Cookies

We planned a visit to Madurodam, but the weather forecast made us change our mind. So, we made cookies instead.
The result

The Baker Girls ...

Technopolis

Oma treated us to a visit to Technopolis, an interactive science centre for kids in Mechelen, Belgium. It's a medium size, well designed and built 'museum', where kids can experiment with and learn everything about science. Quite different from a day in a playground or amusement park, but just as much fun! And maybe the girls even learnt something :-) Catching stones on a computer screen

Mirror trick

Moon walking

Bubbles rising at different speed

Dressing up ...

And it's not even Carnaval ...

Louvière, Normandy, France

We just arrived home after ten days in Normandy, France. We spent a week on a farm of 'Un lit au pré' (in English/US Feather Down Farm). After we visited Michiel last year in such a tent, we promised the girls that we would spend this year's vacation on a farm as well.

And it was great fun, despite the initially rainy weather! Although the tents don't have hot water, electricity or gas, they are equipped with a toilet, running water, a wood stove and a wooden insulated crate to be used as fridge. The beds (one double, one bunk and one 'bedstee') are excellent. The tent really is an attraction in itself and the girls played in it the whole day the first day (it rained).
Our tent, called La Fleole (an herb)

A candlelight breakfast for four

Besides enjoying ourselves on the farm, we spent one night at a château, went to the beach, did some tree climbing at le Val des Cîmes, canoed at Pont D'Ouilly, took a tour inside a nuclear submarine at La Citė de la Mer in Cherbourg, ate mussels in Grandville and visited both Pieter's sisters. Another fun vacation in La France!

Dressed to the occasion; ready to visit Le Château

Building sand castles on the beach

View of Grandville

Give them water and a stick and they play for hours ...

Climbing adventure

Monkey number 2

One of our new pets, thanks to Pieter's sister :-)

Boelie 1 year old

Today, Boelie turned one year old. No cake and candles for her, but we did buy her a few toys and some extra snacks :-) We also took her walking to a national forest, where dogs are allowed to run free. Happy Birthday Boelie!
Unwrapping a gift; she was actually quite good at it

Legally running free, yippee!

The girls enjoyed (most of) the walk as well

Castle Hoensbroek

Photo courtesy Kasteel Hoensbroek

As part of Emma and Janne's cultural education (...) we decided to visit Castle Hoensbroek, in the province of Limburg. As most castles, it is pretty old structure; its oldest parts date back to 1250. Central structure of Castle Hoensbroek

We took a tour through the forty different beautiful rooms and halls of the castle, played the medieval games set up in the castle's courtyard and took part in the family mystery hunt. In addition to all this fun, there was a sand sculpture event held on the castle grounds. Emma and Janne were duly impressed both by the castle itself and by the sand sculptures. To top it all off, there was a huge sandbox in yet another courtyard, where kids could give it a go and build their very own sand sculpture. We had a very hard time dragging Emma and Janne away from that sand box!

Medieval fun and games

Sitting in the castle wall

A sand sculpture depicting Royal Palace Het Loo (in Dutch, this name sounds a lot better than in English ... )