20 August 2014 - Rijswijk - The Netherlands

We arrived at Schiphol in Amsterdam yesterday at 2pm after a great flight in an Emirates A380. We were all very impressed with Emirates. Everything from the entertainment to the the food, beverages and service was superb. However, no matter how great the airline it is still a long flight, 13 hours from Melbourne to Dubai and then another 6.5 hours to Amsterdam. It was great to get off the plane and stretch the legs. Then there is the wait for the luggage to arrive and to line up for immigration which in Holland is a very quick process. Then, as soon as we emerged there were Conny and Aad waiting for us. What a great sight! John and Sandra's family were also there and after a few introductions and exchange of telephone numbers it was time to hit the road to Conny and Aad's place. By then it seemed a long time since we had seen a bed and had some real sleep, but the excitement of meeting up with Conny and Aad quickly dispelled the fatigue and by the time we had coffees with Conny's excellent apple tart and then dinner it was 11 pm and definitely time for bed. We both slept very solidly and hardly stirred until 9 this morning.

We were made to feel very welcome, a bouquet of flowers from Tante Ria and a bit welcome sign in the kitchen at Conny and Aad's place.

This morning at breakfast the weather didn't look very promising, overcast and drizzly. By the time we finished breakfast though it had started to improve and we decided to spend the rest of the morning walking through the historic city of Delft which is only a few minutes from Conny and Aad's place. Delft is a very old city with beautiful and historic buildings and canals.

This is the beautiful town hall which dates back a few centuries and is located on one side of a city square surrounded by shops and cafes.

Delft is of course world famous for it's Delft blue pottery and ceramics and here we are sitting on a couch made entirely of broken pieces of Delft blue pottery.

Of course, we're in the Netherlands so an encounter with a large wooden clog was inevitable and so here we are behaving like typical tourists.

Following our walk around the city it was time to visit Conny's mum (my Aunt Ria). We had a very pleasant visit with my Auntie and before long we had the photo albums out to catch up on decades of family history. Very interesting. Then, at 5pm Aad and cousin Paul (Conny's brother) arrived. I had spent a few days with Paul last year and it was fantastic to meet again and catch up on the events of the past 12 months. Paul had arranged dinner for all at a nearby restaurant and we were soon on our way stopping only for a quick photo outside Aunt Ria's apartment block. Of course Aad was there too but had to take the photo.

Paul's choice of restaurant's was great, and we had a very pleasant meal together, and here I am with my Aunt enjoying dinner and catching up on family history.

Time flies when you're having fun and soon it was time to say goodbye and head for home. The first full day of our holiday was one we will remember for a long time.