This totally happened today.
In Volendam.
It's tradition.
Gregg getting all dressed up.
Heather and Ryan look good.
Gregg 2017.
Elder Simons and Elder Kmetzch in June 1998
It is a very, very old Dutch tradition to take photos like this.
We had a good laugh!
And here is another good flashback laugh.
Elder Simons, Hansen, Lucas, Shirts, Dubraval
June 1998
We walked around the streets of Volendam until we found a venter selling haring. I have heard stories and committed to trying it.
That's it - pictured above - nasty little raw fish that wasn't very little at ALL.
NASTY.
Just the smell was getting to me.
Heather ... POSING like she is going to eat it.
She ate one on her mission and that was enough for a lifetime for her.
Gregg also POSING!
Non for him either.
Elder Simons in 1998 also pretending to eat haring.
And me ... nasty face and all who COMMITTED to eating it since I was the only one who never had.
It's all on video, don't worry. Even the part where I threw it up!
Ha!
I didn't expect that!
AND ... I totally had an audience of Dutchies watching me.
Ha!
I didn't expect that!
AND ... I totally had an audience of Dutchies watching me.
On to better things.
These amazing waffles.
So many great ideas of great toppings.
And these lovely poffertjes.
This is really a street with real people living on it! (apposed to some touristy spot)
A local that we bought some souvenirs from told us where it was so we could walk down it.
Gregg checking some maps for us.
We were looking for a shop to rent bikes from.
Found one!
We rented bikes from a shop and set out on an afternoon adventure.
We started in Volendam and biked about 12 miles to an island called Marken.
You can see Edam Volendam in the upper middle of this map. We biked from there down toward where it says Monnickendam and then around to the right out on the dike to where there is a picture of a windmill and it says Marken and Kerkbuurt.
So nice and convenient.
Biking through the beautiful country side.
Look at these houses.
Me and Heather.
I heard lots of great stories about biking in a long dress as a sister missionary (somethings I never experienced on my mission).
And I loved hearing all Gregg's stories as we biked.
The country side reminded Gregg and I so much of Idaho where my grandparents live.
These memories of us biking in the Netherlands will probable be some of my all time favorite memories of me and Gregg.
This biking kind of reminds me of this picture {below)
Elder Simons biking on the coast of Rotterdam in 1998
The cute small town of Marken.
This cow reminds me of the moose in Park City.
I love the Dutch shoes.
This cow was outside a local super market that we stopped at to get some late lunch to eat on the ferry ride back to Volendam.
And how about this awesome Dutch outdoor decor.
We quickly caught the ferry with our bikes in tow before the rain started to come down.
Ryan introduced me to this kip-kerrie, it is so good.
And Heather has been looking all over for lekker.
She has asked about it at EVERY bakery we have seen!
It's currently being made in an orange color because of the Netherlands big "King's Day" holiday that is coming up.
This is sometimes how I feel.
The ferry ride back was so relaxing and we couldn't have time the rain any better.
This is only the first half of the day.
More to come.