With the Dutch GSE Team

  Alkmaar, Netherlands
Monday, May 28, 2007

Straight to the west coast this morning and the seaside town of Bergen An Zee. Matt & Marnie would join us later as they were visiting the Dolfinarium. The rest of us met up with the Dutch GSE team and their team leader Greet Van Gorsel.

This morning after another stop for coffee, we would head off along the beach for an 8km walk. The beaches in this area are very sandy, with fine white sand similar to many Australian beaches. The dunes are high and built to assist protection from the North Sea.

Today is Pinksterdag, another public holiday in Holland. This is yet another Christian holiday in Europe, this time for Whitmonday. As a result, the beach was reasonably busy despite the brisk weather. Families were walking babies with their Bugaboo prams along the beach, others were walking their dogs. Conversely, the nudist beaches pointed out by Greet were very quiet.

This was the second time the two entire teams would meet on this trip. The first was on Queen's Day, about a month ago. We shared stories, experiences, and could relate our time to people who understood what this experience was. Group Study Exchange is like no other. Preparation helps; but it has to be experienced to be understood.

After the walk, we treated ourselves to a beachside lunch. On the way back to Alkmaar, the roads were crowded with German caravans returning from their long weekend.

Dinner at Greet's house in the centre of Alkmaar with her husband Paul and the two teams was a terrific celebration. We are in the final stretch. There is much excitement and anticipation about saying goodbye to our Dutch friends and thanking them for hosting us so well.