Thursday 27 December

The day started a bit damp and overcast, but on our journey towards Amsterdam, the clouds broke and the sun came out between Ede and Utrecht; north of Utrecht, the clouds took over. Fortunately, rain did not really start until about 4pm. After eating some customary end-of-year goodies ("oliebollen") at my sister's, we headed towards the village of Vogelenzang, south of Zandvoort, to take a walk in the Waterleiding Duinen [Water filtration dunes], a nature reserve. We saw deer, swans, foxes and smaller birds. Many people go there for the wildlife. The reserve can be accessed for a small fee from two gates near Vogelenzang and one near Zandvoort, as well as from the North Sea beach just south of Zandvoort. After a bowl or two of peasoup for dinner, we took the 7.50pm train back home, where we arrived two hours later.