The Netherlands 2008

Posted on 30 Jun 2008 | 0 comments

We travel to Europe for a week so Jon can meet his new niece Olivia and Jude spends a week in the Netherlands with family and friends.

arriving at Schiphol

Jude has got great weather again in Holland, and goes for a ride on the bikes in the ‘polder’ with her mum and dad. It’s a loop of 40km or so and we stop twice – once for lunch and once for some cherries. Later that day Jude and her dad also go for a run in the forest.

mum cycling

dad cycling

dad and Jude cycling along the polder

picnic lunch

munching on some cherries

Of course Jude visits Sandra, Peter, Jessie, Niels and Jens in Tilburg.

Niels has to go to his swimming lesson, so instead of driving there we went for a walk through the forest and took a ball. I think Niels was exhausted by the time we got to the pool… Jens absolutely loved the bag I gave to San and nothing was gonna separate him from that!

walking through the forest to get to Niels’ swimming lesson

playing soccer in the forest

getting across a narrow bridge in the forest

Mum and I take Niels to his swimming lesson and San goes back home to cook for us. Great deal. We have to wait outside until he is finished – lucky the sun is shining! Niels was a bit scared of the jump into the deep end of the pool, but survived 😉

Niels about to start his swimming lesson

Niels swimming

Niels about to jump in

jumping in

safe with the teacher

play time after swimming

mum and Jens waiting outside (you can’t watch inside, not even when it rains!)

Jeroen organises a traditional Friday afternoon on the Plein. It didn’t end like a traditional session on the Plein as Jude had to take the last train back to Bergen op Zoom, but it was great to see some of the old teachers again.

Andrea, Jude and Maarten on the Plein

Jeroen and Mark on the Plein

It appears to become a yearly trip to the Efteling for Jude… This is the best amusement park in the world!! It’s not that busy and we don’t have to wait long at the different rides.

in the Carnival Festival

Jens and Peter

Jens and Jude in the self-paddle trains

Jessie getting himself some slush puppy

Jens and Jude

Niels driving the car for Jude and grandma

Jens driving for Sandra and Jessie

grandma (mum) scared of the water…

mum and Jessie about to get wet

Jessie, Niels and Peter having fun in the Piranha

we all got a bit wet in the Piranha

waiting to get in Villa Volta

Niels was a bit scared in Villa Volta

Jude in the playground

mum and dad

Sandra, Peter, Jessie, Niels and Jens

dad, Sandra, mum and Jude

Hans & Dini, Arianne and Nicolette invite us to join them for a cruise through the Biesbosch and Rotterdam. A gorgeous sunny day – no swimming though, still a bit too cold for that. We cruise back via the harbour of Rotterdam to have a look at the new cruiseliner from the Holland-America-Line called the Eurodam.