I was going to drive to Freesland to explore the area my paternal grandparents came from but panicked about a mile outside the car rental office when the English navigation system seemed to be inhabited by a schizophrenic. After retuning the car, I took a 3 hour train ride to the district’s cutest town which turned out to be 4 hours because I got on the wrong train. I was finally dropped at a station stop in the middle of no where where a sign read Hindeloopen – 2 miles and pointed to a path through alfalfa pastures of cows looking much like the dairyland I grew up on. This challenging day was rewarded when I arrived at one of the most charming villages so small that everyone greets you with a friendly hello! Made me wonder if the long day had been a dream if I had actually ended up in Brigadoon.
