Holland - Day 7 to 8: Kids’ Day

Did I not mention that De Heuttenheugte Center Parc is such a kid friendly place? There were plenty of kids’ activities to choose from, that, we have to be smart in choosing the activities which we want to indulge the kids in and maximize our time, yet leaving ample room to ensure that Squirt gets his naps as well.

There was not enough time for everything that they have, but we managed to amuse the kids with the outdoor playgrounds (there were several!), petting zoo and some Kiddies Program where the kids can play and make friends in a nursery-like setting. 

With the park being almost completely car-free, strolling to and from the Market Dome (the centre of everything with restaurants, supermarkets, shops…) from our bungalow was always a nice thing to do. We were surrounded by nature, were practically smothered by fresh air and with the weather being fairly nice, a leisurely walk while breathing in clean air was a welcome change.

We checked-out on a Friday morning after spending 4 nights in Center Parcs, and by then, it felt like the kids were ready to spend time with other people rather than us. With Spud specifically wanting to go home (she repeated this a hundred times over several days!) and explicitly asking for her Oma & Opa, 4 nights in some strange bungalow house seemed to be adequate.  For us, the size of the 59 m2 bungalow was beginning to wear us down.

On our drive back, we made a detour to Silver Bullet’s grandparent’s holiday house – a half an hour drive from Heuttenheughte and located right on the entrance of a Nature Park. It was a special place for Silver Bullet and his family who had spent most of their vacation in that house. As Silver Bullet has not stepped foot in that place for more than 10 years, I sensed that the visit was more of a nostalgic one for him.

We arrived at Silver Bullet’s parents’ place barely 2 hours later since we left Center Parcs. Spud had fallen asleep and woke up screaming her head off for a good 15 minutes before we finally reached our destination.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t going solo – she was soon joined in by Squirt who had refused to nap, was clearly over-tired and started to scream his head off as well.  With both of them screaming in such melodious harmony, the last 10 minutes felt like forever.

It reminded me of a horrid experience we had with Spud 2 years ago. Luckily, this time, it was not half as bad.