Holland

After we've experienced the capital city of the Netherlands, we went to explore the other side of it. The side where there are endless green fields, the freshest of air, and quirkier houses. Where windmills turn, millions of flowers grow, and water still flows everywhere.

If you're a little bit confused what the difference between Netherlands and Holland is, you're not alone. Before I even boarded that plane in London, I knew I was going to Netherlands. But when we arrived there, souvenirs and signs welcomed us to Holland... I got confused for a while, no kidding.

I asked some locals, googled and I completely got it. The name of the country is the Netherlands. Holland, is a province in Netherlands. Holland is divided into north and south Holland. They use "Holland" for tourism purposes because it is more appealing and known internationally to best represent the Netherlands. The place holds the country's most positive and attractive characteristics (source). 

So there it is folks. 

Holland is the home for Dutch windmills, wooden shoes, cheese, and fields after fields of flowers. It is well known for their tulips but unfortunately we only saw a couple. The tulips season was gone long before we arrived there. But it's okay, the lavenders were enough. During our trip, we were blessed with tons of sunshine. Couldn't be happier. We saw the spinning windmills, and had the chance to go to the seaside too where a lot of ships docked. Tasted almost all the cheese they could offer, and dressed up in Dutch's traditional clothes. How can they even walk in those wooden shoes?!?!

My aunt's friend who invited us to visit the country has two children. Their names are Ainsley and Aj. And they were SOOOO cute!!  I'm glad that the kids liked me enough because they were so eager to play and say a lot to me. The problem was, they only spoke Dutch. All I could contribute to our conversation was ja and nee. Which is yes and no in Dutch. The struggle was real. 

Holland was very peaceful. Perfect for that breather I needed. The long weekend was well spent.