Travelog for: Bene

Hello!

A new TV arrived today. I was so curious who can be in that envelope! It's always great to meet other TV's on their trail.


We were not the only one who were curious, even Dharma was!


The TV was a little bit scared to come out of the envelope so we try to comfort him. Today wasn't a sunny day so i can imagine for him it wasn't hot in there. But our words helped him and he decided to come out.


This is Willy wau
I think we gonna be good friends. He's a very sweet dog actually.

Willy wau and i decided to meet the pets. Together it is much more fun to discover to pets who lives here.


I allready told you but this is Dharma. He's a sweet puppy but you have to watch out. His teeth are very sharp and he is very naughty at the moment and want to bite in everything. When he's asleep he's much nicer.


This Fluffy cat is Isis. She's also very sweet but she's old so you have to be carefull with her.


This is Luna. She is a scared black cat and only trust Eva. But Eva told me that once you get to know her and when she trust you she's your best friend.

There also lives a rabbit and guinea pig here but they are outside right now because of the beautifull weather. Allthought it wasn't sunny today. But Lillebi told me she allready introduced them to you mummy.

We are gonna chat now so i wish you a great evening!

Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Today we asked Eva to tell us everything she know about Alkmaar. She told us some funny stories!

Alkmaar is above all Holland's cheese town. During the season from the first Friday of April to the first Friday of September a traditional cheese market is being held here on Friday mornings between 10 and 12.30. The cheeses are sold by dealers on a clap of hands. Thereupon the 400 year old cheese porters' guild goes into action, carrying the cheese off on barrows after the lot has been weighed at the Waag (the official scales). In the Waaggebouw - in which the scales are housed - a cheese museum that tells everything about dairy farming has been established.
Cheese has been weighed in Alkmaar since 1635.

Alkmaar is historical with around 400 monuments. The Waag, dating back in its earliest form to the 14th century, the 16th century town-hall, Grote St. Laurens Church and the many courtyards, facades and canals give the town an ambience all of its own. With the past as a setting, the town has a modern stock of shops offering a wide choice. Besides the predominantly small shops in the old centre, the Noorder Arcade with large scale shopping facilities stands by the side of the Noord Holland Canal.

Alkmaar is the biggest town in the region. Relaxation can also be found in the Geestmerambacht recreational area close by.



Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Today we take a walk in the duines of Hargen aan zee. Hargen is a village near Alkmaar and it's near the Nordsea.

On our way to it we saw a lot of duines and dikes.

Here we are driving trought the forest of Schoorl, also a village near Alkmaar.

Duines...



Dikes...



Strange animals behind the sheepes..


And here i am in the duines!




This is the view we had in the duines. If you look cloesely you can see the sea above the dikes:


Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Also a new TV arrived today. When we got home from our walk we found a paper that said there was a package for Eva delivered by her neighbours. The package was very big so we all were wondering what could be in that big box. It's always fun to meet new friends!


It was very strange to see a small beer walked out of the box.


Why such a big box for such a small animal? But suddenly i saw a string attached to the beer. I shouted to the other ones this beer wasn't alone. There was one more in the box!


It is Davy with his little friend!

Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Today we stayed home and discover a lot here.
First we enjoyed the sun and suddenly two dogs came to us. We didn't notice them before and they told us they wanna become a toyvoyager also. We drink tea with them and told us al about our adventures.


Eva made eggs and bread for us and it was very delicious!


After that we wanna see what we can find in the house.
I found some dwarfs and they told me i can find a fantasy world here if i want.



I ask them were i can find it but the only thing they did was point to the book closet. First i had no clue what they meant with that but we all decided to take a look at the novels in the closet.



We found a lot off novels written by Stephen King. We talked about his stories about good and evil and suddenly we realised what the dwarfs tied to tell us. If you read a book you are in a fantasy world!



This are books about Appie and his friends. As a child Eva her dad read this stories to her and they are very old. You can't find them in the stores anymore. The books look old and smell old so it was very excited to read them.

After that we found some treasure chests. In each of that chest we found fairytales and classic stories. This was so much fun to see!





Big hugs Bene

Hello!

I start with the good news. Eva decided to do something for us yesterday evening. We had no clue what it was because she showed us a strange thing:


We go to bed and were thinking what i can be and when we got out of bed this morning we finally saw what is was:


It is a pool! Today they predict a very sunny and hot day so Eva thought it would be a great idea to give us something fresh and funny.

But the bad news is:
They were wrong! It's very cloudy
Hopefully the sun will show itself today so we can play in the pool.

Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Today was such a rainy day. It was such a pitty because we wanna do something outside. Hopefully the weather is better tomorrow.


Eva wanna cheer us up so she made a typical dutch snack: patat, kroketten and kaassoufle. First it taste a little funny but after the first bite i loved it!


Eva also had a very delicious desert for us, chocolate mousse!!


Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Today it's queensday here in the Netherlands. We are celebrating the dutch queen her birthday. Beatrix is the name of the dutch queen but it isn't her date of birth. 30th april is the birthday of her mother Juliana. But she never changed it in her one date of birth.
Most of the people wear orange clothes today because it's our national color. On the streets you eyes get hurt of all the orange. But of course i can't stay behind and wear an orange bandana today



This morning the queen visit Makkum and Franeker. Two cities in the north of the Netherlands. We watched in on the tv. Queen Beatrix and Maxima wear pink today. Every year they have the most funny hats on their head.



Here Bea (Beatrix), Willem Alexander (Willempie) and Maxima are singing 'het Wilhelmus', the dutch song.

So today it's party time! I will update again today because this wasn't the only party we had today.

