Trip to Utrecht

Traveling to Gatwick wasn't too bad. I sat between O & P two of the hottest children ever. Both had to have an arm, leg or elbow somewhere on my person. We had lunch at Armadillo-something-might-be-Mexican restaurant. We should have known to just get up and leave when their idea of tortilla chips were a bucket of Dorritos. And of course, the girls found pancakes. P had nutella spread pancakes.. with.. Hershey's syrup. I kid you not. O got the plain ones but P happily shared a couple of crumbs. Dennis had jumbalaya ("it's not Shannon's") and I had a veggie burrito that lay swimming in a pool of barbecue sauce and smothered in sour cream. The whole place was odd. We spent time looking for sticker books in the airport shops but could find none. They had packets of kids magazines that came complete with stickers, crayons and a flute. I quickly shuffled the girls out before they saw them. Could you imagine? Kids with flutes.. on a plane, Dante just added another level.


We took JetEasy to Amsterdam, much like SouthWest airlines where you pick your own seats. Unfortunately people get to sit next to you as well. In the interest of familia peace Dennis and O sat ahead P and I behind so each kid could get a window seat. That left each of us with an aisle. I got an older gentleman who smelled as if he held small shrimp captive under each arm. Mmmmmm

The flight was mercifully short and our luggage made it in tact. We picked up a taxi and were on our way to utrecht. We're staying at the Grand Hotel Karel V. Used to be a church. I'm typing this from beside an indoor pool and hot tub as the girls are interrupting some poor couple who wanted some romantic quiet time at the pool. Bummer for them.

Got the girls out of the pool and dressed and off we went.. wandering down the beautiful streets periodically lost looking for a place to eat. Lots of Thai, German and bistros galore.. And we end up at a hamburger joint. Ugh.

The girls had seen a gelato truck and like hounds with a scent could not pass it up. Two scoops of "welcome to your new addiction". P and O almost had Dennis talked into another one before I put the kibosh on the idea. We walked the canal marveling at the boats and bikes. The trip home was fraught with total anxiety with bikes zipping past and the girls dancing all over the cobblestone streets. A couple wrong turns and we've made it back to the hotel. The Internet is down and the movies keep skipping. I miss our pad in Isleworth.