by Kate Barba with contributions by Gwyn and Drew Barba

As our time in Europe (and the Northern Hemisphere) winds down, we landed in the home country of one of our best friends.  We spent Christmas and the waning days of 2022 in The Netherlands, with Robert, Sascha, Els and Jan Willem joining us from California.  We were elated to see them after nearly six months apart!

As best friends do, Gwyn, Drew, and Sascha picked up where they off with games of hide and seek, deep discussions about video games and movies, and general pre-teen mischief.  Pete had the brilliant idea to give them an outlet in the safe and walkable city of Delft….

After the first few days in Delft the parents got tired of us; they made a scavenger hunt for the kids that took us all around Delft. Some of the tasks were to go and find an ornament for both families, take a picture of a cat and dog, and take a selfie in front of H&M and a bakery. We also had to use partial clues to find art and take pictures of the whole thing. We liked the adventure so much that they sent us out to get small Christmas gifts for everyone as a second scavenger hunt. Being on our own and finding our way was so satisfying and I think we should do it more.           -Gwyn

Christmas was quiet but as close to a home Christmas as we could get.  We always have the van der Vijvers for dinner, we always have stockings, and we always have a yarn maze to solve first thing Christmas morning.  For the many of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s how that tradition works.  The parents hide a special gift in the house with one end of a ball of yarn attached.  They then unravel the yarn and string it all over the house: around furniture, down hallways, and through the other colors of yarn.  The kids get the start of their yarn and follow it, going over under and around like a spy navigating through a field of laser beams.  It’s entertaining and starts the day with laughter; the Barba have been doing it for decades.  Though we were over 5000 miles from home, small traditions and good friends made the day special.  We hope you all had the joyous holiday we did.

One of the best things about our time in The Netherlands was that we were warmly welcomed by Robert’s childhood friends and their families.  We appreciated the many meals, chats over coffee or drinks, and visits to their homes.  They included us in the reunion and inside jokes (and kindly stuck to English most of the time).  The kids got along really well too, finding common ground in games, embarrassing parents, and roller coasters.  I think these new relationships will continue and be treasured international friendships long into the future.  We are grateful to Sascha, Anita, Jurgen, and Marleen (and their amazing kids) for the outpouring of love that went far beyond hospitality!

For our ten days in Delft we stayed in an amazing apartment right on the Delft “New Church” market square.  The charm of this city and its people, architecture, and food was phenomenal.  Because we were there mainly to socialize and relax, we didn’t do a lot of “tourist” things.  We saw enough to want to come back, perhaps in warmer weather? 

We did venture out with old and new friends for a day at Efteling, a wonderful theme park almost as old as Disneyland…

When I arrived at the Efteling, I was blown away. The front entrance is a giant hut 150 feet in the air with beautiful fantasy paintings. Once inside, we could see that the park is an enormous forest filled with twisting, turning, looping, and swinging rides. All the roller coasters have interesting stories and themes. My favorite was the “Python” because of all the loops and barrel rolls.  Every ride is creative and seems to defy reality, like “Baron 1898” where it seems you are plunging straight into the ground!  Besides the amazing thrill rides, Efteling is also a beautiful theme park.  There are fountains, light and water shows, and the occasional live entertainment. There even was a carnival games area where our friend won a giant husky stuffed animal!  We all enjoyed our visit there and we could have spent many more days enjoying our favorite rides.          -Drew

During our stay we also went to an indoor waterslide park, a concert in Amersterdam, and the local market right outside our door.  We were stuffed with Dutch treats like giant stroopwafels, tompouce, oliebollen, and pofferjes.  Robert shared his favorites foods as well, such as stamppot with rookworst, bitterballen, kibbeling, as well as some Dutch-Indonesian favorites like loempia and saté.  Our healthy habits went out the window, but that’s the holidays!

We had a marvelous time in The Netherlands.  It was just what we needed as we approach the 6 month mark: friends who are like family, acquaintances who became friends, a light schedule, and lots of fun.  Our next stop will rejuvenate our routine (especially the healthy habits), but this stop rejuvenated our spirits.

Thanks for reading to the end.  Next up: How to Take a Year off (and Travel the World), part 1!  Don’t forget to check out our past stories and subscribe for future articles as well.  Find us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content!  Please note that any links or business names provided are for information only, we did not receive any compensation for our opinions or recommendations. As always, if you are planning a trip to any location we visit we are happy to provide more details and opinions, so feel free to contact us.