Old Churches in the Old Country

We were always told the story of how Oma was afraid the church in Bedum was going to fall over on her when she went past, so she would run by it on the way to school. You can see how it leans in the picture below. Someone told me it has the same tilt as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.




I thought it was interesting to see the repair that has been done to the windows and the cat that was snooping around.


While John was running the marathon in the city of Groningen, I was able to get this quiet shot of the Martinitoren.


Later in the week, we ate lunch next to a monastery in Ter Apel which dates back to 1465.


Marianna, Paula & Mom felt the urge to play "Doe, A Deer" like the Von Trapps, (also with my urging.)


At the end of the week, we saw the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam located in the Begijnhof and established in 1607. The pilgrims worshipped here before they came to America, and we also did in 2003.

In Search of John's Ancestors

Another highlight of our trip to the Netherlands originated from our trip back in 2003. At this time, we had walked into the above corporation with hopes of finding out more of John's ancestry. The CEO of the company Dirk invited us in to his office and we left with a complete geneology which included John much to our surprise! Over the years, we have kept in touch with him and he invited us to visit his home. On this visit, we were able to stay at his guest home and see some of the city of Heerenveen where John's grandfather was born.


We toured the factory where they make butter and also the streets where John's ancestors walked.


Dirk and his wife, Han, took us out to supper at a Chinese restaurant. Dirk saved us from the challenge of ordering from a Dutch Chinese menu by ordering a great feast from which to choose. It was lekker!


This is the guest house where John & I stayed. It was built in 1856 and had many antiques and old Dutch paintings.




Dirk & Han were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed visiting with them very much!


I will never forget our visit with them and how they so sweetly waved us off as we left. Earlier, when we were having coffee in their own home, he took me back to his office and showed me the picture on his desk that we had sent to him of our family back in 2003. He called us his "far-away family."

Flash Back Friday 36

Oma & Opa, 1930's ---- Mom & Dad, last week in Bedum

Fantastic!

Cousin Henry

One of the highlights of going to the Netherlands is seeing cousin Hendrik Jan Zijl, aka Henry. We so appreciate his enthusiasm and expression! When we arrive in Bedum, he comes immediately to the hotel to see us. One of his most memorable expressions is "Fantastic" but he says it like this: "Fon-TAHS-teek". One time he said to me when we were talking about what there is to do in Ohio, "Well, they have the Aim-ish." It was so cute.



Henry hangs with us much of the time and it is so fun. He knows the roads of Holland like the back of his hand.


Waiting for John at the train station with Henry


Henry saying something profound.


Henry visiting at John's cousin Dirk's house with us


Henry at a Diner in Bedum with John & I waiting for croquettes.

Tea With the Queen Mother

As I mentioned before, we stopped by the palace of Het Loo on our way up to Bedum. We walked around the beautiful gardens and went inside. Photos, however, are not allowed inside the palace. I learned that my namesake, Princess Juliana, had a daughter Maria Christina just like me, so I felt at home.

I slapped together this quick and dirty panorama to give you an idea of the size.


Marianna & Paula enjoyed the stables and the tack rooms.


The trees were outstanding. They even had an orange one for the House of Orange.


This is just a piece of the gardens - you can see how well maintained they are. After an enjoyable lunch and tea with the Queen Mother, we headed up along the Smildevaart towards Bedum. We saw a boat named "Julia" and the significance of a Julia on the Smilde was not lost on us.


We drove through the town of Smilde but because John was not yet with us, I didn't want to take a picture. I thought it would be sad, like Princess Di by the Taj Mahal. So I present herewith a picture taken in the town of Smilde with John & I in 2003 - our very own carved bushes!

Aldert & Nicky

"Whenever we go to the Netherlands", cousins Aldert & Nicky who live outside of Amsterdam have greeted us at Schipol airport. This time, they graciously hosted us with coffee, lunch, and an outstanding gourmet meal prepared by Nicky. We loved walking around their little town of Nieuwveen and enjoyed the flowers and greenery.


Mom, Nicky, Paula & Marianna in front of their house


The little canal behind their house is so picturesque.


When we all say "Proost", I can still hear my Dutch Oma roll her R's.

The Bricks of Bedum

Bedum was the primary destination of our trip and these are some of the landmarks in the town which we have always heard about. Each of them is a story in itself.

The Gemeentehuis, or City Hall, where Oma & Opa were married


School of the Bible where Dad went to school


Hotel Gemeentehuis where we stayed


The Church with the leaning tower.


The house where Oma lived.


The garage where Dad was born and the house where he lived later