2024 Travels in Review

In 2024 we went outside Europe again, for the first time since 2015. Our trip to Jordan was our last trip outside of Europe, until we went to Egypt in our 2024 travels. And later in the year to Japan. Two bucket list destinations in 2024. We added a 3^rd bucket list destination with Colmar in France in December.

2024 Travels

Let’s see what we did in 2024, there’s a lot!

January

We kicked off the new year in Uden, the Netherlands, at Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant De Teugel. From the window in our room, we had a view on the fireworks , which was great. This way we could watch it in our pj’s. We arrived home the 2^nd of January and packed up again on January 5^th. We went to Landal Mooi Zutendaal in Belgium, with my parents and my sister with her family. It’s a family tradition to go on a weekend getaway each year, and we love it. We go swimming, play board games and have meals together.

On January 11^th I visited the nativity scene at Museum Catharijne convent for the first time. I was blown away, it’s so beautiful. My idea was to visit one museum each week of the year. I succeeded most weeks of 2024. With Museum Catharijne convent I kicked off my museum visits in 2024.

Amsterdam and more

In the second weekend of January Paul and I went to the Amsterdam Light Festival. We did a luxury boat tour to see all the art works. It was our second year going and it was again fantastic. On Sunday we drove from Utrecht to Hollandsche Rading to the Loosdrechtse Plassen and back. We sat down at 2 restaurants on the route.

On January 19^th I met up with a friend in Amsterdam and we had lunch together. The day after Paul and I went away together for one night at a bed and breakfast. Our first stop was the Airborne Museum in Hartenstein. We had had snow that whole week, so the garden of the museum was covered in a layer of snow. We had lunch on our way to Vierlingsbeek. It was our second stay at this bed and breakfast and we loved it again. On Sunday we went back home having lunch on the way home.

We had our first visit of the year to the theater on January 23th. A lecture on Putin’s war: History as a weapon by Dutch historian Beatrice de Graaf. The day after I went to Leiden to a book presentation on Steenrijk Domburg in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (Antiquities museum). I also wandered a bit through the museum itself.

At the last weekend of January I had a 50 year marriage celebration in Zeeland (a village in the province of Noord-Brabant) on Sunday. It was fun. On Saturday Paul and I went to the cinema, we saw Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

February

Started the month with my first visit of the year to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The first weekend of February we went to Museum Jan Cunen in Oss, there was an exhibit on the elite in the iron age. Yuri tagged along and we all enjoyed the museum visit. After we had lunch in Den Bosch. On Sunday Paul left to go to Germany, a work visit. He returned home 5 days later. On February 7^th I visited the Rietveld Schröder house. After living in Utrecht for 25 years I finally went to this house, which people visit from all over the world. It was well worth the visit.

On Valentine’s Day I went to the Japan Museum Sieboldhouse. There was an exhibit on 19^th century pictures from the Kurokawa collection on Japan. In the evening we went out for a Valentine’s dinner at Spice Monkey.

In the second weekend of February we went to the Frans Hals exhibit in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Frans Hals has produced a lot of beautiful paintings. We went home directly after our visit since I was getting sick. I was the first of us 3 to get down with the flu, Paul followed and then Yuri. Till the end of March at least one of us was sick.

The last weekend of February we went to Rocket Guy – Elton John Tribute at the Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant Nieuwegein-Utrecht. The singer was really good and we had a fun evening out.

On the last day of the month I went to the Amsterdam Tulip Museum. It was fun to see, totally fixed on tourists, but still okay.

March

In the first weekend of March we went to Soldaat van Oranje De Musical (Soldier of Orange, Orange being the color of our kingdom). It was my Birthday gift and it was a really good show. It’s about the Second World War and is performed in a hangar.

The second weekend Paul and I went to Leiden, to Museum de Lakenhal. They had an exhibit on De Vijf Zintuigen (The Five Senses) by Rembrandt. It was beautiful to see the paintings. We did a tour and the explanation on the paintings was excellent.

On March 14^th I went to a lecture at Museum Catharijne convent, Draken en andere problemen (Dragons and other problems) by Hans Mulder. It was interesting, it was because of their exhibit on science and religion.

On March 18^th we celebrated Yuri turning 14 with homebaked cake. The 21^st I went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I’m checking the museum out, room by room. That weekend we had one sleepover party with two friends of Yuri and went out for dinner at Happy Italy with both sets of grandparents. All still to celebrate Yuri’s Birthday.

The last week of March Paul had to be in Germany again for his job for 3 days. We ended the month with an Easter getaway at Hotel Goerres in Akkrum, the Netherlands. The same as in 2023. On Saturday we went to the cat café in Oudega. Yuri loves cats and loved having lunch here and playing with the cats.

April

The first day of April was Second Easter Day and was our last day at Hotel Goerres. On April 3th I went shopping with a friend in Den Bosch.

