Netherlands

We first visited Amsterdam, which was really expensive to stay in. Our first night we took the train out of the city and returned in the morning to a hotel in the Slotermeer neighbourhood. It was a Sunday and we went to the Hillsongs Church, which we really enjoyed. It was unique because they rented out a large club in central Amsterdam.

On Monday we did a walking tour of Amsterdam, which was really interesting. Our guide was originally from Alaska.

Shopping at the Dam (Central square)

Westerkerk (West Church)

We relaxed by the canals and went to the main park, Vondelpark where we took a nap. (yes we were tired) There was also a Remembrance day ceremony (Dutch version) downtown in the streets with officers dressed up in their uniforms with live music being played and a parade.

Vondelpark

We visited the Royal Palace in the central square (The Dam) which had some huge rooms, and some really ornate and beautifully painted ones as well.

We went on a beautiful canal cruise through all the narrow canals and around the harbour. It was really nice to see the city from that side.

How many bridges can you count?

We went to the Anne Frank Museum and waited 1 hour in line in the cold blustery wind. It was well worth seeing and very special, but sad to see how Anne and her family and friends were found out after 2 years. They were taken to the concentration camps and died of typhoid or were gassed. That night we took a train to Winterswijk in the east of the country where Aaron's family lives. His aunt Anneke brought us to his other aunt Bea's house where we stayed for the remainder of our trip.

Molen de Bataaf, Winterwijk

On our first day in Winterswijk, Aaron’s cousin Sibel came to visit us. A lot of the family was gone on vacation during our first days there so we took quite a bit of time to relax as well. The next day we biked to aunt Anneke’s house for a visit with her and some of the older kids Camé and Loek. We biked together to Oeding in Germany to get Birkenstocks and ice cream.

With Camé at the border

Another day we biked to Aaron's Opa's (Grandfather's) farm, where his aunt Nettie and uncle Wim also live. We visited them, and Aaron got his haircut from his aunt. The next morning we biked back to visit Aaron’s Opa and had lunch with him and his wife Marja. Then we biked to the downtown market and bought famous Dutch cheese at Loek’s work and had a snack at the market. We also climbed the church tower. You can really tell how flat the land is there, one of the reasons why its so good for biking.

That's not the top of the picture, it's the horizon

Loek's work at the Market

On Sunday we went to the family’s church and met a few people and some youth that Aaron knew. Then we went to Anneke’s house for Mother's day lunch and went for a nice walk. For dinner we visited Aaron’s cousin Sibel during her break at McDonalds where she works.

We went for a bike ride to a small quaint town called Bredevoort, famous for having lots of books on the streets. We took some really nice scenic routes there and had ice cream as a treat. We stopped by a windmill and looked around and got dinner in the small town.

When we returned, Bea and Kavoos and family were back. They let us use their VW Golf convertible to get around.

We went with Sibel and we drove to Vreden for icecream and then to Oeding for Lisa’s Birkenstocks. We had dinner with her and her boyfriend Kevin. It was really nice to visit and play games with them. The next day we went to a huge camping store with aunt Bea and family, had a nice dinner with them and went to a watermill and a Bleaching historical field by a river.

 

After packing up, the whole family got together for Ascension day (of Jesus, a holiday). We did a small bike trip to Hilgelo Lake and hung out and played outdoor sports. Nettie joined us when we biked to an Ijsboerderij (ice cream farm, with dairy cows). It was an interesting farm where they had robots to milk the cows. The ice cream was by far the best ice cream Becky has had, probably as good as Farquars ice cream.

 

 

After that we all biked to Anneke’s house for a potluck and sleepover. They cooked French fries and deep fried meats. The kids played in the tree house and part of it fell down on one side by a few feet! The kids were fine, and the family helped to tear it all the way down. Then we had a campfire and yogurt for dessert. The kids and Aaron played kick the can.

  

The next morning we helped Loek and Nettie tear apart the tree house. After a visit with Opa we had an awesome homemade pizza party made by Nettie's husband Wim, with some of the family there. After a traditional pudding dessert, we visited, played games and said goodbye. It was the perfect finish to a great visit to Holland, and our entire trip!

Bea, Kavoos and family drove us to the train station. We barely made it and said goodbye to them and the boys. After a ticket mix up and delayed train, we bused to Uithoorn, had a hard time finding the hotel, slept for a few hours and left around 5am for the airport and a smooth flight home! Visiting the Netherlands was a great finish to our trip. We really enjoyed Amsterdam, and it was very special and memorable to see the family and for Becky to meet them for the first time.

London England

After our long day of travel to London we travelled to the airbnb place we were staying in the west end of London. We stayed with a nice couple and their young son. Aaron had a harder time finding time to work in the last while, but he managed to catch up.

A reminder of home

After a day of planning and grocery shopping, we went on a free walking tour around some of the main attractions and Westminster Abbey where Kate and William got married.

Trafalgar Square. National Gallery to the right. Huge building straight across is Canadian Consulate

Trafalgar Square

Buckingham Palace, home of the Queen.

Westminster Abbey, many famous weddings here including Kate and William

Side entrance of the abbey

Victoria Tower of the Palace of Westminster, home to British Parliament

Other side of the Palace, The Clock Tower of Big Ben in foreground

A little further down the River Thames

After we saw some street performers and a National Gallery for free.

National Gallery

We visited the Kengsington Palace where the Queen grew up in and where Kate and William and their family now live. They have a big public park surrounding the Palace that is open to the public. There were a few art galleries nearby the park that we visited for free. We went on a walking tour of the old City of London, which has existed for over 2000 years.

Kensington Palace

Old City of London, The Temple Church

St Paul's Cathedral

After having a hard time finding places to stay in Amsterdam for that weekend, we visited the Tower of London which is a big fort and castle. The crown jewels were on display there with their beautiful shiny diamonds and jewelled crowns glistening in the light. No pictures allowed there. At the castle we learnt about the history of the medieval times where they kept animals on chains in a tower and they would do tricks. Also where they executed people and the gory history of their torture. The tower served as storage for weapons and ammunition for a long time. There was the Tower bridge that we looked at briefly, which is often confused for London bridge ("London Bridge is falling down..."), which wasn't that impressive.

Tower of London, inside the fort. Just outside the City of London

 

the Tower Bridge

While we were taking the train to Oxford, the royal princess was born to Kate and William, less the a kilometer away from the train station where we were. Her name is Charlotte but our tour guide thought her name was Alexandria. We really enjoyed seeing the beautiful architecture and schools in Oxford. We visited a small rustic pub called Eagle and Child where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis would meet with others while they were writing some of their famous books, such as the Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Radcliffe Camera (reading room), Bodleian Library, Oxford
Underground is a massive cavern of books

We learnt of the church that C.S. Lewis went to. At the front doors there are fauns carved above a door frame and a lion in the middle of a door across from the entrance. In the winter there was a heavy curtain to push through to get to the door. And to the right there were 3 street lamps, so urban legend says this is the place that gave him the idea of writing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Good ole' Cricket game next to an Oxford school

On our return to London and the airport we missed our train by about a minute so we had to take a taxi to make it. Luckily we did make it to our flight which was thankfully delayed by 30 minutes. Our time in London was short, but it was nice to see the famous city as well as Oxford, and the royal palaces of our own country as well.