Well, we are back in the Mother Country and getting settled in again. It was a little harder to say goodbye to home this time. After lovely times with family and friends, it felt unreal to have to leave it all behind. Especially when thinking about coming back to winter weather in the Netherlands, a time when the days are short and the weather is gray. But honestly, the first week back has been good! There are some fun things happening here in Goes.
(I remember when the bike picture above seemed so amazing to me. I had never seen such a mass of bicycles before. But now it seems normal. Part of everyday life. Interesting how you just adapt to your surroundings.)
Before I get into the Goes happenings, I have to show you pictures of the Northern Lights we saw out of our plane window on the way over. We didn’t notice the lights at first, but another passenger was walking up and down the isles of the plane, suggesting people look out the window. The pictures aren’t professional, but show the color of the Northern Lights.
SUN – During the months of November and December, we hardly saw the sun. It rained most days and it was gray the days that it didn’t rain. I saw online that in the month of December, the Netherlands set a record high number of days without sun. On top of that, the day light hours are especially short that time of year. The sun rises a little after 8:30am, and sets a little after 4:30pm. BUT…since we have been back in January, there has been lots of sun and not a lot of rain. The days are starting to get longer of course, so it feels like there is hope for a bright future. 🙂 This helps with the everyday grind.
STREET CROWDS – It was so fun to be part of the Christmas shopping crowds in November and December. Just walking out my front door enveloped me in happy shoppers and an electric atmosphere. I was afraid that after the holidays passed, the streets would be quiet and lonely. Someone like me depends on the street people for company. But that doesn’t seem to be the case! There have been many people roaming the streets with their kids and their dogs on a daily basis! Saturday was really crowded with happy shoppers for some reason! I am thankful for this.
NEIGHBORS –Â When we moved into our apartment, we were the only tenants in the three apartments in this building. The other two have been empty for months. We live over a store space, but the store space has been empty as well. I have to say that I didn’t mind the quiet. Just before we left for Christmas vacation, a young man moved into one of the apartments next to us. And just this week some one is moving into the other apartment. We haven’t met this person yet. I have decided it is a fun thing to have neighbors though.Â
Now, as of yesterday, we noticed that the store space had been sheetrocked and people were working in it. We stopped to say “Hello” and found out that a young woman bought the space and will be opening a jewelry store. Her parents were the ones we talked with yesterday. They said it is their daughter’s dream to have this jewelry store. They are helping her get the space ready. We haven’t met the business owner yet, but I look forward to that! I have to say it feels good to have people in our area!
NEW RESTAURANT FIND – Yesterday we went for a drive around our peninsula. I am looking for the gravestones of my ancestors, and some of my ancestors happen to be from this very area! Anyway, on our drive we noticed a MEXICAN RESTAURANT in Domburg. I have not seen a Mexican restaurant in Zeeland since we moved here last July! So exciting! Of course we had to stop and the food was excellent. It was different from American Mexican food, but still fabulous.Â
THE MARKET – This isn’t anything new. The outdoor market happens every Tuesday and Saturday morning. But it was so lively on Saturday with SO many people milling about, enjoying the sun. There were new plants in at the plant stand, new fruits and veggies in the produce stand, and new cheeses in the cheese stand. It seemed like everyone was looking forward to a new year with a fresh start. I took a picture of the boy jumping on the oranges to create fresh orange juice. They bottle it right there for customers to take home. We have bought it numerous times and it is wonderful.Â
DELTAPARK NEELTJA JANS – This is a place we visited just before we came to America for Christmas. It is about 30 minutes away on an inlet from the ocean. Someone told us that seals live in a certain cove and are fun to watch. So we took a drive and found one seal who wasn’t moving too much. But we look forward to visiting more to watch the seals! Such a neat treat for these midwestern United States folks! I bet the area is gorgeous in the warm season.
And that is the start of 2025 for us in a nutshell. We look forward to what this year might bring! I will sign off with a pic of our favorite people, our adult kiddos. This picture brings me great joy and I am so glad I made everyone sit down and look happy for it. Just kidding, they are usually happy people. I miss them all already. And I miss all of you too. But I am also thankful for this time in Europe.
Oh so good to hear.from you. Love your trip ar p und the town and beyond.