When people think of The Netherlands, they undoubtedly think of tulips. Everyone has seen this pictures of huge, multicolored fields. Well, the grand dame of all tulip experiences here is a visit to Keukenhof. This year the park is open March 23 – May 14. Because it is so popular and can get very busy, … More Tulips, Tulips, Everywhere
So I mentioned in my previous entires Adventure Iceland – Part 1 and Adventure Iceland – Part 2, I mentioned our difficulty getting TO Iceland. It was something different, that is for sure. Because we are loyal Star Alliance customers, we try to fly their carriers whenever possible. For this trip that meant taking SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) … More EU Air Passenger Rights
Thanks to flight issues, we lost one day of the trip so we packed a lot into our last two days. Volcanoes Rather than take the 5-6 hour round trip hike to see the Fagradalsfjall volcano, we opted to visit the Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel. This one hour tour takes you through a lava tube formed … More Adventure Iceland – Part 2
Our daughter had the last week off school, so we took the opportunity to head to Iceland to hopefully see the northern lights. Despite growing up in Canada, and doing my share of camping, I had never seen them. Getting there was an adventure, and not the good kind, in itself, but I will save … More Adventure Iceland – Part 1
I often joke that life in The Netherlands is one of communal living. Houses here are small and close together, often sharing walls. So what do you do when you house is small and you have a party? You head outside. And the yards are also small. Today we received our second letter from a … More Communal Living
Today was another “mommy field trip” day. I went with 16 other parents from my daughter’s school to the Clara Maria Cheese Farm & Clog Factory in Amstelveen. It was only about 30 minutes from our house and it was so fun, even for a non-cheese eating person such as myself. The farm is run … More A Very Dutch Day – Cheese and Clogs
As you can likely imagine, going to the grocery store when you don’t speak the language can be a bit daunting to say the least. Then you add to that the regional differences – flavor, cuts of meat, etc. and it can get overwhelming quickly. Thank goodness for Google Translate. I am not sure how people … More Grocery Shopping
I am a day late, but yesterday was National Tulip Day in The Netherlands. This is the eleventh year for Tulip Day, which takes place on the third Saturday in January. While bulbs are starting to pop up in my garden, we are not close to full blown flowers. We likely have some cold weather … More National Tulip Day
This morning I was at a coffee meeting for fellow expats at my daughter’s school. There were a few new parents there, who arrived during the winter break. So, we got a chance to welcome them and pass along some initial tips. We talked about travel and the weather, which is really cold and rainy … More Living in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
Red, White and Tulips 