Haarlem-Amsterdam-Home

We stayed two nights in a lovely air bnb in Haarlem the nights of Sept 12 and 13. We rode bikes to the seashore, sat in amazement as we witnessed the incredible bike culture in the Netherlands.
Most impressive was the older population- 60-75 yo- riding their bikes literally everywhere. In the US we ride our bikes primarily for exercise. In Holland their bike IS their life- and nothing is too far away to get to. The mothers with two kids in the front “bucket seat” and a baby in the front facing carrier- no helmet just a mom on the go! So different from home but it’s keeping the people young -in body and mind - and keeps their judgment razor sharp on the bike paths.

Amsterdam was lovely too. We stayed two nights in another bnb. We visited the Ann Frank museum as well as The VanGogh Museum. Spectacular. Red light district was pretty tame! Steve rented a bike so he could get out with the locals on the bike superhighway around Amsterdam.

Our trip is difficult to sum up in a few words. Being home now provides us time to reflect and let those memories marinate and sink in. We are grateful for the time together, the history and culture of other places. Our world remains small. It’s up to us to explore it.
A quote that I came across frequently and sometimes freakishly throughout our stay in Amsterdam was this: “ The trouble is, you think you have time.” Sigh…
Until next time! 🇮🇹🇫🇷🇳🇱❤️🍷Okumaya devam et