Springtime in the Netherlands (and Belgium)

Dutch landscape - polder, cows, geese, sheep - where Michiel grew up

The last month in the Netherlands has treated us (and everyone else) to the sunniest, warmest, driest spring ever. We've spent lots of time running, biking, cooking and enjoying the company of the family and friends. We've interspersed the pleasant with the necessary - medical and dental visits for physical qualification to return to the ice...this time in August.

Spring streetscape

We've spent a huge amount of time on the computer - catching up on the blog (finally), researching houses in France, re-learning French (I highly recommend the Michel Thomas audio program for those who learned French in high school and just need to re-learn/re-fresh), re-learning trigonometry to help tutor our nephew, and wasting oodles of time on Facebook.

Some Spring highlights: meeting our ice friends, Patrick and Liisa in Brugges for wonderful talks, bike riding and beer and chocolate sampling; helping our friend, Sandra, paint her apartment and our drinking and eating tour of Amsterdam on May 5 (Bevrijdingsdag - the celebration of the end of WWII); meeting our ice friend, Sully, and his friends in Amsterdam; the family reunion in Belgium in a "castle" (the castle was a bit less finished and luxurious than the internet photos suggested, but the company was wonderful); lambs, ducklings, flowers, and blossom trees (it's been an unbelievably gorgeous Spring); and being utterly spoiled for one month in one place with great food and drink, few responsibilities or costs and lots of reading material.

Local wildlife

Indonesian feast at the castle

Man v. Cow - the cows are let out into the fields for the summer

In Bruges

   

Beer, sunshine, wind mills and friends!