Family time

It was a long travel day from Santorini to Amsterdam, due to long waits between connecting flights. We took the opportunity to catch up on photo processing and blogging, although it was a losing battle, especially for me. Dineke and Martin picked up two bedraggled travelers at Schiphol and drove us another two hours to their home in the north of The Netherlands. Karel and I both had a sense that the long honeymoon was finished (even though we still had two weeks to go) and our trip was winding down.

Back in the days of arranged marriages and social and religious limits on premarital courtship, the honeymoon was a way for new couples to bond (and get a good start on making babies) away from the expectations and intrusions of work and family. Most of those issues and outcomes don’t apply to us, so how can we say if our honeymoon has been a success?

Traveling is always a little stressful, and will put any relationship to the test. On the other hand, as you face challenging situations and little emergencies together, you get to see what your partner is really made of. When you come through for each other again and again, it really builds trust. You also get to discover a lot about each other that you might otherwise never learn. He plays water volleyball?! She wants to ride a camel?!

Not that I ever had any doubt, but I sure picked the right man! We are so compatible in our preferences, sense of fun and adventure, priorities.…

But, uh oh, we’re about to face a huge challenge: a visit with the in-laws! In the rainy / cloudy / flat Netherlands! No wonder the honeymoon feels like it’s over. How can any relationship survive?

Those of you who met Karel’s family at our wedding celebration have probably figured out that I’m struggling to create some dramatic tension here to make the story more interesting. I mean, there has to be some uncertainty, some suspense, to make it worth reading.

I give up. This episode ain’t no page-turner. Our incredible streak of fabulous weather defied the forecasters for one more day—just long enough for a lovely outing with the family on the canals of Giethoorn, a charming region of old houses and farms just like a scene on an antique Delft china plate. The Zuidervelds/Arends, as many of you know, are playful and kind, and they were a-buzz with plans for Bianca and Sander’s upcoming wedding. We weren’t in the big tulip-growing region of the country, but on our way home, we did find one field ablaze with vivid pink blossoms. We had a great visit, no drama, and no new stories to tell. And that’s the way we like it!