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A Weekend in a Windmill

I planned this trip some time ago--back in April. We have pretty much seen the typical European landscapes, visited our fill of castles and taken in the typical European architecture. I'm now focusing on trips and experiences that are a bit off the beaten path or out of the norm. This one was a huge success!
We traveled the four hours on Friday evening to Utrecht, Netherlands, where we spent the weekend with friends in a real working windmill. It was amazing! The inside was quaint, with rustic charm and modern conveniences. Downstairs consisted of a living/dining area, small kitchen (fridge, sink, microwave and dishwasher), toilet and entry area. The second floor is where we stayed. It had a bathroom and 2 bedrooms, along with a laundry area. The third floor had one large sleeping space and the top floor was the lookout for the windmill. The landscape around the windmill was breathtaking--open fields where cattle and sheep grazed, canals and blue skies. Sooo pretty. The kids had a great time exploring and finding their "secret garden."
Saturday we ventured 40 minutes away to the town of Dordrecht, NL where a replica of Noah's Ark per God's specifications was built. It was incredible. Though a bit expensive--12.50 Euro for adults, 7.50 Euro for children, it was interesting. It had several scenes from Genesis, real animals (wallaby, ponies, chickens, sheep, birds), and stalls filled with huge animals made of plastic.
After a couple of hours in the Ark, we were starving. We found McDonald's not too far away, along with some quaint shops. We looked around and took in the sunshine. The weather was perfect!
Matt did a bit of research and found a lake area to rent a motorized boat. It was only 27 Euro per hour, which was a steal considering there were 9 of us. We spent the next hour watching the children as each took a turn as Captain. They had a blast.

















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