In the first weekend of April, Paul and I had tickets to the Amsterdam Coffee Festival. Our second visit to this festival, and we loved it again. I don’t drink coffee, but they also have chai latte, tea, chocolate and other sweets to taste test. After we left the festival we checked out one spot with tulips from the Amsterdam Tulip Festival. On Sunday we drove the Flower route, our first road trip of the year.

On Wednesday the 10^th we went to a symposium at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (Antiquities Museum) in Leiden, the Netherlands. The subject was Mens en natuur in de Klassieke Kunst (Humans and nature in classic art). On Friday we had our second evening outing, this time the cinema to see Dune Part Two.

Tilburg, Amsterdam and other places

The second weekend of April, Yuri had a third Birthday party, this time with two other friends. We went to the Gaming Factory in Tilburg, and had a sleepover. On Sunday Paul and I went to Museum Arnhem, to see the exhibit Kunst in het Derde Rijk (Art in the Third Reich).

In the third week of April Paul went to Germany for 4 days to fix some issues. On that Sunday he and Yuri went to the Retrogamebeurs in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

The last full week of April was a busy week for us. On Monday evening, Paul and I went to a lecture about Duitse landingen mei 1940 (German landings May 1940), on Wednesday we had a Darius Rucker concert. He performed at Paradiso in Amsterdam. He has such a good voice. On Thursday I went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I also admired the tulips on display at the Museumplein.

We ended the month with celebrating Kingsday on Friday evening in Utrecht and on Saturday in Uden.

May

On May 4^th we went on a bucket list trip. For as long as I know Paul, he wanted to go on a Nile cruise in Egypt. In May 2024 finally Paul got to go on a Nile cruise. The cruise we opted for was a 7-day cruise, from Luxor to Aswan and back. We flew in and out of Egypt on Hurghada Airport. We were transported by bus to and from Luxor.

Egypt was such a fantastic vacation. The weather was warm/hot all week long. The boat we had the cruise on had a friendly and excellent staff, delicious food, a swimming pool and fun things were being organized. Our room was more spacious than we anticipated, which was great. Seeing Egypt from the water was a unique experience. We went on many excursions to temples, on the water and to small villages. We did a tour by bus to the Abu Simbel Temple and the Valley of Kings. One thing even more beautiful than the other. This was truly a dream trip. We want to return to Egypt again to see the Pyramids.

On May 20^th we had a Vietnamese high tea in Leiden at Vina’s. It was delicious.

The last weekend of May we had a weekend getaway at Landal De Vers in Overloon, the Netherlands. On Saturday we went to Oorlogsmuseum Overloon (War Museum) to attend Militracks. An event with all sorts of military stuff.

June

On the second day of June we had the last party for Yuri’s Birthday back in March. It was with a couple of classmates from Yuri. We went lasergaming at Ozebi in Utrecht and had cake and fries at home.

Another visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on the 6^th of June. In the second weekend of June we had a party both on Friday evening and on Sunday afternoon. The Friday party was from Paul’s office  and took place at the Werkspoorkathedraal. It was fun, with excellent food.

In the second week of June, Paul had a business trip to Spain.

The third weekend of June we had a neighborhood party and went out to lunch with my parents. Both were fun.

Even more museums

On Thursday June 20^th I was for a second time that month in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The fourth weekend of June Paul had arranged something fun for the two of us. We spend the night at a “glass house” in the woods, called the Ooievaarsnest (Stork’s nest) in Liempde, the Netherlands. It was great and I loved waking up in the middle of nature. Before going to our “glass house” we visited Historama World and Museum Bevrijdende Vleugels (Museum Liberating Wings), both on the Second World War in that are of Noord-Brabant (a province of the Netherlands).

June 26^th I went to Maastricht with a friend. We do this each year and love it.

The last weekend of June was jampacked, but fun. On Friday evening we had a barbecue from KNVOL (an air force club). Then on Saturday we went cherry picking in the morning at Nieuw Slagmaat in Bunnik. Then of to Leiden for a visit to Japanmuseum Sieboldhouse. They had an exhibit Val van de Samurai (Downfall of the Samurai). Then on Sunday we had a cherry high tea at cherry orchard De Knapschinkel.

July

Our first outing in July was on the 7^th and we went to an exhibit at the Utrechts Archief (Utrecht Archives). Our very first time visiting this museum. We loved it. We went to the exhibit De Getekende Stad (The Drawn City), which showed paintings and drawings from the city of Utrecht.

