Tulips at touchdown.

Tulip faces 

Few things delight Joan, my wife, more than flowers. More so at the other side of an arduous, 15 hour long commute across continents.

It was fantastic to see our friend Martin Jan as we stepped out of Schipol. And Joan wouldn't stop beaming because he welcomed us with the oh-so-famous-but-not-in-season Dutch tulips. Was it the flowers or was it the friend, you'd never know. She was beaming all the way to Zwolle in the train and even days after when she saw the tulips blooming out in all beauty.

For me, those were the first among the numerous lessons I was to pick up on hosting with the heart. The extra mile you go to make it special for your guests, to let your actions say that they are truly welcome. We hadn't yet met many people nor stepped into the country, but we were already falling in love with the Dutch.