We have just ended a fantastic weekend with Ian by going on a little excursion here in Holland. We began on Saturday by getting an early start and heading by train to Leiden, the closest town to the famous Keukenhof Gardens. The gardens are the equivalent to Butchart Gardens in Victoria or Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town, and it draws huge crowds from all over the world to see the amazing flowery landscapes. The gardens most definitely lived up to their reputation, and our timing was impeccable. Of course Holland is most famous for its lovely bulbs in the spring time and we must have hit it at its absolute peak. The daffodils were just about over, but the tulips and hyacinths were at their best. The colours, the varieties and the scents were nothing short of miraculous. Even Kai and Pippin stayed engaged for the many hours we took to revel in the splendor. The gardens have been around since after the Second World War and thus, they are very established. There are enormous trees and a large variety of lovely shrubs. Many of the trees are just beginning to put out their new foliage and it is the greenest of greens in colour. The farmland all around the actual gardens are all planted with fields upon fields of flowers as well, so when one approaches the gardens, one is already in a state of awe from the riotous colour. We were also very lucky because we caught a lovely weekend in terms of weather with gorgeous crisp spring weather filled with blue skies and warm sunshine. It was simply stunning!
Here is Kai and Pippin having an absolute Dutch moment: eating delicious stroopwafels made with real butter, whilst taking in all the lovely flowers. It is quite reaffirming for me (Ronato) to be in Holland (and bringing Skye and the kids here). Holland is definitely a part of me having grown up with Dutch grandparents -- there are many things that are Dutch that I really appreciate. The stroopwafels, the salt liquorice, the cheese, the hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles that you put on toast), the amazing yogurt . . . etc. I even like the fresh herring eaten in a roll with onions. I have surprised myself, in terms of how much nostalgia is attached to all these Dutch treats. It is fun sharing it all with the kids and Skye.
The gardens were a photographic dream because of all the colour and variety. We all remarked that none of us had ever seen such a spectrum of tulip varieties.
These are the landscapes surrounding the Keukenhof Gardens with vast stretches of land filled with blooming flowers. Tucked between the flowers are lots of dikes and small cycling lanes. It would be lovely to do a cycling trip at this time of year through Holland.
Need we say more . . . just look at it and admire the beauty!
Of course our lovely friend Ian has added his own stupendous colour to the whole affair as well. After months and months with only their parents, Kai and Pippin are lapping up his company and having a whale of a time visiting and playing with him. Ian is a lot of fun and is willing to push the envelope a little here and there. We head off to Turkey this coming week with Ian, and we're sure it will be filled with lots of fun and games. The following picture Skye did not want me to put into the blog because of our younger and more innocent viewers -- so she says, "Viewer discretion for some is advised (PG-13)." I (Ronato) think she is being too uptight about it . . . you can take this all with a grain of salt and decide for yourself:
Another fun Dutch moment with Pippin at the gardens...
After the gardens we went off on a surprise overnight to Den Haag (thanks to Ian). The Hague is a stunning old city with many lovely things to take in. There are tons of big square centers from which to take in the Dutch rhythm of life. Like all Dutch cities the core is filled with walking lanes (with no cars) to look at the shops, bars and local scenes. It was the first real taste of Europe for the kids and they enjoyed it a lot. Below are the Dutch parliament buildings which are beautiful to look at and best of all they are very understated compared to many other countries. It is amazing how little police presence there was given our recent experience at Westminster in London. Quite the contrast!
After exploring Den Haag's streets and having a lovely meal in the city last night with Ian, we all had a great sleep at a hotel (organized by Ian). It was quite the treat. Then today we got up, and after a yummy Dutch pastry and a coffee in the morning sunshine we all got on a tram to the local beach town of Scheveningen. The tram ride in itself was a quintessentially Dutch experience and the kids really seemed to like it a lot. The picture below is a picture looking out from the back of the tram.
