Traveling my Family Tree : The Netherlands Edition

With all of the places we’ve been to, and those we have yet to go, there was one of which we had yet to speak of; and that place is the Netherlands. My ancestral background is composed of part Irish, part French, and mostly Dutch. It has always been important to my family that we are aware of our culture, our backgrounds and our stories. And so the summer before I headed off to university, both my opa’s (grandfather in dutch) and my oma’s (grandmother in dutch) families were having gatherings in the Netherlands, and invited us along to meet relatives we had scarcely seen, and others we had never met. I embarked on this adventure with my two grandparents, and both of my parents, to head back to the land that contributed to at least half of my story.

Staying with some relatives some days, and staying in hotels by ourselves on others, we let this breathtaking country open itself up to us, little by little. One of the many things I loved about the Netherlands was the dramatic twist in scenery you could get in such a short amount of time. We spent time in the countryside, and in rural forests; in small town and bustling cities; near historical castles and by the sea. Spending only 10 days in the Netherlands, I managed to see some amazing sights (some expected and some, not so much).

We stayed with family for our first few days and headed up the countryside. They owned a beautiful house near the dijks, with some wild animals, and a backyard that opened up onto a large pond. We stayed with a second cousin of mine (who I had met years before during one of her trips to Canada) and her husband. They took us throughout the area, driving and sightseeing. We went to a Dutch pioneer village where we ate traditional food, climbed up windmills and walked across drawbridges. We had dinner along the Rijn and I learned how to order croquettes in dutch (one of the first things I actually learned how to say). We visited old castles and even dressed up in period clothing at the end while exploring the cobblestone streets of the village.

One of the most memorable experiences was heading to my Opa’s native village Silvolde, where we walked the streets, visited the Church where he had been an altar boy, walked next to the building where our family’s bakery had once been, and then ended the tour at a quaint venue, where the rest of family and friends showed up to reconnect over afternoon tea. I’ll never forget the look of pride on his face when he introduced us to his past, and our history.

We made our way to Kijkdun, where we stayed at a hotel on the beach. We spent most of our time walking the waterfront, window shopping some of the stands and visited more family, but this time, on my grandmother’s side of the family. We visited her niece who hosted a wonderful reunion in her garden of Eden-like backyard. We took boats through the canals to visit a winery and met up with others. We took some quality time roaming the streets and canals she used to explore. We visited our family’s greenhouse where the beautiful and bountiful flowers never ceased. It was a delight to see that our family businesses rested in traditional dutch culture; baking and flowers.

We finished off our trip with our last day in Amsterdam. Going into the city to visit a cousin we’d only just met a couple of days before, we took the bus, the train, the tram and boats to get to his place. Living in the traditional canal houses, we walked the historic streets of Amsterdam and took in the sights. We visited the Red Light District, hopped on board a boat to take a tour of the canals and grabbed a bite to eat with our cousin in his beautiful home. The history, art and culture was seeping from every corner of the city and I loved it, because that history was also my own.

Though the sights were many and the days were few, it was the perfect occasion to get a taste of the place I come from. It’s one thing to hear stories, and it’s another to live it. If you ever have the chance to explore your cultural background, jump at the chance. Though our past does not define us, it has helped shape us.

Kyla