Hello from the Netherlands, also known as Holland, the land of tulips and an abundance of water.

Holland is a country with a population of 16.25 million, most of which lives within what is referred to as the Randstad area of Western Holland. This encompasses the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Den Haag and then the city of Utrecht.

Holland is mostly flat and, as I said, has a lot of water. More than half of the country lies below sea level. The Netherlands is bordered by Germany, Belgium and the North Sea. There are many beautiful, large sandy beaches here but, because of the weather, they largely go unused for sunbathing and water sports.

Temperatures in Holland are mostly mild with a lot of rain and wind because of the sea climate. In the course of a day the sun might shine, it might then cloud over, then the wind will start blowing and it might rain or hail, you might hear some thunder, even some snow flurries and then the sun will shine again and the wind will stop!

And, of course, you cannot describe Holland without mentioning windmills. These are scattered throughout Holland and are protected by the government. If anyone owns property that includes a windmill, the windmill must be maintained to government standards. Many times, you will see a beautiful, well-kept, newly painted, working windmill sitting beside a very small, and maybe not so well kept, house.

The cost of maintenance and renovation of these windmills is considerable, so I think some of the property owners have more invested in the windmills than in their homes.

In the cities of the Netherlands, property is very precious and every square meter of space is utilized. In contrast, when you travel outside of the cities, you will see vast, open, flat, green pastures with sheep, cows, birds and beautiful wild swans.

And of course, throughout the land, you see the many dykes filled with ducks, herons, swans, and other waterfowl called water chickens. These dykes serve many purposes - for barge traffic, personal water sports, fishing boats and also an occasional picnic or for just sitting and enjoying the view. In the cities, many of the canal streets are lined with restaurants and bars where you can sit outside, weather permitting, and enjoy a beverage with a beautiful view of the water and the canal houses.

The Netherlands is a mostly liberal country with same sex marriages and euthanasia being tolerated. The government is headed by a parliament comprised of many different political parties. The Prime Minister oversees the running of the government, but there is also a Royal Family, which is very prominent in Dutch culture. Queen Beatrix, her three sons and their families are very much in the news, with royal activities watched closely by many Dutch people.

Transportation in Holland is provided by private cars, trains, buses, city trams and, of course, bicycles. In the large cities, you will see literally thousands of bicycles and (as an American) you have to learn to watch cyclists very closely. They have the right of way in most cases, so you had better get out of their path. In Amsterdam, in particular, the bicycle riders seem to have supreme reign on the streets and will not hesitate to cross the street in front of a car if they need to get to the other side. So not only do you walk around the city with a keen eye out for cyclists, but also observe cautious driving!

The amount of available parking is minimal, again especially in Amsterdam. It seems that most cities try to dissuade anyone from driving cars in their city. So the trains and buses and trams are a very popular mode of transportation and they make it very convenient to get from one place to another.