Category: General

My fantastic family went out today to Blijdrop Zoo in Rotterdam for my birthday. We celebrated early and had a lot of fun. The visit was courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law, and our niece CA  🙂 This was my first visit to a Dutch zoo.  The fringes of winter weather stuck around…

Four years ago, I saw the Green Heart for the first time. My first impression of this area was endless green countryside and historical buildings lying in hidden corners. I  caught sight of Kasteel de Haar (Castle de Haar) from the roadside, but never had the chance to visit it. Even…

New Year’s Day is a free for all in the Netherlands. Today every town block and distant horizon is filled with the clattering light of fireworks. It is tradition to let loose and light fireworks in the street or your yard. I haven’t bought fireworks here yet, but I enjoy watching…

For the first time in my life, I hosted a Christmas party. We invited all of our immediate family to the party at our new house in Voorhout. Eleven people in total managed to squeeze into our downstairs to party! We exchanged gifts beside the Christmas tree, and feasted on…

I miss having the day off for Thanksgiving, though it’s an American only holiday. We still had work and school, which made for a very long day. The roads and public transit were jammed due to rainy weather. It took us nearly 1.5 hours to reach Hard Rock Cafe for…

Two birthdays in a week require a special gathering of family to celebrate. We spent the weekend in Zeeland with our in-laws, to celebrate the birthdays of N and A. Saturday we stopped by a Christmas fair with everyone and drove to a coastal area named Hoedekenskerke at sunset. The…