Stinky is excited for Periwinkle’s arrival. He is positive she is going to love today’s adventure. While he waits by the teleportation tunnel, he spiffs up his furs. He always wants to look his best for her.
Stinky doesn’t have to wait long, as the teleportation tunnel begins to vibrate, and Periwinkle comes tumbling out with the usual whoosh.
After several minutes of whisker kissing and paw hugging, Periwinkle speaks. “I know today is Bad Poetry Day, so are we going to write some poems?”
Bad Poetry Day
“Nope, we won’t be writing any poetry, nor will we be climbing any trees.”
Periwinkle giggles at Stinky’s rhyming and says, “Okay, then I bet we are going to celebrate National Couples Day. Have you planned a romantic date for us?”
“I have no plans for romancing you, but I do promise to give you a whisker kiss or two,” replies Stinky.
“Oh, cripes, are you going to be doing this all day?”
“What are you talking about? Would you rather I scream and shout.”
Periwinkle rolls her eyes but decides not to encourage Stinky by saying anything else. Thankfully, he takes her paw and leads her back into the teleportation tunnel without uttering another word. Moments later they arrive at their destination.
Before Periwinkle can ask where they are, Stinky announces, “Welcome to Madurodam in the Netherlands.”
Madurodam
“Wow, this looks super interesting. Isn’t this one of the places Dalton and Benji’s mom, Ingrid, suggested we visit when you asked for suggestions back in June?”
“Periwinkle, you have an excellent memory. Let’s get our tickets and discover what there is to see.”
Periwinkle stomps her paws and replies, “Listen here, Stinky, I have had enough of this rhyming craziness. You are giving me a headache. Either spit out an entire poem and get it over with, or I am hopping back into the teleportation tunnel and heading home.”
“Ah, Periwinkle, this also is Never Give Up Day. If you wanted, you too could play.”
Periwinkle crosses her arms across her chest and just glares at Stinky.
Stinky suddenly looks crestfallen, but says nothing as he takes Periwinkle’s paw and leads her to the ticket line.
“Oh great, now you are going to pout. I am going to smack you if you don’t cut it out.”
Then it is Stinky’s turn to giggle. “Ha, I knew eventually that I’d get a rhyme out of you.”
Periwinkle slaps herself on the forehead and both tabbies break out in uproarious laughter causing the others in line to stare at them. In unison they clap their paws over their mouths in an attempt to stifle any additional boisterousness.
Finally, with tickets in hand, Periwinkle and Stinky set out to explore Madurodam.
History
Stinky puts his rhyming aside to tell Periwinkle a little about the history of Madurodam. “We are in a 1:25 scale miniature park and tourist attraction in the Scheveningen district of The Hague in the Netherlands. It includes replicas of famous Dutch landmarks, historical cities and large developments. The park opened in 1952 and resides on approximately 15 1/2 acres. All net proceeds go towards various charities in the Netherlands.”
“This is so cute, Stinky. I cannot wait to look around,” replies Periwinkle.
“I knew you would like it after I did my research. The park is named after George Maduro. He lived from 1916 to 1945 and was a Dutch law student. Maduro fought the Nazi occupation forces as a lieutenant in the army and later as a member of the Dutch resistance. He died at the Dachau concentration camp in 1945.
“As a memorial to their son, George Maduro’s parents donated the funds needed to construct Madurodam. It was fashioned after Bekonscot, a miniature park in Beaconsfield, England. The theme for Madurodam is: The little city with the smile.”
Stinky continues, “After waning interest in the park, it was closed near the end of 2011 for six months and renovated. It reopened on April 21, 2012, to celebrate its 60th anniversary.”
Park Divisions and Intent
As the tabbies begin to walk around and explore, Stinky continues with his narrative. “The park is now divided into three themes. The first is water, as both a friend and an enemy. The second is historical cities and the third is the Netherlands as an inspiration for the world. Different activities are offered as part of each division. Also, both the aesthetic and informative aspects of the site have been improved. Triggered by chip cards given to visitors, small television stands show brief video footage or in-depth information about the site and its contents.”
The intent is for Madurodam to show a realistic view of The Netherlands in a scaled-down environment. Everything is modeled to scale. The small human figures included in the park show the real life of the Dutch people. These residents change with the weather, donning warm clothing in the winter and t-shirts in the summer. Over time, the residents of Madurodam have become more multicultural. Some now appear to have come from other countries, reflecting life as it is today in the Netherlands.”
“Stinky, this is so interesting, and I can always depend on you to research the sites we visit.”
Landmarks
Although Madurodam is mainly a miniature city, a collection of Dutch buildings, structures, and notable features also are included. Some of those are:
Rijksmuseum
Binnenhof (Location of the Dutch government)
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ( Main international airport of the Netherlands)
Dom Tower of Utrecht
Traditional Dutch Canal Houses
Tulip Fields
Windmills
“Stinky, look at those tiny cows. They are so adorable! Actually everything is amazingly cute at this size.”
SS Rotterdam (Ocean liner and former flagship of Holland-America Line. Now a museum and hotel in Rotterdam since 2010.)
“Periwinkle, my paws are tiring; though, there is lots more to see, such as the skyline of the city of Rotterdam, the Erasmus bridge, Euromast, the central train station, cube houses and Unilever Headquarters buildings. Do you want to continue, or are you ready to return home?” asks Stinky.
A Poem from Periwinkle
Periwinkle replies,
“Stinky, I had an absolute blast;
though, this adventure went by super fast.
Maybe we can come here again
and share some other things with our friends.
I’m sorry your rhyming was driving me batty
and made me act rather bratty.
But now that I’ve made a little poem,
I believe it is time for us to head home.”
Stinky, throws his paws around Periwinkle and gives her a big hug and whispers, “I love you so much! I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist doing some rhyming of your own.” Stinky then takes Periwinkle’s paw and leads her to the teleportation tunnel for the trip back to Stinky’s house.”
The End
Note: With so many cool things to see at Madurodam, Periwinkle and Stinky could only share a small sample. Check out the site Small World Miniatures for more cool photos of Madurodam or just Google Madurodam images.
The tabbies will be participating in the Happy Tuesday blog hop hosted by Sandee at Comedy Plus. To do the same, click on the Happy badge.
In remembrance of our precious Angel Sawyer and celebration of our 14th Blogoversary, Kitties Blue and I are giving away two copies of Purrseverance. You can read Angel Sawyer’s story in the book as well as those of several of your other kitty friends.
