We took Nana, Aunt Elizabeth and our cousin Bella to Madurodam today.

Nana, Henry and Bella Gulliver

It’s hard to choose what we like best about Madurodam, but Henry thinks it might be the chocolate factory.  Because if you put in a 10 cent coin a truck comes out with a miniature candy bar for you.  Bella likes looking in the windows and seeing the miniature shoes and things.   Aunt Elizabeth was very impressed with the bonzai oaks and chestnuts and other miniaturized landscaping.

Bella and Henry at the Peace Palace

Aunt Elizabeth and our cousin Bella have come to visit!   They met us at down at the harbor for Vlaggetjesdag.  We toured some environmental protection boats that clean up oil spills and monitor water quality in the North Sea.

William Henry and Bella

We went home by bike.  Bella rode in the bakfiets with us and Aunt Elizabeth rode side saddle on the back of Mommy’s bike.

Bella in the Bakfiets

William woke up yesterday wanting to make a rope.  But we didn’t have anything to make a rope out of.  Then we went to Vlaggetjesdag and there, with the other craftsmen, was a rope maker!  William and Henry each made their own double thick sisal rope.

First You Hook Up the Twine

Twisting the Little Ropes into a Big Rope

Then You Crank to Twist the Ropes Together

Ropemakers

We live in Scheveningen, which is now part of The Hague but used to be its own separate fishing village.  So every year in June they have a big festival to welcome the herring fleet called Vlaggetjesdag (flags day).   There’s lots to do at the harbor, so we rode our bikes over there early.

The Fishing Fleet

We could get a lot closer to the fishing boats than we usually can.  They have a lot of impressive nets.  Of course we had fish for lunch – fried chunks of kibbelingen for the boys and a nieuwe haring (raw herring) for Mommy because that’s what you eat on vlaggetjes dag.

We also enjoyed lots of choirs singing sea chanties and sailors songs and some marching bands.

And, of course, we did all the “old Dutch children’s games” like rolling barrels, walking on stilts, racing in wooden shoes, stacking fish boxes and jumping rope.

Barrel Rolling

Wooden Shoe Potato Races

Fish Box Stacking

William has been having gardening lessons on Tuesday afternoons.  He has his own plot, number 28, for which he made a name plaque.  The first week he planted onions.  The next week he planted radishes and carrots.  Since then he’s planted 8 rows of flowers, including two sunflowers.

Farmer William

This was an especially exciting week at gardening because not only was Nana there to see it, but he harvested radishes.  After he brought them home, cut off the tops and scrubbed them, William counted out his radishes.  He had fifty!  And they are delicious.

William's Radishes