Spent two weekends in a row in the Netherlands. Guess, I like the country ;-) Melanie invited me to the Dutch North Sea, where she had booked an amazing little house for the three of us. On(!) the beach. Big windows in all directions. I did not even know, that houses are allowed in front of the dike… apparently they are (during summer). It’s probably the best spot to stay when you are at the Sea: Open the door and one is on the beach. Fabulous!

Melanie was prepared very well: Food for four days. Check. My favorite tea. Check. Candlelight for romantic evenings. Check. Espresso maker and milk frothing jug for a delicious cappuccino. Check. Little princess for a lot of fun and smiles. Check. Well, I did not had to do anything, but got a full service by Melanie. Actually, we would not have needed to leave the house for four days. Which we of course did nonetheless. The whole coastal area was just to beautiful to miss. Long walks on the beach. Stunt kite flying. Strolls through little cozy villages. Stops in nice cafes. Star watching at night (which we actually could right from the bed as well). And a lot of relaxing in and around the house. Lovely! Thanks Melanie for this fantastic birthday present. For the exceptional service :-) and the four great days with you and the little princess. Would have gladly stayed much longer…

Well, as a result of suboptimal planning, I went back to Darmstadt after the first weekend… just in order to travel to Groningen four days later. Where I finally met Elise and Wouter again, my Dutch friends from Ecuador. Wouter lives on a little barnyard close to the city and Elise came over from Amsterdam for the weekend. First evening we spent bar hopping and dancing. Second day I was taken to a ride in the countryside and Wouter played chef back home. Next day we enjoyed the sun and flair of Groningen, watched a singer songwriter contest and I got a glimpse of the crazy student nightlife of Groningen later on. Again, I was met by a very well prepared host. Besides that I only got coffee (instead of Cappuccino) and, sorry to say that Wouter, but you are far less attractive than Melanie (at least for me ;-) It was really great to see the two of you again. Thanks for the great days in and around Groningen. And for a lot of laughter! Welcome to Darmstadt.

Dank je wel & with love from the Netherlands
Michael