Autumn Summary

This is an image of everyone crowding around the grocery store Sunday afternoon, waiting for 4:00 (called 16:00 here) when the doors will open. It looks like a party. People are ready to bust down the front door. The grocery store does not open until it is dark outside on Sunday. And that is only the largest grocery store in the area. No other shops are open all day on Sunday. You may ask, ‘But what if I want to cook a chicken?” Tough cookies. Sundays in Holland are quiet. And it is nice. At first I was frustrated, I wanted to go, go, go. Now, I appreciate the forced reverie. You cannot be frenetic on Sunday morning, you cannot do chores. Most Dutch young people do not go to church and most folks I have talked to are not very religious; however, a Protestant ethic influences many thing here. Even Albert Heijn—the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands—is closed, except for a few locations.



Wind turbines on the horizon, spinning. A common site in Europe.



My friend Jitske making orange juice for breakfast. She is using an electric mixer; you can also use a hand squeezer which is easier to clean. When I first decided to make orange juice I made the mistake of buying the wrong oranges. Yes, that’s right, there are two types—oranges for eating and those for juicing. Now I know the difference: Get the green bag that says Perssinaasappelen. Try saying that ten times.



I’m clearly intimidated by the giant cow heads.



Lovely secret hedge garden in the North of Holland. The sky was a typical gray and rain was sheeting down, however, roses still bloomed brightly in the garden. Most leaves are off the trees now. The leaves her are a sad brown and yellow. They lack the luster of either West Virginia or New England autumn—the reds, golds, oranges. Also, there is no earthy, cinnamony, fall smell here. I miss jumping in a newly-raked pile of leaves!



This is a quaint wood-burning stove inside a café in Friesland, Holland. Again, that day it was drizzling rain and nothing felt better than this fireplace with a piece of apple pie and a café latte.



Taken during the same rainy day in Friesland, this shows a quintessential Dutch barn. It was built in the 1700’s and is still working. Note the roof: clay tiles. This roof, along with thatched roofs made from reeds are common in Holland. There is an abundance of clay here and almost all the homes are brick. Wood is hard to come by in this completely human-constructed country, where there appears to be mostly bogs and grasses.



Dutch style: I almost fell off my bike trying to take pictures of other people on their bikes. This girl epitomizes Dutch style. 1. She rides a bike. 2. Her right foot is raised, ready to speed off as soon as the light changes. 3. She wears practical flat shoes 4. A bike lock is looped around the base of her seat 5. Striped shirt. Today in class, four of fifteen people were wearing black and white striped shirts. I was wearing a black and blue striped shirt. What’s with the stripes? 6. On top of her shirt is a faux or real (probably faux since she is a student) black leather jacket that starts at her belly button. Also in vogue. 7. Side bag which is cooler to bike with in Holland than a backpack (note to self.) 8. A green purse is looped around her front handle bars. 9. She is eating a sandwich at the light (multi-tasking.) 10. She is blonde (a common hair color here.) 11. What is in her bag? To generalize I’m going to say, a date book, since everyone stays immensely busy and pencils in all their dates. And I’m going to guess she has two or more types of sport equipment inside since I have not met a single young person that does not do at least two sports (this does not count biking.) Rowing, jogging, field hockey, ice hockey, skating, swimming, rowing soccer, etc.



The Dom Tower: The tallest building in my town of Utrecht and my point of reference so I did not get lost for my first three weeks here.



Black sheep in Friesland. Zoe, my excellent friend at Brown, recently purchased an antique spinning wheel. I need to find some wool to send her…



Stone street flanked by a canal (most small streets are brick or stone) where I lock up my bicycle and go to class! My classes meet on the left side of the bridge.



Cheese in a wagon.



Cat inside a windmill. As for pets, it is common to have cats and dogs. However, you do not see stray dogs wandering, while you do see stray cats. There are lots in the fields, you see their little tails emerging from the high grass. I watched a show on television the other day that said in a cat’s lifetime she could have over a thousand kittens if not neutered.



Beautiful windmill



View of windmill from the bottom, looking up