Capricious though beautiful April 2018

We are well into our third year in Marradi. As much as we had thought once we landed here life would take a slower pace, the opposite is true. We are as capricious as the month of April. At least 2018's April. What 2019 will bring we will wait and see.....it is only the first day.
But let me tell you about my (our) capriciousness last year.

We spent the first week in Holland, our native country, where my roots lie more than Lex's, although life takes unexpected turns. All our sons reside in Holland, at least for now, contrary to what we had ever expected, with their childhood spent overseas in different countries all over the world. But that is another story.
The reason we travelled to the Netherlands this time, was above all a concert by Norah Jones in Amsterdam. My boys had gifted me two tickets for Christmas, and I could pick whomever I wanted to accompany me. Hubby is not a big fan, so I chose to go with our cousin Francine. In between her busy activities preparing for a new tourist season, she managed to free herself for a day to join me on a day out in the city we both love to visit. I cannot remember the last time I went to a concert like this and felt like a child in a toy store. The concert was wonderful even though standing the whole evening was a bit of a challenge.....Nevertheless we left excited and our soul soothed by this great artist. Never mind the cold, springtime was around the corner.

A bit of Spring indoors when it is still cold in the Netherlands

The weather turned amazingly beautiful, inviting us to go outside as much as we could. Walking through the streets of Amsterdam, every time I visit our sons in Amsterdam, I see a lot of details I never noticed before. This time I found these beautiful art deco tiles at the entrance to homes, in what I suppose used to be one of the 'richer' areas of the city.

The weekend was warm and beautiful,while we gathered with our sons, their girlfriends and our nieces the way city people do everywhere in the world. Grab some food, drinks and a blanket and find yourself an nice place in a park nearby to settle down, enjoy the soothing vitamin Sun while having a good time. It is great to see the cousins meeting up now 3 out of 6 live in Amsterdam.

Being in Amsterdam regularly nowadays is a joy for me. I fell in love with this citywhen I moved there as a student, so I could not be happier to have two of my boys living and working in this place that is so worldly nevertheless relatively small. I love the variety of trendy restaurants, that challenge the senses, which I sometimes miss living in a small town in Italy, where people are proud of their cuisine. One of my latest favourites is https://meatlessdistrict.com, a vegan restaurant in Oud-West. When you love your veggies and enjoy a lively ambiance, this is a must go.

My colourful appetizer at the Meatless District

Off course a visit to my mother (83)is on the program when in Holland. Going out for  dinner at the seaside with her has become a tradition since my father died 10 years ago. Spending some time at https://www.solskin.nl/restaurant/ we honour how much he loved the sea, walking or cycling along the boulevard and enjoying a good meal of fish, while being served by the friendly owners, inside or out on their windshielded terrace that looks out over the sea. So when you are around Vlissingen, pay them a visit.

We are leaving Holland on a cloud covered day. Back to Italy, where spring is starting slowly with ups and downs. A good rainstorm covers our terrace with a thick layer of mud. A good clean is needed before we can actually start to enjoy the outdoors in the sun.

Desperate for some sunshine, we can't wait for better weather!