Holiday Time

This is my first summer in Western Europe. (And it is delightful!) I am blown away by one thing – the HOLIDAY. Stores, presumably those run by one family, have started to post when their holiday is, since they will be closed. It is a topic of most conversations these days. “Where are you going on holiday?” is frequently asked. And it’s not if, it is when. Three weeks in France. One week in Germany in July and two weeks in the Netherlands in August. Two weeks bicycling around Eastern Europe. Three weeks driving to Italy and back. These holidays all have something in common – the length is long and the accommodations are sparse. I have heard of only one person who isn’t going to be camping. From the perspective of this amateur observer, to the Dutch, holidays aren’t about experiencing the culture of Paris or catching up on house projects. It is about getting in nature and slowing down life for a few weeks. And then coming back from your three week holiday and STILL having enough time to take even two more mini (read one-week) holidays later in the year!!!