Oh to be young again...
May 8th, 2006:
Lisse, Holland. A dreary Sunday afternoon turned into a day I'll always remember. I always encourage people not to laze the day away and to make it one we'll remember because there are too many days in our lives we never remember. So, on this grey and drizzly Dutch day, I encourage my friend to come with me to see the tulips, the famous Dutch tulips, before they wilt and die. We may never see them again...
Kees rents us bikes. We ride and stop to admire the ridiculous miles and miles of tulips. The colours are intense and vibrant and help against the grey backdrop. Contrasts of reds against greens that seem almost unnaturally intense. This is good, seeing something different and unique.
We get back late because we got a late start. Kees is waiting for us as we are the last fools to return our rented bikes. He asks us if we want to accompany him to Lisse, the small town nearby for a drink. He says he loves Canada and would like to talk about it. We both knew we didnt want to return to the boat right away and this would be much more interesting. How would we get there? In beautiful and typical Dutch style, Kees triple-rode us.
The small town square in Lisse was draped in greenery, trees, vines. Spring was definitely pushing. This reminded me of Europe, not like Rotterdam. Rembrandt's 'Anatomie' was displayed on a huge wall, made up entirely of hyacinth blooms. We had wine and tapas. Kees was joking that his son needed a good girl. I told him I was a bit old for his son.
It got late, Kees was having a good time being out, disrupting the routine. He had to triple-ride us back to his place as we had missed the last bus to the train station. In the dark we rode, on this narrow road alongside one of the millions of canals, the moon reflecting off the calm waters. The stillness occasionally broken by a coot. The stars were out and sparkling and a train accross the canal would occasionally roar by, leaving us afterwards in the silence and darkness, but for the glow of the moon. We swerved on the narrow road, tulips in hand, laughing nervously, hoping that this was going to end ok and not in the canal.
"I feel young again" Kees yelled out joyously. "You girls are making me feel young for one night". He recalls double riding his wife home in the dark when he was much younger. Im happy we could give Kees a memorable night, and recall his nostalgia, as Im beginning to question my existence here in the Nether regions.
Lisse, Holland. A dreary Sunday afternoon turned into a day I'll always remember. I always encourage people not to laze the day away and to make it one we'll remember because there are too many days in our lives we never remember. So, on this grey and drizzly Dutch day, I encourage my friend to come with me to see the tulips, the famous Dutch tulips, before they wilt and die. We may never see them again...
Kees rents us bikes. We ride and stop to admire the ridiculous miles and miles of tulips. The colours are intense and vibrant and help against the grey backdrop. Contrasts of reds against greens that seem almost unnaturally intense. This is good, seeing something different and unique.
We get back late because we got a late start. Kees is waiting for us as we are the last fools to return our rented bikes. He asks us if we want to accompany him to Lisse, the small town nearby for a drink. He says he loves Canada and would like to talk about it. We both knew we didnt want to return to the boat right away and this would be much more interesting. How would we get there? In beautiful and typical Dutch style, Kees triple-rode us.
The small town square in Lisse was draped in greenery, trees, vines. Spring was definitely pushing. This reminded me of Europe, not like Rotterdam. Rembrandt's 'Anatomie' was displayed on a huge wall, made up entirely of hyacinth blooms. We had wine and tapas. Kees was joking that his son needed a good girl. I told him I was a bit old for his son.
It got late, Kees was having a good time being out, disrupting the routine. He had to triple-ride us back to his place as we had missed the last bus to the train station. In the dark we rode, on this narrow road alongside one of the millions of canals, the moon reflecting off the calm waters. The stillness occasionally broken by a coot. The stars were out and sparkling and a train accross the canal would occasionally roar by, leaving us afterwards in the silence and darkness, but for the glow of the moon. We swerved on the narrow road, tulips in hand, laughing nervously, hoping that this was going to end ok and not in the canal.
"I feel young again" Kees yelled out joyously. "You girls are making me feel young for one night". He recalls double riding his wife home in the dark when he was much younger. Im happy we could give Kees a memorable night, and recall his nostalgia, as Im beginning to question my existence here in the Nether regions.
posted by Plutoplazm at 8:02 AM
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