For my last week in Europe, I gave up the idea of traveling to Spain from the Netherlands. I was sick of air travel and I didn't think just a week would do Spain justice. I searched for some off-the-beaten-path spots in the Netherlands and came up with the island of Vlieland and Giethoorn.

The rugged and small island of Vlieland ended up being one of my favorite stops of my Europe trip. I arrived on the ferry on the eastern part of the island around 7pm on a balmy day, and woke up the next day to cold rain pattering on my hotel room window and a clucking chicken... It was an amazing and relaxing few days that I really needed.

The island lighthouse amidst morning fog.

Sand dunes and the sea. After I walked a bit in the surf I found the sign declaring a phosphorous alert for water that day. Oops.