However ...

Instead of Istanbul ... well, the girl from Mosgiel was wandering about in another country that didn't really exist until she arrived ... simple geographically-inept creature that she be. We were bound for Zeeland.

After the traditional Belgian Sunday morning breakfast that I've come to love ... the same one that caused me to say yes to my friend's invitation to run if you must know ... there's only so many pistolets and chocolade koeken a girl can eat before she has to take up running ... Gert and I headed off to another political reception. This time he was a prize winner, knowing more than anyone else in a quiz about his party. I do like to be the chick with the man who is handed the champagne ;-)

Duty done, we raced off to the Netherlands. There was a beach he wanted to take me to, a deserted one he said, raising an eyebrow when I snorted with laughter.

'Apartment buildings that reach the sand?'
I too can raise an eyebrow.

He raised his again and said, 'No'.

It was a good day for a drive ... sunshine, oodles of it but don't ask for the temperature. Those in the Southern Hemisphere will get unbearably smug.
Just over 100kms later, we pulled into a carpark with about 15 other cars ... not bad I thought. The sand dunes looked hopeful ... just like the real thing even ... you can see why he sometimes raises his eyebrow at me.

We climbed up the hill, causing me to pause while I caught my breath and wonder aloud if running lessons were a feasible thing ... I may have said something like 'I could die you know ... learning to run'.

Okay, so you can imagine ... Gert raised an eyebrow.
The beach was a real one ... no apartment buildings, just sand dunes and so very few people ... although that may have been the windchill factor.

We walked, I collected shells ... beautiful ones for my desk collection, we talked, our teeth almost chattered a little at times, however our ears didn't freeze dry and snap off. There are always things to be grateful for if you search ... no really, it was fantastic out there. There was even a surfer ... his friend was videoing him ... Gert and I were bemused. Gert because of the cold sea, me because I couldn't imagine dipping my toe in the North Sea, much less my whole body.

It was beautiful. Dogs and horses passed us by, we captured one with the digital, and we got back to the car after an hour and a half, completely intact, without frostbite.

On our way home, he made a point of showing me where my next set of Nederlands classes begin tomorrow ... realising I am the type of troublesome creature who might come home and tell him 'well, I couldn't find the school, how could I go?