Good Times, Bad Carbonara

Last week, my parents concluded their 4th trip to see us in the Netherlands.  I have to admit it's pretty nice to have a dad who's a pilot and therefore able to come over the ocean so often.  This time around, we were committed to staying close to Eindhoven and just enjoying being here.  We took Jack on long walks, did a few excursions, had some great lunches and dinners, and did plenty of shopping.  The weather was also a delight, since we had only one day of rain and mostly sunshine and temps in the 40s.  My parents felt like it was spring break for them since Michigan has been getting absolutely pounded this year with snow and cold temps.

One day, we ventured to a windmill in a neighboring town that is home to a great restaurant and bakery.  Our sandwiches were delicious, and it is pretty cool to eat inside of a windmill.

One of our day trips was to Utrecht, where I've share pictures before.  We spent the day having a great lunch and then walking around the city.  On our way out of town, we went to check out a bonafide castle in the Netherlands, call the Kasteel de Haar.  The castle standing now was rebuilt in the late 19th century, but a castle has stood on that site since 1391.  The estate was owned by a family that spent a lot of their year in France and then one month at this castle near Utrecht.  We took a guided tour of the grounds and the interior.

Entering the gate.

Castle moat.

Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed inside, but the rooms were immaculately decorated.  The dining room table was even set with original menus.   It was a fun glimpse into the lives of Dutch/French aristocrats in the early 20th century.

Another fun day was one we spent shopping in Eindhoven.  My shopping goals were slightly different this time around since I am starting to need items that are a tad bigger in the belly region.  One of our stops that day was a baby store, called, wait for it, Baby Dump.

Any angle I tried to think of about why the store was called that wasn't good (are they referring to leaving your baby there or perhaps the action that babies do multiple times in a day?).   At least the store was nice.  They had a lot of everything, so I found some nice things to keep me going through this awkward stage where I'm still mostly fitting in my regular clothes.  It's mainly pants' buttons that are causing an issue.  Here's a little peek at the bump from Week 16 (18 starts tomorrow!):

Not a whole lot to see yet, but something's definitely happening there.  The weekend with my parents continued along the same vein as the week, but now Todd was able to join us.  Our favorite lunch was at Restaurant Piet Hein Eek, which I've mentioned before. I just can't get enough of the interior of this place.

The spread.

On Saturday we also went to a comedy show at the Park Theater in town.  The show was 2 American guys discussing (and acting out) the 7 Deadly Dutch Sins.  Most of their material was spot on regarding Dutch culture and people (albeit exaggerated); I'd recommend their show to other expats in the NL since it was pretty funny.

Sunday, we were given another beautiful day, and took advantage by going on a long walk out in the woods.  The area was really great and very dog friendly.  Jack was in doggy heaven.

Lovely lake to walk around.

Monday was the last day of the trip, and we wanted to end it with a nice meal at one of our favorite places to eat.  Well, things didn't go exactly to plan.  The meal was delicious, but then all 4 of us got hit with food poisoning (we're blaming the pasta carbonara since we each had some of it).  It hit my mom first while we were still in the restaurant, and then the rest of us at various points throughout the night.  Not the best way to end an otherwise great trip.  My parents amazingly still got on a plane for the US the next day. They made it in one piece, but I'm sure they wouldn't want to relive that flight. Todd and I stayed in bed for most of the day.  All parties involved are now feeling normal again, so we survived!

So, other than the crazy last night, the 4th trip was a success.  Thanks again to my mom and dad for coming!