Have I ever told you all how rude and standoff-ish the Spanish are? When I got to Spain straight from Atlanta, I had such a shock. Spaniards actively stare you down in the streets instead of wish you a good morning. At first, I thought it was me, or rather the color of my skin. White colonizers and all. Then I realized that unless they knew you (or wanted to fuck you), they’d take a baseball bat to the knees rather than speak pleasantly to someone (first).
This weekend, I arrived in The Netherlands with my Spanish face on. Neutral expression. No wishes for a good (or bad) day on the tip of my tongue. Shoulders ready to duck between people rather than say “excuse me.” But fuck, the Dutch are actually polite. I’m sitting in the dining room of the hotel (view pictured above) and lost track of the “goedemorgen” greetings that have flown from and between strangers so far. There are also a ton of dogs in this hotel but that’s another conversation.
Although I was a little nervous about getting on a trip for the first time after being ill, everything has been great. The flight (despite the strike by French air traffic controllers) was decent, the hotel was sweet, plus the 🤩 of seeing my BFF. The reason we’re here, the annual tulip festival, has been amazing.
The entrance to the Keukenhof Gardens, a beautiful welcome!
Gorgeous yellow tulips with my finger being a bit naughty.
We found this gorgeous statue tucked away along a quiet path in the Keukenhof Gardens. In the middle of such a busy day with the sweet perfume from the nearby yellow daffodils, it was magical.
Angela and I being absolutely thrilled tourists!
View from the hotel during breakfast.
Tiny snacks from the gardens.
A hyacinth field seen from the road.
roundtheworldgyal 