Week 3 April 27- May 3

This week was crazy with trying to get all of the paperwork and payments complete to get the keys to our apartment by May 1.  We did it though and were able to get our keys on Thursday before the holiday on Friday.

Ideally, we would have gone straight to IKEA on Friday to furnish our apartment but Belgians take their bank holidays seriously and NOTHING is open.  So instead, we took a day trip to the Netherlands and Keukenhof.  For those who don't know, The Netherlands is apparently the ideal place for growing tulips and they grow them everywhere!  Keukenhof is a flower garden that showcases all of the types of tulips and other flowers grown in the region.  The official purpose is for flower buyers to go and see what types they might want.  But in reality it has become a huge tourist destination for viewing the beautiful flowers and arrangements.  Keukenhof is only open from late March to mid May so the crowds are insane. We were skeptical of taking a trip just to stare at flowers all day but it was incredible.  The pictures do not do it justice!

You can also rent bikes and ride through the flower fields, which we were going to do.  But apparently everyone else in Europe thought it was a good idea and there were no bikes left :(  We have already decided we will go back next year and ride through the fields.

Sheep on the side of the interstate

#nofilter

Proof we were there!

It's a flower bed!  Get it???

It's Holland, there had to be a windmill

GO VOLS!

Apple cake and BEER, the Dutch know how to live

I LOVE CHEESE!

Apparently they got Molly's wooden shoe size a bit wrong

See those tiny black specks... those are people... Flowers everywhere!

A red one snuck in there

On Saturday we headed out early to beat the crowds at IKEA.  Five hours, 2 shopping carts, a furniture cart and a VERY full car later and we don't even have what we really need: a bed for us and a couch, but don't worry folks we DID get a guest bed!  Molly had the genius idea we would just go back Sunday, completely forgetting that Europe takes Sunday's as seriously as bank holidays and NOTHING is open.  We see some more IKEA trips in our future but for now we still have a few nights left in our temporary housing.  Also on Saturday we went to Tong Mein for dinner.  It was some of the most delicious Chinese food we have ever had!

Beer, stir fry veggies, sweet and sour chicken and fried rice