quality time with my parents today. so happy

my parents and i went on a roadtrip today. we followed a route in southern dutch limburg, stopping in pictoresque towns, villages and small cities. we checked out gorgeous castles in green parks. centuries old farm houses. lively shopping streets. churches of all sizes and styles. just driving around was great too. the roads there are winding through wooded hills (perfect timing with autumn) and cut through old villages (not a fan on big roads slicing towns in half, but the road isn't huge like a highway or something, so the villages are mostly spared). we saw so many interesting, curious things in just a few hours. we went to the 'three countries point', where a viewing tower stands on the point where the netherlands, belgium and germany meet (no marked borders. thanks EU). and my favourite was where we had lunch. it was in a one-room restaurant FILLED to the brim with christian artefacts and artworks. the chairs are church chairs. right outside the restaurant is a chapel which is completely stocked with life size figurines of biblical figures. it was kinda crazy and very unique. the vibe was very positive, i expected it to be creepy or too religious but it felt warm and fun. the woman at the museum's desk asked for our surnames. after seeing the chapel, we went back to her and she gave us printed sheets with information on the christian history of our names. that was so cute and lovely. today was just great. :)