So, on our last full day in the Netherlands, we chose to spend it with Nance and Tjalline. I am so glad that we were able to connect with these two amazing people. They welcomed Alex into the Zylstra family with open arms.
Alex loves them, too.
Instead of shopping (a decidedly good thing – I was beginning to wear the numbers off my Visa), we did a tour of old Alkmaar and we were not disappointed.
Our first stop was a site where there were 3 working windmills.
It was so cool to go inside a working windmill and see how they worked and how the people who ran the windmills lived.
From there, we drove to a little museum for a quick cup of tea. This place was AMAZING. It was filled to the brim with all sorts of memorabilia and oddities.
From there, we drove around a bit more and was able to marvel at the quiet, the picturesque beauty of the Netherlands.
We then had a quick dinner and, alas, had to say our goodbyes. But, rest assured, we will be heading back in May of 2019.
So, after two wonderful weeks in the Netherlands, it was time to come home. We got up fairly early had a leisurely full of tea and did our morning constitutionals in a decidedly unhurried manner.
We checked out of our hotel and hopped in the rental car. A quick 15 minute drive and we were at Schiphol airport. The hardest part of getting to the airport was getting from the car rental agency to the departure hates. Schiphol airport is MASSIVE.
We got to the gate in plenty of time, though. We were on the plane and in the air by 12:15. The flight was uneventful but, I got to see a number of movies: Deadpool 2, The Avengers, Infinity war, Book Club and the Greatest Showman. All very good movies.
We arrived in Toronto at 3pm local time, went through customs and made our way to the gate for our final leg home. I can’t wait to be back in my own bed, shoved over to the very edge by our two boys.
We arrived back in Vancouver at 8:00 pm on the nose. We got off the plane and headed straight to the baggage carousel and within 15 minutes, we had BOTH bags and were heading to the parking lot to head home.
So today, Alex and I headed back to Friesland to go and see Sneek. This is where my Mom was born and grew up. It is a beautiful little community filled with old buildings and canals.
We got there after about a 90 minute drive – having to stop twice on the way there while on the Afsluitdijk. One time on either end to let ships pass from one side to the other. Each stop was almost 15 minutes long. A lot of boat traffic goes through these tiny little channels that connect the Atlantic Ocean to the divided body of water.
Once we arrived in Sneek, we found a pay parking lot – sat there at the machine for 5 minutes trying to translate the instructions and then we were off.
We then went to find the Waterpoort – it is an iconic bridge that typifies Sneek.
We then wandered the side streets of Sneek for a while – had lunch at a great little bistro
After lunch, we wandered a bit more, found an AWESOME pair of pants and found some very nice pieces of jewelry for Alex.
Before we knew it, it was almost 4:30. Time to head back to Amsterdam. Traffic in the Netherlands is similar to driving in Vancouver, only amplified. It took us close to two hours to make it back to the hotel. By that time, I was no longer in the mood to drive to a restaurant for dinner.
So, we went down to the lobby grocery store and bought a couple of pizzas that I was able to bake in under 10 minutes.
Time to settle in for the evening.
Tomorrow, our last day in the Netherlands and we will be visiting Nance and Tjalline once more in Alkmaar.
After spending 10 days running at a frantic pace to try and catch everything we wanted and / or needed to see, Alex and I hit a wall – not literally – figuratively.
So, we took a day just for ourselves and stayed in our room. We had a quiet breakfast, watched a bit of television, surfed the net, got caught up on some emails, texted a few friends and updated Alex’s Facebook and my website.
We also did laundry – it is amazing how you can go through underwear that quickly.
Mental note: BRING MORE UNDERWEAR!
It is 8:45 in the morning on Wednesday. I have just had my shower and am about to make a cup of tea. Alex is still sleeping and I will give him another half hour or so.
Today, we head back to Friesland to go and visit where my mom grew up: Sneek
I am very excited to visit Sneek again as I know so little of my mother’s side of the family and I am hoping to see some familiar sights. On my last visit to the Netherlands, Mom showed me the house where she grew up, the school where her father was custodian and a few other sights.
Today, Alex and I met up with my friend Pat and his daughter, Marina. The four of us decided to spend the day touring the museum district of Amsterdam.
Rather than drive to them, Alex and I opted to take the train in to see them. Brilliant idea, if I do say so myself. We found a parking lot close to the train station, hopped on the train and headed into the core of the city. 25 minutes later, we were walking to meet Pat and Marina.
We found them at the Irish Gate Pub – where else, right?
After a hearty breakfast, we headed off to the first museum: The Van Gogh Museum
This is a very modern museum that houses some of Van Gogh’s most famous works. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures except in very specific areas, hence the shots below:
From there, we headed off to the Anne Frank House. What an incredible experience that place was. Again, no pictures were allowed but, suffice to say, every person who ever travels to the Netherlands HAS TO VISIT THIS PLACE.
