Limburg and more Relatives

We got up early in the hotel and enjoyed the breakfast on offer. Its part of the price but didn't offer self catering like in New Zealand. That didn't stop us though although no cooking. 

It was a great day so we headed out early looking for a bike hire shop. In Belgium and the Netherlands there is nothing surer than having a bike shop in every town and village. This seems especially true in Limburg which is reknown for its cycling. It wasn't easy to find, being located in the middle of a college. You would have thought someone would have mentioned this after asking a number of people.

Holly just loooved this, did notice from time to time her legs weren't rotating! ;)

The bikes were great; we had two tandems one for me and Holly, and the other for Sue and Julia. Sophia had her own. There is an amazing array of purpose built cycle lanes away from the roads. We went on a circuit of 15kms. It was rather demanding because it involved hills and we needed to be back in an hour. We got lost once, but people in Belgium are very friendly and it wasn't long before we were on our way again. I saw a number of cycling groups going out and felt the call to join but wasn't able to. Maybe in a number of years.

At noon we headed back to the Netherlands and to visit a cousin of mine Marienel and Marco Janssen . They own a shop selling antique handles for all sorts of home use. It was amazingly well run and incredibly busy given it is located in a small town. Apparently they get customers from all over Europe and their internet customers come from all over the world. 

My ome Hub (Marienel's father) was there also. The kids entertained by putting on a performance which all were taken by. It was a great time and we didn't leave until late in the afternoon. 

Like in the south of Holland, it is great and relaxed. It was a chance to slow down and relax. However, the next day we headed off back to the UK. We met a really nice French service station attendant on our short time going back through France. She clearly didn't speak English and our attempt to say hi and thanks ended up being in Dutch. She must have wondered what she had encountered. 

Dutch Relatives in the Netherlands

We left Amsterdam early. Luckily after New Years Eve our street was clear of markets and cars. I had taken a tram back to the station and picked up our car. Of course I had another problem paying as there facility to pay by credit card was broken. It took about an hour and a half to get back to our apartment after taking the wrong tram and having to run down a couple of roads to find the right one. Of course as I arrive the tram I needed was leaving and wasn't going to stop for me. It is a far reduced service on public holidays and I had a long wait.

It was an easy drive to Asten with the roads pretty empty. We arrived at ome Paul's place at about noon and were welcomed by him tante Alie, cousin Francois, his partner Sandra and children Tygo and Kyra. Later we were also joined by Werner and Janine and their son. I had first met Werner many years before when he was visiting New Zealand and had taken him on a long mountain bike ride up Fringe Hill in Nelson.

It was a great time as we all enjoyed the meal and talked. Ome Paul and tante Alie seemed especially taken with Holly as she entertained in her usual way. At about 3pm it was time to say our farewells. It was great for our kids to meet some of their dutch relies. As we left with the hosts watching we again left heading the wrong way around the round about. This happened to us back in 1998 in the same place. It finally occurred to me why. Often dutch streets are single laned to allow for cycle lanes on either side of the road. As we were in the middle of the road it is very easy to switch back into being on the left hand side. Luckily this never happened else where, where it could be a little more dangerous. Still embarrassing though. 

We headed towards Limburg and just over into Belgium where we had reservations at a Youth Hostel in a tiny place called St Martens-Voeren. We got there in the dark but settled in well. There were only about 8 people booked but there was another family with four children and after some encouragement our kids were playing with them. They were from Belgium and language was an issue. However, they all played Foosball and soon Sophia had names and places. 

New Years Eve in Amsterdam

We had decided to have a quiet day today. We had gone for a walk and enjoyed another outing of ice skating. Well the kids did anyway. After the Paris experience this was one thing they were really keen to give another go. The rink at Leidseplain Square is a very beautiful place with many cafes and shops. Unfortunately the rink was being run by what could only be called cowboys who had little regard for those using it. After the highly organised rink in Paris this caught me by surprise. No one watched the rink for safety and the guys running it seemed to have little interest in customer service.

It was about this time I started to realise using a credit card was not as easy as in other countries. Apparently few dutch people have a credit card and most super markets and food outlets don't take them. We had exchanged a few hundred Euro before leaving the UK but had found the credit card easier to use and had tried to use up the cash thinking we didn't wont to get stuck with it. That back fired as we had to use our credit card at an cash machine three times to pay the bills. Its an expensive way to do it. Only one supermarket in Amsterdam takes a credit card had has a number of stores called "Dirk van den Broek". Good to know for the future.

Still we settled down in one of the outdoor cafes and enjoyed watching the kids fly around. From about 10.30am there had been a number of loud explosions. They went off periodically and from every direction. By the evening it was relentless and sounded like we were in a war zone. I had never heard anything like it. They weren't the usual type of crackers but really big sounding ones. they also had what we used to call tom thumbs but only bigger.

By 11pm it was constant and from multiple directions. It lasted about another three hours. How anyone slept I have no idea, well actually the kids seemed undisturbed. I heard that 70 000 Dutch people were admitted to hospital that day which doesn't surprise me. I have been in Singapore over the Chinese new year which had massive public displays but this was something else and quite staggering.

