Alex his mother sometimes mentions that there are quite a large number of differences in the Dutch and Spanish culture. In Spain we cannot cross the street with Alex without hearing compliments and remarks about Alex. Here in Holland we hear absolute silence. No compliments, no remarks, nothing.

Until yesterday when there was an event that left us speechless. Two little girls rang the front door bell. They were around 10 years, and they only asked about Alex. They wanted to know if he was coming out to play. He was asleep, but when I told the girls that after his sleep he would probably go out and play they left very happy. Ana and I were baffled. Alex’ not even two years old, and already the girls are seeking him out. It did however leave me with a proud feeling.

After just one week in Holland the changes we notice in little Alex are quite big.

He has adopted to a Dutch timetable very fast. He goes to bed much earlier, he wakes up more early and his daily routine has changed a lot. Normally Alex would start to show signs of being tired around 10 or 11 o clock at night. but now he falls profoundly asleep at 8.

It´s not really clear what is causing the change. Maybe its the Dutch light, or the climate of because we are are doing more activities, or maybe it’s just because Alex sees a lot of people around him all with different timetables.

Alex is clearly missing his Spanish customs. He is slowly adopting to Holland and every now and then he even has some fun.

In Spain driving a bike is not nearly as natural as it is in Holland. There are very few bike lanes and if you are one of the lucky few with a bike you will find yourself on a dangerous spot. Other users of the roads are not used to bikes and they just don’t take into account there might be bikes around. In Holland it cannot be more different. Here you are the king of the road on your bike. Everyone knows you are there and you can drive everywhere on your bike.

It was a good moment to introduce Alex to this great concept. Together we drove a few laps and Alex did quite enjoy it. At first he had to overcome some of his anxiety, because we were going quite fast, but he got the hand of it quite fast en even enjoyed himself. Still, it was his first time and after a few lats he started asking for mamma. Still, the bike seed has been planted and now the biker in Alex can start to grow.