My dear Readers,

I do apologize for the sparseness of new posts. Traveling has been at a hectic pace these past few weeks. Although I have been busy collecting information and interesting stories to share I am just now able to start doing so.

Christina (my sister) and I just finished a month in the Netherlands. We had the exciting chance to see many different cities such as Texel, Den Helder, Utrecht, Woerden, Rotterdam, Delft, Amsterdam, and more. There were many lovely people we met as we traveled frequently to new places-about every three to four days.

I cannot begin to describe how beautiful the Netherlands can be, especially in the Springtime with the trees flowering and the tulips blooming. The Dutch love flowers and nearly everyone who can has their own garden, neatly manicured with lots of colorful blooms. It’s a romantic country: the type you see in movies where a heroine goes on holiday, escaping from a hectic life that has left her feeling worn out and blue and returns from a mini-paradise on earth having fallen in love and gotten a new perspective on life. Meanwhile, the Dutch themselves continue quite steadily onward, even-keeled and contemplative. However, if you spend enough time with them, Dutch directness will begin to rub off on even the most Southern Belle and you’ll find yourself speaking very bluntly, but at the same time listening to others doing the same all without taking any offense. A valuable lesson and one that is necessary to learn to a varying degree based on the district where you stay in the Netherlands.

In the next few posts, I’ll share what I’ve learned about Dutch weddings and traditions. I also have other fun and encouraging stories from our trip to tell! For now, here are a few photos that I hope will enable you to catch a glimpse of this beautiful country.