Saturday - The great outdoors (playground) in Groningen

There's an amusement park near Groningen offering a wide range of fairly uncommon, to say the least, but amusing indoor and outdoor group activities such as bushtrail, catapult building, crates pile ups and highland games.

Since getting wet today will not be an issue (temperature's forecast is in the middle 20 C and above), I would go for the build-your-own-raft-and-see-if-it-floats one.

And, if you prefer a more chillaxed thing to do, you can always join a petanque tournament.

http://www.outdoorinternational.nl

Friday - Milan Festival Den Haag

Starting today and ending on Sunday (literally, with fireworks), the Milan Festival in the Zuiderpark is the largest open air event in Europe celebrating the Hindustani culture.

Expect deliciously spicy food and Bollywood music, but also hip-hop, catwalks, markets and a cricket tournament!

http://www.milan-zuiderpark.nl/

Thursday - Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas

I do realise it's not the most cheerful of topics, but funerary art is still, after all, art.

That's why I think that the tomb of Engelbrecht II van Nassau, which can be seen in Breda's Church of Our Lady, is worth checking out.

What stuck me was that while normally these marbled lord and ladies are always fully geared and covered in bling, in this case Mr and Mrs van Nassau are lying almost on the floor, simply clad in a sheet, while all the pomp and circumstance's outfits are carried above them as if to say: all is vanity.

Now to brighten you up: entrance to the quite beautiful church is free (with optional donation), you can watch a presentation about the evolution of the House of Oranje-Nassau and the toilets are very clean.

Wednesday - Den Haag Sculpture 2013

Every summer on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague, in co-op with the museum Beelden aan Zee, there's a free open air exhibition of massive sculptures representing the latest contemporary art trends in a certain country.

This year it's time for Russia. NL is celebrating in 2013 its ties with that country, from when Peter the Great came here incognito to learn the rudiments of sailing and canal digging to the opening of the Hermitage in Amsterdam.

The sculptures are quite impressive, although some may find them puzzling at times. In any case, they are surely better fitting in their elegant temporary setting than the hideous monster trucks and roller-coasters of the Queensday's Kermis.

Another thing that would be perfectly fitting under the lined trees is a proper Christmas market hosted in small wooden houses. The whole area has a sort of Dickensian quality that would make it the prettiest Christmas market in NL: in case you are reading, think about it Major Jozias van Aartsen!

http://www.denhaagsculptuur.nl/index2.php?lang=eng&item=home

Bizzare but true fact about NL and Russia's links: it would seem that Putin's daughter lives in Voorschoten.

Tuesday - Upstream on the Maas

A tip for a sunny day: a water bus trip up the Maas from Erasmusbrug to Dordrecht, the picturesque and still not touristically exploited town south of Rotterdam.

With the OV chipcard a single trip costs 5 euro and your bike travels for free.

http://www.waterbus.nl/landing.php

Not the Waterbus

Monday - Rotterdam's Pride: Groos

There's an area just outside Rotterdam Central station which is being re-developed as an alternative cultural hotspot.

The idea is to use the urban landscape and several empty office buildings to create spaces for music and art studios, cool independent shops, funky eateries and even an unexpected post industrial bier-garden in a former parking space.

The new kid on Het Schieblock (...) is Groos, a shop that wouldn't be out of place on London's Brick Lane, selling clothes, art and other objects exclusively made by Rotterdam's designers.

Sustainable, local and deffo cool, what's not to like?

http://groosrotterdam.nl/

Here's an interview with the owner (nice guy, btw):

http://www.losbangeles.com/culture/tjeerd-hendriks/

Groos = old Rotterdam's word meaning proud

Sunday - Park Pop in The Hague

It's impossible not to mention it, above all because it's free: Park Pop in The Hague.

This years bigger names, Bob Geldof and Sinead O'Connor, will be pulling large crowds of older music fans, but on the 3 stages there will be selection of (Dutch and international) bands, including Noisettes, to cater for all age and tastes.

Bring a picnic blanket, but not your drinks and snacks, because, as is crowd surfing, they are not allowed.

The organisers however are understanding enough when it comes to bring your umbrella: dat kan..

Park Pop starts at 14.00 in the Zuiderpark.