We WILL go on holiday next year....

Writing about my Lego memories and our European holiday to Legoland in Denmark really has made me pine to go away. Thankfully we went to my partner's parent's house for a few days over Easter (in the fantastic snow!), and towards the end of the Summer holidays (when I broke my leg) or else we'd not have left the house this year as our Summer holiday plans were all scuppered when my partner developed Meningitis in July.

Easter Snow!

Our European Trip took loads of organising and was quite stressful. We split up the trip as it was almost exactly 24 hours drive to get to Legoland, which meant taking our huge tent up and down a couple of times, so it was a lovely treat to stay in the Family Hostel in Legoland and relax!

We're really keen to take the children away again before they all leave for Uni, it could be the last big family holiday, so it would be a lovely thing to do.

Groningen, The Netherlands

We all loved The Netherlands and want to go back. Our campsite in Groningen was lovely, but we were restricted with location because we were 'on the way', so we were a long way from the nearest large towns - and there wasn't much there for the children to do. There wasn't even a cafe in our local village, so we had to drive to have a bite to eat without cooking in the tent - and it's my holiday too! This time we'd be able to choose where we went without restriction, and I'd love to take the children to Amsterdam.

5 of our lot at the campsite in Groningen 2011, while Dad hogs the swing!

I went to Amsterdam when I was pregnant with my no.3 and had an amazing time. The Netherlands is so flat that you can walk all day without tiring, and Amsterdam is absolutely laden with loads of amazing places to go and things to see. My highlight of the trip was the Anne Frank House, which was just stunning. I read her diary as a child several times and actually being inside the house took your breath away. I think it's an important education for my children, and even the younger 2 are perfectly able to understand her story now.

There's a lovely Al Fresco Holidays family camping parc only 18 miles from Amsterdam in Wassenaar. It's handy for Amsterdam and Rotterdam and the Efteling Theme Park, which is one of the most popular in Holland. Even the camping parc has it's own rides and attractions and loads to entertain all of the kids, plus food and theatre, and we could cheat and get a mobile home for us all for only a few Euros more and save the effort of taking and erecting our tents!

One of the things we've really missed this year is the seaside. If we stayed in Wassenaar then it's only 3 miles from the beach, and the climate is incredibly similar to back home, so we should be able to get some proper sandcastle time in - wearing jumpers and wellies naturally!

I think it's got to be done. I need to start looking at booking ferries....

I was given a hamper of European Foods as inspiration in exchange for including a sponsored link - but it's all true.