Yesterday we returned my borrowed bicycle to Antoon and Tini's house. It was so nice of them to let me use it while I was here! I also had the opportunity to visit (lunch) with them again and see their daughters and granddaughters. This was my first time meeting their daughter Astrid in person and her lovely daughter Lisa-Maria! Astrid and I have already 'met' via Facebook, but it was great to be able to meet in the flesh too. Anyway, as I was riding there, I kept thinking that for so many people, Holland may be about windmills and wooden shoes, but for me it will always be about de fiets (bicycles). No blog about a trip here to the Netherlands would be complete without some time dedicated to the bicycle and what a wonderful job the Dutch do with their cycle paths!
The Dutch bicyccle boom started in the late 1800's when a Dutch baron had his blacksmith copy a model of a cycle named the velocipede. In 1869 the first Rent-a-bike business was started in Amsterdam as well as a Learn-to Ride school. In the beginning, cycling was considered a rich man's sport and the first Dutch cycling club was founded in 1871. Just before the turn of the century, the bicycle had trickled down to middle and lower classes and everyone was on a bicycle! From postmen to policemen to farmers to the Dutch army (who even had a machine-gun mounted bicycle battalion. The cycle paths here transverse the villages, towns, cities and countryside. They are all signed and mapped and the maps are readily available in gas stations and bookstores. Since Holland is quite flat, the cycling is relatively easy and there are many sights to see, so never boring! If you are looking for a cycling holiday, there are packages offered to cyclists of all levels. Day trips, weekend trips, full cycling vacations ... a myriad of choices! If you don't think you can do that much cycling, motorized scooters also use the network of cycling paths in both rural and urban areas. The network stretches into each of the 12 provinces and while some run parallel to the roads some are designed just for the cyclists and take them through routes where cars cannot go. Making yourself familiar with the traffic rules the cyclists must follow is a good idea! ;-) You can rent bikes at most train stations or bike shopes or bring your own. Apparently the airlines have a special transport box for oversized luggage! You can take the bikes on the train and the water taxis too, although they must have their own ticket! I have some cool pictures of bikes on the water taxi and people lined up for the trains with their bikes.
Anyway, yesterday I said goodbye to my Dutch bicycle. It became a part of my family here. I also said goodbye to Antoon and Tini, their daughters Esther and Astrid, and granddaughters Jessica, Cindy and Lisa-Maria. I know I will see them again. I hope they visit me in Canada, however, if they do not, I will be back. I am not sure I will borrow the bike again ... I may be renting a scooter or an electric bike! lol!
In the evening last night there were more goodbyes at another birthday party! Steven, Koos's son, was celebrating his 50th birthday at a pub not too far from Koos's home! Oh my, the Dutch do know how to have a good time! :-) Much beer and wine was drunk and laughter and music and singing ensued. And even though I was at a disadvantage with my language barrier, it was a blast! I recorded some of the songs the crowd sang at the end of the evening, and replaying it at breakfast today had Koos and Hettie breaking into song again. Another fine memory to take home with me!
This is me!
- Jeannie
- Welcome to my little corner of the net. Pull up a chair, get comfy and enjoy!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
time and people march on .....
Yesterday was another walking tour with Riet. She is in training for the Vierdaagse and she gave us quite a workout while we were visiting. What a great way to see the city! The "vierdaagse" (Dutch for "Four day Event") is an annual walk that has first took place in 1909 and has been based from Nijmegen since 1916. Walkers walk 30, 40 or 50 kilometers each day for four days depending on the division. It began as a military event with a few civilians but over the years that has changed to mainly civilian with participants from around the world. They expect over 45,000 participants, including about 5,000 Military from 160 countires plus a half million supporters cheering the walkers on. The opening ceremonies are this weekend and the march starts next week. This is the world's largest walking event and upon completion, participants receive a royally approved medal (Vierdaagsekruis). Riet has her and her husbdand's medals from the past marches proudly displayed in her home. I would love to return some day and participate in this event but I am not sure my knees would be happy about it! Each day of the marches is named after the biggest town it goes through. Tuesday is the day of Elst, Wednesday the day of Wijchen, Thursday the day of Groesbeek and Friday the day of Cuijk. On final day (Friday), the public gives the walkers flowers as they pass ... gladioli ,,, a symbol of force and victory stemming from Roman times where gladiators were showered with Gladioli. So, the Nijmegen marchers are similarly 'showered' in flowers on their arrival and the entry into the city and towards the finish, the St. Annastreet, is called Via Gladiola during the Nijmegen Marches.
So we took the bus from Nijmegen to Groesbeek and there we walked with Riet (but only 12 km, not the 40 she will be doing each day of 4 days next week). We started our Groesbeek tour at the National Liberation Museum. They have done a remarkable job bringing the past back to life, and the museum commemorates all of the Allied fighters who died here during the war. There are interactive presentations, dioramas, models, originanl films and audio fragments as well as the sounds and smells of war. The layout of the museum is such that you step through the occupation, the liberation and the rebuilding of the Netherlands and Europe. They present the horrors of war along with the exhileration of liberation and truly illustrate how important freedom and human rights really are. A truly remarkable achievement and I was pleased to tell them so in my comments in their guest book.
From the museum, we walked the path throught the Seven Hills to the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery and Memorial. The cemetery contains 2,331 Canadian, 255 British, 3 Belgian, 2 Australian, 2 Polish, 1 New Zealand, 1 Dutch, 1 Russian, 1 Yugoslavian and 20 Unknown soldiers of World War II and is somewhat unique because many of the dead where brought from nearby Germany so it is one of the few cases where bodies were moved across international borders. Citizens of Nijmegen 'adopt' a soldier and consider it an honour to care for their final resting place. It is a beautiful place and an emotional visit. Within the cemetery is the Groesbeek Memorial, commemorating the members of the Commonwealth land forces who died during the campaign in north-west Europe between the time of crossing the Seine River at the end of August 1944 and the end of the war in Europe. There are 1,103 names on the memorial and it consists of twin colonnaded buildings which face each other across the grass forecourt of the cemetery, between the entrance and the "Stone of Remembrance." The names of the men whose graves are unknown are inscribed in panels of Portland stone built into the rear walls. I doubt anyone can visit the site without being moved by the sacrifice of the individuals who gave their lives, and being moved by the care with which the Dutch honor them.
Following this, we visited a windmill and then settled for a late (delicious) lunch at an old inn. It was a long, wonderfully tiring day that was capped off in the eveing with a visit to Riet's daughter's home to enjoy the company of her family. What a warm welcome we have had from our extended family on this trip! :-)
That's all for today. We are once again enjoying Koos's hospitality in Boxtel, and YES ... we returned here by train, but only because it was raining. I could have done it ... really, I could! LOL!
So we took the bus from Nijmegen to Groesbeek and there we walked with Riet (but only 12 km, not the 40 she will be doing each day of 4 days next week). We started our Groesbeek tour at the National Liberation Museum. They have done a remarkable job bringing the past back to life, and the museum commemorates all of the Allied fighters who died here during the war. There are interactive presentations, dioramas, models, originanl films and audio fragments as well as the sounds and smells of war. The layout of the museum is such that you step through the occupation, the liberation and the rebuilding of the Netherlands and Europe. They present the horrors of war along with the exhileration of liberation and truly illustrate how important freedom and human rights really are. A truly remarkable achievement and I was pleased to tell them so in my comments in their guest book.
From the museum, we walked the path throught the Seven Hills to the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery and Memorial. The cemetery contains 2,331 Canadian, 255 British, 3 Belgian, 2 Australian, 2 Polish, 1 New Zealand, 1 Dutch, 1 Russian, 1 Yugoslavian and 20 Unknown soldiers of World War II and is somewhat unique because many of the dead where brought from nearby Germany so it is one of the few cases where bodies were moved across international borders. Citizens of Nijmegen 'adopt' a soldier and consider it an honour to care for their final resting place. It is a beautiful place and an emotional visit. Within the cemetery is the Groesbeek Memorial, commemorating the members of the Commonwealth land forces who died during the campaign in north-west Europe between the time of crossing the Seine River at the end of August 1944 and the end of the war in Europe. There are 1,103 names on the memorial and it consists of twin colonnaded buildings which face each other across the grass forecourt of the cemetery, between the entrance and the "Stone of Remembrance." The names of the men whose graves are unknown are inscribed in panels of Portland stone built into the rear walls. I doubt anyone can visit the site without being moved by the sacrifice of the individuals who gave their lives, and being moved by the care with which the Dutch honor them.
