Land of Bikes...

This photo is of just one aisle in the 3-story bike garage at Amsterdam Centraal Station. There's 16 million people in Holland and rumor has it that there's 16 million bikes with 90% of households owning at least 1 bike (somehow we already have 9). The bike paths are truly wonderful and cover much of our area. Jimmy rides 9.5 miles each way to work almost entirely on lit paths. Amazingly, the bike paths are salted during winter storms before the roads. On our ride into Leiden Centrum we even pass through a traffic roundabout just for bikes. We rarely rode bikes in Cary, so we're really proud at how quickly Veronica has adapted to riding here. Now we just need to stop being lazy and get Ashlynn off those training wheels. My personal goal is to eventually get fast enough that no old ladies can pass me--it'll finally be my turn to use a bell.

An American History Lesson...

Granted I don't remember much from school (or from this morning for that matter), but I don't recall ever hearing of the city of Leiden before visiting here 2 years ago. It turns out the Pilgrims lived here for 11 years after escaping religious persecution in England. Haven't been to the Pilgrim Museum yet, but there's several plaques dedicated to the leader of the Pilgrims at the Pieterskerk (a church built in the 1300's). The Pilgrims originally attempted to sail to the New World from near Rotterdam. Their ship wasn't sea worthy, so they returned to England and sailed on that famous ship from Plymouth instead (but you already know that story). Poor John Robinson was in poor health and unable to make the trip; he finished up his years here in Leiden and was buried in the church. Now for a pop culture quiz: Can you name the TV show that featured a John Robinson as a futuristic pilgrim?

Grocery Shopping is a Fun Adventure...

It's just a quick 10-minute bike ride to Leiden Centrum where there's a farmers market twice a week, which we just love. We've never seen such a huge variety of cheese, bread, flowers, fish and veggies as well as bike supplies, clothing and household goods. Jimmy can never pass up the booth selling Mediterranean nuts and foods, and I'm addicted to Old Amsterdam cheese. The grocery stores here are good, but small, so we're glad that there's lots of speciality shops to offer what they're lacking. Many of the small shops we go to specialize in just one food category such as cheese, chicken, fish or spices. There's also a lot of international shops such as Turkish, Indonesian, Asian and Italian. Every few months I tag along with a friend in her car to the Foreigner's Market (which is like an overpriced Costco) to stock up on staples (it's hard to erase all those habits as a US-consumer and besides it really helps save extra trips to the store on my bike).

Random Thoughts on Toilets...

* The Dutch have strange toilets - as you can see from this insider's view of the peculiar shelf in the "Inspection Toilet" in our WC ("Water Closet" is literally a closet with a toilet and a mini sink). Wonder what the inventor was on that made him think this was a good idea?

* Europeans must have large bladders - Finding public toilets (they don't use the term "restroom" because frankly you don't do much resting) is a challenge. The good news is that you occasionally find a really interesting toilet, like the ones with the liquid crystal stall doors in front of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (the door's clear until you lock it and it turns opaque--definitely worth the 50 Eurocents price of admission).

* The whole world is their toilet - Dogs are everywhere in this country and so is dog poop. Jimmy came up with his own word to warn us when we're about to step into a pile: shitstoppen. It is funny to see dogs in banks and riding on trams. Too bad they don't know how to clean up after themselves since many of their owners don't bother.

This Place is for the Birds...

...and I mean that literally. While Holland isn't known for it's wildlife (other than perhaps in Amsterdam), we're amazed by the variety of birds nearby. On the river in front of our home we regularly see swans, ducks, coots, geese, crows, seagulls and heron as well as a bunch of small birds. We're enjoying watching the babies float by this spring and even got to feed these signets without any hissing from the parents (although the dad did try to eat Jimmy's foot). Especially cool are the green parakeets, which we've only seen once out our window but see regularly by the school.

Our Family Station Wagon...

