April visitors

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April was a busy month, with friends from England coming to visit me. Mike came for a weekend, we saw a football match taking place for homeless players and spent almost a whole day cycling around Mastbos woods to find the Galderse Meren where we dived into the freezing cold lake just to jump out again! There is also a nudist beach there but we didn't go! Mum told me that people have drowned in the lake because they get cramp from the cold as it's so deep. I was told that the hieght of the Grote Kerk could fit under the deepest centre of the lake!
This month has been very hot and summery, so I showed a couple French boys the way to the lake where again I couldn't resist a quick swim, then met up with some more French who were eating magic mushrooms in the park.
I also cycled with the Spanish to the woods had picnics in the park and entered a Coffeeshop for the first time, just to be chucked out because I had no ID on me. It was like a small cafe/shop with sleepy people but not cluttered and dark as I had imagined. I went bowling with the Spanish and the Turks and later heard a lion roar from the circus taking place in the car park infront. I got as close as I'll probably ever get to sealions and lions!
Two friends from NUCA came to visit the second week of April, arriving late Monday night after having taken the ferry with their bikes to the Hook of Holland and attempting to cycle part the way to Breda without a map! Tuesday morning I showed them the market and we spent the day walking round town, having a picnic in the park and taking them out in the evening to the Speeltuin jam session where Teleri and I sang a couple songs like the good old times with her ukele. A lot of people approached to talk to her afterwards and compliment us. That night I also met my exchange student, Eveline for the first time, what a lovely girl! Although we had only met on Skype, it seemed we sort of knew each other already, I only expected her to be a little taller, and she expected me not to be so short! Yet we pretty much do go by our sir names de Groot and Petit! I also took the girls to the lake but sadly they didn't join me in another cold swim. The afternoon we cycled from Breda to etten-Leur where we met Eveline for dinner at the Pannenkoeken huis for pancakes. We met her family, for me this was the second time since they picked me up at the airport and I saw some of the work she had produced at NUCA. Early next morning I waved the girls goodbye at the train station for their long trip home.

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