Summer in Katwijk, The Netherlands

We have had a great 12 days in "Katwijk" which is on the North Sea in Holland (about 30kms south of Amsterdam). We were amazingly blessed to use someone's house while they were away camping (thanks Ard & Gerda), which was only a street back from the beach! So we spent our days in the sea and walking along the beach. It was so cool to be by the sea again - the smell of the sea and the sound of the waves feel so much like home! But the squawking seagulls at 4am were a bit of a nuisance!

We made it into Amsterdam for a day (cost us 34 euros for a 30 minute train ride!!). Our main reason was to take the kids to "Nemo" - a big Science Discovery Centre right on the waterfront (actually - everything is on some kind of waterfront!!!). It was cool! They had cool things to play with and do and they even had a real laboratory where the "kids" could play "mad scientist" and do some cool experiments!!

We also went to an amusement park (thanks to some extra money that was given to us for our holiday) and had a great time! Anna surprised us all by going with me on the biggest roller coaster in the park (180 degrees up and 160 degrees down , plus loops and twists!!). It was very cool!

In the middle of the theme park they had a swimming pool with unbelievably wicked slides. You could get speeds up to 60km/hr!!!! And there was one like a big toilet bowl, where you dropped in the side at great speed and then swished round and round it until you fell through the hole in the middle!!!

Bryce - who no longer has the stomach for big rides (an inner ear thing he keeps telling me)- came with me on the last ride of the day . . .

Needless to say, when we got home, he had to go to bed!!!! rofl!!

On our last day, we splashed out and had fish and chips on the beach! "Splashed out??" I can hear our kiwi friends say! Yes - 3 pieces of fish and the equivalent of one scoop of chips, cost us 19.50 euros!!! (that's about NZ$45).

But we had a great time and were so thankful that we (a) had a car to get there (b) had essentially free accommodation and (c) had some extra money so we could do some special things!