July 26th - Bottoms and "Budgie Smugglers"

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July 26th

Up and about! Today is a bit different in tone, instead of the mad crowded crush of Amsterdam; I’m off to look at windmills with Bev.



After several false starts (including a flat tyre) we set out on bikes. This is a good thing about Holland, you can bike EVERYWHERE and depending on the heat, you hardly break a sweat. I haven’t ridden a bike since the last time I was in Holland but it’s easy to get back into, just like riding a simile. It was quite exhilarating to be riding around the beautiful (yet smelly) countryside, though by the end of the day my backside was tenderer than a sunburnt back.



Bev and I stopped for coffee at a café on the lake shore, a good chance to relax and get out of the baking sun for a second (not to mention resting the aforementioned backside).

Onwards we rode, further into the (not really) wild plains of the nether Netherlands. We enjoyed a walk, taking in 4 windmills… one of which was occupied by a large man in a speedo (I guess windmill residents march to their own tune).

We saw ducks, cows and even a dead mole (I’d never seen one, dead or alive).

At the end of it all we sat down in the boiling heat to enjoy cheese and salami sandwiches (yum), apple cakes and fresh fruit before heading back past the mole, the windmills and speedo man.



Another coffee (this one with baileys and cream) before heading off to pick up George from kindy. It’s really impressive actually, Bev was saying that they speak English at home and people speak Dutch at kindy and George knows to speak the Dutch words there and English at home… kid’s brains are ridiculously adaptable!



Bev took me out for dinner, we went to a little bar first where they took our order but never brought the drinks, so after 20 or 30 minutes we just got up and left.

We ate at a tapas place where, at the completion of your meal they give you a marker pen and let you draw/write on your table, if you can find a space to do so.

Dinner included spicy meatballs, quesadillas, roast potato cubes, and pork with mango and almonds. Dessert was cheesecake and tiramisu, hmmmmm!

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Photos

Sunny Bev
lakeside cafe enjoying a bottom rest and coffee

Milling the wind
look out for speedos