Dykes and Bikes!

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Hi All.

First thing. We have taken the private settings off the Blog so it is now open to the world!! Hopefully this will make it easier for everyone to see.

Tuesday we started slowly. Caught up on the mail, washing etc. Hennie gave us a guided tour of the Hank Loch historical monuments - birth place, places he saw during the war, famous parks etc. It was really interesting. There must be a family at number 16 who wonders why their house keeps getting photographed.

We then went off to Rotterdam to see the Maeslant Storm Barrier. For we male, engineer types, it is an amazing piece of engineering. 2 giant gates come across the river preventing the storm surge from flowing up the river and causing floods and damaging dykes. It is big, very big and the photos we have don't do it justice. John, Hennie and I stood in the rain, eating our sandwiches and admiring the engineering! I could go on and on about this............ but the girls would get bored. As it was, Sylvia, Annemieke and Neet thought it was "a boy thing", then went to the coffee shop. I got a quick tour of the information centre, with Hennie doing translations for me. John bought us a great little book explaining how it works - I will read it to Neet in Paris!!

We then stood in the rain and ate delicious strawberries that Root had given us from his shop. As the Aussies shook in their long-johns, we were thankful that this was a Dutch spring. On the way back to town we picked up a few smoked eels - as you do.The Dutch love them...go figure! Also, had the opportunity to have a look in a couple of old WWII concrete bunkers - interesting!

The sun cleared, so it was "on ya bikes". We snuck down one of the many bike paths to ride back towards Delft. I would love to bring my bike over for a proper tour of Holland. Alas, my legs were a little long for Annemieke's bike. But it was still great fun.

To John and Sylvie's for dinner to celebrate John's mum's birthday with Elvira and Wendy. Too much birthday cake was eaten.

We headed for the Euromast afterwards. 185 metre tower in Rotterdam. Neet didn't think she would be able to do the turning pod at the top. Literally felt sick! But she did and she survived only to be forced to go back in the daylight the following day and do it again!

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Photos

Birth Place of Famous Person in Schiedam
No 16 Where Anita's dad was born

Juliana Park
Another one off the "Loch List' - note how the local authorities have put a sign in the middle of the lovelly old gate

Lovely Old Home
This home was used by the Germans during the war. The street has the only trees that were not cut down by the locals in the 1940's - I am sure you can guess why

Maeslantkering
These photos don't do this justice - best look it up on the net

Our Dutch B&B??
Actually WWII German bunker

Bunker
These would have taken some blowing up

Comments

[The Dutch guys]

Mistake
ppssssttttt The tower where we were was in Rotterdam.

[Pete and Neet]

Pssst
Neet was obviously still suffering from the height. Thanks for pointing this out. Pete