Langedijk, Holland, Europe

I had an absolutely brilliant day today! I got a great night’s sleep, woke up late, and had a few hours of relaxation time at Jacqueline’s house. She and Tim were off to work, so it was just me and their chickens in the back garden. I did some laundry, caught up on sports scores, and had time to just relax. It was really nice. Jacquelien took a half day and got back to the house around 1pm. Our plans changed slightly, but for the better. Instead of going to Haarlem as planned, we went to a city called Alkmaar. It was only a 15 minute ride from her house, but we had a little detour on the way. I told Jacquelien that it wouldn’t feel like I’d been to the Netherlands unless I saw tulips and a windmill. Well, tulip season is finished, but she bought some to have in the house (she’s so nice). And then on the way to Alkmaar we stopped at a flour mill with a big windmill we could go inside. We climbed up to the top of it and got to see the inner workings of the windmill. It was really interesting. Jacquelien had been there before, but she was a good sport and came with me.

We got to Alkmaar and met Jacqueline’s brother, Bart, for lunch. He is the youngest of the family, and was just as nice as all the others I have met. The whole family is incredibly friendly. I couldn’t have asked for a better hostess or family to hang out with for the last few days.

We had lunch in the city square and then Bart went off to work. Jacquelien bought a couple of tourist maps of Alkmaar and we did the city walking tour for the afternoon. It was excellent! Alkmaar is a beautiful little town/city with canals running all through the streets (as you’d expect) and lots of really nice little houses. We got really lucky with the weather all day so took advantage by sitting outside to have some ice cream, and then sitting on a boat to have a couple of beers at the Beer Museum. I offered to order the beers, before I knew that the name was Texels Skuumkoppe. Not exactly the easiest thing to pronounce for an English speaker, but I got the job done and we enjoyed the beers and scenery.

We went back to Jacqueline’s house around 7pm and met Tim, Peter and Marieke for dinner. Jacquelien made noodles with chicken and it was awesome. She’s an excellent cook, which I was thrilled about. It was so nice to have home cooking for the last few days. Something I’ve really not been used to in the past few months.

We all hung out until about 10pm and then Peter and Marieke headed off and I had to start getting my things together for tomorrow. I’ve booked a bus to Brussels that leaves from Amsterdam at 10am. I’m really sad to be leaving so soon, but I still have a lot to see. I’m so grateful for everything Jacquelien and her family did for me. They were awesome, and I hope someday I can repay the favor. I already have a plan to come back to the Netherlands next year for King’s Day, and I’m already looking forward to seeing them all again. But with Jacqueline’s intrepid travelling spirit, maybe I’ll run into her again sooner!