Day Twenty-Three: Holland

It is known that Mr. Crumpet and Orange Bear search far and wide for the finest in crêpe gastronomique.

“Pancakes are the best. This I declare,” Orange Bear, um, declares.

They have found what they are they looking for along the banks of the Kromme Rijn (Crooked Rhine River) in the Utrecht province of central Holland. Here, Pannekoekenhuizen (pancake houses) sound their irresistible siren calls.

As Orange Bear ravages his apple, cinnamon, and sugar (and more powdered sugar) pancakes, Mr. Crumpet says to his Dear Old Grandmum, “Dear Old Grandmum, he is, after all, a bear.”

Later, Dear Old Grandmum serves tea in her little brick home in Nieuwegein. In her golden years, among the canals and woodlands and gardens and farms (yes, and windmills), she has chosen to return to family roots.

“It does feel rather homey here, doesn’t it?” reflects Mr. Crumpet.

They are, after all, woodsy folks.

Meanwhile, Orange Bear chases butterflies in the garden. (It’s the sugar.)

Hollandse IJssel, Nieuwegein (photo: Koen van Gilst)