Cycling in Amsterdam and Nemo

You can't visit Amsterdam without doing what the locals do. We headed out early in search of a bike shop. We got a little lost but eventually with help found the shop called MacBike. We hired three, fullsize for Sue, childs for Sophia and a triple for the rest of us. It was a little nerve racking at first especially the length of my bike but I had heard about the laws and how hitting a cyclist can be a really bad thing to do. 

We headed for the the Waterloopleinmarkt. As if we were ever going to get any bargains in this city. We bought the typical dutch souvenirs of clogs and two little people kissing before moving on.

Cycling around the canals was awesome with the various bridges and  pathways. We headed to the Science Museum called Nemo. It was across the city out on the water built on top of a tunnel. For the kids it was the highlight of the day. Five levels of science you can touch and play with. On one level the kids and I put on a lab coat and we got to do our own experiment with ice salt. Did you know applying salt to ice reduces the temperature of the ice water to -17 degrees but at the same time melts it. Cool. 

We spent the rest of the day biking through the city streets just exploring. We were quite a sight with the two kids in the front. Many people starred and a number of photos were taken. Once Sue was some distance behind us and over heard one foriegner who had just taken a photo of us comment, "Ahh it a rental" obviously hoping to capture a local authentically riding their family around. 

We had a couple of scary moments with the traffic. One occurred when we only got halfway across a road and my bike was way too long sitting out on one side to the traffic and the other end onto the tram line. I could see my front wheel which sticks out and actually got knocked by a passing tram. It was by far our best day in the holiday and well recommended to anyone going to Amsterdam. 

Vondelpark

It was supposed to rain in the afternoon so we headed off as early as we could, 11am for Vondelpark, a large park about one kilometer away. Its not so easy to cross the road here when not using crossings. The trams, cars and bikes often have their own lanes separated by kerbs. As you run across you end up looking in all directions not sure what exactly you are looking for. The bikes can go quite fast and in larger numbers than cars. There are over seven hundred inhabitants in this city and six hundred thousand own a bike. People in Amsterdam believe its quicker to travel by bike and they are literally locked up everywhere in their hundreds. Obviously used to get to work early. 

We wandered around the park and found a kids playground. Of course in a city of bikes they like to start them early. My type of city.

It was amazing to be in such a large park so well utilised by local people. Families walked, people ran and of course they biked. On the way back we found ourselves some authentic Oliebollen. Unfortunately we didn't quite eat them as they were supposed to be eaten. We ate them cold and missed the packet of powered sugar in the packet. I tried to compensate by  filling their insides using a spray can of cream. I still loved them but the kids weren't quite so keen. 

Amsterdam

Our journey from Paris to Amsterdam was reasonable. We only deviated from our Sat Nat directions once. Going past large cities can be a little tricky as roads are shooting off in all directions and the Sat Nave can be slow to give exact directions. Didn't create to much stress though as it redirected us back to the right road and off we went again. 

First we entered Belgium and instantly saw an improvement in the roads. Service stops were a bit of a let down with only a petrol station and minimum food. It was a pleasure to cross the Netherlands boarder and we started spotting windmills. 

There were flat fields and well kept towns as we headed into Amsterdam. The main motorway in was no indication of the city driving. We were cruising along on a five lane road where the fifth lane wasn't even used. We had been warned about driving in Amsterdam but decided to drop the girls at our apartment before driving to the city limits where I left the car in a parking area. The driving in Amsterdam was slow and cumbersome. It is obviously designed to be bike, tram and pedestrian friendly with cars being given the worst option. 

I dropped off the girls in what was an open market street. I parked temporarily where I could and started unloading. Before long a large van was behind us declaring he couldn't get past. I had to drop and run. Ironically 40 meters down the road another van was unloading and I waited another five minutes. 

I drove to the car park grabbed a couple of bags and headed back on a tram. They squeal there away around the city in all directions. Very good in that the city is not that big. Our apartment is on the top and third floor in one of the older sections of the city about two and a half kilometers from the city center. Its quite earthy but is doing us well. 

Chateau of Versailles

Christmas was a quiet affair in Paris as we pledged to do nothing but eat and sleep. The kids enjoyed their presents and ate way too much chocolate.

The next day we decided to go to the Chateau of Versailles. We had read on the internet that it can be very busy and it was best to get there by 9am. Unfortunately we were having our Christmas hangover and only arrived by 11.30am. We had to endure two queues, one for tickets and the second for entry. By 12.30pm we were immersed in the crowds walking through the beautiful hallways. It is great but I don't recommend it with small kids. First they take away your stroller, then they don't allow children on shoulders. After queuing, the walk through the incredibly crowded chateau was exhausting for Holly who periodically declared she could not walk any further. 

We rushed through the chateau in less than an hour and went out to enjoy the grounds. These French royalty knew how to live it up. The grounds cover 800 hectares. We started in the upper levels where the gardens were immaculate. 

From here we walked down to the ponds in a shape of a cross. To really see the full grounds we would need bicycles but didn't have the time. We just wandered to the left and right through the Bosquet du Dauplin (grove) where many of the outdoor statues are located. It was a chance for various members of our group to lead us aimlessly in different directions.