Spring is in the air!

The freezing temperatures we were enjoying a few weeks ago seem to be a thing of the past, and it's starting to feel like spring is just around the corner. Without even looking at the weather forecast we decided to pull the tandem out for our first ride of the year. We've been doing some geocaching, so I chose a few caches in the countryside to give our ride a little purpose.

Love our tandem!

We rode through the towns of Tegelen, Maasbrae, Baarlo and Blerick. The first three of these are all in the Middle Limburg farm country, and we were excited to see the fields being prepared for Limburg's famous white aspargus. It is often served with Hollandaise sauce*, ham, boiled potatoes and hard boiled eggs, or transformed into a creamy and delicious spring seasonal soup. The asparagus, which has a milder taste than the green variety, is white because it is grown under black plastic sheets, without benefit of sunlight so no green chlorophyll.

Photo:  az1172 

Another frequent sight in Limburg are field crosses. All of our caches today were located near crosses. They are all similar in size, but different in design. Limburg is one of two predominantly Roman Catholic provinces in Netherlands. The other Catholic province is Noord Brabant, all other provinces being considered Protestant, although most Dutch people do not hold to any faith.

Crosses are also located at road crossings

The Dutch word for spring is Lente, because spring is associated with the liturgical season of Lent. Today's ride reminded us that spring is in the air and Easter is on the way. So we were happy to find this fun place to buy eggs (that other, more pagan symbol of the season).

Egg vending machine near Maasbrae

*Although Hollandaise sauce is one of the five main sauces of French cuisine, some accounts attribute its creation to Dutch Limburgers, who served it to French Huguenots, who took it to France.

Guinness and Fiddles

I must admit, Dublin wasn't on my "must visit" list when we moved to Europe. But when I found out discount airline Ryan Air is based in Dublin, I decided we had to go. We chose to skip Carnaval in Limburg (a controversial decision) in favor of a long weekend in Dublin, before the summer crowds and prices hit. Did it rain? Yes, a bit. Were there partying students? Yes, they just added to the charm. We'll definitely be back, and it will be a longer visit so we can see more of the country next time.

Five outstanding reasons to visit Dublin:

Photo: Em' Milie

They say that Guinness tastes better in Dublin than anywhere else. More Guinness stout is produced here than anywhere else in the world, including every pint consumed in America. Having enjoyed it on two continents, I can affirm that it tastes good, no matter where you are.

Photo: munksynz

The Book of Kells is neither a book, nor is it from Kells. But it is a cultural gem and Trinity College's Old Library is a lovely setting. Don't forget to go upstairs and check out Ireland's oldest harp.

Photo: Éole 

Speaking of harps, Dublin is a great place to experience traditional Irish music. To learn a bit about it, we joined a musical pub crawl our first night there, and the next night visited a pub recommended by the musicians (it turned out to be right around the corner from our hotel). The music was amazing, probably because the musicians were playing solely for their own enjoyment.

Photo: Fergal of Claddagh

Dublin is crammed with history and the architecture is varied and delightful. We enjoyed old churches (St. Michan's hosts a slightly creepy crypt tour complete with mummies you can touch), parks such as St. Stephen's Green and Merrion Square, and charming Georgian terrace houses.

Dublin's best treasure is Dubliners. People were very willing to encounter us, and invariably friendly, gracious and welcoming.

Photo: me!

We were standing in front of this pub Monday morning, looking at a plaque. A man came out of the pub and asked if we were James Joyce admirers; we told him we were following the Ulysses walk. He told us the pub didn't open until 11, apologized, and invited us in for a look around. Which we did (we now feel as though we must read Ulysses, but that's another story ...)


Still not sure Dublin is for you? Check out this video:

Skating Weather

Temperatures have been freezing for more than a week and that means it's skating weather!

Because Holland is such a flat country, most naturally occurring water (as well as the human-made polders and canals) is not very deep. So when temperatures drop, lakes and ponds everywhere freeze over. Skating is very popular here, and it's therefore no surprise that many world-class speed skaters are Dutch. Americans like me may be familiar with the sport through children's literature: Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates first made its appearance in 1865. I always assumed it was a Dutch story translated into English but learned today this is not the case. Its author, Mary Mapes Dodge, is an American who only visited Holland after the book was published.

So when I found out this morning that there is a large natural ice area just five minutes by bike from our home, I had to check it out. Unfortunately I have no skates (yet!) but I did have a camera and got some pictures of the action.

Today is a sunny Sunday and the road leading to this area, the Zwart (Black) Water, was jammed with cars trying to find a place to park. Approaching the ice through the trees I saw many skaters and children being towed on sleds, and also many omas and opas (grandmothers and grandfathers) and other spectators.

It's possible to find ice right in town. Wherever there is water, it's an opportunity for skating and sledding. These children were having some frosty fun in a park near the center of Venlo.

We had our own little skating experience yesterday while on a geocaching adventure. One of our destinations was Juliana Park, with a solidly frozen fountain. Hanna and I did a couple of laps, just because we could. Note to self: get some skates soon!