Holland

Monday, 8th July, 2013

Got up around 8:15ish for b'fast in the hotel (Canterbury). At 6ish R and I were both awake; she gave me a huge and whispered 'don't wake the parents'. Both fell asleep again though.
B'fast was fairly standard 'Continental'. TV had news on- so we heard about Murray winning Wimbledon over & over again. 1st time in 77 years for us!- even though he's Scottish, not English.
Went to Canterbury. Spent a while in Waterstones, where I got two new books. Then wandered around, got things we needed etc. Canterbury is fab!
Drove to Eurotunnel. Had lunch quickly then time to go. Journey uneventful; I read and listened to music. When we got the other side, sat nav tried to take us back to GB (!) but we sorted it out.
Long long drive; I read and played on DS. R got very bored.
Small stop at services in Belgium (been in 4 countries today!- England, France, Belgium, Netherlands). Weather very nice so ate outside.
Another long jounrye. Finished the two books I got in Canterbury.
Finally reached campsite! Settled in, unpacked etc. Now in bed!

Home For The Next Two Weeks

 My Room!

Tuesday, 9th July, 2013

Quiet day- spent AM just relaxing on campsite. Mum, R and I went to the 'Plaza' for R & I to get pictures for our ID cards. €4 for 8 pics- very good! I quite like mine as well.
Mum and Dad went shopping and I looked after R. We painted nails and did drawing. It was very very hot!
When Mum and Dad got back we had lunch, then just chilled some more.
Went to Duinrell, the theme park attached to the campsite.

Pretend Shark Thing

Mum and I enjoyed the big rides- WaterSpin (which was nice but v. painful; I pulled the bar down too low and it hurt, which kind of ruined it), and the Falcon, which went straight up, then had a loop the loop.

Beginning Of The Falcon

 

The 4 of us also went on a coaster called Dragonfly which was good- it felt a little like flying- and a splash ride with a choice of enclosed boats. Fab!- though I still got wet :/ After we went up to the viewing platform where the splash comes up but you're behind glass.

Rainbow Caused By Water Spray

R got fed up, so we went to find something for her. 'Something' ended up being a v. surreal pancake house built around a 2-floor old-fashioned merry go round. It never stopped- we just hopped on and off. On the bottom floor were the usual horse and carriages, then upstairs there were rocking canoes and hot air balloons. Very nice!

Surreal Merry Go Round

Went back and had frites and pasta. Then had shower, pancake and bed!

Wednesday, 10th July, 2013

Got up around 9ish. The plan was Delft and the beach, but the weather wasn't so nice so we decided to start with Delft and go from there.
First went to the Delft pottery 'factory', where every piece is handmade. It's very nice- but also very expensive. R was in a grump as she had a cold.

Delft Factory

 Houses Opposite Delft Factory

Drove into Delft itself. Found a clothes shop called 'Bristol!' where R got a swimming costume. Also saw a really cute dog. Then went to explore.

Bristol!

Delft was beautiful! Lots of canals and almost everyone rides bike. Just beautiful and I'm completely in love with it.

Bridges!

 I Want To Ride A Pink Motorbike!

Had lunch in a cafe with a very nice waitress. R still in bad mood; she pretended to be asleep, so Dad carried her, resulting in knocking over and breaking a glass. Typical!
Saw cafes on boats and also houses right by the canals, with front doors accessed from boats. R and I had waffles- cold ones, which was weird.

Waterfront Doors

Walked to the centre square- again, beautiful. I want to live in Delft one day!!

Buildings By The Centre Square

Went to a couple of shops. I got a postcard and a couple of presents for people.

My Typically Dutch Picture!

Looked around a little more then decided to go back to campsite. Dad and R went to the park. Mum and I chilled for a bit, then also went. Went on wavy slides, but rest of park was closed so went back.
Noodles for tea and bed soon after- absolutely exhausted!

Thursday, 11th July, 2013

Fairly quiet day. Meant to go swimming AM but Dad forgot his swimming trunks, so went to town (Wasenaar) instead. Very nice! Browsed shops and went to the windmill.

Wasenaar Windmill

Had lunch at a cafe where waitress spilt a drink everywhere, and R (hotly contested!) spilt another. Typical!

One Of The (Many) Cafes!

 Cold Tree?

 

Mum stayed in Wasenaar, Dad, R and I went back to 'our sockses' (R language for the tent) and changed to go to TikiBad, the pool complex at Duinrell.

*Gasp* How's It Held Up?!