Following this, we visited a windmill and then settled for a late (delicious) lunch at an old inn. It was a long, wonderfully tiring day that was capped off in the eveing with a visit to Riet's daughter's home to enjoy the company of her family. What a warm welcome we have had from our extended family on this trip! :-)
That's all for today. We are once again enjoying Koos's hospitality in Boxtel, and YES ... we returned here by train, but only because it was raining. I could have done it ... really, I could! LOL!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Romans walked here..
Sunday evening we arrived at Riet's (cousin to my father) house. So wonderful to see her again! (It is sad for me to not see her husband Jo who passed away a few years ago. My memories of him are of a kind man who laughed a lot.) She has a lovely house and another one of the wonderful gardens the Dutch are so good at. Her garden is under rennovation and her grandsons have been hard at work transforming the lower half into a set of pebblestone steps down to the pond that frames the bottom of her property. It is quite lovely! There is a bench to sit on and fish from, or watch the nesting swans, or just contemplate the day! Riet had dinner waiting for us, and as she is a vegetarian, it was a noodle dish that had peppers, onions, cashews and
egg and was delicious!! After dinner, Riet's daughter and son-in-law, Sylvie and Richard came to visit. With them came their 3 sons, Jordie, Danny and Davy along with 2 girlfriends. A full house and it was much fun!
egg and was delicious!! After dinner, Riet's daughter and son-in-law, Sylvie and Richard came to visit. With them came their 3 sons, Jordie, Danny and Davy along with 2 girlfriends. A full house and it was much fun!
Yesterday was dedicated to sightseeing in Nijmegen, the oldest town of the Netherlands. The history of this town goes back two thousand years when the Romans settled here and Nijmegen grew to become the largest town of the Netherlands. It was granted market rights around the year 104 AD by the Roman Emperor Trajan. Initially Emperor Charlemagne chose to build his palace here and over the centuries that followed a succession of monarchs, dukes and emperors also chose Nijmegan as their residence. That meant the citizens became one of the most privileged people of Europe. It wasn't till several centuries later thay growing merchant towns surpassed Nijmegen.
Because of its strategic location, the town was often at the centre of conflicts. During the 2nd world war, the Allies bombed Nijmegen by mistake, killing hundreds of civilians and destroying most of the town centre. The people here have done a remarkable job with restoration. Riet took us to the square where our first stop was a Koffi date with her friends. They were super friendly to me and we had a lovely visit. A couple of the friends spoke very little English but made the effort to chat with me regardless. So nice. And so appreciated because I cannot do much in Dutch. It was so nice to sit outside and soak up the sun in an outdoor cafe and people watch in a centuries old square. The Lange Hezelstraat was an important thoroughfare even back in Roman times and it became one of the main trading routes in the region. Because of this, it can be called the oldest shopping street of the Netherlands. I must admit, we didn't really shop, but only browsed a couple of places where the vendor spread their wares on blankets. I am guessing though that if you like to shop this is a shopping heaven.
Our point of interest after koffi, was St. Stevenskerkhof the massive church and clock tower in the centrum. The original building was started in 1254 and was almost completely detroyed in the Allied bombing in 1944. It was subsequently restored and we climbed the 200+ plus steps to see the view of the city from under the clock. Dad and I had one pIcture taken with the famous Nijmegen bridge in the background. Our timing was perfect because we were able to climb to the top of the tower and watch a woman play an instrument called a Breeah (sp?) and hear the music that plays out to the centrum below. It was a cool experience to say the least.
After that, we walked an 11 km hike across the river Waal via the railway and foot bridge and then through a lovely neigbourhood with Riet acting as our guide and Dad chatting with people as we went. The hike back across the river was over the famous Waal Bridge which was the site of much action during World War II. Because it granted access to Germany, the occupying German forces put up fortifications to defend it. You can still see a German cannon still aiming at the bridge that was left in place after the war. Before this bridge was built in 1936, all traffic had to cross the river by ferry. This famous bridge remained intact during the liberation by the Allies (Operation Market Garden) in 1944 and is the topic of the movie "A Bridge too Far".
From the bridge, we explored the Valkholf where the Romans founded the capital of the Batvians prior to 70 AD and which later became the site of the Emperor's fortress. The fortress was expanded over the centuries but was later demolished in the 1700's with only the 2 attached chapels being spared. And although they overlook the Waal Bridge, somehow they were spared in WW II.
Well that is enough of a history lesson for one post. We dragged our tired butts back to Riet's for dinner and a visit with her son and DIL, Josh and Miriam and their children Wesley and Omi. Was so nice to put faces to names and to finally meet these people who share the same great grandparents!
That is the extent of my recall tonight. Not to mention all this typing on the BB is getting pretty old! Hope you enjoyed!
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Monday, July 11, 2011
French women don't get fat...
And neither do the Dutch! For the French, it might be all about the cuisine and portion control, but for the Dutch it is all about the cycling! Lol! What an experience this part of my trip has been. 70 km from Boxtel to Nijmegen op de fiets. Thank goodness the Netherlands is so flat is all I can say! At least that part was appreciated on an older bicycle with no gears. Since yesterday was Sunday, the traffic was light and there were many cyclers out and about but the paths were not jammed. There were tourists out and about. Native Dutch people on picnics and Sunday drives. And so many groups of cycle clubs out for a tour. Large groups looking like they were searching for the tour de France and took a wrong turn! I took a great picture of such a group that stopped for a rest at a pub and were replenishing the tanks! I am getting quite good at taking pictures as we ride along. And when I say quite good, I mean I don't fall off the bike and land in the ditch! This is not a comment on the quality of the photos, that remains to be seen yet.
I loved looking at the farms as we rode yesterday. It is fascinating to me to see the differences between here and home. Dairy farms, pig farms, horse farms, goat and sheep farms... all so clean, neat and tidy. And no wasted space. We passed goats staked on the sides of the road. We passed one warehouse in a small town where they built a little fence on a strip of lawn behind the warehouse and a fat little pony grazed. I found that pretty interesting and thought of the massive lawns at ExxonMobil in Belleville and how many ponies that would house! :-)
I loved looking at the farms as we rode yesterday. It is fascinating to me to see the differences between here and home. Dairy farms, pig farms, horse farms, goat and sheep farms... all so clean, neat and tidy. And no wasted space. We passed goats staked on the sides of the road. We passed one warehouse in a small town where they built a little fence on a strip of lawn behind the warehouse and a fat little pony grazed. I found that pretty interesting and thought of the massive lawns at ExxonMobil in Belleville and how many ponies that would house! :-)
We first made our way through Heeswijk-Dinther, stopping at a castle that has been dated back to as early as 1080. Yes, 1080! These remains can still be seen in the cellar vaults. Over the centuries, the castle itself was expanded, refurbished, demolished and rebuilt depending on the financial means of the owner at the time and it now stands in wonderful repair on beautiful grounds and features a brassiere where you can sit and have a lovely meal.
I spent some time wandering the sheep pastures with my camera while Dad consulted the map, trying to decide the next leg of our route. He said he wished he had brought his compass and we would follow it to Nijmegen! I said I think NOT!! He said why not? To which I replied I preferred to follow the labeled paths, get there today and I had no desire to be pushing my bike (not to mention my sorry ass) through some cow pastures just because that is the way the crows fly!! :-s It was a moot point anyway because we now compass, so we followed the paths and accepted the assistance of many kind strangers along the way, as each leg required at least one SOS! We made our way through Loosbroek, Heesch, Grave and finally Malden where my father grew up. We visited the gravesite of my great grandparents, went by the house where they lived and I even saw the school my father attended as a child. It is somewhat like a trip back in time even though it was not my time. A trip to the fatherland ... so glad I came...
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Sunday, July 10, 2011
Happy Birthday Koos!
Ok, I am falling behind on my posts! Having too much fun visiting I think! Also, I am not in a place where I have access to Wifii any longer, so that complicates things. Yesterday we returned to Koos's house in Boxtel to celebrate his birthday. He had his sister, his niece, all his 4 of his children, all their significant others and 7 of his 8 grandchildren present. That's a lot of people for his house and garden, but what fun it was! There was lots of food and laughs and drinks too! I am learning my older relatives are quite willing to tell me stories about the 'Theo' they remember as a child. My goodness my father was a naughty child! I have heard so many stories! I love it!
I took one of my fav pics yesterday but am not able to share it without the internet. It was a pick of my father cycling to koos's for the party with a case of beer balanced on the back carrier of his bike. Where there is a will there is a way!
