Herberg Rijzenburg
A little tricky navigating out of Brussels - our two hour drive turned into a three hour drive. However, we arrived in time for lunch at a quaint little restaurant, Herberg Rijzenburg, in the Netherlands just outside of the park near the Schaarsbergen entrance. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed playing hide and seek in the trees adjacent to the patio. They collected chestnuts while we waited for our food. The roof of the buildings in the Netherlands were made of moss.
De Hoge Veluwe National Park
We then drove the 12 km into the de Hoge Veluwe park. There are boar and moose inside the park. We looked carefully, but didn't see any wild animals during the drive. The girls noticed the landscape - there were lots of sand dunes (but no ocean). It reminded us of a desert.
Bike Trails
There are 1600 bikes available to visitors, free of charge, at the De Hoge Veluwe National Park. When we first arrived, we unloaded the bikes and hopped on the bike trail. Incredibly beautiful day in the Netherlands. Kate and Elisabeth were confident bike riders. However, it was challenging biking on narrow trails when a whole Dutch extended family on bicycles would approach. Unlike DC trails, bikers bike side-by-side and in some cases four or five across. They do not ride single file or say "passing on the left" to notify other people on bicycles. A few near misses.
Kroller Muller Collection
After our bike ride we visited the cafe at the museum for some bubble juice (aka Sprite) and some cookies. I love that drinks come with cookies on the side in Belgium and the Netherlands. So yummy! The Kroller Muller Collection is housed in the museum. Helene Kroller Muller collected works of art during her lifetime. In the 1920's and 1930's her company was severely hit by the depression and she donated her collection to the Dutch State. The collection includes many paintings by Van Gogh, Seurat, Renoir and Picasso. There is also an extensive sculpture garden. Quite impressive. (Today, Elisabeth and Kate were playing with beads and wire. During clean up time, I picked up some wire to throw away, but Elisabeth said it was her "sculpture" and that I shouldn't throw it away.) Kate's favorite painting was a clown with a violin by Auguste Renoir. Elisabeth's favorite was Van Gogh's Bridge of Arles (Pont de Langlois, 1888).
De Koperen Kop and Play Ground
After the museum we drove to the De Koperen Kop restaurant and play ground for an afternoon of fun. The playground was rustic with tree houses, zip lines, basket swings, logs, horses, etc. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed it. Elisabeth's favorite was the basket swing and tree house: To climb to the tree house she had to cross a log 15 feet in the air and to get down she had to use a rope. Some good pictures of Rich spotting her! Kate's favorite was her swing: for the first time Kate was able to sit on her swing and then stand on the swing herself. Quite strong.
We enjoyed a nice dinner on the patio adjacent to the park. Surprisingly, the weather was beautiful, warm and sunny in September. The girls fell asleep in the car on the drive home. A three hour drive for us, but Rich and I enjoyed talking and catching up on the week.