This is the perfect shopping afternoon: Amayzine.com

Travel

This is the perfect shopping afternoon

And yes indeed. I braked and whoosh there went my bottle of cola light, without a cap, flying to the right. The entire contents spilled over my daughter's legs. And over her pants, her socks. Even her underwear was wet. “Well, mom, that means shopping.” Fortunately, Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet, our destination, was only two minutes away. And fortunately part 2, there was plenty of parking space. And fortunately part 3, I had a slip dress in my car that served perfectly as a girls' dress.

Batavia Stad has been around for quite a few years, but new brands are added every year. The center has recently expanded to 150 stores, giving you even more choices now. We started at the Ralph Lauren store, one of my favorites when it comes to children's clothing. Seven minutes later, a completely new girl left the building. Pleated skirt, dark blue T-shirt, and a knitted dark blue cardigan. “This is what I’m going to wear on my first school day, mom.” Or was it going to be that blue dress with a polo collar and long sleeves? She wasn't quite sure yet.

Next up was Scotch & Soda where a great summer jacket was hanging on the rack. Fifty percent off. It had to go into the fitting room and suddenly I realized that I almost never shop with my daughters. Usually, I buy online or when I'm abroad for work, I quickly grab something. But together like this, how nice is that. My girl wanted the full experience. Trying on clothes in fitting rooms, sniffing through all the racks in search of the cutest item.

At the Falke store, we quickly bought some socks. For dad, otherwise it would be so rude. And since I suddenly became sporty, I tossed some sports socks on the counter for myself. Shopping makes you hungry, so we took a little break at La Place. I am a fan of La Place and it seems to only get better with the years. A sausage roll for my girl, a smoothie and a dessert for me (I’m still team braces – just like Máxima how nice – so eating remains tricky) which we ate on the terrace overlooking the Markermeer. We spotted a playground, but hey, playing can always wait, now we had to make the most of our shopping time. Quickly stopped by Tumble ’n Dry where we actually found a winter coat, a scarf, gloves, and a really cool blazer. Suddenly it was already half past five and we had to leave to be home on time.

But first the blazer had to be tried on. In the car, my girl, who of course got to sit in the front, saw herself in the mirror. “That jacket. It’s the most beautiful piece of clothing I’ve ever had. I have no words for how beautiful it is.” I seriously thought I saw tears in my daughter's eyes. This is really my child, you don't need a DNA test for that.

Moral of the story. Spend a day at Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet. Affordable, all the nice shops together, easy parking, car-free shopping area, and nice restaurants.

And then you suddenly remember how fun it is to shop together.