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I took one of my fav pics yesterday but am not able to share it without the internet. It was a pick of my father cycling to koos's for the party with a case of beer balanced on the back carrier of his bike. Where there is a will there is a way!
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Friday, July 08, 2011
The farm that Antoon built ....
Dad and I are staying at Antoon's and Tiny's for a couple of days. (As family background, Tiny's grandmother and mine were sisters.) They live not too far outside of Boxtel on a beautiful little farm Antoon has built. They fisrt built the garage and the stable and lived there for a few years while they buiilt the house. Antoon did all the work himself. They have some ponies, a couple of horses, and a couple of Belgian Shepherds (Groenendael) dogs. There is a horse farm right next door and between the two properties there is a field of a half dozen yearling colts so I am quite enjoying the view! Tiny and Antoon are wonderful hosts and I think it is tiring for everyone when there is a language barrier. I know it exhausts me. Tiny understands much of what I say but usually answers in Dutch. Dad translates. Antoon understands little of what I say. Dad translates. I understand nothing of what Antoon says. Dad translates. Getting the picture? LOL!! Actually, their command of the English language is way, way, WAY better than my Dutch. Part of what stops us both is confidence. I feel like I hace a mouth full of marbles when I am trying to pronounce many dutch words. Three of their granddaughters visited today and I had great fun with them. Michelle is almost 14, Jessica is 11 and Cindy is 8. They are beautiful, charming girls. Michelle and Jessica both have excellent English and Cindy is learning. Cindy already knows more English words than I know Dutch. She laughed with delight when I shook her hand and said "Ick ben Jeannie". :-) Like most girls of their age, the two eldest wanted access to their Oma's laptop at the same time. Since I have mine with me, I let one use mine and we shared photos and Facebook pages and exchanged emails! I also had them invite Karen to be a FB friend as I know they would all get along so well. I also know Cindy and Dana would have a blast playing together ... perhaps some day in the future.
Antoon generously took usout ion the car today and we stopped at a couple of horse farms so I could look around. I enjoy touring the farming communities here as much as the medeival cities and their amazing cathedrals and castles. He took us to a tack shop in an old barn, where I purchased a new set of stirrup irons for Miss Maddie. Ok ... they are for me to use on Miss Maddie! :-) Dad scored a free piece of used leather strapping he will use to repair a rifle carrier thingie so he was happy too! lol! The trip back to the farm was interesting because Antoon kept stopping for me to take photos. I told them about Glenn's blog (www.hubbers.ca) and the photo challenge he has us playing there. The current theme is FENCES, so Antoon stopped every time he saw a fence he thought I might like to photograph. And I think he purposely took some detours in our return trip to facilitate my picture taking!
So, no history lessons yesterday or today! Just much time spent getting to know extended family and touring this mooi country!
hugs from me! :-)
Antoon generously took usout ion the car today and we stopped at a couple of horse farms so I could look around. I enjoy touring the farming communities here as much as the medeival cities and their amazing cathedrals and castles. He took us to a tack shop in an old barn, where I purchased a new set of stirrup irons for Miss Maddie. Ok ... they are for me to use on Miss Maddie! :-) Dad scored a free piece of used leather strapping he will use to repair a rifle carrier thingie so he was happy too! lol! The trip back to the farm was interesting because Antoon kept stopping for me to take photos. I told them about Glenn's blog (www.hubbers.ca) and the photo challenge he has us playing there. The current theme is FENCES, so Antoon stopped every time he saw a fence he thought I might like to photograph. And I think he purposely took some detours in our return trip to facilitate my picture taking!
So, no history lessons yesterday or today! Just much time spent getting to know extended family and touring this mooi country!
hugs from me! :-)
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Tour de Franz
Yesterday, Marie Christine and Franz had the day off work, so Franz planned an outing for us, hence our very own tour de Franz! :-) So they picked us (Dad, Koos and I) up at 9:30 a.m. and off we went in Franz's car. I will have to get a picture of Franz's car because I think it is very cool. It is a Renault (?) of some type and is the biggest little car I have ever been in! It is kind of cube like to look at and even has some overhead storage compartments in the back like an airplane and has so much headroom. Not sure about the leg room, but I know Lorne (all 6'4") would love the headroom!
So our first destination was Gorinchem, also called Gorkum. I am having a hard time wrapping my lips around the pronunciation of some of these places,but am trying! Gorkum is a small city in the western Netherlands that covers an area of approx 22 km. 3 km of the area covered is water. There is so much water here. Water everywhere! It is said that Gorkum was founded around the year 1000 by fisherman and the farmers that farmed the raised land of the area. As were most of the settlements of the time, the city was fought over by different factions over the centuries and reinforced with city walls to protect against the invaders. By the 16th century, the city walls had to be replaced with new fortifications and eleven bastions (a structure that juts out of the wall to be used in defense againt assaulting troops) which still are almost completely intact. These are also called bulwarks which is a term I have heard before. The new walls were placed farther from the town centre, making the city twice as large and were finished in 1609 and in 1673 Gorinchem officially became part of the old Dutch Water Line which were a series of water based defenses so the Dutch could flood the lowlands as a defense against the enemy yet maintain economic trading within their own Dutch Republic. Rather ingenious if you think about it! The city walls had four city gates: the Arkel Gate in the north, the Dalem Gate in the east, the Water Gate in the south (where the ferry to Woudrichem was), and the Kansel Gate in the west. Of these four gates only the Dalem Gate remains. The others were removed in the 19th century to make way for vehicular traffic. A portion of the Water Gate was preserved in the gardens of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
We left the city via water taxi through after viewing the locks into the main river Linge. I believe this is the location where the Water Gate would have stood. Our first destination was Slot Loevestein, a medieval castle built by the knight Dirc Loef can Horne between 1357 and 1397. It was built in a strategic location where the Maas and Waal rivers come together and was originally constructed in order to take tolls from the vessels passing through the rivers for the purposes of trade. The castle changed hands a few times over the centuries and was even used as a prison to house political prisoners at one time. It is said to be haunted but I didn't see any ghosts floating around myself!
From Loevestein we went again by water taxi to Woudrichem, a beautifully preserved medieval town that was granted city right in the early 1300's. Woudrichem is also one of the eleven official Dutch Fortress Towns: a series of strongholds that for centuries formed the Holland Water Defence. Franz, Dad and I walked the perimeter of the town while Koos and Marie Christine scouted out a pub where we could rest and recoup! There we met some gentlemen playing billiards and generally enjoying life. The harbour in Woudrichem is now considered a National Monument and was modified in 1998 to look again as it had in the 17th century and is intended for historic ships like clipper barges, Dutch Stijlstevens and Frisian Maatkasten. The water taxi came and went from a small dock just beside the little harbour. In the old town centre, there was a church from the 15th century. The heavy square tower used to be higher and much more conical but the spire section was shot down by the Spanish during the town's occupation in 1574. Since then, the tower has been known locally as 'The Mustard Pot' - de Mosterdpot. The entire church burned down at the end of the 16th century but the building was restored and today it belongs to the Dutch Reformed Church.
So our first destination was Gorinchem, also called Gorkum. I am having a hard time wrapping my lips around the pronunciation of some of these places,but am trying! Gorkum is a small city in the western Netherlands that covers an area of approx 22 km. 3 km of the area covered is water. There is so much water here. Water everywhere! It is said that Gorkum was founded around the year 1000 by fisherman and the farmers that farmed the raised land of the area. As were most of the settlements of the time, the city was fought over by different factions over the centuries and reinforced with city walls to protect against the invaders. By the 16th century, the city walls had to be replaced with new fortifications and eleven bastions (a structure that juts out of the wall to be used in defense againt assaulting troops) which still are almost completely intact. These are also called bulwarks which is a term I have heard before. The new walls were placed farther from the town centre, making the city twice as large and were finished in 1609 and in 1673 Gorinchem officially became part of the old Dutch Water Line which were a series of water based defenses so the Dutch could flood the lowlands as a defense against the enemy yet maintain economic trading within their own Dutch Republic. Rather ingenious if you think about it! The city walls had four city gates: the Arkel Gate in the north, the Dalem Gate in the east, the Water Gate in the south (where the ferry to Woudrichem was), and the Kansel Gate in the west. Of these four gates only the Dalem Gate remains. The others were removed in the 19th century to make way for vehicular traffic. A portion of the Water Gate was preserved in the gardens of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
We left the city via water taxi through after viewing the locks into the main river Linge. I believe this is the location where the Water Gate would have stood. Our first destination was Slot Loevestein, a medieval castle built by the knight Dirc Loef can Horne between 1357 and 1397. It was built in a strategic location where the Maas and Waal rivers come together and was originally constructed in order to take tolls from the vessels passing through the rivers for the purposes of trade. The castle changed hands a few times over the centuries and was even used as a prison to house political prisoners at one time. It is said to be haunted but I didn't see any ghosts floating around myself!
