What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Amsterdam & the Netherlands? For me it was legalized prostitution and drug use; not two of the most "family friendly" advertisements for the region! It was with some trepidation that we crossed the North Sea, from New Castle, England to the port outside of Amsterdam, and rode our bicycles into the city.

We can't say enough about cycling in Amsterdam. I am not exaggerating in the least to say that we passed thousands upon thousands of bicycles everyday. We rode past a four-story cycle parking garage that looked like a tangled mass of metal tubing from where we were. Everywhere you look there are cycles chained to something. Every road has a designated cycle way attached to it. These are not the partially paved paths with annoying gates that preclude people with trailers or bags from getting through, like we found in the UK. Oh no, these are REAL cycle roads. It is actually quicker and easier to get around by bike here than by car. We saw a Mom with a car seat balanced on her handle-bars, and a toddler in a seat behind her, happily pedaling through the center of town. Four year olds riding two wheelers with training wheels through rush hour traffic. Countless young men with girlfriends perched jauntily on their baggage racks rolling past us with a smile. The only thing that set us apart as travelers and not natives on our bikes was the presence of our helmets. We had them. The natives did not. I counted. Of the thousands of cyclists sharing the road today, I saw three helmets... and those were on racers, training. None of the kids even had helmets.

I am baffled by this: Either the Dutch never wreck, or there has not been an effective fear based marketing campaign leveled at these people. Maybe the helmet thing is a huge racket in the US and Canada and we've wasted a couple hundred bucks on our brain buckets. Maybe, but we're still wearing them.

If you have any inclination at all toward cycling, may we heartily recommend the Netherlands for your first big adventure. The society is completely geared toward accommodating cyclists, the terrain is like cycling a chess board and the Dutch people are incredibly friendly and accommodating. Whether youare five and on a trail-a-bike or eighty and on an electric assist bike you'll have a wonderful time cycling in the Netherlands.

We cycled the whole length of the coast of the Netherlands, from Amsterdam down to Bruges, in Belgium over a couple of weeks. There are so many wonderful things to do with children along the way to enhance their educations as well as provide thrilling adventures. In Amsterdam, the highlight was certainly The Anne Frank House. Touring the Secret Annex where Otto Frank and his family hid during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during WW2 was life changing. Having read the book aloud we will never forget walking through the rooms where little Anne penned her now famous diaries and to feeling the closeness of the walls and the depressing, claustrophobic air that still pervades the place. It is a reminder to me to teach my children to love freedom and be patient with the differences we find in other humans. The alternative has appalling consequences if left to the extreme.

As we cycled south along the North Sea we counted windmills, in honor of Gramps, who taught my brother and I to count them to pass the time on long car trips across the Midwest. What better place to do it than Holland? There were rules, of course. We only counted the "old" ones... not the new electricity generating ones. They had to be verified by two members of the family and they could not be counted twice by an over eager five year old to up the count. We counted 25 in all. They are truly lovely. I keep looking for Don Quixote (I know, that was Spain, but I can't help myself!)

We rolled through the fabulous arch into Leiden dripping and ate our lunch under a pavilion on a bridge over one of the canals, stalked by soggy sea gulls. We're getting used to it on this trip. By the time the American Pilgrim Museum opened, at one, the rain had stopped. We stepped back in time through the door of the oldest house in Leiden, built in 1370, lovingly restored by the quiet docent who gave us his undivided attention for the better part of two hours for a mere three euros apiece. William Bradford once stood in the very room where our children squirreled about the edges asking questions and peering at maps made in the 16th Century. The boys, predictably, were most fascinated by the "facilities..." or lack there of! We learned the origin of the word curfew... it comes from "couvrefeu" French for "cover the fire" which is what the night watch would cry out a they walked through town to remind people to reduce the risk of night fires. By the time the curfew was called for, all children had to be in the house. We learned why savings banks are in the shape of pigs: One way a farmer saved for the winter was by feeding his pig every day all spring and summer. Then, he reaped the benefit in the fall and winter as he ate the cured meat. Similarly, by feeding the piggy bank, we save for winter. Who knew?! That is just the tip of the iceberg. There were so many other interesting things to see. Like the 600 year old fish. A real one. No kidding.

There is no way to describe the joy of cycling fast along the narrow spits of land at the edge of the sea, wind in your hair, salt air stinging your nostrils. You must come and see it for yourself. There are lighthouses and square-rigged "pirate" ships to been seen along the way. High dunes from which to overlook the deep blue water, and ferry rides sprinkled intermittently along the way; often enough to keep boys happy. It is an excellent place to come, and bring the kids? but my husband says we're coming back in 15 years, without the kids, to do the whole trip again staying in Bed and Breakfasts, eating out and sipping wine under umbrellas in outdoor cafes instead of camping with the children. Either way? it's our favorite country of the trip so far!

For a full list of places we visited and things we learned along the way, please feel free to visit our website: www.edventureproject.com and learn more about how you can join us for a Virtual Field Trip from the comfort of your home, or how you can create your own adventure of a lifetime for your family.

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