Big hugs Bene

p.s.


Don't they look adoreble?

Hello!

Here i am again. Today it's also my bithday! How great is that? I'm here in Holland and on my birthday all the people party here.
First the others sing a birthday song for me in dutch. It goes like this:

Er is er een jarig, hoera hoera,
Dat kun je wel zien dat is hij,
Dat vinden wij allen zo prettig, ja ja,
en daarom zingen wij blij:
hij leven lang, hoera hoera
hij leven lang, hoera hoera
hij leven lang, hoera hoera


After that it was present time!! I didn't know they bought something for me. They did it very sneaky
It was so funny to see they let my present wrapped up in orange paper.


Tadaaaaaaa!!! Two Nijntjes!! So nice they remembered it because a few days ago Eva read us a story before we go to bed about Nijntje and from that moment on i liked Nijntje very much.


After that we decided to play some games. First we played poker, the texas hold em version. It was very excited to play and luckely for me i win a few games.


After that we played wie is de ezel. In englisch that means who's the donkey. It's a funny game were you have to loose you cards as soon as possible. If you are the first one who loose al his cards you win. But there's also a donkey card. That stays in the game the whole time. So you have to get rit of that donkey as soon as you can but that isn't easy. We laughed a lot!



Now it's time to dance! I wanna dance till the sun goes down and we have to sleep. I miss you mommy but i'm also have a great bithday here. I hope you also have a great day!


Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Today we went to Den Helder to visit Eva her grandma.
Den Helder has ever started with the arising of Huisduinen, a whaler village. Gradually it developed into Den Helder which we know now. A city which was built within the linies of the forten. Later formed a number of districts there around. The space between the different town parts is characteristic. Den Helder is a city with a strongly maritime screen. Sea-going, the rescue being, the offshore and the royal Navy natural.

The Navy has stipulated many years' the image of Den Helder. But the Navy shrank in, Den Helder threatened to become a city with no face. By nourishing the culturehistory , the tales of the seaman and with that the coherent heroiek Den Helder has rediscovered its own core values.

Eva told me this while i was watching the ship-building yard.


When you look at the end of the picture you can see some old ships that were used in the war. But they still use this ships for other wars and peace missions.



Here you see the submarine in the shipyard.



Here we are watching the Nordsea. It was such a bright day today that you even can see Texel!


After the shipyard we watched the flowerbulb fields. They are famous here in Holland. We were very lucky because in this time of year you can see all the bright colours of it.








Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Yesterday was the last evening here in Alkmaar for Iggy-Korn and Lillebi.
Eva organised a surpriseparty for them.

Suddenly the doorbel rings. When we opened the door Lejow stood there! That was a very big surprise. She wasn't alone.


Here are Sylphide, Tony and Meleleuca

We talked a lot in the garden and everybody wanna tell their story so before we know the sun was down.
That night we played on the wii for a long time but unfortunatelly the pictures failed. That's really a pitty!

After a long evening full of fun we sleep together and this morning it was time for one last picture of the whole group.


Big hugs Bene

Hello!

This morning the time was come: we brought Iggy Korn and Lillebi to the post office. Before that we said goodbye to each other. It was sad to say goodbye and i hope they both have a great trail! I'm glad i get to know them and maybe our pads will cross again. I really hope so!

Bye Iggy Korn!


Bye Lillebi!


Big hugs Bene

THE POOL: ROUND 2

Hello!

Today we decided to do something back for Eva. Again it's very nice weather so we decided to put air in the pool for her.
It was hard working!


But Eva wasnt the only one who enjoyed the pool today.


It was very nice to get a tan in the pool and the water gives me refreshment.

Eva lives by the water and suddenly we heared funny sounds coming from the water. It were little baby birds!


They were so sweet and we gave them bread.

Big hugs Bene

Hello!

Today was the day of Remembrance the dead in the Netherlands.

Remembrance of the Dead (Dutch: Dodenherdenking) is held annually on May 4 in the Netherlands. It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of World War II.

Until 1961, the commemoration only related to the Dutch victims of World War II. Since 1961, the victims of other military conflicts (such as the Indonesian National Revolution in Indonesia) and peacekeeping missions (such as in Lebanon or Bosnia) are remembered on May 4 as well.

Traditionally, the main ceremonies are observed in Amsterdam at the national monument on Dam Square. This ceremony is usually attended by members of the cabinet and the royal family, military leaders, representatives of the resistance movement and other social groups. At 8:00 p.m., two minutes of silence are observed throughout the Netherlands. Since May 4 1994, the flags, having hung at half-staff during the day, are then hoisted to the sounds of the Wilhelmus, the Dutch national anthem. Since 2001 the new protocol says it's okay to let the flag hang half-staff.

Although the main celebrations get the most attention from the media, there are ceremonies in other cities and places as well, such as the Waalsdorpervlakte near the Hague where many Dutch resistance fighters were executed during the war. In many towns, before or after the two minutes of silence, people gather around a monument, listen to speeches, and lay down flowers to remember the dead.

One day later, on May 5, Dutch people celebrate the liberation from the German occupation between 1940 and 1945.

We watched the remembrance on the television. We saw the Waalsdorpervlakte.




Big hugs Bene

Hello!

I ride on a bike today! It was scary! But i also love to do it! Fortunate for me the bike has wheels on the frame. So i kept well in balance.
Look at me mum!



When i'm home a want a bike for myself. You feel the wind and you can go fast if you want. I notice that in Holland they do not wear helmets for your safety. Everybody here rides on a bike and the people learn it to there children almost before they can walk. I looked my eyes out.

Big hugs Bene