Walk with the Women

On Wednesday, I went to my first official event with the International Women's Contact Utrecht. The plan was to gather at Theetuin Eemnes and then head out on a walk through the neighboring town of Blaricum. Afterward, we would grab lunch at the theehuis before heading our separate ways.

Since I don't have a car in Europe, I met some of the ladies at the Jarbeursplein in Utrecht, where one member had so graciously offered to pick us up. The car ride went quickly as we swapped stories about how we ended up in Utrecht. While some of us are here temporarily, others have been here for many years with no end date in sight. One of the British ladies came for her Dutch boyfriend who she met in Greece on a vacation while living in America.

On my way to the Jarbeursplein, it had started to sprinkle a little, but we all kept our fingers crossed, hoping the sky would clear. As we approached Eemnes, however, the rain started to come down harder and harder. Since the radar showed only a thin band of rain, we opted to grab a quick cup of coffee in the theehuis and see if the showers would pass. This also allowed time for some of the ladies who were running a little late to arrive.

When we did head out, it was still drizzling enough that I opened my umbrella. Within a couple hundred meters, however, I realized that the rain had stopped completely when the umbrella blew completely inside out and I remained dry.

Slight Detour, Laying Some Water (?) Pipes

We walked for about 2 hours, but the time flew past. I enjoyed getting to know all of the different women and hearing about their adventures both in the Netherlands and around the world. Even in the midst of great conversation, however, I pulled myself away to take a few shots of the cute town of Blaricum. Out in the country, the town features relatively large houses with thatched roofs and nice, spacious yards. On the edges of town, people keep livestock, including sheep and horses.

Cute House

Funny Horses

These Sheep Were Quite Loud

At one point, we walked through a large off leash dog park. One of the ladies in our group brought her Portuguese Water Dog, Bailey, along, so we enjoyed getting to see her play with the other dogs.

Bailey and a Matching Friend

We returned to the theetuin (tea garden) around 1:30 and enjoyed a quick lunch before heading back. I ordered a ham and kaas (cheese) sandwich and pear muffin. Just as we started to get in the car, the blue sky decided to peek out of the clouds. While a sunny walk would have been nice, we were all just thankful that the rain had stopped in time for us to enjoy our jaunt.

Theehuis Eemnes (from the Road)