October 17 – We flew from Nairobi to Amsterdam onboard a Boeing 777 that was nearly empty. Just about everyone onboard had a row all to themselves.


Wonderful breakfast with homemade fresh baked bread and eggs from the backyard


Wilma and Mick

Our friend Pieter picked us up at the airport and we met his new bride of 4 months, Marleine, and stayed at the B&B de Bovenetage owned by her parents, Mick & Wilma. It is a small cozy upper floor apartment above their living quarters that overlooks a beautiful little park and an old windmill just beyond. As you walk through the town you feel like you have just stepped into a storybook scene. What a change of pace from Africa!

Travel tip:
I guarantee if you stay here you will enjoy yourself. Mick & Wilma love people, they are fun, they are very accommodating, and the B&B is located in a fantastic location. It's an easy walk to every where.

B&B de Bovenetage
Vijverstraat 7
2801 ZT Gouda
The Netherlands

Tele: 0182-512794
www.bovenetage.nl
bergmick@hetnet.nl

View of the old mill out the bedroom window and the park located across the street.
If you ever visit Holland you must try Dutch pancakes. You can have a variety of things cooked directly into the pancake. I saw that Mick ordered his with bacon and decided to try the same thing. It was fabulous! The Dutch are on to something here. I wish I could find a place that made this back home.

.

Gouda is famous for its cheese and is an absolutely delightful town. With a fairy tale looking town hall, the longest church in Holland, a few old windmills, miles and miles of canals, historic homes and buildings by the hundreds, and a myriad of little shops and restaurants. It is the perfect size and pace for spending a few days on holiday. The locals pronounce Gouda as How-da.


Gouda city hall
Holland is so green a lush that it almost doesn’t even look real. The fields were filled with overly fat cows and sheep in picturesque settings that look more like a make-believe pristine meadow conjured up from the mind of an idealistic artist. The canals! Dang, there is no way to photograph or describe how many canals there are. As Pieter says, you can drown on ever corner.


Windmills of Kinderdijk

Delta Werken in Zeeland


The Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn

The stables

We enjoyed Holland and seeing the sights but the best part of the visit was meeting Marleine, Mick, and Wilma. They are great and a bunch of fun to be with.


Africa & Holland 2007
Nairobi | Lake Nakuru | Masai Mara | Ngorongoro | Serengeti | Tarangire | Holland

Other portions of my web site
Home | Travel | Genealogy


Revised October 17, 2008