From Loevestein we went again by water taxi to Woudrichem, a beautifully preserved medieval town that was granted city right in the early 1300's. Woudrichem is also one of the eleven official Dutch Fortress Towns: a series of strongholds that for centuries formed the Holland Water Defence. Franz, Dad and I walked the perimeter of the town while Koos and Marie Christine scouted out a pub where we could rest and recoup! There we met some gentlemen playing billiards and generally enjoying life. The harbour in Woudrichem is now considered a National Monument and was modified in 1998 to look again as it had in the 17th century and is intended for historic ships like clipper barges, Dutch Stijlstevens and Frisian Maatkasten. The water taxi came and went from a small dock just beside the little harbour. In the old town centre, there was a church from the 15th century. The heavy square tower used to be higher and much more conical but the spire section was shot down by the Spanish during the town's occupation in 1574. Since then, the tower has been known locally as 'The Mustard Pot' - de Mosterdpot. The entire church burned down at the end of the 16th century but the building was restored and today it belongs to the Dutch Reformed Church.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Planes, trains and automobiles!
I have certainly been making use of all sorts of modes of transport on this trip. From automobiles to planes to bicycles to trains to boats and buses! Today we ventured out to visit cousin Margaret in Breda, a city of about 320,000 people. Margaret she met me once before, but I was a small child when she visited Canada. Her mother and my grandmother were sisters. It took us 3 hours to navigate to her house via taxi, two different trains and a bus. It was only 50 kilometers away, but once we arrived in Breda, we had to make the required rest stop for sustenance. Koos and Dad enjoyed their beer while I had a Koffi and some apple cake of some sort. Was very delicious of course, and the people watching was premium. As per usual, Koos was spot on in his observations (although at times wildly inappropriate!) and I am loving his wry sense of humour. Navigating our way through 2 different types of trains and buses was a learning experience and actually quite easy to do. I could see myself travelling extensively through Europe this way (are you listening Lorne?).
We didn't see a great deal of Breda, although the bus tour provided a great overview. Another very old city, Breda was a direct fief of the Holy Roman Rmperor and established in the 11th centruy by some Lord Henry dude (1080-1125). The city was fortified as they were in the time with stone and brick walls and Roman style gates someitme after 1252 when they received their charter. (I LOVE history of this sort). Over the centuries, the city passed from nobleman to nobleman as a result of conflicts and strategic marriages etc including being taken by French revonlutionary forces in the late 1700's. In 1534, 90% of the city burnt to the ground, close to 1300 houses, churches and chapels and the town hall and had to be rebuilt. Only 150 houses and the main church remained. In 1581 the city was taken by Spanish troops during the 80 years war and over 500 citizens were killed despite the fact that they surrendered. A decade later, the city was taken again by another nobleman when his troops snuck into the city through a spot in the canel system at a place now labeled the Spaniard's Hole where it is said the troops entered hidden under turf in a peat boat. Breda is also the spot where the exiled Stuart prentender Charles II of England resided during most of his exile. This fact surprised me because I thought he went to Italy, but I suspect I am getting my exiled monarchy mixed up? :-)
During World War II the city was under German occupation and it was liberated by Polish forces on Oct 29th, 1944. Each year during Liberation Day festivities, Breda is visited by a large Polish contingent and the city of Breda reserves a special portion of the festivities for the fallen Polish soldiers. A museum and a monument honoring the leading General and the Polish Armoured Division stands at the city center. Breda then became the site of the first prison establishment that housed the only German war criminals ever to be imprisoned in the Netherlands for their Second World War war crimes. The famous prisoners were known as the 'Breda Four (and later three)' as one was released in 1966, one died in 1979 and the last 2 were released in 1989. Today, The Dutch Royal Military Academy, Koninklijke Militaire Academie, is located in Breda. Quite a history this little city carries!
So that is what I learned in Breda yesterday. Well that and the fact that my cousin Margaret lives in a charming house with yet another charming garden! :-) She is in her 80's and is very active and an extremely good cook! She is a vegatarian and served us this amazing meal that was kind of like a quiche, but it was in a pastry bowl, filled with eggs and pears and cheese and baked in the oven. So yummy!
Here is the centre square in Breda:
Today, we are off with Marie Christine and Franz by car somewhere. I am not sure what we are going to see, but just know we will be out for
day and I am to bring my camera!
Have a great day!
We didn't see a great deal of Breda, although the bus tour provided a great overview. Another very old city, Breda was a direct fief of the Holy Roman Rmperor and established in the 11th centruy by some Lord Henry dude (1080-1125). The city was fortified as they were in the time with stone and brick walls and Roman style gates someitme after 1252 when they received their charter. (I LOVE history of this sort). Over the centuries, the city passed from nobleman to nobleman as a result of conflicts and strategic marriages etc including being taken by French revonlutionary forces in the late 1700's. In 1534, 90% of the city burnt to the ground, close to 1300 houses, churches and chapels and the town hall and had to be rebuilt. Only 150 houses and the main church remained. In 1581 the city was taken by Spanish troops during the 80 years war and over 500 citizens were killed despite the fact that they surrendered. A decade later, the city was taken again by another nobleman when his troops snuck into the city through a spot in the canel system at a place now labeled the Spaniard's Hole where it is said the troops entered hidden under turf in a peat boat. Breda is also the spot where the exiled Stuart prentender Charles II of England resided during most of his exile. This fact surprised me because I thought he went to Italy, but I suspect I am getting my exiled monarchy mixed up? :-)
During World War II the city was under German occupation and it was liberated by Polish forces on Oct 29th, 1944. Each year during Liberation Day festivities, Breda is visited by a large Polish contingent and the city of Breda reserves a special portion of the festivities for the fallen Polish soldiers. A museum and a monument honoring the leading General and the Polish Armoured Division stands at the city center. Breda then became the site of the first prison establishment that housed the only German war criminals ever to be imprisoned in the Netherlands for their Second World War war crimes. The famous prisoners were known as the 'Breda Four (and later three)' as one was released in 1966, one died in 1979 and the last 2 were released in 1989. Today, The Dutch Royal Military Academy, Koninklijke Militaire Academie, is located in Breda. Quite a history this little city carries!
So that is what I learned in Breda yesterday. Well that and the fact that my cousin Margaret lives in a charming house with yet another charming garden! :-) She is in her 80's and is very active and an extremely good cook! She is a vegatarian and served us this amazing meal that was kind of like a quiche, but it was in a pastry bowl, filled with eggs and pears and cheese and baked in the oven. So yummy!
Here is the centre square in Breda:
day and I am to bring my camera!
Have a great day!
Monday, July 04, 2011
and your little dog too....
Yesterday Dad and I went back to 's-Hertogenbosch. This time by bike. The bike I am riding is in excellent shape, but, as I have indicated previously, quite old. I am still not 100% used to the pedal brakes and often find myself kicking my feet out and stopping it like Fred Flinstone stops his car. I fear for the soles of my sandals. Every time I get on it and get going, I have the desire to cackle and say "I'll get you Dorothy and your little dog too! LOL!"
