Tag Archives: Holland

A little family time

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Postma Time

On our last day in Holland, we drove an hour east to visit an unusual monkey zoo. Recommended by a military friend, we were delighted with Apenheul, an oasis for primates about an hour’s drive from Amsterdam. Ticket prices might seem a bit pricey (19.50euro/adult), but I have to say it was well worth it. Upon entry, visitors receive a descriptive walking map of the grounds along with a monkey-proof bag–a backpack for backpacks so tricky monkey fingers can’t get ahold of your snacks. So it came as no surprise that at the first stop, where we encountered the clever spider monkeys, they were instantly on our arms, heads and laps as we watched them try diligently to get at our food. Most of the stops along the path included informational presentations from zoo keepers about diet needs, social behavior and other helpful information about the animals in the zoo. Other animals were chimpanzees, lemurs, gorillas…all easily viewed from the platforms with very few obstructions to enjoy watching them. We spent about 5 hours at the zoo and enjoyed a delicious lunch while being entertained by peacocks.

Our first little friend at Apenheul

Our first little friend at Apenheul

Lauren feeds a monkey

Lauren feeds a monkey


Big mama carries her baby

Big mama carries her baby


Close enough to give them a little love

Close enough to give them a little love


One of the most entertaining beasts around...the orangutan

One of the most entertaining beasts around…the orangutan


Following a visit to the zoo, we drove to Friesland, a province in Northern Holland where my dad was born.  His brother lives there and we had a great time touring the surrounding countryside and catching a glimpse of daily life in Holland.  We enjoyed a great Indonesian meal and conversation on the back porch. Lilly had a great time entertaining Brownie the dog and Lilly managed to go into the ditch in the backyard as she threw Brownie’s frisbee into the water and tried to retrieve it.  Lilly ended up happy that the accident happened because Akke had a pair of knit slippers from Great Grandma and Lilly quickly shed her  wet shoes and slipped those handmade booties over her feet.  Once it got dark, Uncle Ed set up a super strong telescope and we were able to look at Venus and Mars in the night sky.   It was a surreal experience…here we were…Americans living in Germany, visiting family in Holland, looking at distant planets in our solar system.  Imagine that!

Like Disneyland (without the rides)

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The Dutch and their spectacular flowers

The Dutch and their spectacular flowers

Once every 10 years, Holland plays host to a horticultural extravaganza.  With the participation of numerous countries around the world, the little town of Venlo features Floriade, a huge exposition featuring enough flowers and scents to attract the most finicky of patrons.  We heard about this event from John Postma, my uncle who had visited it once before and he, along with CNN, declared it a “Must See in 2012!”

We arrived around 11am and zipped past what seemed to be a hundred tour buses dropping off their guests at the front gates; we remarked that there were relatively few children attending the event and of the adults, the majority were white-haired and walking very slowly.   Once we boarded our parking shuttle from the lot to the front gates we bought our entrance tickets and started exploring the grounds.

The first thing that hits you is the luscious smell…hyacinths are blooming right now and their purple and white blooms mix nicely with the vibrant colors of the tulips and give off an intoxicating scent as you walk the main promenade. The guides distributed handy park maps but we let the kids determine which direction to go and there was no problem finding pavilions to delight us. One of our favorites was the Green House which featured tropical plants including thousands of orchids and a 3D movie which presented the devastating power of floods.  (in 1953 Holland suffered a severe flood due to a failed dike)  Another great treat was “living like a bee” collecting pollen and nectar to make honey…the kids were given a digital clicker that collected points for finding the right clues (Lilly was our winner).

The park grounds are huge and there is a gondola available to whisk you from one end of the park to the other.  Of course, we hopped on and could see all the places we hadn’t hit yet on our visit.  We walked through buildings created by visiting countries that showed typical design styles as well as plants and vegetables native to those lands.  One of the best was the Chinese garden complete with meditating garden and paper screens dividing the rooms.

We concluded our visit with a walk through the flower showroom featuring arrangements of the most spectacular spring blooms. Chandeliers hung above our heads as we slowly walked the cobblestone paths laid in the middle of a fern grotto.  When we returned to our car, we were surprised to discover that 6 hours had slipped by.  Lilly boldly declared, “I love this place. It’s like Disneyland without the rides!”  The kids all agree we should make plans to return in another 10 years.