My last night in the Netherlands was so surreal. I arrived by train from Giethoorn just after sunset and was met at the station by a friend I met in Costa Rica. She was so generous and offered me a place to crash at her family's home in Weesp, just outside Amsterdam. Her home is nestled in beautiful gardens on an island in the canal. I woke up refreshed and took a bike ride before taking the train to the airport.

View from her bank towards the city center

The lovely bicycle my friend let me borrow, complete with saddle bags

Cycling towards the old fort, passing windmills

I was so sad to leave Weesp after spending only 14 hours there, but I will remember it fondly as my last stop in the Netherlands, complete with the most stereotypical Dutch things: cycling, windmills and the trademark yellow trains of the NS (Dutch Railways) gliding through the fields.