One of the reasons I enjoy blogging about our travels is because I get to relive that moment in time on my mind. I not only try to travel back but I also try to recollect how I felt experiencing each place!

It was day 2 of our trip to the Netherlands, 28th April 2018. It was a cold and cloudy morning. We boarded our tram to Madurodam.

Oh how we loved our tram rides! As the narrow tram navigated through the pretty streets of the Hague, we admired buildings, neighbourhoods and the canals. We watched the locals go about their daily routine as they walked in and out of our tram. The girls and I tried to repeat the Tram announcements in Dutch. We just loved how Dutch sounded!

I knew Madurodam was a miniature replica of the Neatherlands, but I didn’t know the moving story behind it. On arrival, we got to watch a ten minute movie about the history of Madurodam. Trust me, it moved us to tears!

Madurodam is a living memorial to the Dutch war hero George Maduro who died in the Second World War.

George’s parents donated the start-up capital for the miniature city so not only their son will be remembered, but for Netherlands and the world to remember its battered, painful past as it stands as a testament of hope and courage for the future!

The park is filled with replicas of Dutch landmarks, historical cities and innovations, industries Netherlands boasts of today!

The replicas are so detailed and appear so real, except for it’s size.

It was very interesting to see the attention to detail that was given – the miniature people, trees, landscapes, moving buses, cars, boats, ships and aeroplanes!

In the couple of hours we spent at Madurodam, we got a sneak peek of what we were about to see during the rest of our trip!

That afternoon we celebrated our host Annie’s daughter’s birthday at a dance factory and there after indulged ourselves in a photo spree under a fully blossomed cherry tree!

It was a lot of fun being in front of the camera and Annie took some great pictures of us! Thank you, Annie!

The weather was good and there was a few more hours of day light left, so Annie came up with an impromptu plan to visit Delft!

Without wasting time, we hopped on to a tram and were Delft bound!

Situated half an hour by tram from Den Haag, Delft is a canal-ringed medieval city famously known for it’s blue and white pottery!

The canals were lined up with very cute boutiques, cafes and art galleries!

There is something about the Dutch architecture that you cannot but admire! It transports you back in time!

The Delft Square has pottery shops, cheese stores, pretty residences and fancy fine dining restaurants on two sides.

And on one end is the tall and magnificent New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) which dates back to the 14th century.

Standing opposite to it is the City Hall that dates back to 1618!

The girls had a great time playing in vast square!

It was a very serene scene – the square was empty, the sun was setting, the building windows were reflecting the evening sky. As we stood there enjoying the atmosphere, the church bells rang so loud reminding us it was time to head back home!

What a lovely walk it was through those narrow streets, over the tiny bridges, past the little canals!

It was pretty late in the night and all the restaurants were shutting down, except one. We were drawn in by lively music that drifted through the empty, dark cobbled street. We sat there for the next hour, sipping yummy hot chocolate and listening to a very talented local band!