On Tuesday in the second week of July, Yuri went to Down Under with his school. Which is a small lake where you can swim and do various water sports. On Thursday Yuri’s summer break started. That Saturday (the 13^th) we drove to Apeldoorn, to visit the CODA museum. They had the exhibit Travelling Bricks, which is a traveling show with all sorts of vehicles built from LEGO stones that are meant to travel with. They had done a good job and we were in awe with it. Then on Sunday Paul and I went to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (Antiquities) in Leiden. There was an exhibit on Paestum. An ancient Greek city in Italy. Really interesting, not that strange, since we’re both historians.

More Summer Break Fun

We started the week with two friends from Yuri having a sleepover at our house. On Friday the 19^th Yuri and I went to Kat & Bakkie, a cat café in Utrecht. Paul went to the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire, England. It’s the largest military airshow in the world. Paul loved it. That Sunday I went shopping with a friend in Haarlem.

And we’re already in the 4^th week of July. Yuri was still on summer break. On Tuesday we went to the cinema and viewed the movie Inside Out 2. The day after Yuri and I went to climb-in at the Wall in Utrecht. Yuri’s new hobby: climbing. He had fun with climbing. On Sunday 27^th we had our annual outing with Paul’s parents to the Efteling. A very popular Dutch theme park.

We ended the month with a visit to the Alpaca farm in Vorstenbosch. Yuri and I went with my parents, my sister and her 2 daughters. So much fun. We got to feed the alpaca’s.

August

The month of August was all about our trip to Japan. Which was in one word awesome. We left on the 3^rd, arrived on the 4^th of August and stayed till the 24^th. We started in Tokyo, from Tokyo we went to Osaka, with a side trip to Himeji castle. From Osaka we traveled to Kyoto. Then on to Matsumoto and our last stop in Japan was Tokyo again, but now on the other side, near Disney. We’ve been to Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Anaheim and Disney World Orlando. And have now added Disneyland Tokyo to our list. We ate a lot of good and delicious food. We admired temples and castles. Enjoyed the Nintendo and anime culture. We visited Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. It was simply amazing. So amazing that we went back in 2025.

After coming back from Japan we only had one outing on the last day of the month. We went to an outside cinema at Vroeg in Bunnik. It’s close to our home, and the restaurant Vroeg organizes this once a year.

September

September has a couple of things we do annually and love. That’s WTF and a weekend getaway in Losser, the Netherlands. However that’s not the outing we started the month with. We went to Amsterdam, had lunch at Polly Goudvisch and then visited the Eye Film Museum. We went to the permanent exhibit, which is small, but interesting. I also went to the temporary installation from Albert Serra, which was simply strange.

On the 2^nd of September Yuri had camp with his schoolyear and was away for 2 nights. He had a fun time. That weekend we had our weekend getaway at B&B de Hooimoat in Losser. Which is in the Eastern part of the Netherlands, close to the German border. We visited Burg Bentheim in bad Bentheim, Germany on Saturday. As usual we went berry picking at the Manderveense Aardbei in Manderveen on Sunday. After we visited the gardens of Twickel castle. They’re really beautiful gardens and Yuri and I loved wandering around them.

WTF (Whisky Tasting festival) was on the 14^th of September, however Paul and I were both sick and sadly couldn’t go.

Meeting Up With Friends

To celebrate 30 years of friendship, I went to Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen with a friend. We went to see the koala’s, which were new at that zoo. It was some time ago that I went to a zoo and it was fun. The day after, on a Friday I went on a hike with another friend. We started at Halfweg-Zwanenburg station and hiked to Sloterdijk station. This is an NS hike. Lots of green on this hike, all the while being in the city of Amsterdam. On Saturday Paul and I did an ice cream tasting at Lin’s Lounge & Chocolat bar. So many delicious flavors.

Then at almost the end of the month I finally had time again to visit a museum. I went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Which I love to visit. The day after in Friday we had a lecture on the Nato from the KNVOL in Amersfoort. Which was an interesting subject.

The last weekend of September Yuri went to a sleepover at a friend’s house in Heusden. We drove our usual route in Saturday afternoon through Hollandsche Rading and the Loosdrechtse Plassen.

October

Started the month of October good with a shopping day and high tea at Anne & Max in Utrecht with a friend. At the 3^rd of October Paul and I went to two exhibits. The Bronze exhibit at the Rijksmuseum and an exhibit in the Amsterdam Museum on the Lenape nation side of the story of New Amsterdam. On that Sunday Paul and Yuri went to GameForce. An event in the Jaarbeurs on gaming.

The second week of October Paul and I went to the Louis Hartlooper Complex to see the movie Joker: Folie à Deux on Tuesday. That Thursday we drove our usual route by car through Hollandsche Rading, the Loosdrechtse Plassen and Vreeland (and back). On Friday we went to the cinema to see Sabaton – The Tour to End All Tours, which was cool. That Saturday we visited two exhibits at Forum Groningen, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year and America & Trump by Andres Serrano.

