Every Saturday, there is a market in our town. Vendors come and set up shop to sell everything from produce to sweaters to meats to dog bones. It's a lot like a farmer's market in the U.S., but with socks or toiletries thrown in just for fun. Last week, we walked down to the market and wandered around, just looking at everything. We kind of wanted to buy things, but with all the noise and crowds and unfamiliar language it was just a little bit overwhelming. So last week we just went and saw.

This week we conquered the market. Well, "conquered" is kind of a strong word. We went and wandered around nervously again, but this time when I saw some oranges that looked pretty, I nudged Ben and said, "Hey, buy me some oranges". And with a little whispered consultation and some pointing and smiling (and a couple euros), we walked away happily with a big bag of fruit. After that, it seemed much less overwhelming and we returned to our house victoriously swinging a couple bags of produce and waving a bouquet of tulips.



Sorry we don't have a picture of the actual market. I opted not to bring out the camera because we were trying to be cool and not act like crazy Americans who haven't seen fresh vegetables before. You'll just have to trust that we didn't buy that stuff at the grocery store.

This weekend, on a rare sunny day, we also went out for a drive to explore the Dutch countryside. We just wanted to see what was around us and maybe take some pictures since, for once, it wasn't rainy, foggy, and cold. So we drove here and there and finally ended up in Maastricht where we decided maybe it was time to go home because it was getting dark. So no pictures of Maastricht this time, but we do have for you some nice pictures of scenic views from the car:




Merry Christmas!