70th Birthday Trip
On the 16th of May, we set off excitedly for Europe. I had booked us a lovely combination of flights. Virgin to London, KLM from London to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam back to South Africa. As a TC and because we are both tall, I always pre-book extra legroom.
In London, we both stayed with our family.
Major tips for London: 1. Arrange international usage on your credit cards. 2. Tap on and tap off trains and metro. 3. Tap on to buses (don't tap off) 4. Use the Thames link when travelling from Heathrow. 5. Download the MyTC app 6. Download Citi Mapper
This trip was more about family and friends so we did not do all the usual attractions. Instead, we did a couple of picnics in the parks.
We went to Kew Gardens, local pubs, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park Buckingham Palace, Cannizaro Park, Covent Gardens, Spitalfields Market, China Town, and St Paul's Cathedral.
The Tea Shop, Maison De The Mariage Freres at Convent Gardens is simply amazing.
We then moved on to Holland. My family come from Vlaardingen. We stayed a night with family here.
The next day we moved on to Delft. As a child, my grandmother would always bring me a Delft item when she returned from Holland. It has a special place in my heart. We had a lovely lunch at Vlaardingervaart next to the canal.
In Delft we stayed at the Jan Vermeer Hotel. This is really central and lovely.
For our first meal, we had a Rijstafel at Redjeki. Having heard about this from my grandmother, I was eager to try one. Great choice.
The next morning we caught a Tuc-Tuc taxi and used it to get around. Great value for money as you just pay once a day. 5 Euros for the day.
The birthday party was held at 'T Postkantoor. A great restaurant.
All in all, fun was had.
Moving on the next day to Amsterdam. Easy to catch the train.
My husband's parents had been to the Five Flies restaurant in 1952. We found it and went past. The manager was so impressed that he recreated the photo with us in the same booth and gave us a glass of wine.
All in all, it was a trip to remember. Lovely to spend time with family and make fabulous memories.
