We met at 2pm under the Dom.  It was cross-cultural from the very beginning.  In Holland it’s normal to pick the bride up from her parent’s house (obviously a little far away) and in Aus you see each other in the ceremony (a little scary). So we thought we’d meet under the beautiful gothic arch of the Dom tower.

Then it was off to our ‘Photo Shoot’ around Utrecht.  We tried to get a mix between modern & classic.  We went to the Aboriginal Art Museum for some Aus flavour and then onto canals of Utrecht. 

It was then time for the ceremony.  Surprisingly enough I wasn’t nervous at all.  Everyone else seemed to be though.

Lenny, one of my few Dutch friends, had her bachelorette party on Saturday.  That meant socialising with Dutch women, something I’ve grown to be very afraid of.  Volleyball Nicole, the Evil Stepsisters and my all time favourite Rita Verdonk have all left me cynical about the female species here. It is ridiculous and unfair of me to generalise.  Actually, given the prejudice I’ve endured as a foreigner it’s nothing short of hypocritical.  Nevertheless as I approached the café to meet the girls I couldn’t help but sigh a little thinking, Here we go again.  Armed with all sorts of whistles and horns we stormed into Lenny’s house.  After providing her with a fake agenda filled fear-inspiring activites we dressed her up and took her into the city. We shimmied our way through a belly dancing class, hung out in the Hamam and danced until daybreak.  I had… 

wait for it…

 …a truly wonderful day.  Never in my life have I felt more welcomed or included.  The girls were openhearted, open-minded and incredibly fun to be around.  They didn’t take themselves seriously, there wasn’t any self-righteous finger pointing and I could even admit to watching America’s next top model without fearing recrimination.  In fact, they watch it too.     I am thrilled to be proved wrong about Dutch women.  I know it was just one fun day and one handful of girls that I may never even see again.  Yet somewhere between prancing around together with bells on and getting covered head-to-toe in mud my faith in this whole adventure, maybe even in Holland, was restored.  

It was the best Dutch summer yet.  All four weeks of it.  With my usual sense of timing I purchased a fan three weeks ago and the heat wave ended the next day. It has been around 20 degrees and raining ever since. Despite the cooler conditions I am enjoying the tornado like wind the fan produces every night.  As a child I found it difficult to sleep without the reassuring drone of a fan, even in the middle of winter.  Jarno fought me all the way but cracked under the 35 degree + conditions.    Now it’s a silent battle of wills.  I leave the fan on as I go to sleep, he turns it off the second I fall asleep, I wake up and turn it on high and then he turns it off again.  And so we continue in a semi-conscious trance throughout the night.  

I guess this is married life…   

The circumstances were trying. 

The air-con was out in the cinema and it was a sweaty 35 degrees inside.  To top it off I was on an alcohol-free day.  It’s tough sticking to this health kick as I love having a wine at the movies, a couple of glasses can turn a flop into a classic.  Yet I resisted the temptation and managed to suffer through Superman Returns boiling hot and sober.  It was bad.  Really bad.  Don’t just wait until it comes out on DVD, skip it all together. 

Big words from someone who used to wait tables as Supergirl in the local theatre restaurant.

I almost forgot.  Our first official poker night took place last Saturday. The roof was ablaze with lanterns and fairy lights. It was a hot summer night and we drank the last of the wedding wine. 

The game continued until three with Moses and Jarno splitting the winnings.   The boys were merciless, gleefully taking the chips from their own better halves.  I was in the game right up until the end but tossed it all away on an unlucky hand.   

It was a fun evening.  It’s nice just to relax and enjoy the summer.

There was a backyard filled with eucalyptus trees.  The sun was bright but harsh, I heard laughing children and smelled sausages on the BBQ.  I saw myself lying in a hammock, reflecting on my years here in Europe.  I realised I will look back on this time, these moments, as the most thrilling and enlightening of my life.  The people I’ve met, the places I’ve seen and lessons I’ve learned will stay with me wherever I go and I’m unreservedly grateful.