Our flight left at 6.55 am from Schiphol, so we had to get up really early. We left home -- I mean, my parent's home -- at 4.00 am and were at the airport nicely on time.

The lady at the check-in counter was very friendly and let us check in the car seat for free, which meant that we could check in one of the small suitcases as well. That saved a lot of hassle. Over-all, we carried a lot of luggage: 50 kilogram (110 lbs) for checked-in, plus a big car seat, a stroller, a carry-on suitcase and some small items.

Check-in went quickly and we were done at 5.15 am. We had coffee at the arrival area since our usual spot at departures was still closed. Saying goodbye to my parents was sad.

We then went to the security check and wow! It went so smoothly and nicely. Schiphol is a great airport. We browsed a little bit in the Nijntje store and then went to the gate.

Our first flight was to Copenhagen, and we had a few hours of layover there. The airport there is pretty good also (with the exception of the bathrooms).

The second flight departed at 12:20 pm. In the waiting area we chatted with a small boy and at one point Nora told him in English: "Nora sleep in the plane". And before we were airborne she put her head in Sasha's lap and fell asleep, and slept for a solid three hours.

Later I took Nora for a walk through the plane, and one of the flight attendants gave her a game and a small book.

We landed at Dulles Airport and customs and immigration went smoothly. When we arrived a customs, a lady had already put all hour luggage on a cart.

Then we were home! Nora was especially happy to see Penka, her inflatable cow.

From Ghent we took the train to Haarlem, the city where lived until we moved to the United States. It was the first visit for Sasha in 10 years and to walk together through the city was amazing, from the very first moment we got off the train.

We saw the completion of several infrastructure projects that were in the early stages when we left a decade ago: the Raakskwartier, the Appelaar parking garage at the Grote Markt and the car-restrictions on many additional streets in the city, including at the station. It was like a jump in time.

We had dinner on the Grote Markt at a tapas place we have good memories of and it was delicious. The owner changed eight years ago, the waitress told me, but the food was still great. I had a Jopen Adriaan beer, very good.

We were lucky and there was a Bach concert in the Grote Kerk that same night. To be honest, I bailed out after the first song. It was beautiful but listening to a whole concert was a little too much, so I went to Den Uiver and had a nice beer there. They also have a new owner -- a nicer guy than the previous one -- but the atmosphere was still the same.

We stayed in an excellent bed and breakfast at the Zijlstraat, a few minutes from the Grote Markt. The location was great, it made it easy to go back to the room to change diapers. Sasha and I had poffertjes.

The next morning we met my parents at the Appelaar and we walked to the Grote Markt where we had coffee together. After that, we walked to the Adriaan and the Hooimarkt. It was special to be back there. After lunch Nora went to take a nap.