Hi,

This is a fairly short blog detailing my week spent with my friends the Brasser Family in Westkapelle from June 20-27th This was my second visit so I must have been well behaved first time to get invited back!

You can check out details of my last visit on this site. I won't repeat a whole lot of information I gave about the location but if you need just look back to May 2024 on the blog section.

Having had busy visits to Skiathos and Madeira recently this trip was an ideal opportunity to mainly relax with friends and enjoy the weather in late June (I went in early May last time I think). Most of the time was just spent chilling with the family, apart from one or two items which I will list.

On my last visit I didn't manage to climb the Lighthouse tower which greets you as you enter Westkapelle. According to Wikipedia it's 'The oldest lighthouse, built 1458-1470, 52 m (171 feet) tall, visible from 28 nautical miles (52 km; 32 mi) and standing prominently at the entrance to the village, is the remainder of a church that burned down in the 18th century. In 1818 the light was added.' The tower is open on some evenings only and Jakob, Catherine and I went along to climb the many stairs and got the benefit of fantastic views from the top over the village. There is a smaller lighthouse right on the coastline but it's also only open at rare times and I'll need to tick that off on my next visit.

The only other adventure I had was a day trip to Rotterdam. Delft and Den Haag were also discussed but as the NATO conference was in Den Haag we opted for Rotterdam and the other locations can wait for another trip.

On arrival in Rotterdam we parked up and boarded a boat for a harbour tour, which departed from just beside the Erasmus Bridge. The company we used was called Spido and the tour takes about one hour fifteen minutes which is adequate. The harbour is vast, possibly the biggest I've seen since I was in Shanghai. The boat was modern and the large decks provided a good viewing platform. I'm afraid it was quite dull overhead so the photos are a bit dull as well!

After leaving the harbour we walked about 20 minutes to the Markt. This is a huge modern shopping centre/food hall with every type of cuisine imaginable. The inside has a decorated roof and worth a few photos. The food offerings were fab. A great place for lunch!

Another short walk took us to St Laurens Church, reputedly the oldest one in Rotterdam. Due to time constraints and the entrance fee we didn't go in but settled for a photo of the statue of the famous Dutch theologian Erasmus which stands outside.

Walking on we stopped for a quick photo in front of the very modern Railway Station with a huge modern sculpture in the foreground.

The sun came out as we reached the area of Delfshausen. This is a very old and picturesque neighbourhood with lots of traditional buildings on either side of a canal. We located the Pilgrim Fathers Church where some left from to go to England in order to catch the Mayflower to America. We also came across a statue of Piet Pieterzoon, a notorious Admiral and Privateer. Worth a Google! A lot more time could have been spent just in Delfshausen and indeed Rotterdam but hopefully this day trip will give you a brief flavour of the city.

I had two social visits on my last full day. First I spent a morning with old family friend Jantien van Saane in Arnemuiden reminiscing about old times. In the evening we headed to visit Wilbert's Brother Albert and sister in law Marlien who were celebrating the birth of Miriam, their ninth child.

I'm closing this brief blog but would like to thank once again my good friends and generous hosts Wilbert and Catherine and of course Jakob, Bonnie, Alexandra and Emma for hospitality and fun. Another memorable week spent in the Netherlands. Hope you enjoy the photos.

All the best

Murdo