Incredibly, it’s now two years (and two days, strictly speaking) since that fateful morning when we first walked into our humble abode in West Amsterdam as new homeowners. Tempus fugit indeed.
It seemed only recently when we packed a few basics into two large boxes and drove the 50 miles from Rotterdam, walked across the then empty living room and took in the view from our beautiful picture window, feeling fortunate and accepting the idea this was all finally ours.
It didn’t even dawn on me back then that it was May 5, otherwise known in other parts of the world as Corona beer day, Cinco de Mayo. Suffice it to say, it’s taken on an entirely different meaning for both of us.

We didn’t mean to celebrate our small milestone that evening but as fate would have it, we ended up having a Sunday date with newfound friends from the States, Nancy and Gerry, who graciously treated us to a wonderful dinner at Van Speyk. Along with their other friends, Frances and Bobby, we had a great night talking about things both American and Dutch, about traveling and blogging, and heady matters about politics and history. In place of Corona beers we opted for a couple of bottles of Cabernet, more than enough to keep the laughs and conversation going for the next three hours. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the company of fellow Americans so thank you so much Nancy and Gerry and Frances and Bobby for a refreshing and memorable night. At the end of the day, it was great to meet all y’all! (: I do hope fate smiles on us and our paths cross again sometime soon.

Nancy, Bobby, Frances, and Gerry