When we got there, Dad and R went to wave pool whilst I explored slides. Went on 'Starflight', a tube-ring thing with flashing lights that was quite good. Then 'Blits' and 'Flits', both of which were very fast!! Followed by lazy river and 'Cannonball'- short with 'plunge' at end. Next was 'Cycloon', a spiral thing. On way up I discovered I'd lost the gem for my nose stud, so it was in danger of falling out. Lots more slides I wanted to do but thought it safest to get out and not risk losing the other part. Couldn't find Dad and R so decided just to go back as the obvious would be that I'd gone back to the tent. Caught finger in hinge whilst changing- it swelled slightly, hurt A LOT and I now have a small bruise.
Back to tent to wait for Mum, Dad and R. Quiet evening- R had a temperature and was very quiet. Happy to lie doing nothing; most unusual
Dyed hair pink. Love it love it love it!! JE SUIS TONKS!!
Went to bed. Am enjoying spending evenings (8:30 onwards) tucked up in bed with My Sister's Keeper and the thing I'm writing at the moment.
Night!

Friday, 12th July, 2013

 I keep having to ask for the date; it's so weird!!
Woken at 5ish by crows again and then just over-thought so found it hard to get back to sleep. Think I fell asleep again by 6 though. Up at 9:45!
Amsterdam!! Went in on park and ride tram thing. Whilst driving to the park and ride I painted my nails a really nice turquoise colour and read a bit of the Diary of Anne Frank.
Got to park and ride; too tram to Amsterdam. Arrived at centre, found map and walked to 'Anne Frankhuis'. Getting there was amusing because when we asked for directions, we weren't told in terms of turnings, but by canals!

Canal!

 The Architecture Is Beautiful

 

Anne Frankhuis! The queue was mega long (91m roughly, Mum counted the paces) and it was very cold. Dad waited in the queue whilst Mum, R and I went to a nearby cafe. Even when we came back there was ages to wait.

Plaque On The Outside

Entered the house. All the rooms are bare, by the request of Otto Frank they represent the loss and hole left by World War 2 and the Holocaust, and obviously no photographs. However, there are some artefacts etc. The walls have pictures and videos, as well as quotes from Anne's diary. Going to do the next bit room by room as that's easier...

Welcome: An introduction to the house as well as some pictures of Anne, where she looks very happy.
Warehouse: A few artefacts, mainly focused around the restrictions placed on the Jews.
Office: Information about the helpers, as well as a video of Miep Gies.
Storeroom: Scale models showing how the rooms were furnished and arranged- complete with a diary on Anne's bed.
Landing: The bookcase originally used to hide the annexe is still in place. Very moving to walk through the door that lead through, especially remembering why it was built.
Frank Sitting Room: Served both as the sitting room, and also as a bedroom for Otto, Edith and Margot Frank (Anne's parents and older sister). Covered with glass is the map Otto used to keep track of the war, as well as the lines that served as a 'growth chart' for Anne and Margot. There were about the same height as me where the lines stop, and as Anne was younger there were more lines for her. A very poignant reminder that, in spite of everything, they were two girls growing up- you could find a similar chart in thousands of homes. Also saddening to wonder how much taller those lines could have gone.
Anne's Bedroom: Initially shared with Margot, then with Albert Dussel (real name Fritz Pfeffer, a family friend). More walls with glass sections, this time to protect the pictures Anne pasted up. Again, really really brings it home. She was just another girl; she liked reading and writing, she had dreams of becoming known for her writing and she filled her walls with the things that made her happy. It's impossible to fully comprehend everything she went through. This was a very hard room.
Bathroom: Shared by all 8 occupants, though only used at certain times- not everyone who worked in the house knew that they were there. In her diary, Anne remarks that they are luckier than other Jews- yet, albeit inadvertently, the Nazis even controlled their bladders!
Living Room: Hermann and Auguste van Daan (really van Pels, the other family in the annexe) slept in this room- which was also the kitchen, the dining room and the main living room. The scale model made it look fairly big- but in reality it's not so big, especially when you consider all the things it was used for. I can't even imagine having to spend so much time with 7 other people in such a small overall space.
Peter's Room: Peter van Daan (van Pels) was the only person to have his own room, though it was more akin to a stairwell leading to the attic. However, even this 'luxury' must have felt invaluable!
Attic: You can't go up, but a cleverly positioned mirror shows what it's like. It was used as a storage area, and Peter and Anne claimed it as theirs. It gave them a chance to see blue sky and get a little air.
The Shoah: Hanneli Goslar, Anne's friend, talks about seeing Anne in Bergen-Belsen. She threw over a food package, but it was stolen- so she managed to put together another, from the little she and the people she was with had. By that point Margot had died, and Anne had been separated from the rest of her family. She told Hanneli that she had nothing to live for. Though her father was still alive, Anne didn't know this, and Hanneli wonders whether this would have helped her to 'hold on'. Anne contracted typhus, and soon died. Three weeks later, the camp was liberated. The room contains pictures of the eight Annexe inhabitants, as well as video footage of various camps.
Otto Frank: A video of Otto talking about Anne and the diaries- he says he was surprised, and discovered a new side to her. There are also telegrams/letters from his brother, from the time Otto was looking for his daughters and when he discovered they had dies. The diaries were saved by Miep and given to Otto, who found it very hard to read them. He eventually decided to publish them, as that had been Anne's plan- she heard on the radio that diaries etc. were to be collected after the war, and wanted to contribute. Otto was also very keen to turn the Annexe into a museum, as a reminder.
The Diary: In the centre is Anne's original checked diary. Other pages written separately are also displayed, along with a video. Once again, tear-inducing reminders that this is real, that it actually happened. Extremely hard-hitting.
Exhibition: I think this changes; for us, it was in two parts- the first, something to represent each year of Anne's life, such as pictures etc. The second part was an interactive vote thing, taking the form of a range of short clips showing a world problem with two contrasting views, and people had to vote for what they thought should happen. For example, EDL marches- the right to protest versus the right to feel safe. It was very interesting, and sometimes very hard to choose a 'side'. There's always more than one viewpoint, and very often far more. Also, I put my name on a virtual 'leaf' for the (also virtual) Anne Frank tree.

