How many n's in Koninginnedag?

Well next year it won't matter because next year it becomes Koningsdag! And yes they are both spelt correctly.

The beloved Dutch Queen has abdicated, given up her title and passed the baton on to her son. The message everywhere is "Bedankt Beatrix, Welkom Willem-Alexander!" (Thank you Beatrix, Welcome Willem-Alexander).

Because of Konninginnedag we were able to enjoy a long weekend break. And we had friends visiting! Abi, Frank and Joshua spent the weekend with us and we managed to get out and do a few touristy things.

First stop: the local park to test out the slides and other great play things.

Spring has finally arrived and everything is starting to look a lot more cheerful

We made a trip to Keukenhof to see tulips and a range of other flowers

Frank, Josh and Abi

Then on Monday Justin and Frank headed through to Amsterdam for a tour of the city. Everywhere we went the city was getting ready for the big Queens Day celebrations. If you are not wearing orange on Queens Day then you are not really considered to be taking part. Needless to say that the shops all mark-up and make a killing selling anything orange. 

Some of the sights around Amsterdam...

Even Rembrandts' statue was decked out in orange...

Today (Queens Day) started with a tour of Rotterdam. We headed out to the market and introduced Abi and Frank to our favourite cheese seller. After stocking up on our favourite cheeses we headed down to the harbour. 

We had a bit of a break in the middle of the day while Josh caught 40 winks and then headed out again. This time to Kinderdijk. 

We have had a great weekend and an awesome time hanging out with Frank, Abi and Joshua. We hope you guys enjoy the rest of your time in Europe!!

Rotterdam: The river Rotte and a visit to the Port

This week Justin and one of his colleagues got to start the week with a visit to the Port of Rotterdam. The day was spent with the linesmen. These are the guys that are responsible for making sure that the vessels are all correctly tied up at berth. We had a great day and really appreciate the hard work these guys have to do on a daily basis. We were lucky to have some good weather, but these guys work whether it is rain, shine or snow. 

Some photos from the day...

The rest of the week was the usual mix of keeping busy and just trying to make it to the weekend. This weekend we had some great weather and so decided to get on our bikes and explore parts of Rotterdam that we hadn't seen yet. The Rotte river is the river after which Rotterdam is named. Rotterdam was founded in the 13th century when a dam was built across the river. We had heard about the cycle paths along the banks of the river and decided to go and explore...

The first windmill that we came across on the river Rotte

A very British looking telephone box in someones garden

A view along the river Rotte

Cycling!

One of the impressive houses, complete with boat house, on the river

One of the canals that we passed on the way to the river Rotte

Amersfoort and a bit of sunshine!

There has been a lot of excitement in the Netherlands this week. For the first time in many months the temperature was expected to reach 20 deg C. We decided to make the most of it and spend some time outdoors. 

When we first arrived in the Netherlands we were out exploring new cities almost every weekend. With the cold and wet winter that we have just had we haven't done much exploring for a while. This weekend we decided to explore Amersfoort.

The old city gate leading into the city center

Most of the old buildings in the city center have been turned into shops

A view down an alley with the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren in the background

This tower is said to be the third largest church tower in the Netherlands. However the first thing that we noticed is that there is no church to go with the church tower. Apparently the church was destroyed in the 18th century by a gunpowder explosion. 

A door in the middle of a wall 

The main canal around the old city center

Time for hot chocolate and apple tart

Another view of the tower

Unfortunately Amersfoort doesn't offer much in the way of tourist attractions and also doesn't have the same charm that you find in many other Dutch towns. It is a bit of a 'only-visit-if-you-are-in-the-neighbourhood' kind of place. 

With today (Sunday) being the 'warm' day that everyone was looking forward to we decided to get outdoors and enjoy some fresh air. We jumped on our bikes and headed out. We started out towards Delft but after a few detours ended up in a farming area. 

Finally, for those that are wondering what Marph has been up to, he has acquired a chainmail suit. We are not sure what is intentions are, but will keep you posted. 

Birthdays and Family Visits in London

Easter weekend is always a great time to get away. In the northern hemisphere it is (usually) the start of Spring and by taking a few days off work you can have quite a decent break. This year Bron and Shell celebrated their birthday almost on Easter so it was an easy decision to head over the pond to spend family time together. It also meant that we would be meeting Josh for the first time. Michelle and Graham also had Graham's mom, Hannie, visiting from South Africa. 

The birthday celebrations included a trip to the Sanderson hotel for high tea. The Sanderson hotel offers a Mad Hatters High Tea every day of the week. Just make sure to book.

Graham, Hannie and Michelle at high tea

There are a few different teas to try. My personal favourite was the mint and chocolate tea! Bron had the apple pie and Shell had strawberries and cream. 

A tower of treats. The high tea includes a set menu of yummy things. Little sandwiches, quiches, scones, and sweet treats. Don't make dinner plans!

"Drink me" it said!

Mini scones (and jam and cream and herb butter - preferably not all together)

We also spent some some time exploring London. There is always such a great vibe and so much to see and do. 

Trafalgar Square

I didn't think much about it when we were there, but the pigeons that Trafalgar Square used to be famous for (or infamous depending on your view) are gone. Apparently the city council started introducing by-laws  to stop people feeding the pigeons and they all moved off. 

Piccadilly Circus

A typical English pub

Down at the Thames with the London Eye in the bakground

One of the things that we have really missed while living in the Netherlands is a good braai. We headed down to the SA shop to stock up on steaks, wors and Hansa Pilsner and fired up the Weber. Thanks Graham for a job well done!

Getting the Weber going

And checking the temperature

More sight seeing around London

Another shot from Trafalgar Square (and pigeon-poop-free statues!)

Whilst in London we also managed to catch up with some friends. Ian took us on a tour of the Thames South Bank and we were treated to home cooked dinners by Martin & Kirsten and Lisa & Andrew. We discovered that Evan and Kerryn and family were staying two streets away from Shell and Graham's house for the Easter weekend.so we popped over for Sunday afternoon tea. Was so great seeing and catching up with all of you and hope that we will see you in the Netherlands sometime soon!

Down on the South Bank with Ian

A view of the recently completed The Shard with the gothic Southwark Cathedral in the front. 

Crossing the Millenium Bridge with St Pauls in the background

And of course we spent lots of time with the newest member of the family: Joshua Peter Finnemore.

Temperatures in the Netherlands at the moment are hovering around 6 degrees. But rumour has it that we may even move into double figures over the next few days. Crossing fingers!! 

Our next adventure is later this month when we have the Daubenton's staying with us for a few days. We also have Queen's Day coming up and the beginning of tulip season.