Interlude: The Netherlands

Having marked the halfway point in our walk we made our way via train to Amsterdam where we joined my mother (Marlene) and brother (Martijn). We spent four nights with my aunty Mariette at her apartment in central Amsterdam. The hustle and bustle of Amsterdam was almost overwhelming at times as we joined the throngs of tourists crowding the footpaths. Crossing the road was a nightmare as we had to remember to look left rather than right, but we also had to watch out for hundreds of cyclists as well as trams and cars.   We all managed to survive although my mother did take a fall. One minute she was upright and the next she was sprawled over the tram lines with trams coming at her from either direction! It was a bit of a scary and sobering moment for all of us, however she was not physically hurt.

Tree lined canal in Amsterdam

Street side cafes in central Amsterdam

While in Amsterdam we enjoyed a canal cruise and ferry crossing as well as a bit of retail therapy. We also went out for dinner with my uncle Caspar and my cousins Mark, Isje and Charlotte. It was lovely to finally meet some of my cousins and get to know them.

Dancing houses 

On the Friday morning my uncle Leo came and picked us up and drove us to Venlo in Limburg which is the hometown of my mother and her family. My mother enjoyed showing us around the town and recalling many of her early childhood experiences. 

Town Hall, Venlo, Limburg

Family gathering with my Aunty Giselle, Uncle Leo and family

On the Sunday we went along to my cousin Bart’s café where my uncle Huub was celebrating his 80th birthday with the family. The first five minutes of getting to the party was sensory overload as we were introduced to all my relatives. Dutch tradition involves kissing each person three times on alternate cheeks in addition to trying to remember each person’s name. The party was for family only and there were about 75 people at the party so this give’s you some appreciation of how many people there were to meet and greet! Greg did extraordinarily well, given that he can’t even understand the language. We all had a great time at the party with good food, drink, dancing and making new acquaintances.

My mother and Aunty Mariette at my uncles 80th birthday party

My brother Martijn and I

The following day my aunty Giselle drove us to Roosteren to visit my uncle Leopold and his family. He lives in a beautiful 300 year old farmhouse with his wife Ans. His son Phillipe and wife Sandy along with twins Sean and Dawn also live in part of the farmhouse. My cousins Pascalle and Eric also joined us for the afternoon.

Courtyard at Uncle Leopold's place, Roosteren

Greg and my Uncle Leopold

Family gathering at Uncle Leopold's farmhouse

The following day we joined my mother and brother for a cycle ride in the countryside around Venlo. We visited the Black Lake and cycled through the forest to briefly cross over the German border. Then it was back on the bikes to a lovely town called Arcen where we enjoyed a lovely lunch along the Maas River.

My mother at the German border

Old mill with water wheel near Arcen, Limburg

The next day we travelled by train to Nijmegen to visit my uncle Caspar and his wife Yvonne. We went for a short stroll around a part of the town and my uncle also took us for a drive to view the bridges across the river Waal. We were also taken out to dinner at a lovely Mexican restaurant before catching the train back to Amsterdam. The following day was spent exploring more of Amsterdam. I visited the royal palace in Dam Square with my aunty while the boys took in one of the many coffee shops in the city.

On the Friday, Greg and I left early on the train to make our way back to Wales. The Eurostar train was super-fast travelling at 291km per hour although all I could think about was the train derailing at this speed!

 

Cycling through the Limburg countryside