After our short stay in England with my stepmother Jet and her
husband Frans we took the ferry from Harwich, Parkeston Quay, to Hoek van
Holland. There are two types of ferries running between Harwich and Hoek van
Holland. The slower traditional one, travel time about seven hours and 45
minutes, or the new faster one with a catamaran hull, travel time about four
hours. We took the faster crossing. Once boarded, the ship moved away from the
harbor quite slowly, but once in open water the speed picked up. We enjoyed a
lovely lunch in the upper restaurant of the ship with a great glass, or two, of
wine. All this was a gift from Jet and Frans, including a few days' stay at
their lovely home in Elmdon, Essex. Upon arrival in Hoek van Holland we were
picked up by my brother Bart and he drove us to his home in Utrecht.
 |
| Nephew Alexander |
 |
| Brother Bart and nephew Marcel |
 |
| Starting the fire |
 |
| Sister in law Wilma and Alexander |
 |
| Wilma and Shelagh |
 |
A stainless steel house on a small foot print
most of the house is under ground |
 |
| The under ground part |
 |
| the Dom Tower |
Here a series of events began, it had been 10 years since we had
been to Holland, my original country of nationality. When Shelagh and I got
married, my siblings promised us a day we would never forget, but since we took
so long to cash in on this gift they increased the gift to last a week. We took
up residency in their attic apartment.
Once settled in we went outside and had a lovely glass of wine
and a barbecue dinner in the sunshine. We chatted the night away catching up on
the last decade. It was the first time we met our two youngest nephews
Alexander and Marcel, we had already met their older sister Dorette, but after
ten years it was like meeting her for the first time too. Sleep came easy and
the next day we headed into town for a tour of Utrecht.
Utrecht is a university town and the city is alive with the
young vibe of many students. A walk along the canals of the old city centre
shows you all the little pubs and bistros where you can take a load off and
people watch for a while. This city has an amazing charm, and is easily
navigated. We stopped along our walk at a pub and had a beer with a
"broodje croquette" a hotdog bun filled with a deep fried, breaded
ragout sausage. Try one, you'll love it! Then we boarded a canal tour boat and
got a view of the city from the water, the tour guide spoke three languages and
everyone who was a tourist got the full meal deal on the city's history.
Then dinner time came and we went on to a nice downtown
restaurant, very posh, and enjoyed a magnificent meal, we were treated like
VIPs. A night cap of scotch and we were off to bed to get ready for our next
adventure...
In the historic city of Arnhem there is a zoo. Simply put, this
place is quite amazing. We gathered here the next morning for "Family
Day". The day was organized by my sister Jobs and her partner Guy. We were
made familiar with the plan of the day and everyone participated. All my
siblings and their children were present. The zoo is called Burgers' Zoo and Safari Park, and it is very much devoted to keeping its animals in an
environment as close as possible to their natural habitat. The visitors stroll
along paths and elevated walkways to view the animals. It is quite interesting
to watch the lions from an overpass 3 meters up. The aquarium has passages that
are completely submerged under thick glass covered walkways. The fish swim over
you, quite a different orientation.
At lunchtime we were all to gather at the food court for our
specially made lunch box, which included a little bottle of wine or beer for
the adults, and a juice or soda for the kids. The next stop took us to a quaint
restaurant where we all enjoyed a great dinner and some speeches about our long
awaited return to Holland. What a great day we had, and when we were all done
we went home with my sister and partner Jobs and Guy.
 |
| Guy and Shelagh sailing on "Oubaas" |
 |
| Reflections |
 |
| Canal sailing |
The next morning we headed to a marina to go for a nice day of
sailing on Guy's sailboat. A traditional steel hulled flat bottomed sloop,
built to last. We spent the day entirely under sail, except for within the
marina, and I was quite impressed with the agility and speed of this heavy
looking boat. We enjoyed some lunch in one of the many villages that line the
Friesian lakes. The day was perfect, and although the sky was cloudy it stayed
dry. Back at home we had a lovely home cooked meal with plenty of wine and cheer. Then we prepared for our morning departure to France.
We were off to the Dordogne region in the province of Aquitaine,
France. In a small hamlet called Carsac. This little place is near Sarlat la
Caneda in the Perigord. We drove from their home in Drachten, Friesland to our
first stop, a town called Gien, famous for its fine china. Along the way we bypassed Paris and we vowed to
return some day and check it out. Once in Gien we started the hunt for a hotel
and it did not take long to find the hotel "Le Rivage" a
lovely place on the river Loire, and got settled in.
The evening was spent walking through the town and eventually
settling in a little restaurant, so French, so inviting and comfortable, it was
like in the movies. I actually ordered frog legs, they were yummy in their
garlicky sauce. The wine flowed without shame and we had a ball. I finished my
dinner with a selection from the cheese basket, some chevre, some Roquefort and
some brie with crackers. Guy and Jobs treated us that night to dinner, once again, part of our wedding present. Once
back at the hotel Shelagh and I enjoyed a little nightcap in our room by the
window overlooking the Loire river. So romantic.
We got up relatively early the next morning and enjoyed a
delicious continental breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Back on the road we
were not far away from our destination. We found "Maison Strand", our
little home for the next 12 days after a short search and got moved in. This
small house is owned by 25 members, of which my father and his wife Jet were
one. Upon my father's untimely death, Jet became the shareholder. She
graciously lent us her two week share that year for our enjoyment. In the next
blog post I will write about our experiences in the Dordogne, France.
