For exactly two days, Summer came. Its raining now. Summer must be over. Below is my beautiful front yard turned swimming pool!
Sun. Free Festival. Eastside. Yessssss.
I had a realization recently. I’ve been living in the Netherlands for almost two years and I have never stayed overnight anywhere in the country outside of Amsterdam. I’ve taken a day trip to Rotterdam, passed through Maastricht but never actually went out to explore this country. My holidays are spent trying to find ways to explore new countries but since I was in need of a quick nature escape, I decided to head off to Texel, one of the five Wadden Islands off the Northern coast of the Netherlands.
Texel is the most populated of the five countries making it a bit unappealing for city dwellers who want the ultimate country escape. Unlike the other islands, Texel allows cars from the mainland and has a pretty established village. It is still the most popular island to visit because of its proximity to Amsterdam, you can get there in 2 hours.
I wasn’t expecting much but it ended up being a really pleasant gettaway. The island, though considered busy compared to the other Waddens, was still so isolated compared to Amsterdam. The geography resembled a bit of a microcosm of the Netherlands, flat farm lands transitioning into beautiful dunes and long beaches. The beach went on for miles with only a few people in sight. The village Den Berg was also so quaint. People had their bikes unlocked leaned against beautiful traditional houses.
How to get there: From Amsterdam central station, take the Train to Den Helder (90 min, 12 euros), from Den Helder take the Bus to Texel (10 min, 2.60 euro) Ferries, then hop on the ferry to Texel (20 min, 3 euros)!
Tip: Stay at a Bed and Breakfast and avoid the hotels and hostels. Its so much cozier and really cheap!
Its June. For a Texan that means heat, sun, swimming and barbecues. I’m not wishing for 100 plus degree (40 plus for you Europeans) weather but I’m ready for sun dresses and would even be glad to break a sweat. Come out sweet sunshine!
Eight Scottish men, a German, a Dutch, and a few Americans all in orange costumes carrying flasks of whisky. Debauchery ensued.
I’ve always been unimpressed by the Bloemenmarkt/Flower market in Amsterdam. It seems like they sell more tulip bulbs stuffed inside ceramic clogs than actual flowers or interesting plants. Yesterday, I ended up there in search of tourists on assignment for my job and noticed a bunch of really beautiful dried flowers hanging all over the ceiling of a shop. Glad I looked up on this visit!
Spent Christmas in beautiful Scotland!
This Texan is walking like a penguin in this foreign substance called snow. Sure does look pretty though.
My roomies and I have made several attempts to try and transition from our grad studenty lives to working responsible adults. We tried to make our non-student apartment look classy and DWELLesque, but with the frequent birthday celebrations and dinner parties, the house is becoming tackier with streamers, banners, and balloons. Truth is, nothing seems to have changed except trading in going to school with going to work.
I’ve lived here for over a year and I’ve just managed to attach a basket on my bike. Next step is to pimp it up like this awesome fiets and turn my ride into a full blown garden. It’ll probably take another year before I get around to it. Nonetheless, I love bikes like these. Saw this one parked on Singel.
