Living Like A Local.

One of the best parts of this trip was, staying with Petra, I was able to live for a few days as a local citizen would. I really dislike tourist hotels and staying in the parts of an area that are designed strictly for tourists.

I have not been much of a world traveler up to this point in my life. The trips I have made I have always had the desire to find somewhere to stay that is not aimed at the tourist but rather a place that I could try and fit into the local culture as much as possible. To my surprise, I have found that there are usually accomodations available if you look that allow you to feel more like a local.

To me at least, I love the idea of walking into the local bakery or tavern or visiting the local restored church and communicating with the average citizen, not some tour guide. LOL

I was curious to see what life in a small village of the Netherlands would be like. I have to say that within a couple of hours after being there, I felt completely at home. The people were wonderful and I suppose a bit curious of me as well. The town was what I think anyone who likes small town life would be very envious of. It was very tidy and neat and it was nice to see how much work people put into gardening.

These are some typical homes and streets of the village of Roden. I can't wait to go back and run into some of the people that I had the chance to talk with on the streets and in the shops. Maybe by then I can at least say something worthwhile in Dutch.