Out and about explorations
Living a nomadic lifestyle
Archives
October 2022
July 2021
June 2021
April 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
July 2020
June 2020
Living a nomadic lifestyle
October 2022
July 2021
June 2021
April 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
July 2020
June 2020
Blogging while on an extended trip, with limited internet access has its challenges. We flew out of Philadelphia with our cousins from Delaware, where we left our motor home and tow vehicle. Twenty-two hours later, after a stopover in Dublin, we arrived in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Not our official first destination but we were getting close. A two-hour train ride east brought us to the rural Dutch countryside town of Holten, where we would call the next week home base. We got off the train, luggage in hand with hopes of hailing a cab to our rented cottage. Well, you can't hail a cab when there are none to hail. Fortunately, there was a cafe/beer garden outside the train station where they helped us get some transportation. Due to travel exhaustion we almost forgot where we were. Realizing, with some memory recall, things abroad move a lot slower than in the US. To make a long story even longer, we waited an hour for a bus that finally got us to our lodging. Are you tired yet? Tired, at that point was an understatement. When we finally checked in, collapsing was the only thought we had left and to sleep we went for the next ten hours. Not as bad as it sounds as when we travel to Europe, we always catch some needed winks when we arrive.
Holton, as we had said, is quaint and rural with an impressive central area full of shops, markets and eateries. It would be safe to say we were most likely the only Americans there. Being so off the beaten track, encountering English speaking people was extremely rare. We did manage to navigate all aspects of our stay without too much difficulty. A memorable highlight was being in the local market and oogling over the fantastic bargain prices of wine, two women overheard us, and they started what turned out to be a 45-minute conversation. We learned they were originally from Iran and through England, had located in Holten. Turns out the daughter lives in Great Britain and was visiting her parents. The Iranian woman was married to a Dutchman who grew up in the area. They graciously invited us to their home the next day for some drinks, snacks and conversation. Their home was beautiful and had large perfectly manicured English gardens. We had a delightful time and made some new friendships as we have done in other parts of the globe. It is comforting to realize that people, no matter where they are from, regardless of backgrounds, have the same aspirations and desires. As Louis Armstrong sang, "what a wonderful world". Stay tuned for part 2 of Europe Adventure as we train ride into Amsterdam before waking up to the fact that a car rental would be a cheaper and faster venture. We plan on doing a full photo blog post after we sort through the 1000+, and growing, portfolio we have amassed.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
About UsTravel is living life to its fullest. Sharing our journey and adventures create memories that live on as we truly enjoy the passage of time Archives
October 2022
|