When it’s spring again…

05/09/2015

Behind our house, two Brazilian Pepper trees have become the objects of a great deal of rivalry between our somewhat miserable neighbour and my husband. I frequently curse these trees for obstructing our view of the beautiful Hout Bay bay. And yet, over the last few weeks, I’ve been noticing a new energy in the sunbirds and Cape bulbuls’ playful interaction around these trees. Spring has arrived in its full yellow splendour on our mountains, and the birds are loving it.

In Europe, things are a little different. They are hurriedly completing all those tasks that simply cannot be done once winter sets in. So we decided to make use of the last bit of good weather, and see what Portugal has to offer.

Our flights allowed us a few hours in Amsterdam. Dangerous, I know, to try and see the highlights of a city in a mere few hour. Even more dangerous to attempt to do this after an overnight flight. So I will not breath a single word that remotely sounds like a complaint.

Amsterdam is very busy. As to be expected. Even more so over a weekend, when bachelors and bachelorettes from all corners of Europe seem to think that it is the best place to lose all forms of inhibitions one last time. We turned a blind eye at all the tourists, and made our way to the Noordermarkt, where they have a fresh produce market on Saturdays. What better place to experience a city than in its food markets. And besides, there was one thing I was hoping to find there. Poffertjes!

I loved walking around the market. From fruit and vegetables to a skinned pig’s head. You could find it all here. And while the locals are out buying their fresh produce, they almost all also buy flowers.

We had no intention of doing those must-do’s in Amsterdam. In stead, we really just wondered around the busy streets and canals, stopped for a beer to watch the Dutch world go by, and browsed through a few shops. So no. No “brownies” or “muffins”. No cycling. No Museums. No canal cruise. But we loved our few hours in this vibrant city. The Dutch seem to enjoy life. And they just seem to make things work. We saw a guy on a bicycle carrying a rather large tree. We saw a little boy, no more than 3 or 4 years, on a kickbike. At times, he was way ahead of his father, but there was no frantic calls to reign him in. We saw a little girl standing on the back of her father’s bicycle, loving her ride down the very busy streets. And we did not see a single helmet. Not on cyclists, and not on the heads of those riding scooters. No paranoia. Just a love for life.

Our final destination for the day is Faro, Portugal. Tomorrow we will explore the Algarve region of Portugal. But first, some sleep!

Oh Boy, those Poffertjes were good!!

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