This time our destination was not the cathedral, but rather a walking tour and a boat tour on the canals. The area where this town was already populated by the year 1150 and was built in a swampy and wooded area between the rivers Dommel and Aa. The name 's-Hertogenbosch actually translates to Duke's woods. As many towns of the time, a fortified wall was built around the town as protection against enemy attacks. As this particular town grew, so did the wall and eventually 120 hectares and the river branches were enclosed in the city. The little waterways that made up the river branches were called the Binnendieze. So, it was on the Binnedieze that we toured today. Because the roads were often inundated with the traffic of the time, almost everything was transported via the Binnendieze. After all, as the guide explained the rivers were there before the houses were built, so as the townspeople built, they would put their workshops at the back of their houses in order to have access to the water for transport. Of course, they used the water in leather, metal and brewing industries as well as for drinking and cooking water and to carry away the sewage (hmmmmm!). We could still see some of the century old outhouses because the wealthier folks built theirs from brick and advertised their wealth to the world! Because it was dangerous (and therefore forbidden) to build outside of the city walls, the townspeople began building across the water, so much of the Binnendieze runs through tunnels under the existing buildings and streets. It was not until the late 1800s that the citizens were allowed to build outside the city walls and so they did with a new canel crossing the city as well as a railway providing transport. However, the Binnendieze continued to serve as an open sewer for almost another 100 yrs. In the 1960`s the town council decided to close all the waterways, but some people recognized the historical-cultural value of the Binnendieze and retained some of it. The next 25 years and many Euro were dedicated to restoration. Initially 12 km s of waterways with over 100 bridges were contained within the city walls. Now only 3.5 kms remain and about a third of this is covered and flows under the houses. The old buildings are quite remarkable and we even sailed under an original gothic church that was built in 1533
Another ``must do`` in Den Bosch is the Bossche bol, also sometimes called the chocoladebol. It is a pastry ball that originated in the city of `s-Hertogenbosch. It is about 12 cm in diameter (larger than a tennis ball) and is filled with a buttermilk whip cream and coated almost entirely in dark chocolate (which of course we all know is good for you)! Since we had some time to kill before the boat tour and were a little famished from our bike ride, Dad and I found an outdoor cafe to have a drink and a Bossche bol and to do some people watching. Was very yummy and I am glad I am on vacation because everyone knows calories do not count when you are on vacation! After our tour on the boats, we picked up our bicycles and found our way out of town. It really was not that hard, and I think Dad was a little more worried about it than I was. He says he never gets lost in the bush (when hunting) so I am surprised he gets turned around so easily inside of town. I am a little more confident ... or maybe I care a little less about getting lost because I just accept it is going to happen and I will find my path eventually. Now I understand though why Dad has been a little reluctant to venture alone where he has not been before. Anyway, it was all good yesterday because we made our way back to Koos`s house with plenty of time to sit and relax and have a drink before dinner!
Today we are taking a train to Breda to tour that town and meet my cousin Margaret. She is a retired school teacher and has excellent english I am told. Koos tells me she was going to be a nun once upon a time but changed her mind in the end and taught school instead. We will be heading out soon, by taxi to the train station and then it is 45 minutes by train. They close the access to the bicycle parking area at the train station at 9 pm or so, hence the taxi. Should be an interesting day!
Enjoy your day! :-)
This time our destination was not the cathedral, but rather a walking tour and a boat tour on the canals. The area where this town was already populated by the year 1150 and was built in a swampy and wooded area between the rivers Dommel and Aa. The name 's-Hertogenbosch actually translates to Duke's woods. As many towns of the time, a fortified wall was built around the town as protection against enemy attacks. As this particular town grew, so did the wall and eventually 120 hectares and the river branches were enclosed in the city. The little waterways that made up the river branches were called the Binnendieze. So, it was on the Binnedieze that we toured today. Because the roads were often inundated with the traffic of the time, almost everything was transported via the Binnendieze. After all, as the guide explained the rivers were there before the houses were built, so as the townspeople built, they would put their workshops at the back of their houses in order to have access to the water for transport. Of course, they used the water in leather, metal and brewing industries as well as for drinking and cooking water and to carry away the sewage (hmmmmm!). We could still see some of the century old outhouses because the wealthier folks built theirs from brick and advertised their wealth to the world! Because it was dangerous (and therefore forbidden) to build outside of the city walls, the townspeople began building across the water, so much of the Binnendieze runs through tunnels under the existing buildings and streets. It was not until the late 1800s that the citizens were allowed to build outside the city walls and so they did with a new canel crossing the city as well as a railway providing transport. However, the Binnendieze continued to serve as an open sewer for almost another 100 yrs. In the 1960`s the town council decided to close all the waterways, but some people recognized the historical-cultural value of the Binnendieze and retained some of it. The next 25 years and many Euro were dedicated to restoration. Initially 12 km s of waterways with over 100 bridges were contained within the city walls. Now only 3.5 kms remain and about a third of this is covered and flows under the houses. The old buildings are quite remarkable and we even sailed under an original gothic church that was built in 1533
Another ``must do`` in Den Bosch is the Bossche bol, also sometimes called the chocoladebol. It is a pastry ball that originated in the city of `s-Hertogenbosch. It is about 12 cm in diameter (larger than a tennis ball) and is filled with a buttermilk whip cream and coated almost entirely in dark chocolate (which of course we all know is good for you)! Since we had some time to kill before the boat tour and were a little famished from our bike ride, Dad and I found an outdoor cafe to have a drink and a Bossche bol and to do some people watching. Was very yummy and I am glad I am on vacation because everyone knows calories do not count when you are on vacation! After our tour on the boats, we picked up our bicycles and found our way out of town. It really was not that hard, and I think Dad was a little more worried about it than I was. He says he never gets lost in the bush (when hunting) so I am surprised he gets turned around so easily inside of town. I am a little more confident ... or maybe I care a little less about getting lost because I just accept it is going to happen and I will find my path eventually. Now I understand though why Dad has been a little reluctant to venture alone where he has not been before. Anyway, it was all good yesterday because we made our way back to Koos`s house with plenty of time to sit and relax and have a drink before dinner!
Today we are taking a train to Breda to tour that town and meet my cousin Margaret. She is a retired school teacher and has excellent english I am told. Koos tells me she was going to be a nun once upon a time but changed her mind in the end and taught school instead. We will be heading out soon, by taxi to the train station and then it is 45 minutes by train. They close the access to the bicycle parking area at the train station at 9 pm or so, hence the taxi. Should be an interesting day!
Enjoy your day! :-)
Hertogenbosch
Yesterday we did some of the tourista thing and went to the nearn by town of 's-Hertogenbosch and is the capital of the province of North Brabant. The Dutch colloquially seldom say 's-Hertogenbosch but Den Bosch, which is traditional Dutch for "The Forest". It is only about 15 km away and Hettie drove us for this outing. Finding the car park was interesting and with both the Tom Tom and Koos giving Hettie directions! She is quite patient, with the "yes, Koos. Yes, Koos!" as she simply drives the way she wants. He doesn't drive (and never has) but he is good at giving directions! lol! We parked the car a couple of km from the town centre and took a free bus. 2 Euro for parking and the bus. It was quite crowded and I ended up facing backwards and standing and was quite happy it was only a short ride!
Den Bosch is a beautiful town and the highlight is Sint-Jankathedraal, the Roman Catholic catherdral which is the first place we went. It is still operating and open to the public for free 7 days a week. What a magnificant example of gothic architecture. It never fails to fascinate me to imagine how these buildings were constructed centuries ago. The cathedral has a total length of 115 meters and a width of 62. Its tower is 73 meters high. It receives support from the Dutch government and the entry into the cathedral is free. They have a staff of 150 volunteers that keep it running for the public. The cubic capacity of the church is 83,000 cubic meters and the floor surface is 5000 square meters. Just shut your eyes for a moment and try and grasp the sheer size of that. The foundation of the church was put in by Duke Henry I of Brabant in 1185. 1185!! Wow! And by 1210 the base of the Roman St John's had begun. By 1280 it was a self-supporting parish. After the turn of the next century, in 1318 'ish the current Duke ordered the ramparts to be widened and the original church now stands inside those walls. And by the mid 1300's, the architcture had turned to the gothic style. The transept and choir were finished in 1450. and the cathedral completed in 1529. As the cathedral was being built, there were multiple fires which caused setbacks and reconstruction etc. At a certain point in time (early 1600's) the cathedral belonged to a protestant minority and eventually fell into a heavily dilapitated state. Finally in 1810, it was returned to the Catholics by Napolean (because they had the money) for ownership and restoration. The 3rd (and most recent) rennovation of the cathedral started in 1998 and was completed in 2010, and cost more than 48 million Euro. There are 600 statues inside and outside the cathedral, and of the 59 churchbells (yes, I said 59) the heaviest weighs 5500 kilograms. During the last restoration 25 new angels statues had been created by sculptor Ton Mooy, including the one with a modern twist. The last angel in the series holds a mobile phone and also wears jeans. "The phone has just one button, says the artist. - It dials directly to God". The mobile-using angel had to be first approved by the cathedral's fathers, who rejected earlier designs with the jet engines on the angel's back. The great organ that is above the entrance dates from 1617 and is a sight to behold. And the stain glass windows! 700 square meters of stained glass windows. I could have spent all day just studying the windows alone.
