clog blog: Easter Weekend

Firstly, Easter weekend and the week before was the first good weather we have had since leaving SA! (Except for 3 days in Dubai, but technically it was winter there.) The sun shone and it was a comfortable 18-22°C every day that week and sometimes a bit warmer. Easter weekend was especially pleasant. Places like London and Paris had been quite warm for at least two or three weeks before Easter but here it only warmed up the week before Easter. Also, we noticed a big change in the scenery in a short space of time around Easter. In the 10 days or so before Easter everything suddenly became green. The difference was even more noticeable when I got back from 10 days in London. The trees are looking fuller now and the leaves are a darker green, not that fresh Spring green. Unfortunately, the good weather didn’t last. We have had some cold snaps since then and some rain. Generally the sun shines but the wind cools it right down. But we are nearing the end of Spring so the weather can only improve! The sun is only setting at about 9:30pm at the moment and it is still light-ish until about 10ish. Fantastic!

Anyway, back to Easter weekend.

As we’ve said before, Good Friday is not a public holiday here. Very strange but there you are. So as a normal work day, Justin went to work and we had a quiet evening together at home. Friday night is usually ‘koopavond’ when the shops are open until 9pm but on Good Friday they all closed at 5pm, that was probably the only difference. Quite sad.

Saturday we went exploring in Delft! Yes, that’s the place where the blue and white delftware comes from. A few people that Justin works with live in Delft and one of the guys, Jan‑Willem, offered to show us around a bit. Sights we saw include the Oude Kerk, the Nieuwe Kerk, the Old Town Hall, the Market Square and the old city walls with one of the original gates. We also had a walk along the canal and saw the first baby ducks of the season! All fluffy and little, very cute. We were also introducing to the ‘terrace’ which is basically a square surrounded by many pubs and cafés where you can sit and have a munch while enjoying a beer. Needless to say we spent a bit of time at the terrace =)

On Sunday we made our second trip to Keukenhof. The gardens were looking so beautiful and different to the first visit a month before. All the tulips were blooming this time and the fields on the way to and surrounding the gardens were in bloom. Fields of colour, it was really amazing! However, the gardens were already showing wear. Strips of grass along the edges of the walk ways had been replaced all over the garden, people pay no attention to the ‘please don’t walk on the grass’ signs. The gardens were really busy though; we preferred it when the gardens were quieter.

Monday was a holiday, tweede Paas Zondag, and we spent the day in Amsterdam. We passed many more beautiful tulip fields on the train on the way there than what we had seen the day before. Fields and fields of colour, it was magical! Amsterdam was really busy being Easter weekend and all. There was also a funfair set up in Damrak Square. The sun was shining and we enjoyed the last of the blossoms falling everywhere. Lots of people were on boats on the canals and there was a feel-good atmosphere in the air. We enjoyed walking around the city and the only touristy thing we did was go to the Rembrandt house Museum.

This is the house the artist bought when he was doing well as an artist. He lived and worked in it until he couldn’t afford the mortgage anymore and it was repossessed. We enjoyed wandering around the house and imaging how he and people lived at that time. There was a kitchen at the bottom level followed by a reception area and room for displaying work and receiving customers on the next level. The next two levels are where he worked and kept his collections of treasures. There was also an interesting and informative demonstration on how etchings were made and how prints were made from the etched plate. We were expecting more of his work to be on display though. There were a lot of prints from his etches and some of the original plates on display but not many of his paintings. There was a lot of other artists work on display as Rembrandt used to sell work for other artists too. Not much of the original furnishings are on display as the household contents were repossessed along with the house but a list of what it contained has survived and the house has been furnished according to what it originally looked like. Although the museum was a bit different to what we expected, we really enjoyed the visit.

We also bought some new tulip bulbs at the flower market street area in Amsterdam. Since our first attempt at growing our own tulips didn’t work out so well, we decided to try again. We kept them in the fridge for a bit to simulate winter conditions. Justin got some new soil and planted them while Bron was in London and they are already growing! It only took a week or two for green shoots to appear above the soil. It’s amazing! It’s always so rewarding growing things =) There aren’t any flowers or buds yet but they are still growing and I’m sure they will get there. Watch this space!

All in all we had a kewl Easter weekend. We missed Easter Sunday lunch at Granny‘s but it sounds like she made a big meal and had a good time anyway. We were very jealous!

This weekend is Nationale Molendag or National Windmill Day. If it is not raining then we are planning to head down to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kinderdijk where there are 19 windmills. Even if the weather isn’t that great it should still be kewl to head out and see the windmills.

Hope you have a kewl weekend too! Stay warm and dry!