In the spring, Jake and I took a little road trip with our friends, Mike and Kate. We went to Holland, MI for their annual tulip festival. Holland is on the coast of Lake Michigan, a 2.5 hour drive from Ann Arbor. On a Friday night we drove halfway to East Lansing and stayed the night with Kate's sister and her family. They were kind enough to feed us dinner, and we played games afterward. The next morning we all headed out to Holland.
When we left it was overcast, but We didn't think much of it as we drove into town and found the streets to be lined with tulips. The wind started picking up as we made our way to the building where a lot of the events were taking place. This is where we saw a man carving wooden shoes and some children performing a traditional dance in wooden shoes. We also had some Dutch food for lunch and apple pie for dessert, in no particular order. Okay, so we had dessert first! :)
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| Sorry this picture is so bad. This was a popular man, and the paparazzi crowded me into this pole. |
Next, we hit the carnival across the street and enjoyed watching Kate's nephew having a blast on his first fair rides. While wandering around, we discovered an interesting ride: Raiders of Hogwarts. We're pretty sure this used to be an Indiana Jones ride, which was quickly re-themed with spray paint to appeal to a younger generation. Behold:
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| Ignore that lady - we don't know her. Also, since when is Harry Potter a woman? |
I think the weather seemed a little nicer while we were at the carnival, but it only went downhill from there. Kate's family was smart enough to take off after the carnival, so they were spared. We took Mike and Kate to Windmill Island Gardens, where there is an arboretum, a working Dutch windmill, a tulip field, and some other small attractions. By the time we came out of the arboretum, our first stop, it was so humid outside that it was like walking through a cloud. It wasn't raining, but a mist was hanging in the air, and since the wind was blowing, it felt like rain. I gave up trying to keep my glasses dry.
The next attraction was a diorama of a Dutch town. Then we hustled over to the tulip field. We didn't linger there too long due to the weather, but the flowers were beautiful.
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| This is a small replica of the working windmill. |
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| Oh yeah, and Jake wore shorts. Poor guy. |
We rushed to the windmill for a tour. They still use the mill to grind flour and make bread, which is pretty cool. Although, it was a little entertaining to hear the tour guides talk about the lady who runs the mill in hushed tones because she is such an artist.
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| An Amsterdam Street Organ |
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| Kate and I tried on the Dutch shoes, but they were so last season. ;) |
As our last stop in Holland, we decided to get sundaes at the famous Captain Sundae! Haven't heard of it? Well, it's a popular spot for republican politicians. They have framed photos of visits from both George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. Supposedly their signature sundae was also featured on the Today Show. Anyway, their sundaes were pretty delicious. I got one with malt and caramel - I was very satisfied!
And with our bellies full of tasty sundaes, we made our way back to Ann Arbor. It was so hard to stay awake on the drive. I guess we were just worn out from all of the fun we had!
