Island Getaways

Last month since there were several national holidays, we took the opportunity to explore some areas in the Netherlands--from an island up way North down to a group of "islands", south-west of the country.

For Ascension day weekend, we decided to go to the Province of Zeeland (literally means sea land) as I have never been to this part of Holland. I first heard about Zeeland from a former colleague in London who found himself (for reasons I could no longer remember) in the small fishing village of Yerseke. I recall him saying to me that if I love mussels, I have to ask my husband (then boyfriend) to bring me to Zeeland, where he only ended up doing, was to eat mussels.

Certainly Zeeland has more to offer than mussels. It is a beautiful and relaxing place to be when the weather is perfect or just to spend a long weekend. The area has some fairly decent beaches, and sprawling sand dunes. Hubby also mentioned that I can't leave the place without visiting the famous Delta Works, which Zeeland is also known for. Here you can see that the Dutch is truly the expert when it comes to water and flood management. Middelburg, although a small city is also worth a visit.

While driving through small towns, I couldn't help but think of the Philippines because of the familiar sights of the sea. What also struck me was the vast areas of farmland, one after the other, which brings a certain remoteness to the area. I believe this is also what makes Zeeland appealing--with the sea only nearby and the feeling that it gives you of "being out somewhere", even if it were just only a bit more than two hours drive from our place!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to eat mussels, but this is something I look forward to do frequently this coming summer.

****

We, together with the rest of my Dutch family, booked a holiday villa in one of Holland's islands, Texel island for a four day family break. Texel truly has the island appeal because it is only accessible by a 20 minute ferry ride.

The short break is some sort of a nostalgic trip for my husband's family because they used to spend a lot of their summer holidays in Texel island. For my brother-in-law and his family, it might be the last opportunity to visit Texel before they leave for their new life abroad. So we went to the places they used to visit as kids, searched for the red lighthouse, flew kites and took some walks. We also had the chance to visit Ecomare, and enjoy the seal sanctuary.

Too bad, it was raining a lot so there was really not much use to explore more of the island. But on the other hand, it gave us more time to bond as a family. Fortunately the villa was well equipped so you can enjoy a sauna or even a whirlpool bath. But what I certainly found strange was the presence of a sunbed in one of the bedrooms! At least you can get yourself a fake tan (not that I need one anyway) even when the weather is not cooperating.