We bought a house today!! We are sooo happy that in the end, we did succeed to find something we both like. It was an enduring process but really worthwhile the effort. Given all the houses we saw and lived in this is the best house so far. We had to change some of the … Read more
When we were in the Netherlands we bought a couple of chocolate letters. Of course an A and a D for the kids. But also some general ones as a present. In the Netherlands, it is custom to give these letters when it’s Sinterklaas. Usually the first letter of one’s name. Today we went to … Read more
Two birthdays today! Our son and the youngest grandson have their birthdays on the same day. To celebrate we went to a mall together. We never visit so many malls as when we are at our son’s place. A Dutch saying goes: a child’s hand is quickly filled. As was the case today. With the … Read more
“Tomorrow it’s Black Friday.” Our daughter-in-law warned us. This morning we had forgotten all about it: “Let’s go shopping in the mall.” After a nice walk in the sun, passing the full parking lot, and approaching the entrance of the mall, ignoring all the panting and running women, we still had no clue. Inside the … Read more
I have really tried my utmost not to use plastic during our trip. I didn’t succeed. Sure, once (!) our drinks came in glass bottles, but most of the time the bottles were of plastic. Whenever I get enthusiastic about something I tend to become a missionary. So I almost ended up in a fight … Read more
All things considered, the journey is quite smooth. No mist, no rain, no freezing roads. And even the manifestation of the gilets jaunes had as an advantage that we didn’t have to pay the toll.Time loss was about half an hour. All in all not too bad. Especially since I am sooo happy to be … Read more
This is a prison. Like most prisons, it’s a special prison. During the past twelve months, my books were incarcerated here. They were convicted of having been unable to go to Spain by themselves.A long interior investigation disclosed that they were innocent and had to be released immediately. Today was the day of their liberation. … Read more
One of the things I miss in Spain is seeing the autumn colors of the leaves. The trees have either green leaves or no leaves. Here in the Netherlands this summer has been too dry and the changing of seasons was too abrupt, so the leaves are not as sparkling yellow as I was used … Read more
The black pencil lines are the only evidence that there is ice on the water. It was a freezing cold day today, so we decided to walk one of our famous hikes: The Smugglers’ Route. Half of the route is in the Netherlands, the other half in Belgium. It’s a walk of about two hours. … Read more
Walking in Breda at the moment is peculiar after being away for almost a year. And this was amplified once we sat in a restaurant we loved to go to when we still lived here. I used to own the original of the can shown here. Droste is a brand of chocolate powder to make … Read more