Travel Tips

A new year, a new album. For all those who want to follow my (Ilja) and my father and mothers adventures. Happy New Year and may at least a few of your dreams come true.
Gelukkig nieuw jaar
Happy new year
Glückliches Neujahr
Bonne annee
S novim godam
Feliz ano nuevo

Ilja is growing up and speaks already a lot. This means he replies and the words are not always the ones we want to hear (though often he is just great). Ilja develops his own personality and certainly an own will. He is a boy that laughs a lot, but "oo weeh" when he doesn't get what he wants ...

My father used to travel a lot and I also want to go far away when I am somewhat bigger. Now we travel short distances in our small country and the neighbouring Belgium, Germany and France. There's a lot to see and sometimes quite some surprises too. Here we are with our friends in Diest, that showed us around in the beguinage. Beautiful and a great playground too!

End of Februari 2004 it is finally there. Ilja's first Carnaval and we knew exactly what he wanted to be: Bob the Builder, his favourite figure on TV. Irina created a outfit and Ilja ... fell ill in the weekend that Carnaval was about to happen (just like his father did with his first Carnaval - coincedance?). Anyway, he got the opportunity to celebrate it with Flore (Ilja's niece, my sisters daughter) and had some good fun.

Ilja, learning fast and amazing his parents. Slowly forming his own personality and ... uh, oh, some things are starting to be a little bit too much like daddy's ways. Wanting to solve problems so eagerly that when it doesn;t work out right away ... well, then it gets broken completely. Curious as can be, but also terribly soon distracted. Now only hope that Irina guides him a little in these things, like she tries with her "older boy".

The week after Easter 2004 we decided to finally have that shortbreak we have been planning already for so long. Destination became Ameland, one of the "Wadden"-islands of The Netherlands. First time Friesland for me, the last province of my homecountry that I had never been to. We had a perfect time, especially as spring fully brooke through. Sun, sea and sand ... Ilja couldn't be happier.

Ilja and sand ... Ilja and water ... those combinations are very good. However Ilja with sand and water ... then the combination is perfect. Our little boy then immediately starts building dikes, dams and canals. A true little Dutchman in a nut shell - hahaha. Well, now let's see when he starts to built bridges ... (-:

Ilja goes on and on. Is a very lively boy that runs around, plays, learned to ride a bicycle (like all Dutch) and with his third birthday he was spoiled rotten by all his friends and family. His favourite present you can see in the picture (it's an boxing-set, incl. ball and gloves). However, he uses it mainly to swing around the room with ... a great way to get around (-: