Being a tourist, generally

I am the first person to complain about people who travel to another country and then seek out things from home. Traveling should be about experiencing another culture. Yes.

But sometimes, when you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed, it helps to seek out a little piece of home.

So yes, this morning I headed for the local Starbucks. I wanted to eat breakfast outside of the house, and--in all fairness--the Starbucks was the only thing open at that hour. But also, let's take a look inside a Dutch Starbucks:

So, it wasn't a totally American experience, either.

After breakfast, the other Americans and our hosts headed to Boulange, an old fortified village on the Dutch side of the German border. This is the second historical village I've been to here. When we think of a historical village, we think of one preserved or recreated, with employees going about their historical-period-correct business in costume. Not so here. People are living in Boulange (and the other village). The locals are allowed to drive their cars on the streets. It's an odd mash-up.

Here's a look across the rooftops from the village wall.

And here's a look towards Germany (20 km away) from the same wall.

After lunch in Boulange, we headed for Germany. What with the EU "one big, happy Europe" philosophy, crossing the German border is as exciting as driving into Illinois. But we did notice that there were some subtle changes in architecture immediately upon reaching the German side. In the Netherlands, everything is made from bricks, except very modern steel-and-glass sorts of things. This corner of Germany also favors brick, certainly, but mixes in a little variety--plaster (I guess), for example.

A picture from the German town of Leer will give you a good idea of what I mean:

So what is there to do in a small German town on a Saturday afternoon? Sure, you can walk along the waterfront

but why not enjoy some good German kuchen (cake)? Leer seems to be full of bakeries. I had the rhabarberkuchen (rhubarb cake). And tea. Because that was what the locals do. (See how I brought it back to my original topic?)