Hey there,
Hope all you moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. I sure did. Even though my kids are far away, Jonathon made sure my day was a special one.
He bought me flowers--of course--but getting flowers in Amsterdam is something even more extraordinary. Especially when he adds a few hemp chocolate cookies to the mix! *grin*
But his biggest gift was the whole wonderful day itself. He took me out of town to a beautiful European castle.
Muiderslot Castle is about fifteen minutes out a Amsterdam--just a short bus ride away. We'd been waiting until the weather got better, and today it was nice and sunny, a perfect time for a day trip.
Here's a bit about the castle...
The first castle on this site was built around 1280 by Count
Floris V of Holland, to control the estuary of the river Vecht into the former
Zuidersea. And undoubtedly it would also have been used to raise toll from
passing ships on the river Vecht, as this river flowed through the territory of
the bishops of Utrecht; opponents of Floris.
You can read more HERE.
We wandered through the castle, seeing all the different rooms. They've restored them--all back to what was considered the Golden Age, when the Dutch Shakespeare, PC Hooft, lived in the fortress. You can read more about him HERE as well, but here are a few of the rooms they've refurbished.
PC Hooft's Work Room - He did a lot of his writings here.
The Prince's or Guest Room of the Castle. The bench you see there sits next to a fireplace and you can flip the back over so you can sit on either side. That way if you get hot, you can just sit on the other side. I want one!!!
The kitchen. One of the best set out kitchen's I've seen in a castle. And there is art everywhere. Quite impressive.
And then there were the gardens. We were blessed that we waited until spring to see the castle because the gardens were popping with all kinds of new life. Check these pics out...
Pretty cool, huh? I have to admit, we walked through with our glass of wine and took all kinds of pictures so we could someday make our garden as beautiful.
So, there you have it. A great relaxing Mother's Day. After the castle, we just walked around the town, had a drink at the pub near one of the working locks on the canal and then headed home, satisfied and happy with our day. As you're reading this, I'll be receiving my next Mom's Day gift, a candlelight dinner cruise through the beautiful city of Amsterdam! I adore my sweet baboo!!!
You all have an awesome Monday, and I'll be back on Wednesday with some more news and fun!
Hugs,
CJ England
Follow Your Dreams
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6 comments:
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We think alike. New Bern NC was the Colonial Capital of North Carolina. Tryon Palace,the governor's mansion is completely restored. One of the bedrooms really impressed me. Our bedroom had a fireplace just like that one. We went through our house looking for furniture that would decorate our room like that. We placed an armoire and a mirrored dresser on one side of the bed and a rocking chair and coffee table on the side containing the fireplace. We used a quilt as a bed cover and we had a close match. No way could we match the gardens, but we had two pecan trees in front and a gardenia bush on the fence at the side of the house as well as a large lawn and flowers bordering the house.
I wish we still lived there, but we moved a lot when I was in the Navy.
Yep. Totally, Ray. Everywhere we go we look at things that way. I've got a file in my computer with pics of things we've seen in our travels. If we ever settle down, we'll be good to go! LOL
That sounds like a GREAT Mother's Day outing.
Ray...I'm in Wilmington, NC, not far from New Bern. My hubby & I really love this area.
It was, Catherine. One of the best days I've had in a long time.
Gorgeous pictures CJ. I watched my children graduate from high school. Pretty good Mother's Day present I think.
I should say so, Phylis. That is an awesome and inspiring accomplishment. For ALL of you!!!
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