After the cathedral visit, we wandered across the street to rest at an outdoor cafe where the people watching was premium and the food and drink even better. I had a toasted brie and pecan panini and it was mmmmm, mmmmmm, MMMMMMMMMM!!! We sat for an hour and relaxed and visited with our table neighbours as they came and went. After this, we wandered the street towards the market square where we could hear a brass band playing. It was once again somewhat like herding cats! lol! Dad stopping to chat with complete strangers and seeing which children he could get to give him a high five, while Hettie wanted to get both her old men to pose with her in front of the living statues (street entertainers), while I kept looking for kodak moments! Finally, they spotted some ice cream and may a beeline for the ice cream lineup while I wandered the square with my camera. I have a wonderful photo of Koos with his ice cream, dancing in the street! :-) We didn't really visit any shops, although at one point I was standing in front of a souvenir shop when Koos came up to see what I was looking at and he immediately exclaimed "I hate that!" When I questioned him, he said "The whole world thinks we (the Dutch) eat from Blue Delft and wear wooden shoes!" I laughed and told him it was ok, because the whole world thinks we (the Canadians) live in igloos and travel most of the year by dog sled!
Last night we went out to a favourite restaurant of Koos's here in Boxtel. The Lotus. And yes it was Chinese food. It was excellent and quite a fun experience trying to understand a chinese menu in Dutch. The banter between Dad and Koos often has me in stitches. Last evening as we were sitting visiting with Marie Christine and Franz, Koos started to tell a story about the Chinese food restaurant as he has frequented it for decades and MC's dog came over to stare at me. I invited Snoopy to sit on my lap and at the same time, Dad made a comment to Franz. Koos muttered "pot fer damma" and stopped his story and refused to continue. We teased him and told him we were listening and he said "No! Jeannie is talking to the dog and Ted to Franz" and we laughed and he said we had to pay attention to him if we wanted to hear the rest of the story. So we teased him, gave him our rapt attention and said please Koos, please continue!! He laughed, and there was a dramatic pause ... and .... Koos said he couldn't remember what he had been about to tell us! Well!! We all laughed till we cried and never did hear the rest of the story!! ;-)
Time to go! Dad and I are headed back to Den Bosch by bicycle today to see more of the city. More later!
Den Bosch is a beautiful town and the highlight is Sint-Jankathedraal, the Roman Catholic catherdral which is the first place we went. It is still operating and open to the public for free 7 days a week. What a magnificant example of gothic architecture. It never fails to fascinate me to imagine how these buildings were constructed centuries ago. The cathedral has a total length of 115 meters and a width of 62. Its tower is 73 meters high. It receives support from the Dutch government and the entry into the cathedral is free. They have a staff of 150 volunteers that keep it running for the public. The cubic capacity of the church is 83,000 cubic meters and the floor surface is 5000 square meters. Just shut your eyes for a moment and try and grasp the sheer size of that. The foundation of the church was put in by Duke Henry I of Brabant in 1185. 1185!! Wow! And by 1210 the base of the Roman St John's had begun. By 1280 it was a self-supporting parish. After the turn of the next century, in 1318 'ish the current Duke ordered the ramparts to be widened and the original church now stands inside those walls. And by the mid 1300's, the architcture had turned to the gothic style. The transept and choir were finished in 1450. and the cathedral completed in 1529. As the cathedral was being built, there were multiple fires which caused setbacks and reconstruction etc. At a certain point in time (early 1600's) the cathedral belonged to a protestant minority and eventually fell into a heavily dilapitated state. Finally in 1810, it was returned to the Catholics by Napolean (because they had the money) for ownership and restoration. The 3rd (and most recent) rennovation of the cathedral started in 1998 and was completed in 2010, and cost more than 48 million Euro. There are 600 statues inside and outside the cathedral, and of the 59 churchbells (yes, I said 59) the heaviest weighs 5500 kilograms. During the last restoration 25 new angels statues had been created by sculptor Ton Mooy, including the one with a modern twist. The last angel in the series holds a mobile phone and also wears jeans. "The phone has just one button, says the artist. - It dials directly to God". The mobile-using angel had to be first approved by the cathedral's fathers, who rejected earlier designs with the jet engines on the angel's back. The great organ that is above the entrance dates from 1617 and is a sight to behold. And the stain glass windows! 700 square meters of stained glass windows. I could have spent all day just studying the windows alone.
After the cathedral visit, we wandered across the street to rest at an outdoor cafe where the people watching was premium and the food and drink even better. I had a toasted brie and pecan panini and it was mmmmm, mmmmmm, MMMMMMMMMM!!! We sat for an hour and relaxed and visited with our table neighbours as they came and went. After this, we wandered the street towards the market square where we could hear a brass band playing. It was once again somewhat like herding cats! lol! Dad stopping to chat with complete strangers and seeing which children he could get to give him a high five, while Hettie wanted to get both her old men to pose with her in front of the living statues (street entertainers), while I kept looking for kodak moments! Finally, they spotted some ice cream and may a beeline for the ice cream lineup while I wandered the square with my camera. I have a wonderful photo of Koos with his ice cream, dancing in the street! :-) We didn't really visit any shops, although at one point I was standing in front of a souvenir shop when Koos came up to see what I was looking at and he immediately exclaimed "I hate that!" When I questioned him, he said "The whole world thinks we (the Dutch) eat from Blue Delft and wear wooden shoes!" I laughed and told him it was ok, because the whole world thinks we (the Canadians) live in igloos and travel most of the year by dog sled!
Last night we went out to a favourite restaurant of Koos's here in Boxtel. The Lotus. And yes it was Chinese food. It was excellent and quite a fun experience trying to understand a chinese menu in Dutch. The banter between Dad and Koos often has me in stitches. Last evening as we were sitting visiting with Marie Christine and Franz, Koos started to tell a story about the Chinese food restaurant as he has frequented it for decades and MC's dog came over to stare at me. I invited Snoopy to sit on my lap and at the same time, Dad made a comment to Franz. Koos muttered "pot fer damma" and stopped his story and refused to continue. We teased him and told him we were listening and he said "No! Jeannie is talking to the dog and Ted to Franz" and we laughed and he said we had to pay attention to him if we wanted to hear the rest of the story. So we teased him, gave him our rapt attention and said please Koos, please continue!! He laughed, and there was a dramatic pause ... and .... Koos said he couldn't remember what he had been about to tell us! Well!! We all laughed till we cried and never did hear the rest of the story!! ;-)
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Dutch life
Yesterday ending up being a quiet day. The weather was cool, sun came and went and so it was decided we would do the usual Sat activities and head out for a day trip today. As it turned out, Saturdays here can look very much what they do at home. We took a trip to the local Home Depot which is called the Gamma and purchased a party tent for Koos's birthday party next weekend. It is a canopy tent, no netting like we have on our gazebo, mainly because they have very few bugs here. There is not really any need for screens on the windows, the bugs are so few. So the Gamma, was like a mini Home Depot with many of the same products. Franz and Koos did the party tent shopping while Dad and I scouted for deals. While you are scouting, you must keep in mind to Euro is 1.439 cents to the Canadian dollar so the "deal" is sometimes not what it appears to be! I managed to pick up a longer LAN cable as I have been unable to connect to Koos's WiFii, which they pronounce weefee (much to my amusement), and I am tired of sitting on the floor beside his router. I believe his firmware in the WeeFee needs updating but when I waqs on his pc, I found navigating Windows in Dutch too much for my vacationing brain. And he says if he cannot operate his pc without me, I am not allowed to go home. Of course, he said that this morning too after I made him French Toast with fresh raspberries and the maple syrup I brought from home!
