Day 2, Zoo Emmen and Queens Day

This morning i woke up amazed.  It was 6:45 and the girls were still sleeping.  Awesome!  Kaydence had been up at midnight for 1 hour and a bit and Tianna awoke for a moment but went back to sleep.  Awesome!  So much smoother than i thought.  We woke Tianna up at 8am to have breakfast and Kaydence at 9am.  I could not believe Tianna had slept since 5pm, crazy!

We had a wonderful breakfast and than packed up to go to the Zoo.  It was a beautiful day, a little windy but wonderful nonetheless.  The zoo was in Emmen, a 45 minute drive away from Pieze but well worth it.  The zoo is in the middle of the city so you have a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the Zoo.  On our way there Jeroen was telling us it was Queens Day, a day when everyone gathers in town squares and shopping areas to sell their used good, clothes, toys, movie, games extra.  Like a big garage sale.  Jeroen calls this garbage day because everyone is trying to get rid of their garbage.  So we had to walk through this huge garage sale with food trucks and everyone selling many things.  There were people on blankets and groups with tents all ready to sell sell sell. It was very busy.

After a while we were at the Zoo and it was picture perfect.  The Zoo is set up very cool, i like it.  The animals are in natural cages, meaning that they have water barriers or height barriers but not bars and "cages" to say.  The aminals roamed together in large groups.  Zebra, giraffes, antelope and rhinos live together in peace along with the Ostriches just like in nature.  For the most part animals live free and able to roam.  We saw every animal imaginable, it was wonderful.

We also got a see the Sea Lions being fed and do some tricks, it was very neat.  We also got Ice Cream so Tianna was a happy girl!

For me the highlight was watching the giraffees eat the grass just beyond my feet.  With their height they could reach up the barrier to the grass at the top by the walking path, we took photos of us almost touching their heads.  It was very cool.

Another highlight was the free monkeys.  In an enclosed building you could go to the top and sit with the monkeys as they jump all around you.  One jumped right over Tianna and beside me, it was very cool.  Jeroen even caught it on video for you.

The kids did awesome.  Kaydence slept for a few minutes in the stroller and Tianna went all day without a nap, she slept both ways in the car but that was it.  When we got home Merieke and I went for a ride on the bike to the bank and than for chinese.  I have decided that i love biking in Holland as a mom.  I can have both kids on my bike with no helmets and ride anywhere i want.  Tis wonderful.  As soon as a child can sit on their own, they can go in the bike seat.  This time we took Sven with us but tomorrow we will be going biking while the family is at church.  It will be good.

The kids then played and went to bed, we had tea and drinks and we will head to bed now too.  Good night!