grant and helena's excellent adventure: July 2011

Aunty Dolly

Saturday July 24, 2011 was overcast and it was raining but it was certainly a day to remember.

It was the day that Helena and Grant were going to meet Helena's Aunty Dolly and other members of her Dutch family. Uncle Ben (her fathers brother) and Aunty Dolly used to send Helena and sister Trudi little Christmas parcels when younger and still living with their father. She would speak to them on the phone and Helena had always wanted to meet her.

Arriving mid-morning, we were greeted at the door by Tim and young son Maurits and then Helena saw her Aunty Dolly for the first time.

Aunty Dolly & our first hug

It was really special and after a hug or two..... met cousin Marie-Jose and Tims' wife Frederique. As expected, there were many tears and lots of hugs before Helena and her precious Aunty Dolly sat on the sofa and shared photos and memories before enjoying coffee and home made apple cake, which was fabulous.

Tim, Frederique and Maurits

A special family moment and he loved being tickled

Aunty Dolly and daughter Marie-Jose

Later, we followed Tim, Frederique and baby Maurits to their home, where we joined them for a drive through a beautiful area which was rich with trees and plants and one which is about 1 metre under the sea level. Tim explained the area to us and pointed out the place where he and Frederique were married in May.

Marie-Jose and grandson Maurits

A gorgeous little boy

The weather was ghastly - cold, windy and raining but it didn't take away the enjoyment we all had sharing lunch together at Rapa Nui which is at Zandvoort on the coast before returning to Tims home.

Farewell cousin Marie-Jose

We returned to Dollys' home to say goodbye and enjoyed her company as we watched the end of the 'Tour de France' and the celebration that took place as the Australian Cadell Evans was confirmed the winner. It was a great effort and a great way for us to end the day.

Goodbye Aunty Dolly - you're the best

It was a day of tears and laughter, of hugs and more hugs and promises to keep in touch. It was a day of emotion and one that we will never forget.

Matt and Karen

& IT ALL STARTED WITH A ORANGE VW CAMPING VAN

Ask yourself the following question.............................

Would you expect to meet the writers of a blog which you had used to help you prepare a trip to Europe?

The answer is .......... probably not.

We noticed a gorgeous orange 'Combi' van parked not far from our site.

Sensational condition, with no rust

Being unsure of origin or ownership, Helena approached the owner and in her normal way, started a friendly conversation with the owner Matt about his plans and where he and partner Karen were planning to go. In return, Matt asked her where we had been - areas of interest etc..... and as Helena replied, he had a big smile on his face and asked if we had a blog? The answer was obviously YES and when Grant joined the conversation he yelled with excitement and confirmed that our blog was the one he had been reading before he left the UK. It's worth noting here, that as Helena takes most of the photos, Grant cannot avoid being in most of them!!! - hence early recognition.

Matt and Karen

Karen looked on with amusement as Matt confirmed that he had used some of our information to help formulate places of interest to take his best friend and wife Karen to.

Always smiling ................

An early morning shot of the four of us

It was a magic moment and one we all enjoyed.

We enjoyed our new friendship over a bottle of wine that night as the rain fell gently onto the roof of the van.

Amsterdam

We found a terrific site at 'gaaster camping amsterdam' which was within easy travelling distance by train to the centre of the city and surrounded by bush and large trees which was pleasant to ride through. The site itself was clean and well-organised and we enjoyed staying there.

Very cute

..... and it's partner parked outside the camping ground

On our first day, it was overcast, so we caught the train and headed to the city where our first look at Amsterdam was one of bikes and more bikes with people everywhere.


The bikes are everywhere and there is even a 'bike' three level parking station

& one that wasn't going anywhere

Amsterdam is a busy city so we took advantage of those things which makes things easier caught the 'Hop on - Hop off' city sightseeing bus and later the canal trip which took us around the city on the water. Both were very enjoyable and gave us a panoramic view of all the beauty that Amsterdam has to offer. We saw many major tourist attractions and highlights.