Overall we spent around an hour in the house. I am so so glad we went, as it was incredibly moving. I can only hope that I've done it a small amount of justice in my description- but it is completely different in 'person'. If you ever get the chance, I would absolutely absolutely urge you to go!! Also, here's the link to the website, which is very interesting.
After we finished at the Annexe, we went to 'Sara's Pancake House' for lunch. I had a Nutella pancake! Whilst there we heard a very loud bang from outside. Everyone in the restaurant rushed to the windows. A motorbike and a taxi had collided- the taxi drove off and came back whilst the bike was on the floor. Thankfully the man riding it was conscious, and eventually got up. However, things very nearly got worse- a man went to take the bike away from the center of the road (I can see why, but bad move anyway- in event of a crash things are meant to be left as they were for police, ambulance etc.). As he moved it, it turned on, with him holding the handlebars; it went into a car, which was lucky really, as otherwise it would have gone straight into the road, man in tow. Thankfully, everyone appeared okay.n The police spoke to the guy who wheeled the bike for a long time- at one point he seemed to be explaining something, and a woman who was with him was obviously trying to get him to stop, lest he made things worse!
Over lunch we decided to go to the main canal to go for a boat trip. On the way we walked through Amsterdam a little. I'm decidedly in love with in; it's so so beautiful.

I Love It So Much!

Went on a boat ride, which was fab and a great way to see the city.

Houses From Water Level

On The Canal Boat!

 Spot The Animal!

I love it so much- as we left it physically hurt. I need to go back.

This One's Interesting :)

Back to campsite around 8. Tea and off to bed!

Mine And My Sister's Hands

Saturday, 13th July, 2013

 Quiet morning. Went into Duirell for a while. Dad and R went off whilst Mum and I went on a very good swing ride, then 'Mad Mill' (spinny pirate ship) and the splashy ride without a closed boat but with the inbuilt ponchos. Then we went on the wheel- we could practically see our tent! Would have gone on more but the queues were long; it's better around 5ish.
Looked in the shops around the park. Sometime I want to go back and get an 'I <3 Amsterdam' bracelet.
Waited for Dad and R, then walked into Wassenaar to look at the mill. We were worried it wouldn't be open but it was- we got to watch the wheat being made and even went out on the platform! Fab!

On The Platform

The Windmill ^.^

 Price List :)

 

Lunch- went to pizza place; I had chicken schnitzel. Then Mum, Dad and R went to supermarket, and I went to find a nose stud. Had a nice wander, but didn't find one! However, found a shop selling 5 exercise books that looked good quality for less than a pound. Definitely going to get some. Would have done but only had a €20 note on me... Also want to get wooden tulips at some stage.
Back to tent. Quiet evening- I got very very inwardly stressed/upset and eventually went to bed, having not eaten much.

