First thing in the morning we rode our bikes into Alkmaar to buy groceries. We were looking forward to a visit with Marieke and Jetta later in the day. We tied our grocery bags to our bikes and feeling very Dutch we rode home.

Marieke and Jetta with their kids arrived. This was the first time Marieke could join us, she just returned from a family road trip to Croatia. Our reunion was very exciting and although we hadn't seen each other for years the family bond was strong. We all felt at home with each other.

The kids wanted to play a game so Marieke took them into the backyard and asked for a game suggestion. Belia suggested "duck duck goose". We joined in and it felt funny playing games with our kids, considering the last time we were together, years ago, we were bar hopping!

The kids came back inside and played Uno together despite the language berrier. We were amazed at how they communicated, at first they were shy but it didn't take long and they were playing. They went upstairs and we could hear a lot of laughing. Things really took off when Darius and Damiaan realized that they both play Mine craft! At this point they made plans to play their favorite game together the next time we planned to meet.

Marieke and Jetta brought salads and Tim made Spaghetti Carbonara. Good food with great friends!