The floating flower market

Madame Tussaud and her 'wax' friends

Check out the size of this little house .....

the houses and the boats

Lemo - the aquatic research centre

You can see seven bridges through here ...............

One form of transport

and another...

We found an English Book Shop, so stocked up on our reading supplies before enjoying lunch and heading back to the van.

On a bike ride the following day we came across a 'Community Garden' and both enjoyed walking close to some of the special plots which are individually owned with vegetables and flowers of all sorts and colours and sizes. It was lovely and we also enjoyed the company of a local 'farmer' who proudly showed us his glasshouse and the things he was growing.

My sister Trudi loves these flowers .......

The community garden

A mixture of vegetables and flowers for all to share

It was lovely and we enjoyed the company of a local 'farmer' who proudly showed us his glasshouse and the things he was growing.

Our 'farmer' was so proud of his crop

Part of the community garden.......

We have noticed several gardens like this on our travels and always enjoy seeing how different they are.

Haarlem

Leaving Rotterdam we drove up to Haarlem which didn't take long, parked the van and on foot explored this city. It was very enjoyable, sunny and reasonably warm.

The old and the new ....................

View from our van over the canal

One of the old girls ..........

Go girl ...............

Haarlem was quite lovely and we enjoyed having an ice-cream and strolling around the village where Helena bought some beautiful underwear which had been made in Switzerland and Portugual.

In a shopping mood ............

Washed and ready to wear

Rhine to Rotterdam

We travelled for quite some time before we found the Rhine and then lucky enough to find a great little spot on this beautiful river and stayed there for a couple of days.

Friendly reception area with cafe overlooking river

Our view from the van

The owner of the park at Neumagen Dhron was very friendly and helpful and we both enjoyed her company, particularily Helena who found her daily 16 hours working in the business to be a classic example of what you can do when you're determined to grow a business which she had inherited from her parents. She had also 'inherited' a difficult situation with those who live locally but was determined not to let their bad behaviour to ruin her chances for a successful future. She was strong and resourceful. Good on her.

She was always smiling

Leaving the Rhine river and with a degree of excitement we headed to the Netherlands. Helenas' father was Dutch and it was of great importance to her to meet and spend time with her Dutch family.

The drive was good, the weather was good and the scenary changed as we got closer to Holland. We chatted away as we got closer and lucky to find a good park near the City Centre.

Unusual but significant for the area

First sighting of a windmall ..... magic

Leaving early in the morning we arrived in Rotterdam and rode our bikes into the centre of the City where we enjoyed the New Haven Museum area on the canal, and discovered 'Helena of Rotterdam - 1875', a boat which had been fully restored. She looked very good for her age and Helena took many photos.

An 'old' girl ................ but a goodie

1875 - she's famous and in good condition for her age .......

The full story of who she is and what made her famous ...........


Little history on Grant too .......

We re-discovered the beauty of the Dutch canal system and the myriad of beautiful boats which line both sides. Most are privately owned and lived with varying lived in looks. We caught a 'Water Taxi' and spent 30 minutes discovering the wonders of this city.

Our taxi driver was full of enthusiasm

Slipway in operation to keep the boats in good condition

The Dutch are proud of their heritage and have also developed very nice and modern buildings whilst still retaining the old character and qualities of their history.

We stopped and looked at the 'cube' houses which have been designed to save on space - interesting but you'd need to be a lover of small and uncluttered living.

Returning to the campsite, Helena spent time with the horses in the nearby stables and particularily enjoyed the company of an older girl who was about 20 years old. She just loved to have the skin under her maine rubbed, and all areas of her face and neck gently stroked. Helena constantly talked to her and she went to sleep on her shoulder. It was a magic moment of trust.

'Adrianne' - and isn't she beautiful

The other horses in the stables let it be known that it was their turn but only one of these wonderful animals enjoyed the full treatment. The others weren't forgotten, were spoken to and gently patted if they welcomed human contact. Most did and it was really nice.