Sunday, 14th July, 2013

 Zoo! Aim was to leave at 9:30- however, by that time I had only just got up and the others were having breakfast. So not really!!
I've caught the cold Mum and R have, so felt very tired and achy, with bad pain behind my eyes, all of which caused my mood to be low. Wasn't hungry, so just had fruit and yoghurt for breakfast.
Went to zoo. Dad dropped us off then went on to an aircraft museum.
Saw lots of animals! First were polar bears, which was sad and they were either asleep or pacing. Also, the Last Polar Bear :(

Awwwwwww!!!

Looks Like It's A Good Dream, At Any Rate

Other animals included tigers, lions, giraffes, zebra and elephants. R got into an argument with some Dutch children- she wasn't at fault. Lunch cost €12 for the three of us- other days, we've ended up spending that per person.

Basically I Spent The Whole Day Cooing.

 Ready For Your Close Up?!

Nellie!

Anyway, it was a good day, but by the end both R and I were grouchy, achy and tired. Meant to be going to Efterling tomorrow, but that's been postponed now for a day.
Quiet evening. I didn't get to sleep for ages, despite being exhausted. However, we now have a schedule up until Friday, which has made me feel a little calmer. Dad and I are also going back to Amsterdam, which I'm very happy about!!

Monday, 15th July, 2013

 Quiet morning. Had pain behind my eyes again, but aside from that felt a lot better.
Beautiful weather- perfect day for the beach! Went around 12:30ish. I went in the sea, which was very cold at first, but fine once over shoulders. Then read for a bit and had pizza for lunch. Tried to finish reading Phantom of the Opera; almost there. It's good, but I'm not enjoying it as such.
Went back in sea whilst Dad and R dug a huge whole. Then, R, Mum and I went down to the sea. Left after that.
Had showers- R and I put pink in our hair. I am very sunburnt! Bed. Had very bad night- didn't sleep much :(

My Hair Went Spiky!

Something Like Velcro!

Me In The Hole

Sea!!

Tuesday, 16th July, 2013

 Efteling!!
Had to get up quite early, which I found hard after my awful night. Thankfully Mum brought me in a coffee, which made things easier!
The journey to Efteling took around and hour and a quarter. Once we got there, we went to look at the 'miniature world'.

Mini Houses

It's Daaark!

Then to the Fairytale Garden. Loads and loads of fairytales depicted through animatronics, statues etc. It was good, tho grew tiring towards end. Oh, R and I each got a coin shot from a donkey's ass!

Toadstool!

Princess And The Frog

Talking Tree!

 

After the Fairytale Garden we went on a train ride around the whole park to see what was where and to get a feel for things, which was pleasant. Following that, there was a ride called 'Dreamland', which was very pretty- a ride through 'dream scenes'. My favourite part was a castle in dusky light where it felt a little like floating.
Next up!- Villa Volta, a haunted house. It started with voiceover in Dutch for what felt like ages, then became a ride where the seats moved a bit and the room moved more, so it felt a little like being upside down- unless, of course, you forget to take your glasses off, in which case you know it's not real...
Lunch. I had a sausage roll and then 'apple sauce' (like apple compote, it's one of my favourite things!!). Went to the sale shop, where I got a notebook. They sell trading pins also, a la Disney!
After lunch, Dad took R to the kids bit whilst Mum and I went to do the big rides, summarised as follows:

*Python- 2 loops and a corkscrew. Mum didn't like it, but I loved it. Felt like flying!!
*Joris en de Draak- 'Racer' (2 entwined coasters) made entirely out of wood. Quite long, and had a drop you couldn't see from looking at the track before, which I liked!
*De Vliegende Hollander- Mum loved this one, and I thought it was quite good. It was a treat for all the senses!: started inside with lots to smell, hear and look at, as well as dark bits for tension. Then there was a curved drop that went outside, ending with a short drop into water (but minimal in-boat splash) and a pleasant 'mini cruise'.
*Vogel Rok- Rollercoaster in the dark. Disappointing- not very fast compared to the others, and not as dark as I thought. I was anticipating sudden, unseen drops!- that would've been cool :) However (proof of my shallowness coming up) it was still one of my favourite rides, a fact which has absolutely nothing to do with the attendant.

Back to Dad and R- time for 'Raveleijn' (pronounced 'ravelan'), a show involving lots of birds/horses/trapdoors through water/horse tricks. That description makes it sounds better than it was; it could have been good, but was let down by a crap plot! We did get to have our pictures taken with some of the cast at the end though- alas, neither of my favourites (totally not the two attractive female riders).

Fire-Breathing Dragons!!

 

 Cool Costumes ^.^

After, we went to the 'museum' for a bit, then filled our water bottle from the pump, which was hard work. 

