snapshots of a summery july

july was busy for us. we moved into our new place and then we were gone... 

the lovely melanie and family (peek here the last time we were together before our move to stockholm) visited us in stockholm and we went to the countryside to while away a week by a lake; kai and i traveled with them to holland to glamp like the dutch; the three of us took a few days in the archipelago; then we headed to canada, visiting my family and vacationing with the loveliest of friends on the east coast.  

but, there were a few days here and there in stockholm.  mostly, i was unpacking the house but with the heat too much to bear in our well insulated apartment, we spent our time in and by the water too.

the lovely sara was in town (she moved to arizona last year!) and we boated to fjäderholmarna to picnic and swim off the rocks, we biked to långholmen to swim at the littlest beach and kayak too... i can't wait until she's back to visit next summer.

and just down the canal from our new place (do you see it, it's just right there) kai and i basked in the sun, played crazy eights, and swam (well, he jumped and dived over and over)... i think we did this each day we were in stockholm. 

and the sun keeps shining... into august!

travelogue: holland, the dutch way

 

den bosch 

while we spent most of our time at the holiday park, we did visit harm and marian (h&m) at their home where they spoiled us with dutch treats. i was so happy for them to have all four of their grandchildren together. i was so happy for kai to hang out with his cousins for a bit longer, he truely loves family time. i was so happy for me too, to hang out with mel and her kiddos.

den bosch is such a cute little town. one day mel, the girls and i went into town to shop but only managed to see the inside of h&m, we lunched at nom nom which i remember wanting to visit during our last visit so was happy this is where we ended up, but we didn't take the gondola through the canals which i have been wanting to do ever since i knew you could (next time... are you reading this stefan).

h&m also hung out with us at the holiday park.

  

de pier holiday park

i am told our mini dutch vacation was very dutch. to hunker down in a cabin, with an on-site restaurant, organized kids camp (there were alot of littles around), adventure park, and most importantly a pool... with all the comforts of home. they did a pretty good job of it.

while i much prefer our dutch getaway here (the kids were so much smaller in 2015!), the holiday park was pretty perfect. 

the kids loved the pool, the boys rode fat bikes in the nearby sand dunes, and it was nice not to have to go anywhere if we didn't want to. 

i most enjoyed exploring the area on our rental bikes, down narrow country roads. we visited horses, stopped for ice cream, we got turned around here and there (so many biking trails), we ate fries... with mayo, with peanut sauce, with curry ketchup and onions. 

i know two things: one, i love travelling. two, i love spending time with family/friends, especially when travelling. melanie, ruben, maya, india, and craig too... missing you guys so much.

more with melanie and family:

travelogue: stockholm with melanie and family

travelogue: the swedish countryside!