April 8th, 2024

Good morning friends,

   Today begins the last phase of a month-long adventure and perhaps the most intriguing part of all. Sunday morning Julie and the rest of the family returned to America and I am staying here in Holland, by myself, for the next 10 days. Yes, I will miss the pain in the eclipse…… I am residing in a ground floor apartment where Julie and I have stayed several times in the past. It has a patio and lovely garden in the back that abuts to a small farm with a donkey and a small pony. It is close to the harbor. The plan is to simply live a Dutch life as an expatriot, and to see the world from a different angle….and to learn to appreciate my family even more. With last Saturday, reaching a whopping 75° everything in Holland is now in bloom. I have no particular agenda and no place that I have to be. I plan on spending some time with old friends, cooking a dinner or two, but basically staying in my neighborhood near the beach.

    Now, don’t get me wrong. This is no kind of life crisis. At my age, a life crisis is not worth the time or the effort, believe me. I just need a moment to introspect… to think about life…. where have I been, what is my place in the world and what I’m going to do with the time I have left (oh, just a few dandy thoughts to while away, the hours!). BUT, one of the most significant life events I have ever experienced was this past week with my family. I cannot tell you how proud, and how in love I am with everyone of these people. They all struggled, all in their own way, to make this happen…to make it important for themselves, and significant others in their life…it was not without many, many struggles. One can only imagine taking 2-1/2 year-old twins and a rambunctious seven year old brother 5000 miles away from their home to stay in a third-floor apartment so you could be able to hang out with dad and your sisters and your mom…that, my friends, takes a lot of guts and when it come to having guts, my family is packing. We hit every single tourist destination in South Holland that we could possibly get to by tram, train or cab. The miniature city of Madurodam was first on the list and then the Keukenhof, the ultimate eight week long flower garden that attracts millions of tulip lovers, and then to the city of Delft, where the best blue and white pottery has been made for centuries. We went to all of the tourist traps at the beach in Scheveningen, including Legoland and Seaworld, and the kids played around the beautiful display of sculptures at the sea. We also spent days on our own, exploring Holland in our own fashion and branching out to Amsterdam and having dinner with old friends. Everybody did their own thing and came together as a family at the same time. I cannot tell you how proud and happy I am at this moment. 

With peace,

John Bernunzio

Madurodam 

Family dinner

the miniature city….

I’ve always had a soft spot I my heart for tulips….and cheese…

My little back yard…

The harbor