Amsterdam To Brussels

( Originally Published 1911 )

July 21.-Three peasant women with nice, honest faces were in the station while we were waiting for the train yesterday morning. They were travelers like ourselves. They wore on their heads close fitting caps with one long curl on each side of the face. Light colored waists with a short cap at the shoulder, dark sleeves and short, dark, full skirts completed their costume. They carried enormous bundles and a baby.

Some young people of both sexes were singing and dancing, first in the vestibule of the station and afterwards in the waiting room. Flowers were for sale in the station.

Returning to Amsterdam seemed to round out our visit to Holland. We look back upon it with much pleasure. We saw sleepy black and white cows lying in the meadows yesterday. Big tubs were scattered about for their use. Cows have a good time in Holland. They do not work. We have not seen an ox. Horses and dogs do the work in this little country. We saw again the bulb farms near Haarlem. Flowers were blooming on each side of a canal only large enough for small boats. Pond lilies were growing and blossoming, in this narrow canal, some yellow, some white. Windmills were plentiful. Holland is certainly interesting. In the town of Delft yesterday we saw a windmill on a dwelling house. We shook hands with the porter yesterday when we left Hotel Victoria. Left Amsterdam at 8:28. Awnings in Holland resemble our one horse carriage tops with several arched bows.