You know when you anticipate something for so long and then when it’s over you feel like ‘wait…how did that happen?!’ ?
That’s how this trip felt. Mom & Sis were always going to come visit but we needed to wait until the fall of 2017 (more on that later), so to think we’ve all been waiting for 3 years is kind of crazy!
They packed their bags and came Crosson over the Atlantic for ~2.5 weeks of family fun!
First stop – The Netherlands!
They just COULD NOT wait to get their hands on Meatball!
She obviously felt the same. 😉
We spent the first few nights in Leiden, which is a city about 40min south of Amsterdam by train. This was perfect because Amsterdam was still accessible, but they were also able to see a city with fewer tourists. Holland was also extremely kind, and gave us sunshine and summer-like temperatures!
We did, of course, spend time in Amsterdam. We visited the Anne Frank house, the Rijksmuseum, got mom in a clog…
Sidenote: if you ever find yourself visiting the Rijksmuseum I would highly recommend the ‘Highlights of the Rijksmuseum’ guided tour which can be booked through the museum itself. It’s only 5 euros and an hour long, but if you’re like me and tend to look at art and go ‘ooohh…. cooooool’ and move on, it’s nice to have someone explain some of the main pieces.
After a few days in the south, we made our way to Winterfell (Groningen) via Bitburg, Germany. I’m not gonna lie. I was not excited about an ~8h car ride versus ~3h but my mom was born in Bitburg and wanted to go back so back we went!
And look how happy that lady is drinking her Bitburger beer in Bitburg!
She’s giving Dany a run for her money…
After our detour, we spent the remaining days in Groningen showing off our adopted hometown. Most importantly, they braved the crazy and toured around town on bikes! With the average household owning 3 bikes, and the city nicked named “The World’s Cycling City” it’s easy to understand why biking here might be viewed as intimidating.
Last, but most certainly not least, I couldn’t let them come to The Netherlands without having some proper Dutch food things. This is an area in which I feel that I’ve shorted our previous visitors, and I sincerely apologize.
Dutch food things such as…
Bitterballen!
Frietjes!
Hagelslag!
& Stroopwafels!
And that, in a nutshell, was our week in The Netherlands! Next up, Part 2: London & Scotland for a Harry Potter & Outlander adventure!
Stay tuned…
Tot ziens,
The Shwits 
What’s an amazing time we had and Whitney just hit the highlights! We also got to see Shane’s lab and watch him rescue a sick fish which we’re proud to say recovered back to his tank this week! Best Darn Mom and Sis Trip Ever Part 1 was awesome!! Thank you Whitney and Shane for showing us such a great time around your adopted home town!