Did you know that Holland and Canada are best friends because of what Canada did for Holland during World War 2? Yes, through the stories Jack shared with me before he passed away I learned about the special connection between our two countries and this is why Dutch people are so friendly to Canadians. Holland is a nickname of Netherland and I love this country because through my first wife I have relatives there. So far, I had the opportunity to visit Holland seven times and each time is a real pleasure to spend time with family members. Holland is a small country because you can cross it in 3,5 hours by car. How long does it take to cross Saskatchewan? So, from Regina, you can drive to Prince Albert and cross Holland.
In Holland biking is a lifestyle. It is amazing to think that in Amsterdam there are over 100 000 bicycles that people ride every day. Kids, family, grandparents, everyone is biking going from town to town without cars running you over. One of my favorite activity in Holland is to bike on the dike to the town of Winschoten in the North East of Holland and go to the candy store to buy black salty licorice. I believe the best time to visit Holland is in March and April when the tulips are blooming. Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a tulip field full of red, yellow, white, purple tulips. Be kind of like standing in the middle of a wheat field. It’s just amazing to see all the colors. You see these tulips in flower stores in Canada but seeing them on the field bring you to another level of understanding how beautiful flowers can be. Holland’s landscape is similar to Saskatchewan because it is flat. The difference is we have a valley that goes right across Saskatchewan and Dutch’s peoples are living on reclaimed land from th
e ocean.
The last two times when I visited Holland, I had the opportunity to speak with a youth group in Stadkanal (in the North East, close to Germany). My friend who is a pastor invited me to his church to give encouragements to his youth group about life struggles. We did the presentation together as he translated my English presentation in the Dutch language. The youth told me after the presentation that my story inspired them. The following year, I returned to Stadkanal I was able to see some of them again. Going to Holland is always a blessing and I look forward returning soon.
Terry
