Spring here is more advanced than I thought it would be. Trees are already green and it's the last of many blooms. Tulips abound and their blooms are so wide the sun shines through them. All the clothes I packed are too warm.

I read once in a travel book that when you arrive in a new place you should walk around the block, see what's there. It can be difficult to walk out into a different culture when you're jetlagged and can't really read the menu. Well, we just finished with our around-the-block. Fortunately, most people seem to speak some English—even whole sentences. But, we still don't know the customs, and we ended up having a strange meal sans plates and with some miscommunication. Apparently, most things will be closed for the rest of the weekend. Indeed, the town is very quiet except for the incredible, booming church bells, real bells—not the recorded bells we hear in our neighborhood at home—that clang and echo solemnly.