Still catching up....

What a wonderful day!

We drove up to the north of Holland to visit Wikke's aunt Dorijke and her husband Peter.   The sun was shining and the kids played in the beautiful garden while we talked.  Dorijke was in Australia last year, and I was really thrilled to see her again.   Dorijke and Peter live in the area of Holland which is full of dikes and windmills, and we went for a drive to see (and understand) how they work.  We saw areas of poldars (land below sea level that was once covered by water) surrounded by canals of water and drove around the perilously thin roads on top of the dikes.  It was fascinating.  Peter was a wonderful tour guide and the boys and I learned a lot. 


And then Wikke, Merlijn, H, F and I drove into Amsterdam.  The drive itself was absolutely hysterical.  The main tunnel into Amsterdam from the north (the IJ?) was closed, and although Dorijke had assured us that there were clear signs explaining how to get to the other tunnel, we couldn't find any.  My trusty TomTom (GPS device) seemed to relish in directing us to a ferry crossing!!!!! And so we had to turn around and try again (a few times, it seemed!).

We finally made it, but we were too late for the Van Gogh Museum.  We simply parked next to the Rijksmuseum and walked into the centre of the old town.  We crossed a few canals, narrowly escaped being run down by a few trams, ate bagels at a canal-side cafe and then went back to the car.  It was a tiny taste of Amsterdam.... hopefully enough to entice my boys back one day.  I remember loving the museums, cafes, canals and architecture of Amsterdam when I last visited...

And then we had a wonderful last supper with Wikke's Dad, Geert.  

It's extremely hard for me to say goodbye to Wikke's wonderful family.  They are very special to me and a big part of me wishes that I could stay just to spend more time with all of them.  

So then home to pack.  And then, in the morning......

...... It's difficult to talk about the leaving bit.  Let's just say that we did.  Many tears were shed (most of them mine, of course).

See you soon, darling Wikke.