In the third week of October we did less things during the week, but a lot in the weekend. On Friday evening we went to the cinema and saw the movie Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. That Saturday Paul and I drove the South Veluwe road trip to see the route in Fall colors. Sunday the 20^th I had secretly booked a Strawberry high tea, which Paul knew nothing about. It was at a strawberry farm in Rijsbergen. We had fun and it was delicious.

On the 22^nd I went shopping with Yuri in Utrecht for school stuff. That Thursday I went to the Rijksmuseum in the morning and in the afternoon to the Kandinsky exhibit at H’art Museum, both in Amsterdam.

Fall Break

The month of October ended with Fall break for Yuri. We started Yuri’s Fall break with a night at Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant Doorwerth-Arnhem. On Saturday we went to the Lichtwandeling Uitgelicht at the Nederlands Openlucht Museum (Dutch Open Air Museum). A walk which takes you through a story that plays out at the end of the Second World War at the museum. People took refuge at the museum grounds for months. On Sunday we visited the Christmas show and Christmas high tea at Intratuin Duiven. Our second visit, Yuri’s first. On Monday Paul went to Germany for 2 nights on a business trip. Yuri and I did a lot of fun Halloween baking.

November

At the beginning of November, Yuri still had 3 days of Fall break left. On the 1^st Paul and Yuri went to Go!Gaming at Pathé Leidsche Rijn. They had fun. On Saturday we went to the Efteling, a popular Dutch theme park. There was a new attraction: Danse Macabre. Sadly, I couldn’t go in due to severe motion sickness. Paul and Yuri loved it. After our visit we stayed one night at De Rozephoeve Studio, cute pods at a farm.

In the first full week of November, on Thursday, I went to Rijksmuseum Boerhaave in Leiden. A science museum with the oldest anatomical theater in the Netherlands. I went to an exhibit on black holes. Saturday the 9^th Paul had a lecture day on the First World War and Yuri and I went to an open day at the Willem de Kooning Academy. Yuri wanted to check out their animation program. On Sunday I participated in the Urban City Walk Utrecht. It was perfect to walk through neighborhoods in Utrecht, I normally don’t see.

Small but Fun Outings

On the 15^th Paul had a company outing at The Maxx Veenendaal. They did SIM racen, lasergamen, a flashcape room and grill on the table. That weekend we had a Birthday party each day, which was fun.

The 19^th I went again to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I love discovering  a new part of their collection on each visit. That Saturday we went to an open day from the HKU, to check out their Game art, Game design and Game development programs. On Sunday we went to the movie The Apprentice at the cinema.

We ended the month with a weekend getaway to celebrate 20 years of marriage (on the 26^th). For 2 nights we stayed at Fletcher Nautisch Kwartier in Huizen. We did some shopping in Huizen on Saturday and had dinner at Loetje. A very good steak restaurant.

December

The first day of December we were still at our weekend getaway in Huizen. It was our last day at the hotel.

On December 4^th we celebrated Sinterklaas with a friend, with gourmetten and gifts to each other. The next day I went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

December the 13^th I went to the Christmas market in Haarlem, the Netherlands. We loved this Christmas market in Haarlem, it had a good vibe. It was large and had lots of stalls with nice stuff. On Saturday Paul and I went to Amsterdam and did a boat tour to see the Amsterdam Light Festival. Which had some unique art installations as always. That Sunday we celebrated Sinterklaas with my parents at Pannenkoekenhuis De Koekenbakkers, a pancake restaurant.

A Final Road Trip

On December 20^th it was my Birthday and I celebrated this with a lunch for family. In the evening we took off on a 10-day road trip. First stop that evening a hotel at Luxembourg Airport. The next day on to Ferienwohnung Angie in Vogtsburg, Germany. Then on Sunday we did a bucket list thing for me, we went to the Christmas markets in Colmar, France. Despite the rain we loved them. Also due to the rain we loved them. Also due to the rain it wasn’t as crowded as I heard it can be. It’s one of the best Christmas markets in Europe.

On the fourth day of our road trip we visited Fort de Mutzig, a fort that played a role in the First World War. We stayed  the night at Chambes d’hotes Les vignes in Saint-Jean-Saverne, France. Christmas Eve we celebrated with my parents and stayed the night. On Christmas day we had lunch at my in-laws and then went on to my sister-in-law in Norderstedt, Germany. We celebrated Christmas at their house and on the 27^th we went further north. We stayed 2 nights at Strand 2 in Laboe, Germany. On Saturday we walked to the U-995, a submarine with a museum inside.

Our annual oliebollen baking was on the 30^th. On the 31^st we went to my parents for my mom’s Birthday. In the evening we went to Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant Doorwerth-Arnhem and celebrated New Year’s Eve at the hotel.

2024 Travels

Since it’s already 2026, the 2025 travels overview will come shortly. 2024 had a couple of cool bucket list destinations ticked off and a record number of museum visits for me.

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