Guess where we went?

Today is the end of a well deserved half term break.  Since last Monday was also a bank holiday we thought that it was the perfect opportunity for a jaunt to visit the De Munniks in The Netherlands.  It's been exactly 1 year since we saw them last when we went camping together but that didn't stop the boys from playing together like as though they had seen each other yesterday.  We went across on the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk - what a bargain - we will definitely take advantage of it again sometime!

The children loved Mini World Rotterdam.  It was great fun trying to find the different highlights shown on the map, spotting funny idiosyncrasies, all the popular landmarks and of course all the moving things like the trains, trams and metros caused a lot of excitement.  There was even a Gangnam Style concert at the Ahoy.  Afterwards we went for a walk through Rotterdam to see if we could find any of the landmarks in real life.  A fun day all in all!

On the Monday while our friends went about their normal lives we played tourists.  First we headed to Zaanse Schans (aka tourist trap).  It's not our kind of place but it was perfect for the boys to get a overall view of all things Dutch like windmills, clogs, cheese, mustard, canals, bikes etc.  The highlights were tasting a hundred different kinds of Gouda cheese and a close inspection of the sawmill (which incidentally tied in nicely with Nick's holiday project on trees).  Unfortunately we were too late for all the flower fields on the way home!

We also popped into our old home town.  It was great taking a walk down memory lane and showing the boys where we used to live and hang out when we were young and carefree.  Delft is really a delightful place offering almost everything that the tourist trap presented but in a real life and relaxed atmosphere.  We were so lucky to have lived in such a nice place!

The rest of the time we just hung out with the De Munniks at their house and in their hood doing things the Dutch way.  Sometimes there was absolute chaos but there were also moments of calm. It was really nice catching up with old friends and doing something touristy in a different country for a change!