Family blessings in the Netherlands

Our trilogy concludes with some thoughts on the blessings of family. The purpose of the trip was to meet up with our son Cliff and daughter-in-law Natalie. She was invited to be a presenter at an international conference of librarians in Maastricht.

Amsterdam was fun, the trains were not, and Maastricht was pure happiness with ones we love. It was a week of exploration, sidewalk cafes and pubs serving local brews outside in the fresh air. Arguably the best bookstore in the world occupies a former cathedral. Stacks 3 stories high replace the pews with the rest largely unchanged, except for the Starbucks. Okay, it’s not actually Starbucks, but all it would need is the sign.

  

I’ve described the trip in reverse. Our week in Maastricht was first. Then Cliff and Natalie caught a plane for Prague. Sandy and I took the train back to Amsterdam, where we had a week of quality time together. No matter how far apart we live, family is what matters. Maastricht is half way between Taiwan and Florida, so it was perfect all around. What matter, though, are love and quality time. I promised to tell you what like is like when lived on wheels. I hope this helps people understand that life is full and loving whether one is a biped or a wheelie.

Maastricht is best described in pictures. Enjoy. Thank you for stopping by. Please leave a comment. We now resume our regular blog, already in progress.

In Amsterdam we stayed in an ultra-modern hotel. Here we experienced the ambiance of a grand hotel, appropriately named.

A modern shopping area with the same shops one finds in the US or UK with the ancient welcome center at the end.

Perhaps the best Italian restaruant I have ever found. 

Here’s Sandy in a lightheated moment. We hope you have enjoyed our accounts and maybe will entertain the idea to go yourself.

Fun cars, fun scooters, and bikes galore.