The past three weeks have been a bit quieter on Hey Groentje and we have not given any Indian cooking workshops either and this had everything to do with our marriage. We gave each other the yes word on March 25, 2021. This was a special moment, and we wanted to have a little more time for each other. Now that we are back to work, we would like to share with you all the highlights of the past few weeks.
The days before our wedding, we were busy with the final preparations. Even though we kept it small, there was quite a lot to arrange. For example, Daniëlle ordered dozens of dresses online, because all the shops were closed and we then had to return everything except one dress (the one she is wearing above). We also had a beautiful bouquet of dried flowers put together by Linguaflora. We wanted to have the day captured by a photographer and we thanked all the guests by giving them delicious vegan cookies from Koeckie.
Where many loved ones moved their wedding day to another date because of the pandemic, we thought it was no problem to get married during this crazy period. Our only regret was that Amit's family could not attend. Fortunately, we were able to stream it live, so they were still involved. And anyway, when it's possible again, we'll go to India, to do it all over again, but according to Indian traditions. In the Netherlands it was a western wedding, which we really liked. This way we can experience both cultures and their traditions. With rules that were constantly changing, it was different than usual wedding in the Netherlands. Fortunately, we were able to let everything go as planned and all invited guests were present on our big day.
On March 25, 2021 it was finally time and we got up early to get ready, Daniëlle's parents came by to help us. Then we went to the Wantijpark and the center of Dordrecht to get some photos captured of this special day. Then we went to the beautiful City Hall of Dordrecht to get things ready and at 13.00 the ceremony could start. Although it was short, it was a beautiful moment. Daniëlle's father was allowed to give her away, and we read our vows to each other. Afterwards, we could talk to all the guests. In the evening we were overwhelmed by all the sweet reactions, and many cards and flowers we received from friends and family.
The day after our wedding day, we decided in the morning to pack some things and hit the road by car. We still had 1.5 weeks of vacation and would see where we end up. In the end (as you can see below) we made a nice tour of the Netherlands and we are happy to share our adventures with you.
Day 1
After we had packed our things, we drove towards Meijendel. This is a wetland dune and nature reserve near Wassenaar. The nature reserve is part of the Hollandse Duinen National Park. And even though we had driven just for an hour, it already felt like a vacation. We had a lovely walk through the dunes, almost blown away on the beach due to the strong winds.
We then drove on to Loosdrecht. This is more a place for when the weather is nice. After a short stop, we drove on towards Amstelveen, where we had booked an overnight stay on the way and Amit played tennis with an old friend in the evening.
Day 2
Amit wanted to go to the Afsluitdijk and Friesland, therefore we decided to drive that way. The first stop was the center of Harlingen, a nice place, but because of the strong wind we didn't stay long. We drove on towards Sneek and then went for a walk with a friend of Amit and his wife through a nature reserve between Sneek and Joure. It was a beautiful area with countless birds. After a cup of tea to warm up, we drove on to a small village near Leeuwarden. We were invited to stay with another friend of Amit. We were warmly welcomed and had a very pleasant evening.
Day 3
After a delicious breakfast, we said goodbye to our friends and drove on towards the Alde Feanen National Park. A beautiful area, where we had a lovely walk despite the rain. We then drove on to the city of Groningen, to meet an international student from India, who knows Amit's sister. After a short walk through the city and a stop at his student house, we drove on to the Hoornseplas near Groningen. Here we took a nice walk around the lake and then we drove on to the next overnight stay in Kalenberg.
Day 4
We had a lovely apartment in Kalenberg and the day before had decided to stay here for 2 nights. The past few days had been really busy so we wanted a little more time here. We started the day with a short walk near our apartment in the Weerribben-Wieden National Park. After lunch we drove to Giethoorn, a place where as a Dutch person you might not normally come because of the crowds, but now there was almost no one. We finally had good weather and had a great time walking around and sitting in the sun. We really felt like tourists in our own country. On the way back to our apartment, we made another stop at the Weerribben-Wieden National Park, where we took a nice walk.
In the evening we had to prepare for a pitch for Vegan masters, a competition in which we participated and we can already reveal that we made it to the final! The final is on April 15 and you can follow it via their livestream.
Day 5
We left the nice apartment, drove towards Drenthe where we made a stop at the Dolmens, and went for a walk. Then we drove on towards the east of the country. Our first stop was in Hengelo and after walking around we went to a nature reserve near De Lutte. Here we walked around for a while and enjoyed the weather. Around 3 o'clock we drove on to our next nice place to stay in Eibergen and decided to relax there and enjoy the sun outside in the garden.
In the evening we both played Monopoly for the first time, which after 3 hours of playing still seemed endless.
Day 6
Because we would also stay here for 2 nights, we had the time today to further explore the area. After a quiet morning we drove to Ruurlo Castle, to take another walk there. And that's all we did that day, and luckily we love doing it. It was a nice route and afterwards we went back to our apartment, to enjoy the sun on the hottest day of the week.
Day 7
It was time to leave the east of the country and drive on to the south. We found a hotel in Venray and after wandering through the Achterhoek, we made a stop in De Maasduinen National Park. The park is a forest and heathland area, located on a long sandy ridge between the Meuse and the German border. We stopped at the Eendenmeer, where you can make a nice walk.
Day 8
In the hotel they had a really delicious vegan breakfast, the best we had during this holiday. Today we planned to have an easy day, as this was the last day of our vacation. We first drove to Kasteel Huys ter Horst for a walk and then we drove on for a short stop in Venlo. Then we drove on to Arcen, but unfortunately the beautiful garden was still closed. As we found the De Maasduinen National Park so beautiful, we decided to stop at another location for a walk. Due to the cold weather it became a short walk, but we knew this is a place we definitely want to come back to.
In the afternoon we drove to the middle of the country where Daniëlle's family lives and stayed here overnight, before driving back home the next day.
We had a wonderful holiday and were able to see a lot of the Netherlands in one week. We really enjoyed leaving spontaneously and seeing where we would end up. Highly recommended for everyone to do once and discover new places in their own country! We really had a holiday feeling because of this, because we have been to so many places that we did not know before. And now we are back to work and can't wait to share our new plans with you.
On Saturday, 14 April 2021, we will give a workshop again and there are still tickets available!