Earlier this week, I found myself pulling along a bright red carry-on and awkwardly making my way through an airport- completely unaccompanied. That's right. No, big deal but I flew by myself, for the first time ever. Straight to Amsterdam. Can you tell I was excited?
As I stumbled through security (after dropping many items) and browsed overpriced magazines before boarding my plane, my mind was busy mulling over what was to be of the journey ahead.
1 hour and 10 minutes after boarding I felt my suede boots hitting Dutch soil (well not really soil, more Asphalt, but that just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?). It didn't take long to fall in love with the country.
The friends I was staying with quickly introduced me to the beauty of Dutch culture. Here's a few things I loved about Holland
1. Bicycles.
It seems everyone in the Netherlands is jetting off on bikes in every colour under the sun. While in the Netherlands I spotted an older couple holding hands whilst cycling side by side. (That's the kind of cool stuff you see, in the Netherlands). Also it's not just the sport ones who cycle. In the Netherlands practically everyone does. While I was roaming a street in Haarlem I spotted a woman in a dress coat and tights followed by a man with a cigarette in his mouth, both cycling. It's cool to see so many different people on bikes. Businessmen in suit coats and young children alike.
2. The Food
While in Holland, I had amazing food. From ribs, to Turkish pizza but one thing I found especially interesting was their frites (chips/fries). We stopped at a little food place which sold chips wrapped into a cone of sorts. The chips by themselves were lovely, but what made them particularly interesting was there topping. A common topping for chips is mayo and peanut sauce. Actually quite nice.
3. Iced tea.
I've always liked iced tea and Holland had lots so, that was kind of perfect.
4. The history
While in Holland I found myself visiting Rembrandt's Birth place and Corrie Ten Boom's House. It was lovely to go somewhere with such a cool history.
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| Rembrandt's birth place |
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| Statue by Rembrandt's birth place |
The Netherlands seems to have an abundance of canals, which makes it ideal for transportation by boat. Very, very cool.
6. The architecture
The cities I visited (Leiden and Haarlem) seemed to be full of gorgeous old architecture from centuries ago. I often caught myself staring in awe at the intricate designs of architects from a time, long before mine.
7. Flowers
There seemed to be fields of flowers EVERYWHERE, not only tulips but other varieties also. I don't think I realised how fun it is to walk through fields of flowers until I actually did so. While strolling flower fields with friends, we even managed to find some kool-aid smelling ones. Who knew flowers could smell so good. Mind. Blown. I was glad to "stop and smell the roses", it's not something I do often.
All of these things made it increasingly to march my grey canvas Toms on an plane back home. As I flew across Europe I was reminded of how fortunate I was to visit a place as beautiful as this. I do indeed love the Netherlands.
Until next time...
Afscheid!
