As you know I have always had a fascination with military history. So visiting the cities of Nijmegen and Arnhem have always been near the top of my bucket list. Unfortunately, the week we were in this area saw some of the heaviest rainy days ever! We stayed in Groesbeek, about a 15min bus ride to the city of Nijmegen and an area which saw a lot of the action during the Market Garden and Veritable campaigns.
In Nijmegen we went to the Information Centre where we watched a very informative film about the experience of Nijmegen during the war and the utter destruction it suffered.
Market Garden is a well known operation - mainly because it failed to meet its objective of securing all the bridges crossing the rivers Meuse, Waal and Rhine. The film "A Bridge Too Far" is given much credit for bringing this particular campaign into our conscience, even today. Market Garden was actually 2 missions combined. Market was the aerial part involving gliders and parachutists. Garden was the on the ground campaign to secure the land. Many allied (UK, US, Commonwealth and Polish) personnel were involved in Market Garden.
At the information centre, where the staff were so helpful and friendly - a lovely lady told me about a place which would interest Christina - where there were animals and activities good for children. So... off we went to find it. It is called De Basti.
Excavations revealed medieval ruins and this has now been turned into a fantastic museum to learn about the long history of the Netherlands oldest city. There are also displays and information about the area's wildlife both on land and in the sea. Unfortunately, for Christina the animals were stuffed, but this didn't deter her interest, and the usual "Why" questions soon commenced.
One of the floors is dedicated to the varied marine life in Gelderland and the wider Netherlands. There are interactive displays, a video (with a rather crazy acting host) and a VR experience. This was the first time Christina had experienced VR or Virtual Reality and she was mesmerised by the whole experience of swimming with fish and flying over the reclaimed land which has created much of the Netherlands!