Since we don't have a car, we've outfitted my used Dutch bike to be able to carry as many groceries as possible (after a lot of squished bread, I finally added the wicker basket). My commute to the store takes only 5 minutes on the bike path. First I stop by the recycling center where I drop off paper, cardboard, chipboard and glass bottles. We basically have forced recycling since they only empty our single trash can twice a month (it was very ugly the one time we forgot to put it out). We have a separate compost can for food scraps since we don't have garbage disposals. Since we only have a mini frig, I've gotten very good at planning our meals and only buy exactly what we need for the next few days. You might be surprised to hear that not only have I started riding a bike since I moved here, but I've started cooking, too. Come to visit and see for yourself.

It's Tulip Time...

Spring has arrived very late this year, but the tulips are finally in bloom. I took the girls to the infamous Keukenhof, which is a giant garden which features every type of tulip ever grown and is visited by every type of old folk you've ever seen. This photo was taken when Jimmy and I went on a 20-mile bike ride through the bulb fields, which was quite spectacular. And now for a history lesson: In the 17th century the tulip was a very popular flower in Turkey, especially with the sultans. It was often referred to as 'Tulipan', as its shape resembled a turban. It was the scientist Clusius, at the time establishing a botanical garden for the University of Leiden, who brought the tulip to Holland. Tulipomania swept through Holland between 1634 and 1637 when tulips were the ultimate status symbol. The bulb of a rare tulip like Semper Augustus might sell for a sum equal to the cost of a fancy townhouse or to 15 years wages for the average bricklayer. In a wave of panic selling in 1637, the Dutch economy collapsed, leading to mass bankruptcy and economic depression. Tulipomania has baffled historians and economists every since. Lucky for us, we can buy 10 tulips for $2.50, so we always have fresh flowers on the table.

Skiing in Holland?

Usually there's two major necessary ingredients for skiing--snow and mountains. While Holland has a shortage of both, it doesn't stop the Dutch from skiing; they just do it inside. On this beautiful spring day, Veronica's class party was held at SnowWorld so the kids could snowtube for an hour. Ashlynn had enough after just one run, but Veronica had a great time. Last month, while I was on a tour in Amsterdam, Jimmy took the girls to the largest indoor ski place in Europe about 3 hours from here. It's hilly there, so the building is actually built into the slope of the hill and is large enough to have a 6-person chairlift. While Jimmy was busy helping Ashlynn on the bunny slope, Veronica enjoyed going solo on the main slope. Hopefully next year we can hit the real slopes in Germany .

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 1

* If you stand in front of the tram door but neglect to push the "Open" button, you'll have to get off at the next stop and walk back to your destination.

* Always carry a 50 Eurocent in case you need to use a public toilet or want a grocery cart (you get a refund when you return it). Also, don't forget to bring bags to the grocery store.

* The folks at the bank have no idea what a North Carolina driver's license is; besides, they love making a copy of your passport.

* Always wear sensible shoes because you never know when you'll have to break into a sprint to catch a tram, train or bus. The funnier you look, the more likely the driver will take pity on you and wait.

* If you have a low-hanging steel beam in your basement, duck.

* If you're riding a traditional Dutch bike and want people to think you're a foreigner and/or mentally deficient, wear a bike helmet.

It Pays to Know the Locals...

Our last few days in France were spent on our own after our friends all headed home. We enjoyed the quiet of the Chateau and outings to see Da Vinci Park, which featured models of many of his inventions, and a cool world music museum that had giant instruments that we could play. The highpoint was definitely our hike with Aprille Glover, an artist from Jacksonville who we met last year that lives in a cave with her husband in Lavardin. She showed us her art studio in a cave, a 3,000-year-old Druid cave and the ruins of a Roman fort. Best of all, she gave us an unauthorized private tour of Lavardin Chateau, which was closed for the season. I'd photographed the majestic ruins on a hill during our last 3 visits, but had never been inside. Considering this chateau was built in the 1100's and destroyed in the 1500's, it was amazing how much remains. Ashlynn especially loved the goats that live there. What a great vacation!