Tot Ziens, April: How I Find Holland at Home

T.S. Eliot wrote, “April is the cruellest month,” and I can understand why. Last month we had multiple tornado threats; gorgeous, sunny 70-degree days; and just when I thought I could put away my sweaters, right back out they came from the guest bedroom closet. April likes to keep us on our toes. It’s like that every year.

April is also a sweet month, the time of our wedding anniversary. We got married on a slightly chilly Saturday, 17 years ago, when the grass was green but the leaves on the trees had yet to peep out from their buds. The Catholic church where we held our ceremony was decorated with bright pastel Easter flowers.

It’s also a month I associate with my brief home in the Netherlands, where I lived for almost two years during grad school at Leiden University. April is when the Keukenhof, one of the world’s largest flower gardens, bursts into bloom with the most saturated, aromatic flora—cheery daffodils, fragrant hyacinths, and masterpiece-worthy tulips stretch for acres and acres, forming a blanket of blossoms across a manicured park. It was April when I first went, and it has claimed a space in my psyche ever since.

Tulips, of course, are the national flower of the Netherlands. You may recall from history class that these plants, which originated in the area around Persia and Turkey, were traded by the Dutch in the 1600s during a time known as “tulip mania.” This contributed to the height of Dutch prosperity and subsequently, its colonial empire. At one point it is said that a tulip bulb was worth more than gold. Quite a complicated, storied past for a cousin of the onion!

Thus, spring makes me particularly nostalgic, and I am probably the most nostalgic person you know. April was a rocky month for me from a personal perspective, so in my head I coped by mentally escaping to the land of flower fields and windmills. In these fantasies I am wearing a long, flowing dress and wine and cheese waits for me on a picnic blanket nearby.

There’s lots of advice on the internet to “romanticize” one’s life. No one has ever had to tell me to do this; it’s my natural state. When I was a kid, I didn’t just go play in the backyard—I went rushing down the heather-filled moors of north England. There’s always a grand novel playing out in my head, is that normal? Is that sane? Oh, well.

I think my tendencies towards dreaminess have led me to view life as one big adventure no matter where I am. And it is! Even when you can’t travel to a destination, there are ways to manifest wanderlust into your world, through the senses and activities with similar feels. Here are six ways I harken back to Holland, particularly in the spring in Northern Illinois’ Fox Valley:

Go Tulip-Viewing

There’s plenty of opportunity to see tulips in and around the Fox Valley in the springtime! One beloved, not-quite-hidden gem is Flowers on Fargo, a private residence that displays the most beautiful lawn strewn with candy colors. I love to visit with my husband and kids each year for a picture. Unfortunately, because of the unpredictable April weather, the tulips were already past their prime once we got there this year, but that makes the years with a strong showing even more special.

You can also visit some tulip fields for a fee, which are small-scale Keukenhof-like attractions growing in popularity in the area. We used to have to travel to Holland, Michigan, to get a dose of Dutch-iness, but nowadays you can check out Kuipers or Richardson Farms.

Visit a Windmill

We are lucky in the Fox Valley to have a real Dutch windmill at the Fabyan Forest Preserve. Many times I took the kids when they were small to have a picnic by its side. It recalls not only the windmill situated near the train station in Leiden, but all the ones I saw riding the train across the country, slowly turning in the breeze out in a flat field, usually with a canal running parallel to the tracks, a solo blue heron stoically poised over the water. Sigh.

Eat Dutch Foods

I partner this with any of the other categories! While I’ve never had kroketten outside Holland, Michigan, here in the States, authentic Dutch stroopwafels and gouda cheese are prevalently found in many stores. You can even get pickled herring! (Though I opt out of that one, much like I did when I lived there. I did try the herring cart near Leiden Centraal once or twice.) The best way to consume Dutch food items is picnic-style, pretending you are relaxing in Vondelpark on a mild day.

Ride a Bike

In the country that is famous for having more bicycles than people, this one is a given. However, if you really want to encapsulate the spirit of Nederland, you need to get a “stadfiets” or “fiets”—a city bike where you sit upright rather than lean over, and pedal casually. Bonus points for riding willy-nilly among compact cars whizzing around you in every direction. Double bonus points for carting a baby or babies, multiple bags of groceries, or your leash-less dog trotting alongside you. No helmet if you dare; that’s how the Dutch do!

Walk or Dine Near Water

This is where I make my confession: I never got a bike when I lived in the Netherlands. I was too chicken, plus I absolutely loved walking along the cobblestone streets looking up at the centuries-old buildings. The best was my trek beside the canals to my classes. Amsterdam is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of the North,” but in many cities in the Netherlands you’ll find picturesque waterways snaking through the centre. Al fresco culture is fundamental, so whenever I get to eat at a restaurant near water or walk by the Fox River I am transported.

Wear Orange

When I lived there, Queen Beatrix reigned. Her birthday was celebrated on April 30, also known as Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day). Try saying that out loud, it’s fun! Nowadays her son, Willem-Alexander, is King, and Koningdag is celebrated on April 27. For the monarch’s day, the capital is awash in orange, the unofficial color of the Netherlands. This is in honor of the founder of the nation, William of Orange, and the royal dynasty of the House of Oranje-Nassau. At any rate, it’s a massive orange party in the streets and canals with quirks such as secondhand items for sale on blankets in the middle of the road, open-air concerts in Museumplein, and the stench of weed pervading it all. The color brings me back to one very long, very fuzzy, very raucous day in Amsterdam. This one you can really do anytime of the year!

And no, I never wore wooden shoes, except for this one time:

No matter what your personal affinities are, take this as a sign to romanticize your life somehow. These days it feels crucial to carve out space for joy, to seek solace in satisfying ways.

There is no time but now.

So, Happy May! Stay tuned, I already have an idea for another blog post someday: “Maifest, Oktoberfest, Christkindlmarket, and All the Other Ways I Keep Germany Alive in My Heart.”