Road tripping close-by

Last week we took a week vacation with our family and we hit the road. It wasn't the vacation we had had in mind the months and weeks before: we didn't leave for the sun as it seemed that the sun was too many flight hours/time zones and too much money far away.  For some reason we couldn't make up our minds. We wanted sun but couldn't get it. We were tired and wanted to be close-by.  The week we had blocked in our agenda came closer and closer and we had no plans yet besides the fact we'd leave together on vacation.

When it had clicked in our mind that we'd not go to the sun I had stated at one point that I wanted a hotel with indoor pool to keep our promise to Kabouter to go swimming.
While we now were slowly getting into the Christmas mood, I wondered whether it was worthwile to discover more of the unknown (to me) Germany and tour along German Christmas markets.

It didn't become a city trip. It didn't become a tour across Germany.  Browsing through potential hotels, we were all of a sudden in the mood for anything.  "Hey, we can also visit Utrecht"  "Hey, sure, why not."   "Do you want to go to the sea?" "Oh yeah, that could be cool".  "Have you ever been in Eindhoven?"  "Eindhoven???" "Yeah?"  "Euh...can we visit anything there?"  "I think so..."  "Ok"

And so the evening before #duwmee , we crafted a roadtrip that you won't find in any tourist book.   But we had a very fun relax week together, enjoying small activities in a great variety and each other.  Everything was possible, nothing was mandatory...


And it was great fun because

• we saw wild deer in the fields along the highway
• we had hour long sing-alongs in the cars on lots of commercial and non-commercial child songs
• we did funny walks on the Christmas market
• we were splashing each other in the pool
• we ate too much pancakes and drank too much apple juice
• there was a child hopping through the park in Dusseldorf, totally excited because the trees were so beautiful  (I should add that city review to Tripadvisor)
• we saw a toddler radiant from fun on the child carrousel on the christmas markets
• we slept in
• the sun was shining (sometimes)
• we did funny walks on our heels in Maastricht
• we got to visit Santa in Maastricht
• we were right on time to watch the projection on Miffy's house in Utrecht
• we had some nice big rooms and even got changing pillows and diaper bins in one room
• we got a funky straw in our juice
• the kids behaved well in the car
• Netflix that can now be downloaded offline ...great on an iPad in the car
• we saw wild swans in the fields
• we watched big boats on the Rhine and on the other rivers
• I drank a lot of good latte macchiato's
• we could always park at the hotel parking lot
• there's a toilet in Starbucks when you need one
• there's no traffic jams to the coast in winter
• they sell oliebollen in the center of Eindhoven
• ....