RIGHT NOW...
I'm listening to the morning chatter of the northern cardinals (or so says my Merlin bird call app) here at Blue Springs Park on the outskirts of Kansas City.
In the past- opening my monthly recap with a "I'm listening" prompt is a way to ground my thoughts and look back on the month that was. For it seems- the older I get- the more the days all seem to run together.
But this month- the memories are as vivid as the photos on my camera roll! The tricky part will be trying to pare it all down and share a few highlights.
I'm loving that everything unfolded just as I imagined it would...
The Easter dinner turned out delicious...
Our houseguest, Pinky was a delight
*Owen the cat may beg to differ...
And finally- I'm loving that
the true highlight of the month-
a river cruise in the Netherlands
proved to be as bucket-worthy as my bestie and I imagined!
*minus castles on the hillside..
We laughed saying that the river cruising itself was nothing like those PBS Viking ads..
Not a single hillside or castle in sight...
Yes- gentle readers- I went gallivanting across the pond without the Mr.- and lived to tell the tale!
It all started about 9 months ago- when visiting with my very well traveled friend, SusieQ. I asked if there was anywhere she still had on her bucket list- and she mentioned she'd always imagined taking a river cruise.
Well- as you know- I am THAT person- who takes off running with such an idea and soon we had met, teased out the details and found ourselves booked on an itinerary the folks at Viking have aptly named "Tulips and Windmills".
And yes...
There were fields of tulips
to which of course..
I tried to tip toe my way through..
With a windmill photo stop
*because ya know- bus tours were involved to get to those lovely tulip fields
But this windmill would just
be the warm up act...
As our itinerary included a stop at
Kinderdijk- a UNESCO site that features 17+ windmills
some dating back to the 1600s
Absolutely worth the cost of admission*
(which with Viking- it's all bundled into your cruise fare!)
And as for tulips...
We'd enjoy the spring blooms throughout our travels..
But the featured attraction was a visit to
The Keukenhof gardens...
In English- that translates to the kitchen garden. What started back in the 15th century as the garden for the nearby castle- these days it is home to what many consider one of the world's largest flower gardens- covering nearly 80 acres and features some 7 million flower bulbs.
Not gonna lie...
at times it was more beauty than the eye could take in..
I found myself pausing..thinking that
Emily Dickinson was right when she wrote
that happiness is a field of tulips
each petal
a burst of joy
in the garden of life!
Until next time..
May you have a chance to don
some sturdy shoes..
and a hearty appetite..
And set off on an adventure..
filled with some art
some seaside views
maybe even learn about some
engineering marvels
share a good laugh..
and - make some new friends..
while being thankful
for having a friend as easy to travel with as
SusieQ
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