Today is Easter Monday in the Netherlands. Traditionally, this is a holiday to get together with friends and family to celebrate springtime. On our excursion through the countryside, we saw many people out on bicycles or picnicking alongside the canals. Once again, the weather was ideal!
Two villages in particular seemed to pull out all the stops for this day. Rouveen and Staphorst have a number of citizens who still dress in the traditional style of years past, and it was fun to see so many of them on their way to church service in their Easter Monday finery.
We also stopped to see the hunebeds—huge granite burial chambers older than the Egyptian pyramids. I did some research online and discovered that there are over 50 of these megalithic monuments scattered over the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen, but not much is known about the people who built them.
In Giethoorn we boarded special “touring boats” and cruised the small canals into this very unique establishment where, in most cases, each house is on its own island surrounded by water. Many of us wondered what it would be like to live a life where one would grab oars instead of car keys to “run to the store for a few things.” It’s certainly a peaceful and beautiful place to visit.
The Orchid Farm in Luttelgeest was a treat for the senses. It’s a lovely place to stroll around, with thousands of orchids in all directions. We walked through the beautiful “Butterfly Room,” home to dozens of species of butterflies, ponds filled with koi, and we even met the resident iguana. Must be iguanas don’t eat butterflies. . .
Cameras were busy all through the day as we drove through or stopped at the many villages, each with its own special history and charm.