents had met Richard's parents, so it was a very important family gathering!

Despite the language barrier between my parents and Richard's, Sofie, Richard and I helped to translate and after a while it started to feel like just a natural conversation. Just as when you're watching a foreign film with translated subtitles, after ten minutes you forget that you're reading and just get into the movie--- that's the way the conversations worked, at first a bit fragmented but after a little while it felt very natural.

First meal together at Richard's parents place

The parents

Taking the gondola up the Shauinsland in the Black Forest 

Mom and Dad enjoying the view

Flower market at the Freiburger Muensterplatz 

It was spargel (asparagus) season while we were visiting.
The best way to eat it is steamed with some hollandais sauce!

Meal at Martinsbraeu

Pretzels and beer at the Schlossberg beer garden

More Sailing and Family Visits

After sailing our boat in Scotland, we've since joined the Cam Sailing Club on the River Cam about five miles from our house. It's a small friendly club that is very low key. We store our boat there and have sailed a few times during the "leisure sails" where the more experienced members offer help and advice to newbies like us. Eventually we hope to get good enough to take part in the races that they hold weekly during spring and summer.

Uncle Dave, Aunt Patti and cousin Mark visited us in Cambridge during their UK/Holland/Germany tour. We celebrated Richard's birthday while they were here on a morning punting cruise complete with birthday mimosas.

Birthday cake at Patisserie Valerie

Birthday mimosas

A few weeks later, Richard's sister Sophie visited from Frankfurt.

Lindsay's Visit to the Cotswolds

While Lindsay was visiting we also took an extended weekend trip to the Cotswolds, popular for good hiking and quaint little villages. The Cotswolds are about 2.5 hours southwest of Cambridge. We stayed at the Old Stocks Hotel in Stow-on-the-Wold, built in the 16th century.

Walking in the Cotswolds

We walked through many wheat fields

Everything in out hotel was extremely crooked

cute Cotswolds houses

View of the valley

Cotswold houses are famous for being made from yellow limestone

Lindsay's Visit and London Olympics

Lindsay visited us in Cambridge for two and a half weeks in August. Her first weekend we stayed in London and saw three Olympics events: men's fast walk, women's triathlon and men's marathon! Since we weren't able to get any tickets, we chose these events because they were outdoors and free.

Hyde Park

Men's fastwalk event with Buckingham Palace in the background. Front row seats! 

USA!

The fastwalkers have very bendy legs

Tickets to Mama Mia

Men's marathon - again really good vantage point

Tower Bridge with the Olympic rings

Linds at Tower Bridge