Category: General

An American friend of mine named “K” happened to be in Europe for several weeks. I invited her up to The Netherlands to visit and stay with us. We started our day with a “crash course” tour of the Netherlands. We drove across Zuid-Holland, from our area all the way…

I can’t say every weekend is filled with castles and historic sights. The whole idea sounds very tiring actually. I’d rather find enjoyment in even the simplest things. Staying busy contributes to a much healthier life. It can be just as fulfilling as traveling. Despite traveling to the Netherlands almost six years, everything can…

It’s finally happened…there are more bicycles than people in our house. Now we’re conforming with Dutch tradition. I have an “omafiets” (basic bicycle) for going out on local trips and getting groceries. It’s a fun bicycle, but it’s not suited for more strenuous riding. Our family had a racer hybrid lying untouched…

A rare lunar event occurred tonight over my house. They are calling it a “Super Blood Moon”. During a lunar eclipse, the moon turned red. The moon was extra large due to its close orbit to the Earth. It made for some great pictures, and excellent watching. I stood out…

We spent today with my in-laws in Zeeland. The weather was crisp and sunny. Everything seemed extra vivid, and the drive south was beautiful. The four of us went to a five-hundred year old fortification called Fort Rammekens. It was a great Saturday 🙂

The weather started out nicely today. We went for a drive through the Bollenstreek, and all the way up through Haarlem. We took it easy getting milkshakes and the car washed, since it is a lazy Sunday. It was fun looking at the nice old buildings throughout the area (and…

I walked into the kitchen this morning, and found the white walls glowing with golden light. The texture was beautiful, like paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. Autumn brings large clouds full of color and a specific kind of sunlight that is gorgeous. An incoming storm was responsible for the…

Rotterdam is a large city perched on the river Maas. Today we spent another day in the city alongside the river. G needed to use his adventures gift certificate, so we ended up at Funjet. The company offers a ride in a speedboat through the river and harbor areas. We…

On Saturday, we finally acquired our “new” car. Our Toyota Aygo isn’t very big, but it provides a lot of fun. It is strictly a city car developed for the European market, and doesn’t exist back in the United States. The rest of the weekend we drove around Zuid-Holland testing the car, and…

We went to Noordwijk to spend the afternoon with a large part of our family. During the afternoon, G and I braved the slightly chilly sea for a swim. Afterward we had a family dinner at a local sushi restaurant (that we frequent often). While we were waiting for dinner, barricades were…