A Saturday in Venlo, Netherlands.

We had a free weekend at the end of April and a friend had told us about a cool town just across the border they recently visited. After looking up the Coronavirus restrictions to see if it was possible at this time, we decided to go. Saturday morning we grabbed our passports, hopped in the car, and drove the 54 minutes to Venlo, Netherlands. It really is just across the border and has a beautiful riverfront area.

We walked around a park then up the riverwalk toward the downtown area. Everyone we met was very friendly and most spoke incredible English. We were told that especially because they were on the border, most people spoke at least Dutch, German, and English with many people speaking 5+ languages fluently.

We sat for a while in a park that overlooked a docking area off the river then headed into town. Most of the retail shops you had to have made an appointment ahead of time to go in as well as have a confirmed negative test for the day but we were happy to walk around and just take it all in.

We did however stop for snacks! There are many snack, ice cream and coffee shops that are more open front shops that you walk in, order, then walk out. Jesse got french fries with mayo and a Dutch specialty sauce called, Joppie. It tasted like a non-spicy curry flavor with tiny diced onions in it. It was absolutely delicious! A hazelnut latte was my go to and we continued exploring. Even Zoey got a treat when we wandered into an open market where there was a huge stands just for dogs. They had leashes, collars, beds, treats, and toys galore! One of the workers offered her a treat and she was happy to accept.

After spending a few hours there we were ready to head home, so we put on our favorite podcast and drove back home. It's still a new and crazy concept to me that we just casually drove to another country for the day!

I'm currently putting together a travel bucket list for while we are here. It will mostly be focused in Europe but Africa, the Middle East, and Asian countries are not off limits. What are some places you think we should check out while were here? Let me know in the comments here or leave a comment on my Instagram post for this blog. Happy travelling!