After the Gamma, we headed to the supermarket. It was very much like a Sobey's at home. Beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables and most come from the local greenhouses. I noticed when we flew in the hundreds and hundreds of greenhouses in the country side. I left the oldies (Dad, Hettie and Koos) puttering around with their own baskets, while they sometimes argued in Dutch whether or not something was worth the price they were about to pay, while I took my own basket and wandered the aisles searching for what I wanted. I got my yogurt and berries and milk etc. Found some wine. Got a lecture from Koos that $7 Euro was too much to pay for that Merlot and I must put it back. I pointed out it was a nice wine from South Africa and this is the price I would pay at home. He said he could take me to a discount wine place and the prices were cheaper and marched me back to the wine aisle. When we got there, the sign in Dutch said TWO bottles for $7 Euro! Of course, I had missed that small detail and so once I chose a bottle of the South African Cabernet Sauvignon, it became a good enough deal! lol! From this supermarket, we headed to another. This time a discount one .... kind of like a Price Chopper at home ... well, sort of .... you could buy in bulk and frozen goods, a few fresh foods but you could also be wandering down an aisle of snack foods and from a stand in the center of the aisle you could pick up a hedge trimmer or a t-shirt or two! Hmmmmmm .... a Liquidation World meets Giant Tiger meets Price Chopper .... what fun! :-)
We spent quite a bit time in the grocery stores examining the different kinds of cheese. I am in cheese HEAVEN and I kid you not. I love Dutch cheese. Love, love, love it! This is my first trip here although I have flown through the Amsterdam airport on a few occasions, and every time I did, I would buy some of the cheese to bring home. For them here, it is the price of the local cheese we would buy at home. Well maybe a little cheaper than our local cheese. That being said, if I buy THIS cheese in Ontario (and some of it I can), I pay double what I pay here, even after taking the exchange from Euro to Cdn dollar into account. You can be sure there will be cheese in my suitcase coming home! I brought about 8 lbs of maple syrup I am leaving behind with relatives, that means I can return with 8 lbs of cheese without even noticing. Well ok ... maybe 5 lbs of cheese and 3 lbs of chocolate?? :-)
So, after all the work of the shopping, we returned home to unpack and then it was time for beer while we contemplated assembling the party tent. It was decided we should wait for Franz to come over for that job. He would be bringing his tools and I was a little daunted by the Dutch directions. So it turned out that I was able to sit and visit and have a drink while we supervised Dad and Franz assembling the tent and that worked for me! Afterwards, we walked over to Marie Christine's (Koos's daughter) for a fantastic greek meal. Then later in the evening back here where I used Koos's computer to sign on to Facebook and show everyone pictures of family and from life at home. As a result of my slideshow, Hettie and Koos are ready to book a trip to Cuba some time next winter.
And no discussion about Dutch life would be complete without a comment on their water closets. They call them water closets for a reason. In all the older homes I have been in so far, they are very much a closet and they are quite specific for their use. And by that I mean you have a closet that contains a toilet and a teeny weeny little sink. And so far, the 4 homes I have been in, you could sit on the toilet and wash your hands at the same time if that is what you would like to do! So, I was not kidding about the teeny weeny part! :-) And there is a variety of ways to flush said toilets, chains from the ceiling to pull or a button on the tank or the wall. Then you usually have another water closet that contains a sink and a shower. And, I also have a sink in my bedroom, which I quite like.
I must say, one of the things I love about travelling is observing and absorbing the different cultures. I particularly enjoy observing how other cultures live their day to day lives and so yesterday we got into many discussions about how the Dutch differ in health care and taxes and politics and such. At one point, I did think I would need a referee whistle because the discussion got quite animated about economics and how China and their cheap electronics and labour will be the ruination of earth as we know it. Don't ask, just know that the situation was diffused with more beer and a change of topic! LOL!
I think we are heading out soon. The sun is shining and the camera is packed and I am sure I will have more to report tomorrow! ;-)
Have a great day! Ciao!
p.s. Oh! and on the topic of prices and shopping, the gas here is $1.60 a litre. The litres are the same size of course, but the Euro is $1.439 to our dollar, so just in case you cannot do the math, that equates to $2.30 per litre. Think about that next time you fill up at the pumps!
After the Gamma, we headed to the supermarket. It was very much like a Sobey's at home. Beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables and most come from the local greenhouses. I noticed when we flew in the hundreds and hundreds of greenhouses in the country side. I left the oldies (Dad, Hettie and Koos) puttering around with their own baskets, while they sometimes argued in Dutch whether or not something was worth the price they were about to pay, while I took my own basket and wandered the aisles searching for what I wanted. I got my yogurt and berries and milk etc. Found some wine. Got a lecture from Koos that $7 Euro was too much to pay for that Merlot and I must put it back. I pointed out it was a nice wine from South Africa and this is the price I would pay at home. He said he could take me to a discount wine place and the prices were cheaper and marched me back to the wine aisle. When we got there, the sign in Dutch said TWO bottles for $7 Euro! Of course, I had missed that small detail and so once I chose a bottle of the South African Cabernet Sauvignon, it became a good enough deal! lol! From this supermarket, we headed to another. This time a discount one .... kind of like a Price Chopper at home ... well, sort of .... you could buy in bulk and frozen goods, a few fresh foods but you could also be wandering down an aisle of snack foods and from a stand in the center of the aisle you could pick up a hedge trimmer or a t-shirt or two! Hmmmmmm .... a Liquidation World meets Giant Tiger meets Price Chopper .... what fun! :-)
We spent quite a bit time in the grocery stores examining the different kinds of cheese. I am in cheese HEAVEN and I kid you not. I love Dutch cheese. Love, love, love it! This is my first trip here although I have flown through the Amsterdam airport on a few occasions, and every time I did, I would buy some of the cheese to bring home. For them here, it is the price of the local cheese we would buy at home. Well maybe a little cheaper than our local cheese. That being said, if I buy THIS cheese in Ontario (and some of it I can), I pay double what I pay here, even after taking the exchange from Euro to Cdn dollar into account. You can be sure there will be cheese in my suitcase coming home! I brought about 8 lbs of maple syrup I am leaving behind with relatives, that means I can return with 8 lbs of cheese without even noticing. Well ok ... maybe 5 lbs of cheese and 3 lbs of chocolate?? :-)
So, after all the work of the shopping, we returned home to unpack and then it was time for beer while we contemplated assembling the party tent. It was decided we should wait for Franz to come over for that job. He would be bringing his tools and I was a little daunted by the Dutch directions. So it turned out that I was able to sit and visit and have a drink while we supervised Dad and Franz assembling the tent and that worked for me! Afterwards, we walked over to Marie Christine's (Koos's daughter) for a fantastic greek meal. Then later in the evening back here where I used Koos's computer to sign on to Facebook and show everyone pictures of family and from life at home. As a result of my slideshow, Hettie and Koos are ready to book a trip to Cuba some time next winter.
And no discussion about Dutch life would be complete without a comment on their water closets. They call them water closets for a reason. In all the older homes I have been in so far, they are very much a closet and they are quite specific for their use. And by that I mean you have a closet that contains a toilet and a teeny weeny little sink. And so far, the 4 homes I have been in, you could sit on the toilet and wash your hands at the same time if that is what you would like to do! So, I was not kidding about the teeny weeny part! :-) And there is a variety of ways to flush said toilets, chains from the ceiling to pull or a button on the tank or the wall. Then you usually have another water closet that contains a sink and a shower. And, I also have a sink in my bedroom, which I quite like.
I must say, one of the things I love about travelling is observing and absorbing the different cultures. I particularly enjoy observing how other cultures live their day to day lives and so yesterday we got into many discussions about how the Dutch differ in health care and taxes and politics and such. At one point, I did think I would need a referee whistle because the discussion got quite animated about economics and how China and their cheap electronics and labour will be the ruination of earth as we know it. Don't ask, just know that the situation was diffused with more beer and a change of topic! LOL!
I think we are heading out soon. The sun is shining and the camera is packed and I am sure I will have more to report tomorrow! ;-)
Have a great day! Ciao!
p.s. Oh! and on the topic of prices and shopping, the gas here is $1.60 a litre. The litres are the same size of course, but the Euro is $1.439 to our dollar, so just in case you cannot do the math, that equates to $2.30 per litre. Think about that next time you fill up at the pumps!
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Peddling around!
Today we set off to visit cousins Teene and Antoon again. Antoon promised to take us to see a potential car to rent so off we went on our bikes for a visit. Of course, as a tourist, I had thought we would simply rent a car at the airport or some such thing, but as the daughter of a dutchman, I should have known without being told that we had to shop around as there might be a deal to be had. So off we set this morning in search of said deal. A 'guy' Antoon knows, 'sometimes' rents his car. Worth investigating for sure. Well, as it turns out, the car was not available but Dad and Antoon were somewhat vague with me as to why. I did not actually go to the meeting about the car, so the impression I am left with is that these 3 dutchman could not even come close to agreeing on a 'fair' price. I do wonder if they at least got some entertainment value from attempting to reach a deal? I stayed at the house while they went to see about the car so I missed the excahnge. I had the chance to meet one of their daughters and a young teenage granddaughter who was happy to practice her English. Anyway, after failing with the car from the "guy", off we went cycling around Boxtel (which was an adventure onto itself) following leads on other cars and we soon discovered there is nothing to rent here as it is a small town but we had fun trying. No worries, tomorrow we have plans wth Hettie. She is driving us to see something BEAUTIFUL although I am not sure what! lol! :-) We are not worried about the lack of car for now as we have our bikes and Hettie has plans to take us some places. In a couple of days we will be biking to Nijmegan (about 60 km) and stay with family there for a few days. Nijmegan is a larger city and we will have lots of opportunity to rent a car while there for some day trips.
