Summer, is that you?

Saturday marked a truly momentous occasion: it was the first time since September I was able to go outside in short sleeves. This weekend, we had two whole days of 20 degree (68 degrees Fahrenheit) weather. So naturally, I did what everybody else in this country did: I went outside. Every terrace, bench, and park was full of people reveling in the feeling of warm sunshine and not needing a jacket.

I spent Saturday walking through Utrecht with friends, exploring the city, enjoying the warmth, and trying to avoid the wind. Because even on a sunny, beautiful day, the weather in this country is never completely perfect. But I’ll take a little wind if it means we get more sunshine.

Naturally, the first summery day of the year wouldn’t be complete without ice cream. You can see my happy ice cream face here.

The sunny weather isn’t going to hold — it’s supposed to start raining again tomorrow — but it was nice to get a taste of summer. Despite the imminent return of rain, I’m not disappointed. It’s only April, so there are plenty of potentially warmer months ahead.

^{Even the firefighters were outside enjoying the sunshine, as can be seen in the top left of this photo. I’m not sure whether this was part of a visibility campaign or if they were simply enjoying a break, but they also thought that getting ice cream was a good idea.}