Amsterdam and the North Sea Route... family friendly fun!

In your mind, what comes to mind when you think of Amsterdam and the Netherlands? For me, it was legalized prostitution and drug use, not exactly the "family friendly" advertisement for the country. Having crossed the North Sea from New Castle, England to the port outside of Amsterdam, we rode our bicycles to the city with some trepidation.

As we crossed the river by high speed ferry, tall, three armed industrial windmills stood like sentries guarding the port. These towering structures weren't as romantic as the old-fashioned water pumping and grain grinding mills - yet they were still practical and utilized the power of wind to create electricity. Regrettably, our first adventure took us down a canalled street which happened to be the red light district. It was filled with an acrid smell that surely could have been referred to as "eau de Amsterdam" by our family. Thankfully, neither the drug use nor prostitution seemed nearly as bad or prevalent as we anticipated; thus allowing us to fall in love with Amsterdam and all of the Netherlands.

I cannot stress enough how much there is to love about cycling in Amsterdam. We estimated that we passed thousands of bicycles everyday! We even spotted a four-story cycle parking garage from where we were, and almost everywhere you look there are cycles chained up. The roads have specially demarcated cycle lanes which are actually functional for those with bags or trailers; unlike some of the ones we found in the UK. It's even faster than commuting by car around here! Amazingly, it wasn't uncommon to spot parents pedalling along with a car seat balanced on their handlebars and a toddler on the back, as well as loads of youths with their girlfriends on their luggage racks! The only way one could've told us apart from the locals was our helmets -which none of them seemed to be wearing. Out of all the cyclists during our time here, I saw only three bicyclists wearing helmets -and they were competitive racers at that. Kids were nowhere near helmets either!

Either the Dutch don't wreck, or a fear-based marketing campaign has not been effective against them. There may be a huge racket about helmets in the US and Canada, and we have wasted a couple hundred bucks on our brain buckets. But we still wear them.

We spent a couple of weeks biking the entire Netherlands coast, from Amsterdam to Bruges, Belgium. We discovered it's packed with activities for kids of all ages; enriching their educational experience and offering exciting adventures. In Amsterdam The Anne Frank House was the highlight of our trip – touring the Secret Annex in which Otto Frank and his family hid during WWII was truly transformative. Having shared Anne’s story with my children first-hand was indelible – walking through the rooms penned by her diaries in such a close and confining atmosphere as she experienced it moved us all. It serves as an important reminder to me to teach my kids to cherish freedom and be open-minded toward differences among humans, for no one knows what lies ahead if we fail to do so.

We cycled the whole length of the coast of the Netherlands, from Amsterdam down to Bruges, in Belgium over a couple of weeks. There are so many wonderful things to do with children along the way to enhance their educations as well as provide thrilling adventures. In Amsterdam, the highlight was certainly The Anne Frank House. Touring the Secret Annex where Otto Frank and his family hid during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during WW2 was life changing. Having read the book aloud we will never forget walking through the rooms where little Anne penned her now famous diaries and to feeling the closeness of the walls and the depressing, claustrophobic air that still pervades the place. It is a reminder to me to teach my children to love freedom and be patient with the differences we find in other humans. The alternative has appalling consequences if left to the extreme.

Cycling south along the Dutch North Sea, we counted windmills in tribute to Gramps, who used to get my brother and I counting them during those long car drives across the Midwest. Apparently this was a tried and true method of passing time! The rules were strict: it had to be "old" ones, verified by two members of our family, and no double-counting by an over eager five year old to skew the tally! After all was said and done, we had 25 beautiful examples of windmill architecture. I can't help but look for Don Quixote out here (even though that's Spain- not Holland!).

We ventured into Leiden through the magnificent arch as rain droplets rained down on us. We sought shelter in a pavilion on a bridge, where we were surrounded by sea gulls as we ate our lunch. The American Pilgrim Museum fortunately opened its doors at 1:00 pm and the rain had stopped by then. Inside, we stepped back in time with our children to the 1370s. The docent, who devoted his attention towards us for two hours, gave us a tour around this historically-significant home for only three euros each! It is said that William Bradford once stood in the same room that now held our boys' curiosity; they were particularly captivated by the "facilities..." or lack thereof! Furthermore, we learnt why 'curfew' was derived from 'couvrefeu', French for 'cover the fire'. This term was used by night watchmen as they walked around town reminding people to prevent fires at night. All children were required to be inside when curfew was called; this served as quite an interesting lesson! Additionally, piggy banks are designed like pigs because centuries ago a farmer would feed the pig all spring and summer, and during autumn and winter he would be able to enjoy cured meat

There is nothing like the thrill of flying on a bike along the narrow strips of land touching the sea, with wind rustling through your hair and salt-infused air stinging your nose. To truly understand it, you'll have to experience it yourself. Along the coastline you'll spot lighthouses and majestic sailing vessels from years past. You'll climb high sand dunes to take in an endless view of the deep blue water below, stopping at periodic ferry rides that will excite any child! It is an outstanding place to be-- my partner and I plan on coming back 15 years later without our kids, to enjoy a Bed and Breakfast vacation, savoring meals at different cafes while lounging beneath umbrellas. No matter what we do-- this place remains our favorite spot out of all locations we've visited thus far!

Our family on vacation Visiting our website :www.edventureproject.com and learning more about how you can join us for a Virtual Field Trip from the comfort of your home, or how you can create the adventure of a lifetime for your family, is the best way to discover the places we visited and what we learned along the way.

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