We stayed in a farm cottage about an hour’s drive from Amsterdam. Lovely and quiet with a rural out look. We visited Amsterdam for two days, walking around in the streets, parks and riding in the canals. We visited the Van Gogh museum which was fabulous, the Rijks museum where we did a mystery tour with clues and saw Rembrandt’s Nightwatch, Vemeer’s Milkmaid and other great paintings and managed to get tickets to Anne Franks’ House after missing out on the pre booking ones. Food wise- there were pancakes, stroopwaffle, cheese, frits, rollmops/pickled herring and a dish that google translated as the hairdresser (a pile of hot chips covered in meat, veges and melted cheese.)

Adam- In the Netherlands we stayed about 100km away from Amsterdam. It was a quiet place to escape from the city. We drove to Amsterdam for two of the days we stayed there. In Amsterdam we were very busy we visited the Rijks museum, Van Gogh museum, rode in the canals, went to Anne Frank’s house and much more. We ate pancakes, and stroopwaffle.

Elise – Amsterdam was very picturesque with its canals and the tall, old, wonky buildings. the food we had was very nice especially the pancakes. (because we got to drown them in syrup and sugar ’cause that’s the dutch way!) 🙂 we visited the Van Gogh and the Rijks Museum as well as Anne Franks house along with a cruise through the canals. we didn’t just go to Amsterdam we also went to Kinderdijk and visited Wies in the Hague.

Tessa- Holland and Amsterdam were really breath-taking. I really like the food (I have a really big sweet tooth 🙂 ). The Museums were interesting although Adam got really bored. I especially liked Anne Franks house because you can’t really picture the Annex from just reading the book, but I would have like to have seen it set out how it was back then as now it is just a set of empty rooms. In Kinderdyjk we found out how they kept the area dry (using windmills) and what life was like for the families who ran the windmills. Wies was really friendly so I enjoyed that too.

Sonja and the children drove to the Hague to visit Great Aunt Wies. I was so proud to drive on the right on my own with no adult navigating or reminding me about which way to go around the roundabouts. Thank goodness the Netherlands are all motorways. The children were intrigued to discover they had a Great Great Aunt who is still going strong. Of course we had to visit Kinderdijk with the 17 windmills, and waterways. (Elise here, there are actually 19 windmills not 17)

Adam -we drove out to the Hague to visit my great aunt Wies. The final thing we did was go to Kinderdijk where I liked the game where you had to keep the windmills working to keep the land dry but not too dry!!

Some of the more quirky places we found in the Amsterdam. The New Zealand Auckland clothing shop (only outlets in Netherlands and Belgium!!!-rugged outdoorsy clothing). Condom shop- kids didn’t know where to look- parents in hysterics!. Cannabis ice cream was one of the many delights on offer in the “green light district”