The boys were eager to get going early in the morning on their boat adventure. They packed a lunch and left. The rest of us took the morning slow.

When the boys returned they were excited to tell us how far in both directions they went. They passed a windmill in one direction, and in the other direction they went so far that they met up with the bike path. In one spot they helped a lady recover a flower pot that had dropped in the water. They ate peanut butter sandwiches under one of the bridges, and scared unsuspecting people crossing the bridge by hitting the bottom of the bridge with a paddle. The mud hens followed them curiously, probably because of their peanut butter sandwiches. They noticed that when they pushed their paddles down in the mud too far bubbles would rise, leaving a bad odor. Their boat trip had been a success and they looked forward to more times on the slootje.

After seeing a Boska cheese knife being used by one of the vendors, at the Alkmaar market, Tim asked where he could get one. He thought it would be perfect for his dad since he noticed his dad always put a tea towel over a large knife in a make-shift way to cut a wheel of cheese. Plus Tim loves kitchen tools! That led us to Simonehoeve cheese and clog factory. A family run place, with tours showing how cheese and wooden clogs are made.

Inside we enjoyed some old fashion Dutch tradition. It was touristy but informative. The cheese was special - handmade with interesting flavor variations; some were unique to this cheese maker, for example the nettle cheese. We made sure to bring a few mini wheels home. The kids picked out some clogs and had their names burnt into the clogs, as well as tulips, windmills, and other Dutch symbols. Tim found the cheese knife he was looking for, and I picked up some gifts to bring home.

At home we decided a bike ride would be nice after supper. We biked into Bergen finding an outdoor patio to have hot chocolate. Again the atmosphere in Bergen was relaxed and we thoroughly enjoyed the bike ride. The setting sun gave the fields, canals, and windmills a beautiful warm glow.

We were looking forward to the next day with Jetta and her family at the beach.