My Travel Blog
It’s a remarkable feeling to be so far from the place you call home, and to be so completely enveloped in family and love. Tonight we were at a family BBQ in Holland with 41 family members – how lucky are we? And this wasn’t one of those awkward family reunions when you need to figure out how you are connected through a branchy family tree, but one where we know each and every one of them and are genuinely pleased to see each other. This is a picture of the second cousins at the party – all of the cousins from this generation on this side of the family were there except for five (two Dutch and three Canadian). Fantastic! We had so much fun, and a special shout-out to Sandra and Colin for hosting this crazy bunch. Gezellig!!
Before the family party we had a really nice lunch in Zaandam with Bart and his family. Bart is a good friend from when Jeff spent a year living in Holland after high school (and Bart was also a groomsman in our wedding). It’s always nice to reconnect, and it’s funny how it feels like no time has passed at all (until we look at each other’s children and realize how big they have become!) I actually have never been in central Zaandam before and it’s a really nice city – check out this cool hotel and its interesting architecture!
We walked from Bart’s house to a restaurant and the weather was… awful. It was cloudy, chilly, and drizzly which did absolutely nothing for my hair. (Girl problem, I know.) During the walk the girls reacquainted themselves with Bart and Nancy’s daughter Summer, who they hung out with 4 years ago. 
Even with the language barrier the girls were fast buddies and had a really nice time together. We had a traditional Dutch lunch (I had to get onion soup and bitterballen, while Chloë had frikandel, and Julia and Jeff had kroketen). None of these things will mean anything to you if you have not had the pleasure of a Dutch deep fryer and the things they put in it! This is a picture of me modelling my food with my frizzy hair after the rain.
I shouldn’t have been concerned about my hair, because on the way back to their house we were caught in an absolutely crazy rainstorm. It caught us all by surprise as one second it was drizzling, and the next second it was a torrential downpour! We were drenched – so wet that the front of my pants were a different colour than the back, and the frizz turned to completely soaked. Timing wasn’t fantastic as we had to get right in to the car and head to the family BBQ! We arrived at the house in a slightly dishevelled way – it wasn’t the appearance we were hoping to project, but you can’t fight Mother Nature.
In any case, who cares if your hair is weird… nobody - they are just happy to see you. We had such an enjoyable, fun filled day. As I type this, Jeff is sitting with his aunt Tineke looking at old photo albums from the 70’s to the present, which is something that not everyone has the opportunity to do. Julia is fast asleep in her bed, Chloë is pestering her cousin Stefan (with the help of his girlfriend Dani), and I am sitting on a comfy couch trying to capture the feeling from our day. Excellent indeed.
Parting is such sweet sorrow…
**Note - This was written yesterday, but we got to bed very late and I didn’t have the mental ability to play around with wi-fi. Please excuse my tardiness! :)
We had such a great time in St. Raphaël and, as usual, it’s hard to leave such a beautiful place. Waking up this morning to blue skies and boundless sunshine made it even tougher! Thankfully we still had the entire day before needing to be at the Marseille airport, so after leaving the apartment at 10 a.m. we drove to Cassis – the beautiful town we spent a week in 5 years ago. Cassis really has held a special place in our hearts; we had such a magical time that we haven’t wanted to return to the area for fear of tainting the experience. You know when you have a fabulous meal somewhere and decide to go back the next day? Sometimes it’s just as great, but often times it pales in comparison. Sometimes it’s better to leave a memory as a memory.
From the moment we arrived in the small town we were pulled right back in. It felt like we had never left as we immediately felt the same connection and warmth that we did the first time. The tiny cobbled streets filled with cute restaurants, the little harbour that would have men pulling fish fresh off the boats in the mornings, the amazing gelato stand, and the lighthouse on the pier surrounded by giant boulders that the kids loved to climb. We only had a few hours to spare, and so we ate a delicious lunch and then went for a little walk down memory lane. (Literally, and figuratively!) First stop was the gelato shop where we had the first cones ever served as a flower. (Each petal is a different flavour – how enjoyable!) 
So pretty, and just as delicious as we remembered! Then we walked out to the lighthouse and just enjoyed the view back in to the harbour. Finally, right before leaving the kids had a minute or two to hop around on the giant rocks that form a big portion of their memory of the area. When they were here last they were 7 and 5, and every night after dinner we would go to the rocks and have them climb off their pent up energy!
It was eventually time to bid adieu, so off we went to the airport. It was a relatively easy process of dropping off our car and getting through security. So easy, in fact – we were the only ones in security! Weird. The Marseille airport is a haven of cleanliness and calm; I don’t think I’ve ever had a more pleasant experience. The carpets are clean and soft, and they pipe in beautifully calm music! There is a lot of natural light, comfy chairs, and docking/charging stations all over the place. Very, very civilized.
The Air France flight was also very civilized. Picture very pleasant ladies wearing jaunty scarves around their necks serving you chilled white wine and pesto flavoured bread sticks. It’s a nice way to get from point A to B, that’s for sure!
**I wrote the above on the airplane, and it’s now almost 3 a.m. and I am just heading to bed. We had such a warm welcome from family, and quite the impromptu party! What a blessing to be on the other side of the world and feel like you’re at home. Good night!!
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