While in Belgium we decided to take a drive and visit the Netherlands which is only and hour away. We arrived in the middle of a Sint Niklaas parade. Sint Niklaas arrives on a boat travelling don the many canals. He is then taken on a horse through the city for all the children to see. Sint Niklaas has a helper called Swarte Piet who happens to be black which for us is quite funny as that will never be accepted here in SA. He would definitely be banned!!!! Amsterdam is another of Europe’s jewels, people are friendly and seem to be very family orientated. Hard drugs are however freely available having been offered a number of times while walking around (they are illegal). Weed is sold in coffee shops across the city, for most tourists it’s a novelty.