So, on the topic of cycling, let me share the rest of our day. After a lovely lunch, we cycled back into town and went looking for the bank. This time we were more successful in withdrawing Euro than we were last night. I must say I love how Holland is so geared for cyclers. Other than China, I have never seen so many bicycles and the ability fit entire families on a bike! Lol! They say the population is around 17 million people and 18 million bicycles! I am trying to figure out the rules of the road and slowly getting there. Esther, one of my cousins who would be my children's generation on the family tree, told me today her 11 year old just passed her cycling test. Say what?? Yup, they test the kids here on the rules of the road and the cycling paths. The bikes are all equipped with a lock and a key to operate said lock. Even given that, the standard joke is that if you stand in a busy intersection in Amsterdam and shout "hey! That's my bike!!", at least three people will promptly drop the bike they are on and run away! The takeaway here is use the lock and lock the bike!
So today I spent a great deal of time following my father through the myriad of cycling paths all around town and throughout the country-side. This was an interesting adventure for a few reasons. Firstly, I am riding a borrowed bike that is in good shape, but is also decades old. Let me translate that for you... No gears. No hand brakes. And it has has been decades since I rode a bike with foot brakes me thinks! And let me tell you something, when you want to stop you can squeeze the handlebars all you want and it simply is not going to happen. Of course, if my father had brake lights, it would be helpful because I would at least be a little more prepared to stop! lol! He is however learning to signal so I am getting at least some warning. And he does keep an eye on me because he is aware my sense of direction is ... well ... about as good as my dutch! :-)
So, the things I learned today:
I miss my bicycle helmet. I should have packed it.
I miss my handbrakes more and might need the helmet as a result before this trip is over.
I pedal backwards when I coast more than I knew.
A borrowed bicycle parked in Holland is harder to find than a rented car parked in a mall parking lot in Washington. (Mainly because the car comes supplied with an alarm and a panic button!)
Have a great day and keep smiling! Hugs!
So, on the topic of cycling, let me share the rest of our day. After a lovely lunch, we cycled back into town and went looking for the bank. This time we were more successful in withdrawing Euro than we were last night. I must say I love how Holland is so geared for cyclers. Other than China, I have never seen so many bicycles and the ability fit entire families on a bike! Lol! They say the population is around 17 million people and 18 million bicycles! I am trying to figure out the rules of the road and slowly getting there. Esther, one of my cousins who would be my children's generation on the family tree, told me today her 11 year old just passed her cycling test. Say what?? Yup, they test the kids here on the rules of the road and the cycling paths. The bikes are all equipped with a lock and a key to operate said lock. Even given that, the standard joke is that if you stand in a busy intersection in Amsterdam and shout "hey! That's my bike!!", at least three people will promptly drop the bike they are on and run away! The takeaway here is use the lock and lock the bike!
So today I spent a great deal of time following my father through the myriad of cycling paths all around town and throughout the country-side. This was an interesting adventure for a few reasons. Firstly, I am riding a borrowed bike that is in good shape, but is also decades old. Let me translate that for you... No gears. No hand brakes. And it has has been decades since I rode a bike with foot brakes me thinks! And let me tell you something, when you want to stop you can squeeze the handlebars all you want and it simply is not going to happen. Of course, if my father had brake lights, it would be helpful because I would at least be a little more prepared to stop! lol! He is however learning to signal so I am getting at least some warning. And he does keep an eye on me because he is aware my sense of direction is ... well ... about as good as my dutch! :-)
So, the things I learned today:
I miss my bicycle helmet. I should have packed it.
I miss my handbrakes more and might need the helmet as a result before this trip is over.
I pedal backwards when I coast more than I knew.
A borrowed bicycle parked in Holland is harder to find than a rented car parked in a mall parking lot in Washington. (Mainly because the car comes supplied with an alarm and a panic button!)
Have a great day and keep smiling! Hugs!
Friday, July 01, 2011
First Impressions
I am slowly suffering through the jet lag. Was going to write last night but after only about 2 hrs sleep in the previous 32, I pretty much ran out of steam! Hettie and Koos picked us up at the airport which was a wonderful surprise. I thought we were making our way from Amsterdam to Boxtel by train so to be able to do that by car was very nice! We sat first in the airport for a coffee before heading out. Amsterdam airport is one of the largest and busiest airports I have been in, and trying to find where Koos and Hettie left the car proved to be a small challenge. My Dad is 72, Hettie is 77 and Koos will celebrate his 80th birthday while we are here. It was like herding cats. Older cats. And each cat knew the best way to go and they each went different directions a few times. Luckily for me they moved slow and I could gather them! Lol!
Our first stop was Hettie's house in Utrecht. She has the most beautiful garden. It seems very popular here to have a courtyard garden and they are fantastic! There is no grass to cut just cobblestones or patio stones to sweep, and potted plants to tend. Koos has the same as does his daughter Marie Christine. We went to visit my cousins Antoon and Teene on their small farm just outside of Boxtel. Dad rode his bike out and I went in the car. They've loaned me a bike for the duration of my visit so dad and I rode home together from there. I had a chance to admire their ponies and their house that Antoon built himself. We ended our day having a lovely Thai dinner at Marie Christine's and then meandered home. I was ready for bed but managed another hour. My bedroom window faces west and at 9 pm the sunshine was still beating in the window. It was still quite light when I fell into bed at 10 pm but was dark behind my eyelids so it was all good!
Things I learned today:
The dutch like to build things out of brick and mortar and don't like to have lawns to cut.
Sitting and trying to follow conversation that are primarily in a foreign language you don't speak is quite exhausting
When the dutch say their English is nein good, they don't really understand nein good. My Dutch is nein good. Their English is generally outstanding!
Must run! More to come.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Trip to the Fatherland
It's almost time to try and get some sleep. We are just over 3 hours into a 7 hour flight and I just wanted to capture some thoughts and impressions first and then I can mail this in when we land. I have blogged when I have traveled before. It is what I think of as a virtual postcard to those people I have left behind and may be interested in what I am doing and seeing. But I admit I thought long and hard about blogging on this adventure. Will I have time? Will any of it be of any interest to anyone? How much will I censor based on the fact my traveling companion may read this in the future! Lol!
As a lot of you know I am traveling with my Dad. We are going to the country of his birth. Just him and I on a trip that has been long intended and never fulfilled until now. Hence the title of the post and its double meaning! I think my husband coined the phrase Fatherland first, but it works and I like it! (Thank you hon!)
So far we are less then 12 hours into our trip and there have been some learnings already. For example, I have learned my father is actually a very easy going traveling companion. If you detect some surprise in that statement, you would not be wrong. I actually did not know what to expect. Somehow it has been easier for me to picture what a trip with my Mom would look like as opposed to a trip with my Dad. Why that is? I can't really answer, but there it is. I didn't know what to expect and what I have learned about this part of the trip is Dad is pretty easy to travel with! We sailed through the Toronto traffic and the airport lineups without an impatient word and quite a few giggles to be honest. I am not sure where he acquired the patience he has exhibited as it is not what I remember from traveling with him as a child, but he has and I appreciate it. I also learned that he is quite happy playing his sudoku and leaving me to read or type or whatever. And he also seems to like to talk randomly to complete strangers and engage them in conversation and make them laugh. Who knew? All this is interesting for me because I realize now I rarely see him outside of small family gatherings and those circumstances are quite different from the circumstances of today.
I also learned some things about myself today. I walk too fast. I often talk too fast. I definitely eat too fast and I am always in a hurry! Somewhat of a Tasmanian devil from Looney Tunes even. Hmmmm... Who knew that too? And my Dad? Well, my Dad is ... S L O W... and methodical ... and precise. And he really can't be hurried no matter how often you sigh, tap your toes or say "we gotta go Dad"! Well, at least when there is no apparent reason to hurry! Lol! So, this should be interesting!
Maybe, just maybe, I will learn to slow down and my Dad will learn to stop talking long enough to finish his meal in a timely manner so we can move on to the next thing? Stay tuned, as this remains to be seen! ;-). Getting sleepy now so I am thinking this is a good place to stop contemplating the day and say ttyl!
Be safe. Be well. Hugs!
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
Sunday, June 26, 2011
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