Today has been a fantastic last day in Europe. I woke up in Epe, at Roelf and Cecile's, in Northern Holland. Cecile had a full day planned for us. After a full Dutch breakfast, we hopped in the car to head off to the museum that she had told me about a couple of weeks prior. The car ride was a bit odd, as they have a car that they brought from their home in the United Kingdom, so I sat where I would normally sit to drive, and Cecile drove from the usual passenger seat. Very unnerving! I expected the museum to be a small local art museum, with a 'cute' collection of art. I had no idea of the surprise that I was in for! We parked the car, and since it was quite cold, and supposed to snow later, we decided to do the biking first. All over the grounds of this huge national forest are big bike racks with hundreds of standard sized white bikes that are available for the guests to use, in a pick up drop off manner, for free. So we selected two bikes, and off we went! It had been a few years since I've been on a bicycle, so it was very fun, despite the cold! All through this forest we went, and it was just stunning. We arrived at a mansion that was built by the original art collectors, and it was quite an impressive sight. Right outside of the mansion was a small tea shop, and Cecile and I sat and sipped hot chocolates, looking out at the geese on the lake, and the huge house. She is really fun to spend time with, so it was a real pleasure chatting with her. We hopped back on the bikes, and rode the thirty minute ride, this time unfortunately into the wind, back to the museum. I was really in for a surprise by this museum. There were two parts to it, the indoor exhibit of paintings, and the outdoor sculpture garden. As I said, I expected there to be a small amount of random, unknown, local painters work, and a garden in the back with a few sculptures. Well, I was partially correct, in that a local artists work was displayed - VAN GOGH! The museum housed about 40 - 50 amazing Van Gogh paintings, as he is a Dutch artist. Also on display were some amazing Renoir's, Picasso's, Cezanne's and Modrian's, amongst others. My favorite part came after, though, in the sculpture garden. The only gardens I've been to have been open spaces with a number of sculptures scattered about. This museum's sculpture garden was very unique, as there was a huge network of trails winding all through the woods, and every now and then, we would come upon some gigantic sculpture built into it's surroundings. There was one very striking sculpture built into the side of a hill, that was a huge continuous staircase, and at the top of the hill, the staircase continued to rise on stilts for quite a distance longer, as if to heaven. My favorite sculpture, though, was a huge sculpture made of stones, all organized in a circular formation. It was enormous, and very interesting to look at, trying to figure out how it was constructed. We walked around for a couple of hours, finding all sorts of beautiful works of art, hidden in the forest, and being a cold winter day, we virtually had the place to ourselves. When we were finished, it was time to drive me to the train station, where I caught a train into Amsterdam. I arrived at Rob's place, where I am now. He's cooking me dinner as we speak, and in the morning I will head to Schiphol airport, where I will meet Sarah, Jehane, and Pam. Together, we will board our flight to Tanzania! I have had such an amazing time in Europe, so I'm a little sad to be leaving, but I know that an amazing adventure lies ahead, and for this I am truly excited! I'm not sure that I will be able to continue with daily blogs, but I will do my best! Thanks for the interest thus far, and for sharing this trip with me!
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