A Bit of This and a Little of That

Sunday and here I sit with friends in Almere Haven, very close to Amsterdam, and my best friend has been given a rest from my company for awhile.  She and I have laughed till our sides hurt and the tears of fun have rolled over our cheeks.  Sometimes the laughter bubbles up over the silliest of triggered memories from our youth.
Yesterday we left Westendorp and made our way towards Amsterdam, actually Almere Haven, where I will spend 20 glorious and memorable days with childhood friend Paul and his wife, my dear friend Anneke who is the sister I never had until she married my Aunts oldest son Paul.  Pauls' mother and my mother were childhood friends for 75 years until her passing several years ago.  In my lifetime I have always called my mothers' best friend and her husband my aunt and uncle and her three sons were my cousins and remains this same way today.    
TODAY I am at Paul and Anneke's and am here for the next 20 days of my stay here in Holland until I return to Westendorp and Els.  
Almere Haven is very close to my hometown, Amsterdam and soon I will make the trip into the city and renew my acquaintance with my old stomping grounds.  Much of the old city is changing as a city does when it progresses into each new century with its need to change to accomodate growth and continuance.
I have taken hundreds of pictures and am thinking I might share some with you now. 
Last week Els and I went to stay with her youngest daughter Femke in Wormer, situated in a section of Holland named Permerende where migrating birds love to visit and animals such as sheep and cattle graze in expansive pastures of luscious green grasses, it is also where the famous Zaanse Schans (Zaans Windmills) are located.
We took hundreds of pictures and some I am sharing with you is the countryside and also the tiny little house neatly outfitted with a tiny kitchen and living quarters and a Murphy Bed - I spent two glorious nights in this little house and have given it my own addres which is # 1 Garden Pathway, Wormer, The Netherlands. 
So you can see it, I took pictures to share and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing as much as I enjoyed my actual stay.

The following pictures are of the surrounding area which is so very beautiful with traditional little dutch houses and dutch farms.

This is a Dutch Bed  & Breakfast on the outskirts of the town of Wormer. , and with pears growing along the front of the house, which I could not resist taking a picture of.   Look closely and you can see the pears actually trained to grow on the facade of the house.

One more thing, make certain when and if you are visiting Europe that you double check if the vendors take VISA or MASTERCARD as I can tell you from personal experience most vendors do not accept credit cards and take only cash, of course those in major centers such as Amsterdam they will accept major credit cards but the small town vendor stores do not, so be prepared and beware that you have cash sufficient enough for the length of your stay.

Off to see a soccer game as my dear friend/cousins are dutch football (soccer) fans....
Thanks for stopping by and allowing me to share my stay here in Holland with you and remember no matter where in this wonderful world you are take care and enjoy your day.