Leiden on Queen’s Day...

Unlike Voorschoten, which was shutting down the flea market when we left, Leiden was still in full swing. The market was still going strong along the main canal and Breestraat.

Kati was well behaved when we had lunch at a new organic café, and also when we snuck up to the top floor of the department store to check out the view.

The main canal was full of boats on one side of the bridge. On the other side, a  kayak basketball game being played.

Kati met a beautiful husky pup, which is the kind of puppy I had as a teenager.

Kati’s First Bus Ride...

After we walked around Voorschoten, we decided to head to Leiden. Kati was surprisingly calm on her first bus ride.

Queen’s Day in Voorschoten...

We considered going to Amsterdam to experience all the excitement of the abdication by Queen Beatrix and inauguration of King Willem-Alexander (the first King in the Netherlands in 123 years), but decided to watch it on TV in the morning instead. Then we got decked out in orange for our walk into the village.

We paid € 0.10 for Kati to pose for a photo with this big dog; unfortunately Kati wasn’t too thrilled with the idea.

Veronica hung off a church fence to capture the perfect shot.

While we perused the variety of junk that folks were selling, Kati quickly learned that there was a lot of food scraps on the ground. She was one happy dog!

Celebrating the Final Queen’s Night...

Kati was patient during her
transformation to a Dutch lion

April 30th is a national holiday in the Netherlands to celebrate the Queen’s birthday. There is always a big party the evening before in the center of The Hague with live bands and a carnival. This year was extra special since the Queen would be abdicating on the 30th in order for her son to become King.

Veronica was excited to be going into town with Fiona to meet up with a bunch of their friends to go to the carnival. I was on the same train to meet up with Jimmy. While I didn’t particularly enjoy the previous Queen’s Nights that we’d been to, I was willing to give it another try.

We had a fun night, which included dinner at a small café, listening to some music, chatting with some friends we ran into and wading through the huge crowds to visit the fun house. 

The country typically turns orange for Queen’s Day and this year was no exception.

Post-Canoeing Bath...

Ashlynn, Veronica and Lucy worked together to give Kati her first bath. She didn’t really like it, but at least she cooperated.

Adventures in Canoeing...

Veronica decided to take the canoe for a little solo ride. She was very happy as she easily skimmed across the water. It wasn’t until she tried to turn around that she realized that she’d had a nice tailwind helping her along. She soon discovered that she couldn’t paddle alone into the wind and had to abandon the canoe at another beach and run barefoot back to us. Luckily Jimmy and Ashlynn had no problem paddling together into the wind.

I met the canoe along the Vliet as they were about to enter our neighborhood’s canal.

Boats along our canal have a remote control to swing open this bridge. Rather than merely ducking, those who travel by canoe have to lay down in order to avoid hitting their head.

Canoeing and Swimming at Vlietland...

On a rare sunny Sunday in late April, we headed to Vlietland, a nearby lake and recreational area. Jimmy canoed to the main beach with Ashlynn, Kati and Lucy. While I cycled, Veronica ran the 4K (2.5 miles) to the beach.

Technically, no dogs are allowed on the beach after April 1, but since it was otherwise empty, the girls enjoyed running along with her.

Since Jimmy’s convinced that Kati’s webbed feet make her a natural swimmer, he decided to test her abilities. While she didn’t seem thrilled with the idea, probably because of the cold water, she did prove that she can swim.