Old-Fashioned Water Pump

Went on a water rapis ride where we got very wet and also overtaken a lot, then on 'bobsleighs', which R enjoyed. After that was Fata Morgana, a very very long 'Eastern cruise'; basically an Eastern version of  It's A Small World/Pirates Of The Carribean!
Finally, PandaDroom, a 3D nature show with some 4D aspects (wind, chairs 'falling) that opened to play area with uber-cute animatronic animals!!

Panda Bear

Polar Bear ^.^

 Lion!

Last was a water show set to music- then 'exit through the gift shop' and back to our sockses!

Water Show!

Wednesday, 17th July, 2013

Quiet AM after yesterday's long day/late night. Then we drove to what we thought was Rotterdam park & ride but was actually a car park in Rotterdam itself. Thankfully it was well-priced!

Genuine Sign

Walked through station, a little lost; thankfully there was a helpful woman on a reception desk!
Mainly just spent day wandering/meandering. Being there made me understand the Beautiful South lyrics 'this could be Rotterdam or anywhere/Liverpool or Rome'- it doesn't feel Dutch at all; it's just another modern city! Apparently that's because it was rebuilt post-WWII bombings, so there's no 'traditional architecture'. I didn't really like it.

Stickers!

Bikes ^.^

Good aspects though- a 'Chinatown' shop, where I got some tea, and a shop similar to the Range where R and I both for curtain things for our bedrooms back in Bris! Mum agreed I can partially redo my room, and that she'll pay for the paint. Yay! :)
Home to sockses. Quiet evening.

Thursday, 18th July, 2013

 Blimey! Thursday again already?!
Quiet AM; around 11 Dad and I set off back to Amsterdam!! Took the Park & Ride- a bargain at €8 altogether, including transport and parking all day!
When we got there, we walked to the 9 Streets, a shopping area. Looked around; it was very nice. 

Beautiful Beautiful Houses And Bikes

'Go Left At The First Canal'

Miaow

And Also Woof

Part Of The Nine Streets

 

Then had lunch at a restaurant, where we sat outside under a tree. Dad got pooed on by a bird.

Shop Across From The Restaurant

After that we went to the flower market, where I got a postcard and a top.

My Top :)

Then went to Rembrandt Square ('not enough cats'- Outnumbered!- but his statue looked like a soldier, which was weird).

Rembrandt!

Rembrandt's Soldiers (?!)

Then we weren't far from the Amstel, so we went there as well!!

Myself And The Amstel ^.^

 The Amstel

 

Amstel Again :)

Then to the Dam- monument and royal houses. On the way we saw the University, which I thought was beautiful. If only!

The Dam

Flag ^.^

Then back home :( Quiet PM. Mum and R went to watch Annie. The German family (R's friends) diagonally from us have left; the new 'neighbours' are English.

Friday, 19th July, 2013

Quiet AM. Went to Leiden. Got lost on way so arrived around noon.
Looked around a bit, it was quite pretty. Like a mini-Amsterdam, but not so nice (of course- what could compare?!).

Leiden!

Had ice cream. I had mango and Nutella, which worked a lot better than it should have done. It was great! I love the ice cream here ^.^
Went to botanical gardens but didn't want to pay so didn't go in. Had lunch on a boat! (Though Dad went to a veggie restaurant). It was very nice :)

Boat :)

More ice cream!! I had watermelon and bubblegum. It is all very nice, and also very cheap!
Went to shop- I got notebooks and Morroccan Mint Tea. Tea is very popular here- also, earlier I got a 'Tea Box' and Mum bought me some acorn shaped metal 'tea bags' (for loose leafed tea).
Looked around for wooden tulips but couldn't find any at a good price :(
Home. Quiet PM and I dyed my hair blue!

Saturday, 20th July, 2013

Last day :(
Spent AM in Duinrell. All went on Dragonfly, then Dad and I went on WaterSpin, which hurt my legs again :( All on Falcon (the one with a straight up bit!) including Roo!! Then watched 'Parade' which was like a circus show. It was very good; the performers were so talented!
Dad and R went off, whilst Mum and I went on the bobsleigh again, then back to the tent.

My Room. I Am The Queen Of Tidy!

Lunch. Far too hot, and nowhere was cool- R and I ended up sat practically in the fridge!
Relaxed a bit, then R, Dad and I went to play Crazy Golf, which was fun. The family behind us was English and very nice, particularly the mother.
Went on water boats, still chatting with other English family. They own a farm.
Dinner- went to the on-site restaurant. Not the best.
Home and bed fairly soon after. I couldn't sleep :(