This weekend we took a quick trip to Zaanse Schans. It’s only a 20-minute drive from Amsterdam and such a cute small town full of windmills and that classic Dutch charm. 

When we left the house it was sunny, so of course by the time we got to Zaanse it quickly turned overcast and then started raining. Luckily Prim didn’t seem to mind, even though we’d neglected to bring the rain cover for the stroller. (That bag in front of her was my jerry-rigged attempt to keep her lower half sort of dry.)

My Tom’s shoes were not the smartest footwear choice for the sudden downpour either, but oh well. We still managed to have a great time. We saw sheep, goats, ducks, and huge swans. 

The only bummer of the trip was that the town is home to a Cocoa processing plant so the entire town smells like chocolate. (You’ve heard of Dutch-process cocoa, right? Well, they make it here.) Let me just tell you that parading a pregnant women around a town that smells like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is TORTURE. The smell seriously made me want to swim in a chocolate river à la Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

We stopped at a local pub on our way out for a quick drink and a snack. It wasn’t the swimming pool full of chocolate that I really wanted, but a glass of orange juice and a plate of bitterballen was fine. (Heartbreak. Pregnant heartbreak.)

We also happened to share a table with an older couple who were visiting from Arizona and who had met working for KC’s company back in the states a super long time ago. The guy even knew a partner in KC’s office — such a small world! 

And don’t let P’s serious face fool you, she had a great time.