Shetland Ponies grazing
Simple eleganceThis was a completely different trip in that I was staying with friends and family of my future Sister in Law. It was a completely different experience because of that. I fell in love even more because we stayed with Dutch people. You get a real feel for how they live. I love the simplicity of everything over there, there is no excess, the food is simple but fresh, (side note: they have the BEST chocolate sprinkles in the world that they put on bread, brought some back!)they bike everywhere and everyone is in shape because of it, they focus on relationships and not the petty every day things. People there are very forward but in a good way, they truly want to know how you are doing. More than once people I didn't know in a crowded room came straight over to me and introduced themselves. There was never an awkward moment in the large group of people because they introduced themselves as soon as they walked in if they didn't know you. I felt more at home in Holland then I normally do here in the US. I LOVED it! It was so freeing. It also helped that I just meshed with everyone over there. I felt like I knew everyone for years because of how open everyone was. I made a lifelong friend/sister in Petra who is a friend of my new sister in law. My husband and I stayed at her condo and she was so warm and welcoming from the instant we met. I MISS her so bad. I don't think I've laughed so hard in quite some time. She was very generous with us and we stayed up and talked nightly! No time for sleep over there! I was soaking everything in and up. We had great conversations about how things are different here and there. She has never been to the US so she had lots of questions. I'm trying to IMPORT her over here!!! LOL She is a cardiac nurse at the hospital in Zwolle her town which was absolutely adorable.
My new friend/sister Petra while touring Zwolle.
Zwolle with J.I never realized how beautiful the countryside of Holland was, never really paid attention before. We only saw the sun when we landed in Amsterdam the first day, the rest of the trip was gray and had misty rain but it was still beautiful. Because of that fine mist the grass was green. It was foggy a lot of the time but you could still appreciate the beauty. You drive down a typical road and see very old thatched roof houses, open fields with dug out moats as I call them not sure what the name is but these moats keep the animals in their own fields. I didn't see any fences. Everyday we would see HUGE swans in these fields eating from the grass, small Shetland ponies, cows, and storks!! There are HUGE stork nests over there and these birds are everywhere! I never knew storks were from Holland. Every now and then we would see an old windmill which I found out from Petra usually have pancake houses in them. The other wild but cool thing was that everyone biked over there, there were cars, small cars, but in the rain, fog, mist people were biking everywhere, together as families, with their laptops, their groceries, you name it, any reason we would use to go out in our cars they were doing on their bikes. It was amazing. I even saw a couple with a newborn car seat attached to the back of the mother's bike, so wild!!
Moat
An old windmill in the middle of the village.I loved the way the houses were over there they all had such LARGE windows!!! These super large windows let in so much light even when it was gray out. I would yell, BIG WINDOWS to Petra and Jason as we drove by some big ones. I loved them! They usually had a simple orchid in the window or tulips in a clear vase, simplicity at it's best. The furniture was usually a bit modern but the rooms were still very cozy. I felt like redecorating when I came back. I still loved the Dutch architecture of the narrow but tall buildings, especially along the canals in Amsterdam. Places still had the ornate facades from decades past and the towns still felt medieval in parts. You're in another world in Europe and I love it's rich history.
Tulips in a BIG window, Zwolle.
Amsterdam
One of the Queen's Palaces in Amsterdam
7 bridges on the canal in Amsterdam.
View from Madame Tussaud's big window.
J and JLo LOL!!
