What to do during Ascension Day

Thursday, May 29, is Ascension Day. That’s a day off for many people. If you are also free the following Friday, then you have a nice long weekend! Dutch campsites and bungalow parks get busy every year during this long weekend.

From Christianity, Ascension Day is about commemorating Jesus Christ’s departure to his father in heaven, God. From religion, Ascension is about hope and being together. Traditionally, therefore, there is a lot of eating together and going out. We searched for you for fun outings during Ascension Day. You can read them here.

Picnicking

Hopefully the weather forecast is hopeful and with any luck it will be dry and we will have sunshine. Then go for a nice picnic. In our blog Fun picnics at the nicest picnic spots, we give you several tips. To make it extra special, you can also turn the contents of the picnic basket into something special. And no, this really doesn’t have to be very complicated! So no sandwiches and packs of lemonade for the kids, but (healthy) treats as picnic dishes. And you can also spoil the adults a bit. So a bottle of wine in the cooler is okay. We have collected a few ideas for you in our blog tasty things for the picnic basket. Quick to make and very tasty!

Visit a castle

Visiting a castle is always fun, but especially during Ascension Day. In the blog Leuk dagje uit: bezoek een kasteel Sonja has highlighted castles throughout the country with tips on what to do and see. Like Loevestein Castle, Heeswijk Castle, Hoensbroek Castle and the Muiderslot.

This Ascension you can take the whole family out to Castle Cannenburch in Vaassen. Here they are organizing a daily spring scavenger hunt for the entire month of May between 11:00 and 15:00. Whistle along with the birds, discover what is growing and blooming in the vegetable garden and the park and feel the first sunrays on your skin. Get started with the tasks in this scavenger hunt and learn all about the park and its inhabitants. You will use your fishing net as a knapsack and to complete your assignments. Along the way, you can rest on a bench and eat or drink something tasty from your fishing net. And the nice thing is, you get to take it home! The cost is €4 and tickets can be purchased at the Country Store. For more information, visit: Cannenburch Castle.

Out and about by bike

Get out and about with the family on your bike. In the blog series Cycling, hiking and more in the Netherlands, we give tips on the best and most beautiful cycling routes per province. Challenging for the sporty ones among us, relaxed for the less fanatical cyclists, and short but fun for the smallest cyclists in the Netherlands. Especially now that the terraces are open again, it is great fun to take a nice bike route and in between enjoy a drink or a full lunch at one of the fine terraces in our country.

Through the organization Happen & Trappen you can even book complete culinary bicycle tours. Select the region of your choice on the website happenentrappen.nl and you will be presented with several fun and tasty routes. You start the day with a cup of coffee and pastry, cycle to the appetizer, then on to a delicious intermediate course to continue cycling to a tasty main course and then finish the route with the final stop for dessert.

Are you more culturally inclined and looking for bike tours with a story? Then book a guided bike tour through Baja Bikes. The bike tours are offered in 19 Dutch cities, including many provincial capitals, but also for example Delft, Alkmaar, Eindhoven, Volendam and Nijmegen. Go for the highlights of a city or opt for adventure and get off the beaten track. Under the guidance of the local guide, experience the city from the core and discover how the locals experience the life of the city and where they prefer to be. Of course during the tour you will get tips on where to have lunch, dinner or do some nice shopping. Book your guided bike tour at www.bajabikes.eu

Credits photos: www.canva.com