Day 4

A Day at the Beach


We sleep in the next day, eat breakfast at Rob's place, and then we all head down for a relaxing day at the beach. It is such a low-key plan, but after the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam, it is greatly appreciated.


We drive down to Strand Noordwijk Aan Zee. It's a popular beach with a parking lot and a walking path down to the sand itself. On the walk to the beach we pass these bicycles on the side of the path, and it just seems so fitting to me that there are bicycles sitting here after seeing all of the bicyclists in Amsterdam.

Blue bicycle with woven basket resting against beach grass on sandy shore.

Strand Noordwijk Aan Zee


The beach is absolutely lovely. There are families here, and it's fun to see them enjoying the beach. Someone has built a giant sand castle.


I see these lounge chairs on the beach, and their bright orange color stands out brightly against the neutral tones of the beach and sea.


I walk out into the water with camera in hand, and turn to take photos of people enjoying their day. As I walk along the sand, I notice some dead crabs in the sand and take photographs of the dead and empty exoskeletons.

Silhouettes walking along a misty beach shoreline.
Two beach chairs under pink umbrella on empty sandy beach.
People walk along a peaceful beach shoreline with sand dunes and distant cliffs on a cloudy day.
Beach scene with sand dunes and scattered beachgoers on a cloudy day.
Serene ocean view with gentle waves under cloudy grey skies.
Small grey crab on dark sandy beach.

Walk in Hillegom


I mentioned in Day One's blog that upon arriving to Rob's townhouse, I noticed that a lot of the citizens of Hillegom have beautiful gardens. Well, we left the beach and headed back to Rob's house, but we went on a walk upon returning. We were heading to a bar for dinner and drinks, and I got to photograph a lot of the beautiful flowers.

Close-up of a vibrant pink wild rose flower with yellow stamens against green foliage.
Clusters of white hydrangea flowers in full bloom surrounded by lush green leaves.
A small insect rests on a white hydrangea flower cluster among green leaves.
Bumblebee collecting nectar from purple lavender flowers in a garden.

Café Bar Puntje Puntje


We end our walk at this bar called Café Bar Puntje Puntje. We order food and drinks there, and we all have a good time. I collect the drink stirrers for some reason, convinced I will use them at home. Spoiler alert - I will actually use them when I host board game nights with my husband, Jeremy, 7 years later. After a bit of partying, we walk back to Rob's place and go to sleep.


The next morning, I flew back to the United States, concluding my time in The Netherlands.

Two people posing together at a dimly lit bar with colorful posters on the wall.