A reunion

We drove to Germany for our very first van der Put/Valk reunion. We have rented a great house right on the other side of the border (of Germany and Holland), in a town called Bad Bentheim. It's only a 2 hour drive from the West of Holland, but for the Dutch that's quite a distance. Amazingly the landscape starts changing soon after the border as well. There are actual hills, and way less people.

Living in the US, unfortunately limits the amount of time I get to spend with my opa. He is 87, and still doing very well. I miss visiting with him, so it was great to see him again today.

(that's NOT me, but my look-a-like sister Emma)

We visited the castle of Bad Bentheim. It's a rather small castle, but it was a very fun visit. Europeans are not so scared of being sued, so they still let you climb up dangerously steep stairs, and only protect cannon holes with 2 bars, where children can easily slip through and fall to their deaths.
Emma and her boyfriend Jan keps the kids occupied
They had some pretty fancy salad tongs back in those days!