Holland Bucket List: Kinderdijk? Check! Rotterdam? Check!

Tell me.  What do you think of when you think of Holland {or the Netherlands}?

Clogs.  For sure.  Tulips?  You bet.  Windmills...of course.

And so we went to the touristy locale known for windmills, Kinderdijk.

 J#4 checking the joint out.  Like father, like son, right?  

According to the Kinderdijk website, this location is home to the most windmills in one location. 

  The 19 windmills were built in 1740 and are still in working order. 

  J#4 excited to be out of the stroller for sight-seeing, finally.   I guess she likes the view. 

Next up on our whirlwind day of touring?

Rotterdam.

The plan was to go to the Euromast (below)...that way we could see the WHOLE city, from high up.  But a certain two year old and a certain seven month old had other thoughts in mind.  They were hungry, and they made sure we knew.  So we decided to head right to the last stop on our itinerary.

The zoo.  Don't be fooled by the raccoon below.  

 Really, we were at the zoo.  And raccoons were the first animal we saw.   

J#1 and I were a bit skeptical. What would be next?  Squirrels???

The interesting thing about the raccoons?  They were right next to the cafe.  So I am left wondering if they let them out in the evening to clean up any mess left from zoo visitors during the day? 

Alright...moving on. 

 J#3 was excited about the raccoons.  And the polar bears.  And the elephants.  Pretty much everything.

 J#4 was a bit more interested in her toes.  

{Evidently J#1 was trying to get my attention from down by the polar bear pool while I was taking these pictures.  Oops.  Guess she distracts me.}

 I had a few photography fails this day.  #1, I didn't bring my zoom lens with.  See those two polar bears on the hill?  I could have gotten MUCH better photos of them playing with that lens.  

 Seriously, the prairie dogs were adorable.  

 Cute enough to get featured twice. 

 J#4 got to sit in the front of the stroller.   She seemed to be "getting the hang of it" here.  

She was a big fan though.  

 This, here, is photography fail #2.  I am evidently not practiced enough to change my settings quickly when in a half inside/half outside location.  Do you see how close this giraffe is?  Would have been an AWESOME photo if I had the settings right. 

And how about this baby giraffe?  Precious.

And then how about this baby?  One of her new faces.  Getting a little personality, I tell you. 

Get ready for it.

The messiest fountain at any zoo I have ever seen.

Ready?

Here you go...

 Eeew...

And J#3 and my favorite animal in the place....the elephants.

It was a bit of a walk to see these guys.  I was told that it was lucky I said that was my favorite.  Hehe...

The animal I was most surprised to see?  A hyena.

But unfortunately, they weren't laughing.