It gets quiet fast

‘Back in the Netherlands after  largely uneventful series of flights.  In fact, everything went great right up until I hit the Belgian border (why am I surprised…)

My two bags failed to materialize in Brussels, then the trains were thoroughly broken on the way back to Maastricht.   Nonetheless, I arrived back in town in time to enjoy the fireworks at midnight, a really impressive display that lasted for almost an hour.  It was accented with a lovely light snowfall that enhanced the glow and muffled the bangs; the icing on rooftops and tree branches this morning was a picturesque welcome to the new year.

New Year’s day has been quiet in all regards.  The streets are largely deserted, all of the shops and services are closed.  The Christmas market is open through the weekend, so I enjoyed some wine and sausage and watched the ice skaters in lieu of food shopping.

Its been two weeks of living busy among family and friends, keeping a hectic pace of errands, and hearing English everywhere.  In contrast, the world seems very isolated and silent in the Netherlands today.  I took the opportunity to catch up with mail, read a book, go for walks in the snow, avoiding work and computer mail.  Time enough next week; it feels good to just ease back into the Dutch flow today without making demands of myself or others.

Except to wish for Lufthansa to find the luggage.