Well, here we are. Back from Limburg, all tanned and with additional sunrash, happy, relaxed, and even though we’ve been gone for only a week, with the feeling as if I’ve been gone for ages. And damn, did it feel good!
Just me and the boys in Valkenburg, and seriously, it’s like one week of constant laughter, and even giggling fits to the point of crying (which were as often enhanced by weed and/or beer as not). What usually happens during vacations with friends is that you develop sort of running gags that’ll have you in stitches everytime you make a variation on that joke. The running gags here were Multidude *giggles* and Lampje. Which is definitely one of those jokes that you have to have experienced to appreciate. *grins*
Anyway, this was the camping we were on: Camping Den Driesch in Valkenburg. We still have to upload the pictures, but they are forthcoming.
The detailed report is under the “Read More” link.
25 June, 5:35 pm
Well, the tents are standing and the sky is half clouded. After a long trip over a short distance we’ve finally arrived at Camping Den Driesch in Valkenburg. Man, we did 5 and a half hours over 300 kilometres! The travelplanner said we should be able to do it in three hours. Yeah, maybe in an alternate reality where all of Holland collectively died in their sleep last night. Fucking trafficjams. 
We found a sledding ramp on the hill next to the camping, so we’re definitely going to try that one out tomorrow. But because we left home without any form of planning nothing is too sure yet and we’ll see what happens.
Anyway, it’s all very idyllic here, cute hills, soft ‘g’-dialect and resounding churchbells.
26 June, 3:03 pm
Whoa, we’ve only been here for less than 24 hours and we’ve already been so active! We went out to explore and did lots of fun stuff. Last night we’ve done table bbqing in a restaurant in the citycenter… it was an all-you-can-eat for 16 euro and damn was it good! After that we got back to the camping and got terribly stoned on the best hash I’ve ever smoked. Giggling fits galore! 
We slept well and were up early this morning. Olli had already gone for a hike at 6 am (!) and showed us what he had seen earlier that morning. We’ve been hiking through the forest here and damn, is it gorgeous around here! I’ve enjoyed the sunlight on a little bridge over the water (am already sunburnt of course) and I’m sporting a nice buzz that comes from hash and beer and fun.
Oh, and we’ve been sledding too! Tijs also took a jump from the Wilhelmina Tower – on a rope. It’s called abseiling, and while Ol was unable to snap a shot of it with his digicam, I managed to get a shot of Tijs with his mobile phone cam, haha.
Other Tijs will be joining us tonight. We prolongued our reservation here till Friday, and from then on we’ll see what happens. So far it’s been all fun and games.
27 June, around 11 am
Well, the miracle has finally happened: Holland is through to the semi finals after a nerve-wrecking match against Sweden and a penalties series that we’ve actually WON! We’ve been watching the game in a Scottish Pub and although the beer (Kilkenny) tasted like piss, the atmosphere was good and the match was awesome.
We’ll be going to visit Maastricht tomorrow instead of today… today we’ll just take it easy. We sunburnt terribly yesterday (especially Tijs and I, as always) but hey, that’s what happens if you spend all day outside.
Other Tijs arrived yesterday evening around 7.30, so now we’re with the five of us. Oh, I just heard on the radio that the weather stays very pretty till Wednesday, so until then we’re doing great. It rained last night, but as long as the rain only falls at night you won’t hear me complain. The days have been gorgeous.
I’m writing this out right now while the boys are frisbeeing. Its sunny, and Nelly Furtado is on the radio singing the Euro 2004 theme. Man… I feel good.
27 June, 6:27 pm
So we went to Maastricht after all today: we had run out of ricepaper for the pot and as far as we know there arent any coffeeshops in Valkenburg, so we played a few games of pool in the Easy in Maastricht (and thankfully, the Easy was still there as Ol and I remembered and loved it) and went to the park to chill.
There was a sambaparty going on through all of the city; we’ve made some brilliant pics of the percussionband and the sambadancers in the sunlight. The percussionband was great btw… we’ve filled our 64MB memorystick within a few days. Are we glad we bought a 128MB one as well
And now we’re back & freshly showered & ready for the night that lies unplanned ahead of us. The weather is still good, albeit a little clouded and windy, but it isnt cold.
