Holland

Just got back from a long weekend in Holland. It was pretty good actually. Apart from seeing Luuk back in June, I had not seen the family over there since Easter. So it was nice to catch up with them. Also, my cousin Monica and her new husband, Duncan, were finishing their honeymoon in Holland and visiting Wim and Jitta for the first time, so I got to catch up with them as well.

I flew out on Friday night from London City Airport. It was pretty cool being able to turn up thirty minutes before the flight was leaving without any trouble - better then the ninety minutes you have to leave for Heathrow! Also you can catch the train and tube all the way there. No dodgy buses! As we were waiting to close the plane doors one of the ground crew came up to the person sitting next to me and asked to see her passport and then her credit card. So I start thinking who on earth am I sitting next to, but it turns out she had just left her purse in the terminal. So having a bit of a scare (thinking she had done something wrong as well) combined with the fact that she hated flying, meant I had a fun companion for the trip - to be honest she just talked at me for sixty minutes so it was not all that bad.

Monica and Duncan were not arriving until Sunday, so on the Saturday the rest of us (Wim, Jitta, Luuk and Nolan) went into the city (Rotterdam) and then just caught up - it was nice. The next day Wim and I drove up to Monnickendam to pick up Monica and Duncan and then over to Scheveningen to look around. For the end of October it was unseasonably mild (like most of October had been) so it was nice just walking along the beach. I had not seen Monica and Duncan since I left Oz, so it was nice to catch up. We all went to a restaurant for lunch (Mussels!) and then back to Wim's place for the afternoon. That night we met up with Wim's brother and went out for dinner in Gouda (tapas!) it was all very nice.

As a side note, one thing I like about Holland is that people keep their curtains open (even at night). So as you are walking along the street you can look in and see people sitting around watching television, reading a newspaper or having a chat. It is nice to see.

On Monday Monica, Duncan and I caught the train over to Delft. Wim had to work, Jitta had just finished a nightshift and the boys were at school, so we entertained ourselves. Delft is famous for making authentic Delft Blue (a type of porcelain) and the Nieuwe Kerk (new church). This is where the members of the Dutch Royal Family are buried. Oh and in case you are wondering there is also an Oude Kerk (old church). So we went into the new church and climbed the bell tower (naturally) which gave us some nice views of the surrounding town! We then went back and looked around Rotterdam a bit before heading back to Wim's place. We had a quick dinner before I was dropped off at the airport for my return flight. It was nice seeing all the family again!

As we were flying back into London you could see all these fireworks being let off, I assume for Halloween. It was a pretty amazing sight actually. More then made up for the stinky bus ride back from Heathrow (no flying into London City this time).




Canal in Delft.


The ubiquitous Dutch Windmill.


Canal again.


The Nieuwe Kerk.


Monica and I in the central square.


The Stadhuis.


Views from the top.


Views from the top.


Views from the top.


Rotterdam!