We also learned that the castle was the landing site of the first attempt by the American Allied Forces to liberated The Netherlands toward the end of World War II. The first attempt did not end well, as told in "A Bridge Too Far." All of this happened so close to where my grandparents grew up.

The following day we set out on a another adventure trying to navigate the busses and trains of the Dutch country side. We found our way to Uden to meet my mother's godfather (and uncle). We were able to stay for a few hours while the boys plucked every edible raspberry from the bushes in their gardens.

After a lovely visit, we attempted to navigate the trains to another town to visit with another of my mother's cousins, an aunt, and an uncle. We got a little mixed up with our trains, but we ended up only 10 minutes later than we had expected. The boys had a great time playing with their second cousins and enjoyed riding a pony named Madame.

It was a very busy couple of days, but I am so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people and seen the places where my family is from.

There are dozens of museums in Amsterdam, but the one that I really wanted to see this summer was the Verzets Museum. My grandparents were children during the Nazi occupations during World War II in the Dutch country side, and my grandfather played a role in the resistance. The museum offered an incredible opportunity to see what life was like for Dutch people during that time in history.

The museum is incredibly well done and one of the best World War II museums I have ever seen. It was informative without being graphic, so it was appropriate for children even as young as Oliver. Most of the exhibits have English audio to accompany them, and the boys had fun running around finding all the audio locations to hear the different stories. They learned a lot and are asking a lot of questions about war. I am so glad we made the time to go.

Something that has been on my bucket list for quite a while is seeing the picturesque windmills of The Netherlands. Thanks again to our incredible hosts, consider it done!

​We got to hop on a boat and speed through the canals to view some historic windmills from the water. Such an incredible experience that I will carry with me for quite some time. I think Owen will remember it too as he got to drive the boat nearly half way back from the windmill site.

We had the incredible opportunity to stay with family members while we were in Amsterdam. My mom's cousin and his family opened their home to us while we were in the city and made us feel incredibly welcomed. They live within walking distance of the main train station, so needless to say, we got to spend a lot of time wandering around the streets of downtown Amsterdam feeling quite local.

The boys were particularly fond of Dam Square where they got to feed the pigeons and were engulfed by a giant bubble.

They also got to have a Dutch snack of French fries and mayonnaise. Oliver couldn't get enough of it, but I think Owen still prefers his fries with ketchup.

​I loved looking at the incredible architecture.