At the beach we walked along the promenade and look at all the Dutch market stalls set up along the boardwalk. Once a again there were many very Dutch things to absorb, including: the salt liquorice sellers, the herring/fish mongers, the cheese stalls etc, etc. The North Sea was also fun to look at with surfers in serious looking dry suits and lots of kids playing in the sand on such a stunning day. Not to many swimmers in the frigid water, though!
The gardens were a photographic dream because of all the colour and variety. We all remarked that none of us had ever seen such a spectrum of tulip varieties.
These are the landscapes surrounding the Keukenhof Gardens with vast stretches of land filled with blooming flowers. Tucked between the flowers are lots of dikes and small cycling lanes. It would be lovely to do a cycling trip at this time of year through Holland.
Need we say more . . . just look at it and admire the beauty!
Of course our lovely friend Ian has added his own stupendous colour to the whole affair as well. After months and months with only their parents, Kai and Pippin are lapping up his company and having a whale of a time visiting and playing with him. Ian is a lot of fun and is willing to push the envelope a little here and there. We head off to Turkey this coming week with Ian, and we're sure it will be filled with lots of fun and games. The following picture Skye did not want me to put into the blog because of our younger and more innocent viewers -- so she says, "Viewer discretion for some is advised (PG-13)." I (Ronato) think she is being too uptight about it . . . you can take this all with a grain of salt and decide for yourself:
Another fun Dutch moment with Pippin at the gardens...
After the gardens we went off on a surprise overnight to Den Haag (thanks to Ian). The Hague is a stunning old city with many lovely things to take in. There are tons of big square centers from which to take in the Dutch rhythm of life. Like all Dutch cities the core is filled with walking lanes (with no cars) to look at the shops, bars and local scenes. It was the first real taste of Europe for the kids and they enjoyed it a lot. Below are the Dutch parliament buildings which are beautiful to look at and best of all they are very understated compared to many other countries. It is amazing how little police presence there was given our recent experience at Westminster in London. Quite the contrast!
After exploring Den Haag's streets and having a lovely meal in the city last night with Ian, we all had a great sleep at a hotel (organized by Ian). It was quite the treat. Then today we got up, and after a yummy Dutch pastry and a coffee in the morning sunshine we all got on a tram to the local beach town of Scheveningen. The tram ride in itself was a quintessentially Dutch experience and the kids really seemed to like it a lot. The picture below is a picture looking out from the back of the tram.
At the beach we walked along the promenade and look at all the Dutch market stalls set up along the boardwalk. Once a again there were many very Dutch things to absorb, including: the salt liquorice sellers, the herring/fish mongers, the cheese stalls etc, etc. The North Sea was also fun to look at with surfers in serious looking dry suits and lots of kids playing in the sand on such a stunning day. Not to many swimmers in the frigid water, though! 
After the beach and more good food from the local supermarket we came back to Den Haag and Skye took the kids to go see the Mauritshuis Museum where many Vermeer paintings, including The Girl with a Pearl Earring, are housed. The kids both got the free children's audio tour which told them about a number of the paintings in the collection. This kept them engaged and taught them a little bit about the artists, their message in the various paintings, and a little something about the time in which the paintings were created. This was a good little discovery and we'll be searching this kind of thing out for other art museums we hope to visit. I (Skye) got a real rush out of seeing and hearing about so many beautiful and history-laden paintings -- ones I had seen in books for years, but had never seen up close and personal. It was a real treat!
All in all it was a fabulous and fun weekend with our good friend Ian. Ian has been living away from Canada for so many years, and we have yet to be able to visit him in any of his faraway destinations -- up to now we have had to wait for his visits to us. So, it has been great to finally see him out and about in his world and to get to spend this time with him. Before heading off to Turkey, we are going to hit Amsterdam and a little more of Utrecht. We are again trying to get in as much as we can while we are here for such a relatively short time.
Until next post . . .
Until next post . . . Skye, Ronato, Kai & Pippin
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