The Homeland

1. Holland in a nutshell; flat, green spaces, animals, blue skies and of course a threatening rain storm..:) 2. Matt and I went to very many street side patios to enjoy that lingering warm autumn air and a cold beverage. Matt and I are often so very opposite but we find a lot of common ground in the killing an afternoon people watching. 3. I take this picture every time I am in Utrecht because my landscape heart loves perfectly pruned boxwoods. 4. The flower markets in Holland are so lovely! It's a little like Instagram heaven. And the flower bunches are so cheap you just want to buy them and distribute them to anyone you even remotely know because it seems like a waste not to. 5. Our swanky top floor pad that we rented off Airbnb in Utrecht. Utrecht is maybe my favourite city and it was so nice to stay so very close to the city centre and to my brother and his family. Also, having an all white apartment looks so cool but it's stressful. I leave too much of a trail of clothing and diet coke cans behind me to live so minimalistically. 6. Cheese and bitterballen on a sunny afternoon. It does not get much better. We are so high brow. 7. The way the moss sat and the oak leaves scattered on an old gravestone was so beautiful. 8. Making friends. 9. I love Dutch city centres. Just filled with cobblestones, canals and bikes. And I love biking everywhere; though I totally owe that one girl an apology because she had the right of way and I cut her off because I mis-interpreted the signs. 10. The view from the rooftop of our place as the sun sets... sigh.

Did a little blog disappearance and enjoyed two weeks in Holland. Matt and I both had to bust our butts prepping to get away, so by the time we were on that plane to Amsterdam we were over everything and just wanted to get away... 

And now we are back, a bit more relaxed and full of Gouda cheese. 

We visit Holland fairly regularly because my two brothers and their families live there. It feels very much like 'home' to me with the sights and smells of my childhood. I walk into a grcoery store and I just want to buy and eat everything. Not because dry hard cookies with tasteless pink icing are that good but because I remember licking the icing off them during tea time at my Opa and Oma's. 

But honestly, even if you don't have adorable towhead nephews and an angel baby niece waiting for you in Holland and even if cookies with pink icing are not your thing, you should still go to Holland sometime. It is truly a pleasant country! Apart from the beautiful historic buildings, cobblestone streets and bike lined canals, Holland also has the nicest cat population (they all come up and say heyyyyy... seriously). And if that isn't enough, the homes are often set very close to the street so you can go for walks and admire some really great interior designs. And if you think that's just creepy, then just enjoy the fresh bread and cheese and beer and candy. Maybe not all together but I also won't judge. 

I've been to quite a few European cities and they were all great in their own way but I have to say that Holland is probably the most cost efficient. I remember eating MacDonald's in Paris and London because that was the cheapest meal option but generally speaking, the cost of living is pretty decent in Holland. And I know I keep talking about cheese, but seriously, so many good cheeses for so little money!

Clearly I am the unoffical spokesperson for cheese and Holland (if someone wants to make it official and pay me, I'm cool with that too)...