Another full day of activities, beginning with an in depth lesson about the Castricum’s part in World War 2. One of the teachers from Jac. P. Thisse school has a passion for WWII information about the local events of the war. Following the lesson in the classroom, we loaded onto our bikes and headed out for a tour of the local sites where significant events took place. The entire lesson was extremely informative and interesting.

We then rode over to a local organic farm, where we were treated to a tour and explanation of how the farm works, how animals are cared for, and what it truly means to be organic. The students got to interact with the cows, calfs, and horses and learn more about the milking process.

From the farm we took the roughly 2 mile trip to the beach. While it was rather chilly, the mere idea of being on a beach in bright sunny weather led to the desire to feel the water. The students spent time near the water playing soccer and other games, while the adults enjoyed a lunch at a restaurant on the sand. Following our lunch, we decided to test the water as well with a little wading. This ended up being a potential problem as the tide came in suddenly and the sand bar that we were standing on soon became enveloped in water. Thankfully, a short walk down the beach allowed us to find a crossing point where we only had to walk knee deep in water.

We were treated to a pot-luck “Dutch” dinner last night provided by the host parents. The food was outstanding. Students then went back to their host families. Mr. Duffy and Mr. Cogswell attended the soccer game between Netherlands and Italy. The Netherlands lost, but according to Mr. Cogswell, “That didn’t dampen anybody’s spirits”. Ms. Flynn and Mr. Cassidy spent more time exploring Amsterdam.

Today we will all be heading to Amsterdam to do a canal tour and a trip to the Rijk’s museum of art. There was some rain overnight and some more is expected today, although the forecast does not make it seem like a washout.

The interaction of the students has been great. There is a true friendship that seems to be developing between our students and hosts. At the dinner last night, students from both schools sat around the piano and sang popular songs as one of the students played the piano and another played the guitar. We are all looking forward to 2 last days here in the Netherlands.

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