After playing host to my brother and his wife, and then my in-laws, we welcomed our first non family visitor, one of Mr. Traveler's friends, and former roommates. Before J arrived, I asked Mr. Traveler numerous times if J wanted to sightsee and whether he needed any advice about what to visit. Since Mr. Traveler had to work several days during J's visit, I wanted to make sure I knew what everyone's expectations were. I didn't receive a lot of feedback, but after my realization that I needed to be open to different travel styles, I stopped worrying about it before he even arrived.
J arrived on Easter Monday, or Second Easter, as it is referred to in the Netherlands. Mr. Traveler had the day off, but many of the shops and restaurants were closed in honor of the holiday. We wondered around the city of Utrecht, walked through the Domkerk, and enjoyed an afternoon drink at a cafe.
Tuesday, as more things opened, I thought J would head off to a neighboring city, but instead he opted to stick around Utrecht, going in search of breakfast, and later lunch, his book in tow. Inn the afternoon, he logged into his Civilization V game, and played until Mr. Traveler returned home. The next day followed much of the same pattern, except J and I rode the bikes out to the pancake house in the forest for lunch. On Thursday, Mr. Traveler suggested J head over to The Hague to check out the Escher museum, so he was gone until our planned evening of pizza, cheese, and wine tasting.
Finally, on Friday, Mr. Traveler was able to take a day off (thanks in a surprise change to his work schedule), so he and J spent the day in Amsterdam. While J only saw a few things on the normal tourist's radar, he did experience some of the finer food and drink selections that Europe has to offer. Perhaps a little rest and relaxation, alongside some delicious Belgian beer is all it takes to create a perfect vacation for some.
No comments:
Post a Comment