Uncharted Territory

When I think of the phrase "uncharted territory", I usually have visions of some deserted island somewhere out in the middle of the ocean with no other land in sight for miles and miles.  With that thought usually comes questions like "What will there be to eat?", "What types of unforeseen dangers will there be?", or "Will I ever get back to my family and friends?"  I don't know if there is even any territory left on the planet that hasn't been explored, but the reality of moving to Holland has become something of that "uncharted territory" for me already.

Keith and the kids and I visited Rotterdam for several days last week.  I was excited about the trip because we were going to get to explore the area and look for somewhere to live.  It wasn't until we actually got to our hotel and I started looking at the brochures for things to do that it hit me...I am not in Texas anymore, Toto.  The brochures were all in Dutch, restaurant menus are all in Dutch, road signs and maps are all in Dutch...get my drift? The people there do speak English, but they don't exactly make it easy for those of us who only speak and read that one language. Here's an example:

Know what this says?  Nope, me neither.  I got the "5", "Festival", and "Memphis Maniacs" (though who knows what they are) and that's it.  I found out a day or so later that they were celebrating their freedom from Germany, but a lot of good it did me to learn that after the celebration.

So I'm back to the questions of "What will there be to eat?", "What types of unforeseen dangers will there be?", and "Will I ever get back to my family and friends?"  I can't read the menus; prostitution and some drugs are legal here so that's just the tip of the danger iceberg, I'm sure; and Keith's job is so uncertain that we never know where we will be living or for how long.  Holland is my uncharted territory for sure.  We don't even know any people there.  At least with Scotland, there is a an office of people Keith knows and works with, some of whom are American.  We even had a Louisiana-style dinner one night courtesy of some wonderful American expats like ourselves.  Oh yeah, and they also read, write, and speak in English in Scotland. But what can I expect in Holland???

Now, don't get me wrong.  I am grateful for the experience, and the place is beautiful. Since we stumbled onto the Freedom Celebration, I took a few photos.  The weather is so nice in Holland that people just lay out along the water and listen to the bands playing.  We could hear the music from a couple of blocks away.

Everything is in full bloom now too, whereas in Scotland, we are just now having our spring.  We have sleet one day, and sunny weather the next.  It's a wonder anything blooms in Scotland as I can imagine the plants stay confused.  But in Holland...well, see for yourself.

I love the tulips!!

And let me not forget that there is art everywhere in Holland.  I suppose the beautiful countryside is quite inspiring.

 Well, maybe my photos weren't the best examples of scenery-inspired art, but you get my drift...

So I guess I can understand why the explorers of long ago, like Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake or Ferdinand Magellan, set out and braved the unknown....because, in the end, it's worth it. 

Here We Go Again...

Well, we knew the day was coming, but we just didn't know when.  It looks like this Sunday, May 5, we will be flying to the Netherlands to look for housing in Rotterdam.  As of now, we have return tickets to Aberdeen for the following Thursday, but of course, that could change.  We may not come back to Scotland for a while, with the exception of Keith coming back to the apartment to get what's left of our stuff.  Only time will tell...

With the end in sight, we have been trying to squeeze in as much time exploring as possible.  Last weekend we toured a castle that, up to this point, is our favorite.  This is Fraser Castle.

 And if you have seen the movie "Brave", you know what I was thinking when I found this on the grounds of the castle:

 

It sits outside the garden of the castle.  If you haven't seen the movie, I'm not going to spoil it for you.  Let's just say it has something to do with magic spells and bears...

After a bit of driving around the area north of Aberdeen, we wound up at the coast.   I don't really know why, but for some reason this is the part of our trip that I looked forward to the most.  I suppose it's on some sort of weird unspoken bucket list I have going...to see and touch the different bodies of water around the world.  So, of course, I had to touch the North Sea. There isn't a picture of this because I was the one with the camera.  Suffice it to say, I got my feet a little wet in the process, and yes, the water is VERY cold!! But here are a few pics from the Scottish coast line.

 Maybe this pic should be captioned, "Freedom!"  ??

Something about rugged terrain and water brings out the pirate in Levi.  This is his best, "Arghh matey!"

We drove south in search of a bathroom, and ended our trip at the beach.  This is actually on the eastern edge of Aberdeen, so we were pretty close to home by this point.  There is something about the weather here that brings out more rainbows than I have ever seen in such a short period of time.  Absolutely beautiful!

While I don't feel as if I'm done with Scotland yet, I think we have made the most of our time here.  Bring on the next adventure!!