The camping is almost totally deserted by now btw, almost everyone here is a weekend guest and has left today. Not so strange if you realize that the main season starts next week.
De peace and quiet here is infective, I think. We’re all quiet and peaceful, too
28 June, 5:08 pm
…And by now we’re all alone on the youth-side of the camping. The rest of the people were apparently weekend-tourists indeed. Gotta admit that it *is* a bit weird to be here all alone though.
Today was once again a pretty day. Twenty degrees C, half-clouded and a nice breeze. Here on top of the hill the breeze is a rather strong one: we solved that last night to sit down on one of the lower terraces… listening to Chechnia-Denmark on the radio (3-0), getting stoned and watching the clouds drift by.
Today was perfect get-out-and-do-something-weather so we got out to see Valkenburg. We’ve actually been to two of the caves around here and got guided through them – very nice. Also, the ruins of the Valkenburg castle were very pretty as well. The original castle was dated from the 1100′s, but it was trashed and rebuilt several times until the owner blew it up for the last time in 1600, so the French didn’t get their hands on his fortress. We made pretty pictures of it
Afterwards we got ourselves some groceries at the supermarket and we’re now readying ourselves for a night of chilling and good company. Ol got the brilliant idea to get ourselves cans of ravioli, so we’re going to warm them up on Tijs’ gaspit. Nice & cheap!
29 June, around 11 am
… and then it was Tuesday already. The morning is bright and beautiful and we had all kinds of ambitious plans for today, but I fear that it’ll mostly turn out into sunbathing, lazying around and waterfights.
Yesterday we’ve been plenty active anyway. After our ravioli dinner (and Other Tijs’ departure back home) we’ve been playing soccer actively and, of course, giggled ourselves senseless because we were stoned.
Let me take this opportunity to inform you that I suck as hard at socces as I do at pool. 
Ttyl!
30 June, 10:41 am
The wind has died down and the camping is quiet. All would be serene and quiet this morning, if some idiot isn’t mowing the grass with a machine just around the corner. It woke me up. Pity, but okay.
Yesterday was FUCKING BRILLIANT. Derek & Olli had found an internetcafe which we gratefully exploited (see last entry), and after a true Limburgian Vlaai (think pie) and a meal in the local pizzeria we went to an English Pub called Henry VIII where we played pool and drank too much Murphy’s Red (yum). We had some lovely talks, which was very nice.
I eventually went to bed at 2:45 am because I was shivering with fatigue and my buzz was wearing off, and the boys followed an hour later.
And today it’s a brand new day: cloudy but warm. We’re planning on checking out the castle that we saw on the first day, and we want to play pool some more tonight in the pub. Oh, and of course we’ll watch the semi final against Portugal tonight. here’s to hoping that we’ll win! Yay!
last entry, 1 July
Well, Holland didn’t win. We went to bed early because we were all knackered after a day of hot weather and too little sleep the night before. We did have a cool waterfight on the camping, which was very badly needed because the four of us were burning up and stripped from everything that even remotely ressembled energy.
So it was a cheap and early night.
Today wasn’t that warm anymore, so this was the first day I walked around long-sleeved. It varied between 18 and 21 degrees Celcius and it was cloudy. We broke up the tents because we had decided that the high point of the vacation had been reached, our money was running out and the weather from Friday on would be lousy, so things were good as they were. We cleaned up our mess, stashed it all in the car, and went on adventure to see castle Schaloen.
Except that we didn’t, of course. We ended up playing bowling (we walked past a bowling centre at 1 pm, and it was open – so we saw it as a sign and played a few games. Oh yeah, I suck at bowling too, haha) and hiking through the forest because castle Schaloen wasn’t open for visitors. We did make some last pictures, though.
Eventually, we went for dinner at the pizzeria again and then made for the car so we could go home.
The road to home went fast and without any trafficjams…
…and now I’m home. All cleaned up under the shower (that is actually crappier than the brilliant showers they had at the camping) and looking forward to sleeping in my own bed instead of an inflatable mattress. *smiles*
Vacation was awesome, brilliant, and exactly what I needed, but home is where the heart is. Thanks for a lovely vacation, boys. I wouldnt have wanted to miss it. Love you all! *smooches*