Windmills
are a common sight in the Netherlands. This one was at the Open Air
Museum in Arnhem, where Amy Renes visited with her host family on
the Second Christmas Day, Dec. 26.
January – 2005
This winter, I am learning a new kind of weather. Weather is well-known for being part of day-to-day conversation. It is steadfast, but continually changing, important yet subtle. Of course moving here to the Netherlands meant moving to a new climate. I am making the adjustment, for better or worse.
Windmills
are a common sight in the Netherlands. This one was at the Open Air
Museum in Arnhem, where Amy Renes visited with her host family on
the Second Christmas Day, Dec. 26.
Celsius or Fahrenheit, I get a warmer winter this year. Warmer, and wetter. While snowfalls cover Iowa, we are getting rain. I could be exaggerating on the amount of rain, but it rains quite often in the Netherlands. My evidence? It is raining while I write this.
Luckily, I enjoy a good rainstorm, which includes a whole day of rain, a book and no reason to get out of the house. This is in the running for my favorite kind of day.
However, not every day can be such a relaxing one. It sometimes happens to be rainy on the bike ride to school. After finally getting to school, I look like I woke up on the wrong side of the waterfall. This is not a problem though because the same is true for every unfortunate biker. Everyone just waits for their soaked pants to dry and for their hair to return into its former state.
Another precipitation to talk about when comparing winters in Iowa and the Netherlands is snow. Since, I have come here, it has snowed a couple times, and I got a little excited each time. For me, snow is a nice happy novelty for the first few times it comes. This was the case a few days after Christmas when I woke up to a quiet snowy morning. I do not appreciate being cold, but falling snow is such a simple and clean sort of beautiful.
My parents told me to enjoy the white powdering while I could because the snow would not last long. Sure enough, the snow was gone by the next day. Mostly, it is not cold enough to keep snow around for a long time.
Earlier, as I am told, the winters in the Netherlands were much colder, with large heaps of snow and ice skating on frozen canals and rivers. One of the coldest winters in Dutch history was around the time of the Second World War. Now, winters are warmer so snow and freezing rivers are less common.
Even without piles of snow or frozen rivers, winters are enjoyed in the Netherlands. Ice skating is still done around the country and is enjoyed as a special pastime. Skating and other activities are accompanied by the winter favorite, steaming pea soup.
Not only is pea soup appropriate for winter, but the Dutch also enjoy “stamppot” for toasty evening meals. One of my favorite meals is “stamppot zuurkool.” The tasty dish includes potatoes, worst, and sauerkraut and gives a special touch to my memorable Dutch winter.
I look forward to spring, but I am also glad I have a bit more winter to enjoy. It has not been very difficult adjusting to Dutch weather. In fact, I am so comfortable, I can venture a guess for tomorrow’s forecast. Rainy with a chance of stamppot.