We all know the story of Anne Frank and how she lived and sadly, how she died, but to see the actual house where she and her family hid for 2 years was astonishing.
The line ups were long and the waits were even longer, but, I am so glad we did it. The haunting faces of all the people hiding in that home were chilling.
From there, we headed off for a bite to eat. Naturally, we found the Hard Rock Cafe in Amsterdam:
After an incredibly hearty meal, we headed off to the Rijksmuseum only to discover that it had closed an hour before…. *sigh. Fortunately, our tickets are good for a year, so Alex and I will come back to visit next year.
Touring the city, we found some beautiful architecture and so, just wandering around was well worth the day. It was great fun to hang out with Pat and Marina.
Around 6:30, we decided to call it a day. Pat and Marina had to get up early for another guided tour and we were feeling the effects of our massive dinner.
On the train home, Alex and I decided to have a down day. We are going to sleep in, watch a bit of television, and just relax.
So, yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a long time. We picked up Nance, Tajlline and Nance’s boyfriend, Juergen and headed off to Friesland. To get to Friesland, you have to cross the Afsluitdijk A massive manmade structure designed to keep the ocean at bay.
After that, we pulled into Bolsward, a larger town where my parents met and were married.
Alex and I were able to go to visit cousins in Friesland. But, even more cathartic was the opportunity to visit my dad’s grave.
My dad passed away in February, 2003. In May of 2004, my mom and I went to Holland to inter my dad’s ashes in the gravesite that held both of his parents.
Welcome to Fifhuis – Literal translation is Five houses, This is where my dad’s family lived.
From there, we went to the cemetery.
This is the crypt where my grandparents and dad lay.
After Alex, my cousins Tjalline and Nance, along with Nance’s boyfriend Juergen and I arrived at the cemetery, we started to look at the various relations who have been laid to rest here. When I came to my dad’s marker, I stopped and waited for everyone to give me a few minutes.
Sadness washed over me. I missed my father so much at that moment. So, I started to talk to him. I told him about Alex and how much he would have liked him. I told him about my life (very abridged version). I told him about Mom.
I rambled on for what seemed like forever but, was actually only about 5 minutes. And I felt better. I was still sad but, not so much so that I couldn’t smile at the surroundings. He was home.
One of my dad’s brothers and his wifeDistant relationsAnother distant relativeAnother of my dad’s brothers and his brother’s wifeThe church and cemetery where they are resting
After the cemetery, we met the family that now lived in my uncle’s house. They gave us a grand tour. I didn’t take any pictures out of respect of their privacy.
From there, we headed back to my cousin Wout’s place. But, we had to make one more stop:
Approximately 10 minute walk from Fifhuis is a small bridge designed to keep cattle from crossing. It was on this very spot over 64 years ago that my Dad’s father was killed.
This spot gave me shivers. I was standing on family history!
I found out later, from Wout, that there is going to be a ceremony next May to commemorate this event and Alex and I have been invited to attend! You can bet your bottom dollar that we will be there. *Update: Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances, we will not be attending this event. *sigh
Moving on, we drove back to my cousin Wout’s place and had a visit with more relatives.
No Video Diary today. Alex is still asleep and I don’t want to disturb him. Delft was definitely a great day – for the most part. Driving in the Netherlands is probably the closest one will ever come to playing “Bumper Tag” with real vehicles.
The drivers here definitely show no fear, hesitation or even remorse.
The major roads are amazing feats of engineering and strategic planning. Not so much once you get into the cities’ side streets. They are little more than sidewalks on steroids – but not really good steroids. Steroids that make you look in the mirror and go “meh!”.
After trying to follow Google Directions’ speaking out Dutch Street names – which is in of itself, an exercise in futility, we wound up parking right beside a canal in Delft. Try parallel parking beside a canal sometime – it is not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. I had these visions of driving right into the canal.
Anyways, we parked and off we went.
These images were all from a museum in Delft that showed the various construction industries that took place in Delft. The tools took up 5 floors. Every floor described a different part of the construction industry.
After that, we headed towards the downtown core. The day we were there was some sort of annual celebration which included an open air swap meet. There were literally dozens of vendors all trying to sell everything from the sublime to the ridiculous.
This was also where we got to see a variety of marching bands. Seemed to bring out everyone in the whole community. But, they played so well.
We then ducked into another church that was undergoing renovations. This church wasn’t as old as the one in Haarlem or as impressive, but, it was still beautiful to see.
From there, we made our way back to the car and for a cup of tea.
We then used Google to find the car. Upon finding the car, I found my first parking ticket of the trip – hopefully the last – 90 EUROS!!!! Over $140 CDN! AUGH!!! There goes the second pair of shoes I was hoping to buy – *sigh
Alex said we should dispute it – but, it was a Saturday and there was no way I was going to spend a day of my vacation trying to find the police station or the city hall to dispute a ticket. So, I went online and paid it! *sigh
Al Zylstra 