Almost exactly 10 years ago, I took my first trip to Europe and stayed in Leeuwarden with my grandma and Hans. I remember being completely overwhelmed by how quaint–and different–everything was. I was ready to have a different impression the second time and to feel a little let-down. Since then, I have done more traveling and seen more of the world, so I didn’t expect to be so impressed or quite as shocked. But Holland really is that amazing. It’s like a movie, or make-believe. There are lambs on green dikes, bikes abound, flowers are everywhere (growing and in markets and people’s homes and being carried on bikes), canals run through the cities with cute little bridges around every corner. There are cheese stands, local herring markets, people walking and riding through town to do their errands at a leisurely pace, going from one shop to the next instead of one big, florescent-lighted, overstocked supermarket. Every morning at Hans’ we had fresh squeezed orange juice, a hard boiled egg in an egg cup, toast, cheese and coffee. I loved our time there.
One day we went to Amsterdam, another we spent driving through the country from village to village.  In Cornyum, there is a darling little castle, which looks like it came straight out of a fairytale. There were little flowers coming up in the grass all around it, and of course a little moat. Hindeloopen may be my favorite of the places we went. This little waterfront town is so full of canals that many people travel by boat. Most of the houses face a road on one side and a canal on the other. The houses are all beautiful with intricate designs, thatched or tiled roofs, lovely yards and of course little bridges leading to the other side of the canal. Words really can’t capture this place. You’ve got to go see it.
