Holland conjures up the usual pictures - and symbols - that are all things Dutch. Wooden clogs. Fat windmills. Bicycles. Tulips. Of course, after my first trip there, I subsequently have other memories always associated with Holland. The first being the most delicious stroopwafel (which translates as syrup waffle). A stroopwafel consists of two thin sandwiched cookies, like a very thin and dried waffle, filled with a caramel syrup. And the city where the stroopwafel was birthed? Gouda. In case you're thinking Gouda is also where the cheese was invented - you're wrong! Gouda is where the market was that made its namesake cheese famous! But any country that invents cheese is one of my most favourite places to visit!
It has been many years since I hung up my backpack and suppressed the wunderlust. While I lived and worked in the UK I often travelled in Europe. Mostly my excuse was that I was running half marathons. But in reality Europe is a hop across the channel and offers a diverse adventure in any number of countries. Europe is easily accessible by plane, train or - yes automobile - if you hop on the ferry first. Which I did with my cute little right hand driving car.
A slow drive takes you very quickly from the white cliffs of Dover, a short channel crossing, skirting France and Belgium - an essential stop for delicious pastries from the famous French patisseries with a strong caffe on the side, then the equally important stop for real Belgium chocolat' (drinking and eating) - to arrive by lunch time in Holland. Time to park the car and hire some bicycles. Because it was tulip season!
And so for this #marketfriday inspired by the floral 
This magnificent botanical park is the largest in the world. It isn't far from Amsterdam and so we cycled there as well. There are said to be more than 7 million flowers in the exquisite Keukenhof gardens. The landscaped gardens span 32 hectares and they truly are breathtaking.
The tulips were magnificent and any other sightseeing stop was usually surrounded by rows of brightly coloured tulips. We sampled a lot of cheese and visited a lot of cheese markets. Actually we sampled a L.O.T of cheese. I'm a cheese addict, it's no secret. And what the Dutch have to offer is superb. Did you know that cheeses are not named after their birthplace but rather the markets where they are traded? I found that fascinating. So the Gouda market was made famous by the cheese it sold, going right back to the 12th century!
As a child with my nose perpetually in a book I remember the story of the little Dutch boy who saved Holland by keeping his finger in the dyke. All night he sat in the freezing cold plugging up the leak which prevented the country flooding.
Today Holland is still a system of dykes and water ways and surge barriers. It is a novel but popular way to travel, via water. The Dutch, out of necessity, have become famous for flood management, shipbuilding and water protection.
Coming from South Africa where Afrikaans is a daughter language of Old Dutch it is interesting visiting Holland and Belgium. Talking, or listening carefully, you can understand quite a bit. Once we left Holland we didn't need to speak the language to come away loaded with sweet stroopwafels, delicious Dutch cheeses and armloads of tulips bought from the lovely little markets. Holland is a place to make memories. I hope you've all enjoyed the cycle down memory lane this #marketfriday
