Visiting more Family & Friends

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We continuing with visits to Family and Friends. We were invited to see the new home of Wim and Dolinda, the daughter of Gerda & Dolf in Amsterdam. They now live for five month in their new home they bought a while back. It is an older home and will have a lot of work ahead to make it the way they want it. They are young and with a bit of hard work, it will be a beautiful place. We had a drink in the garden before we were invited to sit at a long table, that was covered with all sorts of small dishes. Out of the enormous choice you made a plate ready with things you like. It was also a coming and going of kids, that stay there, or go out to stay somewhere. They have two girls and a very cheeky boy called Mitch ,that will keep them busy. It was a very nice day, even the sun was out, that made it even better. Our agenda said, that we were expected at The Lakens, a caravan park at the top of Bloemendaal strand. Liz family Jola & Hugo have their caravan there to enjoy the sparely summer days at the beach. How far they will succeed is debatable looking at the weather that is so called, their summer. Anyway the day we were there, was a beautiful summer day. Hugo was waiting at the gate, so we could drive the car right up to where the caravan was. Coffee and cake was a first. Not enough chairs but Dolf and Hugo found a seat by sitting on a small fishermen's chair. That worked. At times, there were very entertaining moments, when Wasps decided to attack the apple cakes on the table. Everybody was defending their piece, that made it very busy around it. A walk to the beach was on the program. There we could enjoy something to replenish our insides with pancakes. Real bacon pancakes with sirop. They were out of this world. There was no other way than to walk back to the caravan. Such very nice day, like it was, make the driving difficult. Everybody seems to be on the road. A visit to Amsterdam to see the always Christmas store was planned for Saturday. That became just a trip with the tram. The Christmas shop had not where we came for. Returning home was the best option. Gerda had a nice dish of Bami, that was very enjoyable. Gerda & Dolf planned for us a trip to Workum in Friesland, to visit the museum of Jopie Huisman. He was a painter that lived not so long ago. It included the Afsluitdijk, a road that connects the North of Holland with the state of Friesland and closes the that time Zuiderzee to make more farmland. The water that was left is called Ijselmeer. A bit of rain did not stop us. Just on lunchtime we arrived in Workum. One of those typical Dutch places that has beautiful old buildings. The museum was very interesting and showed how good an artist Jopie Huisman was. For lunch we just had applecake and coffee, now we had to find a place to eat. That turned out to be Volendam. The distances are nothing here in Holland. With those motorways you are there within the hour. A very nice meal concluded this marvellous outing. The days in Europe are slowly coming to an end. A few more, but we tell you about them later Bye for now Liz & Allan

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