n is for netherlands

It's been ages since I linked to Alphabe-Thursday and I've missed it!  Although I've noticed that it seems in my absence that it's turned into Alphabe-Wednesday as it's 10 minutes until it'sThursday and there are already 35 links.  But I digress.  I'm glad to be back.

Anyway, my N is the Netherlands.  I went there in November and I have yet to share any photos, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to do just that. 

There's a nice little stream through Valkenburg.  I love that a woman in a red coat walked onto the bridge before this shot.

I call this photo "Stream in Valkenburg and Woman with Red Coat."

We were there for kerstmarkt...that's the Christmas market for all you non-Dutch speakers.  Yeah.  Multilingual over here on the blog.  Yeah.

They really go all out on the Christmas decor for the market de kirst.

Cute little Dutch streets.  Gotta love them.  YOU HAVE TO.

No seriously, you really do have to.

More of this stream...from a different angle.

I love the signs.  Although, if you think you can just be a stupid tourist who only speaks English and get by because "oh, the menues are probably in English, too" or "I'm sure someone in here speaks English" then you will starve in Holland.  Here me, people. 

I will pass on the verse mosselen.  Thanks, though.

Pretty sure this was a church or something but I was pretty busy being friggin' cold so I didn't get a chance to check. Looks like a church to me, though.  So....it's a church.

Do those trees remind anyone else of that one in the Harry Potter movie that tries to kill you when you park a car in it?

You can climb some stairs from the main street in Valkenburg to the Valkenburg Castle.  This is what you see if you look up as you climb. 

But don't, because you might  fall and kill yourself on the stone steps like I almost did.

This is the view of the town from the top.

Here is the castle from the town below.

I love the cozy streets.

I also love the buildings.  I've very loving when it comes to the Netherlands.

Those candy-striped awnings were part of the Italian restaurant where we finally gained sustenance even though we thought we might die in the streets of Valkenburg because we didn't speak Dutch, French or German ate.

That pasta was SO good.  I was starving, but it really was quality food.  When we walked into the place I thought the food would be sub-par at best.  Boy was I ever wrong.  Makes me want to learn Dutch.

I don't know why but my love of photographing bicycles is overshadowed only by my love of photographing signs.  Behold:

Okay, maybe "behold" was a strong word for this photo.

Here's a big Christmas tree.  (What?  It's late.  I'm out of interesting things to say.  Just look at the photo.)

We had such a good time in the Netherlands.  I think I'll reflect on it as I gaze at this photo of the stream.