Geo: 52.2163, 5.96462Het Loo Palace is imbued with the lives and history of the Dutch Royal family. It was the favorite place of William III and Mary II, and later Queen Wilhelmina. On a beautiful warm day like today, its not hard to see why. Natalie and I have visited many castles, royal residences and palaces since our arrival in Europe. We were both in agreement, that todays visit to Het Loo may have just about been our favorite of the lot so far. Whether it was the perfect weather, excellent audio tour, intriguing history, relatively low crowds or beautiful green gardens that made it so enjoyable, were heading home happy. We arrived around 1pm after lunch, and three or four happy hours just rolled by. On arrival, we noted the majority of text and information ... read more

Geo: 51.8112, 4.66814To Jan and Joke, please find enclosed one Australian couple, from Jan, Lina and Marielle. Sadly, its that time again. Saying goodbye to a place, storing experience to memory, saying goodbye to people, and of course, packing our packs. Its sad to move from a place we have enjoyed so, but all there is to do is look forward to new experiences and fun times ahead. We have another full week in Holland. Ive just booked a train trip from Amsterdam to Berlin, next Friday the 26th at 3pm. We will spend three nights there, then on to Munich. We enjoyed a casual start to our final day today, and tasty breakfast. Scrambled eggs, cheese, mouses, eggcakes and roggebrod. I didn't much fancy the latter. After breakfast it was time to do something about ... read more

Geo: 51.5014, 3.6149Our departure this morning was delayed. After breakfast, Jan spent most of the morning calling government authorities and archivists to help reveal my family history. Many things were revealed and confirmed. My research was correct. We confirmed Opas mother, her spouse, and the siblings of Opa. We also learned more of the Mallegroms. The identity of my great grandfather is still in dispute, as he is listed as unknown on Opas birth certificate. Only the author of the archive data I have, or Opas brother/half brother may know the full story.With a head racing with speculation and information we set off to Zeeland around lunch. By 1pm, we arrived at Oostershelde Dyke Bridge/ Water control gate which separates the sea from the lakes of South East Holland. The lakes are currently above sea level, ... read more

Geo: 51.8664, 4.66181Beautiful warm sunshine, pretty scenery, good exercise and a nice tour of my Dutch roots and family history. It was also a return visit to some places I visited 7 years ago. Were home now, my rump thankful for the comforting soft of the couch after a full day, some 30 kilometres on the saddle of a bicycle. Our departure was a bit delayed after getting up late, mousses for breakfast and contacting home. I spoke to mum for the first time since leaving Australia, and likewise Natalie her parents on Skype.We climbed aboard the bikes around noon, mine equipped with a beautiful pink luggage basket. The good thing about Holland, is its flat, making bike riding much easier! First stop off was Hooftwijk. Here on this street is where Opa and my dad ... read more

Geo: 52.0783, 4.31365Our first full day in Holland was a busy one! With Lina busy today, Jan, Marielle, Nat and I climbed into the car around 10am, bound for Delft. What a pretty town it was. We spent some time exploring. Alongside little cafes, shops, canals and little bridges. We passed an impressive music machine in the street; a real one man band, powered by a motor. It wasn't long before we arrived at the base of the Delft Cathedral, the Nieuwe Kerk, completed in 1496. It was a really impressive church, relatively narrow given the height of its huge tower, standing nearly 110 metres tall and dominating the Delft skyline. The cathedral had a beautiful interior, with plenty of light, ornate chandeliers and nice stained glass windows. The Nieuwe Kerk (new church) also serves as ... read more