We had been to the Netherland in the past. This was just a short stop to catchup with Lucy a very good friend from Australia and her family in Amsterdam. It was so nice to catchup with them, there is something about catching up with people from your home town when you are travelling that is wonderful. Their Son Jack was playing futsal in Europe (indoor football, 5 players which includes the goal keeper) It was a great opportunity for Jack, and also wonderful that we could meet up with them.
From Amsterdam we went to Duinrell, Duinrell is an amusement park situated in the town of Wassenaar. Here we had a holiday for 5 days with my 2 sisters and their children. We had a wonderful time, what an amazing place for families to spend time together. There are all levels of accommodation, it is set in extensive woodland yet is just around the corner from the beautiful coastline of Wassenaarseslag which is an unbelievable 8km stretch of beach to stroll along or relax. Duinrell is just beside the the beautiful village of Wassenaar, there are some great restaurants and some beautiful little boutique shops.
The next part of our trip was to visit some of the WW1 and WW2 memorials and sites. We drove from Duinrell through Belgium to Dunkirk in France.
Dunkrik 1940 the beginning of WW2 on the 10th of May 1940, Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, pushing the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), along with French and Belgian troops, back to the French port of Dunkirk. A huge rescue, Operation ‘Dynamo’, was organized by the Royal Navy to evacuate more than 338,000 Allied soldiers off the beaches and back to Britain. It was the largest evacuation effort in military history. I should also mention that a fleet of makeshift Trawlers, passenger ferries, Yachts, and other civilian crafts crossed the channel to assisted in the operation.
We visited the Dunkirk War Museum it is located in Bastion 32, the headquarters for the French and Allied forces during the Battle of Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo. The museum houses a rich collection of weapons, uniforms, models, photos and maps of military operations. It is very interesting and well worth a visit.
We also visited the Dunkrik Memorial, it commemorates more than 4,500 members of BEF who died between September 1939 and June 1940 or later while in captivity, and who have no known grave. It is a beautiful memorial but also very sad. I think it is terrible that so many people died because of some Greedy egotistical leaders.
Dunkirk itself is a very nice port city. It lies 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the Belgian border. It has a bell tower in the town square the tower is classified World Heritage Sites by UNESCO (Saint Eloi Belfry and City Hall Belfry). We climbed to the top of the Saint Eloi bell tower as it has an amazing panoramic view over the town.
We continued on to Normandy Omaha Beach it was the 80th anniversary of D Day. (6 June 1944). Troops from the UK, the US, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the coast of northern France, it was the largest military seaborne operation ever attempted, and marked the start of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe. Today, the beach is dotted with the remains of German bunkers. On the shore, the stainless-steel sculpture Les Braves commemorates American soldiers. Behind the beach is the Musée Mémorial d’Omaha Beach, also documenting the invasion. Nearby, the Overlord Museum displays WWII tanks, artillery and dioramas. Omaha beach is a beautiful beach. Sad that so many died here.
From here we drove to the Somme and stopped to see the Australian World War 1 memorial at Villiers Bretonneux. It is the repository of the names of more than 10,000 Australians who died in France during the First World War but have no known grave. The Memorial is situated a few kilometres north of Villers-Bretonneux .The Memorial consists of a large central tower with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, flanked by two wing walls carrying the commemorative panels listing the missing. During the Second World War, the Memorial was used as an Observation Post by the French and was extensively damaged by German aircraft and ground fire. Although repairs were carried out, some scarring can still be seen on parts of the memorial. We could see a number of bullet whole is grave stones and walls. The memorial and area is very well maintained but so sad that so many had to die because of greedy egotistical leaders.
Very beautiful but somber place.
We needed to get back to Amsterdam for a flight in a few days so we decided to stop in Antwerp Belgium for a few days. We had not been in this City before. We stayed in a great Airbnb in the centre of Antwerp city.
Antwerp is a port city on Belgium’s River Scheldt, with history dating to the Middle Ages. In its center, it has centuries-old Diamond District houses . Antwerp’s Flemish Renaissance architecture is shown very clearly in the central square in the old town. At the 17th-century Rubens House, period rooms display works by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens. It is a very nice City with great restaurants, shops and bars.
We had a few lovely days in Antwerp.
From Amsterdam we flew to Spain to catchup with with our great friends Nicki and Ian in Almerimar. We had a wonderful relaxing week. The weather was perfect around 25 degrees and sunny. We cycled, played golf, ate great food and had lots of sunset drinks on the beach. The perfect way to end our trip in Europe.
