The ending of my Great European Adventure

The last stop on my whirlwind 5 week trip was the Netherlands (Holland). We all stayed with a close family friend Marieke and her husband Peter in a small town outside of Amsterdam. We had 4 days there each of which had its own adventure. Like the Dutch people we took to bikes and headed out for Amersfoort one day. It was a cute medieval village with canals and winding roads. We found the best Belgian fry and icecream place which Hannah and I got. Later though Jerri was feeling a craving and the trip we took to try and get back there took us all over the village. At one point I asked Jerri what street it was that we were looking for (Markieke had told her.) To which she replied “I don’t know, something-straat.”  Just to let all you readers know,  EVERY road is something-straat. We ended up going street by street and trying to remember visual landmarks. We found it eventually and the reward was ever so sweet!

Another day we grabbed the train up to Ultrect and shopped a bit and walked along its canals. One of y favorite day trips we took was up into Amsterdam. Hmm what to say about Amsterdam… Well for starters there are lots of coffee shops. Not the coffee shops like in Vienna, no these cater to a slightly different crowd – one with dreadlocks, lots of tye-dye, and bloodshot eyes.  We found the red light district which was… interesting? I’ve definitely never seen anything like that in the US. But apart from the stranger parts of Amsterdam I liked the feel of the city and wish I had had slightly more time to wander. But we of course had more places to see so we headed back to the main train station with its triple decker parking garage for bikes and headed to the sea, the North Sea.

A balmy 17 degrees Celsius (in US terms: numbingly chilly), the North Sea was a murky brown color but had a beautiful wide white sandy beach. Hannah and I walked along in the surf and picked a few select shells (very cool, they have thick stripes of color in rusty red white and black – unlike any I have seen here).

Back at Marieke’s house we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I have never eaten so much cheese in my life! But along with cheese I also developed a taste for red currants. They are delicious! Yumm, a few (read: a LOT) of fresh currants in with you morning yogurt and granola and I am a happy camper! Marieke’s house was fun to stay in. They had a beautiful garden and the most treacherous steps I have ever had to climb inside a house. We are talking steps maybe 5 inches wide that go up at an 80 degree angle. *this is not an exaggeration!

We had a lovely time everywhere we went. I miss Europe, I had made such good friends there and the freedom of traveling wherever I wanted was liberating. However, it is so nice to be home with my family and friends here. Dorothy knew what she was talking about when she said “there’s no place like home” but then again she also never had to spend 3 hours getting through the hullabaloo of US customs checkpoints!  

I hope you have enjoyed this blog. I loved getting to write it. Thank you for all the compliments on my writing. I try to write like I speak (even though in real life I get made fun of for not being a good story teller *cough: dad :cough*)  I will miss not having so many fun new things to write about but if you ever want to chat just send me an email and I will happily give current updates!  Email: atkempf@indiana.edu 

I didn't expect beautiful sand dunes in Holland, but there they were! And we were over 30 kilometers from the North Sea!

Our final dinner together  :)

European cars = too small for a group of 6 to get to dinner without a couple trunk riders

Our bikes we took on a day trip - mine was the flowery one with the basket. I had the most beautiful bike by far!

Our boat ride in Holland! A little drizzle never stopped us!

The North Sea! Yay! I love the beach!

So many bikes in Amsterdam and yet so many seem to never get used. Many parked next to buildings have plants growing through them! Honestly, where are their owners?

  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!