Wednesday - Netherlands

Today was a busy day, people!


I finally got a glimpse of Edna who had all of a sudden disappeared on Saturday and was nowhere to be found until she finally showed up on Wednesday morning all worn and ragged in the questionable company of Iron Man... I asked, begged and twisted their arms, but to no avail. They were not talking. I packed her up and left Iron Man standing; he is NOT coming with me!

At 11 o'clock, Reinie and I left Brakel in her little Fiat loaded with all my luggage and drove all the way north to the small town of Kockengen where I grew up. Every time I visit my sisters, I like to go and see if the homes I grew up in are still there, I like to visit the cemetery where both my parents are buried, and I like to have lunch and see if I recognize anybody that comes by, riding their bikes... So many years ago, and so many memories! It's great to be there with Reinie. Below are a few pictures: the second house from the right in the row of four houses is the one I grew up in, yes with the road in front where I rode my bike and the canal where I fished. When I was 14 or so, my parents sold the row of houses and built a bungalow in the backyard where there already was a road put down by the government. We lived in the bungalow for the next 10 years or so until I moved to Leiden and worked at a book publishing company. And there is also a picture of the church I went to for the first 24 years of my life... Every time I go to Kockengen, I enjoy the sights and all and I am also grateful I don't live there anymore :-)

After lunch, Reinie and I drove a little further to Kamerik where my uncle and aunt had a dairy farm and where I very often went to visit and hang out with my cousins. My uncle passed away in 2000, and every time I visit my sisters, I like to go to see my Aunt Marrigje. We sit then around the table in her living room, we have coffee and cake and we talk about life as it was and as it is. I love my aunt and am so grateful that I get to visit her! She is now 81 years old and still more or less mobile and she enjoys company very much... we talk about my mother and father, and her husband and her children and of course she wants to know what is going on with me, and Reinie and her children and so on! She is just delightful, and at the end of the visit I say again: Aunt Marrigje, "tot ziens" - until next time!

Here is a picture of her and me, as well as a picture of the dairy farm where I used to come and play...

After visiting my aunt, Reinie and I went back to Kockengen where we visited my foster brother Krijn and his family. Krijn lived with us from 1980 until sometime in 1983. He and I hung out quite a bit together and caused a lot of rumors to start in town... and honestly, we did not mind starting a few on purpose :-) He is happily married with Krijnie, and has a lovely family with two daughters and a son... We had a great time talking and laughing and hanging out in their backyard!

Next stop was my sister Klasien in Utrecht where we arrived around 7 in the evening. I hauled my luggage into her house while Reinie tried to find a parking spot close... not easy at a time when everybody is home from work. When we were all in the house we decided what we wanted for dinner, and Reinie walked over to the Chinese restaurant where she ordered and brought home some delicious Indonesian food: nasi, bami, babi-pangang, sate and loempias... That was truly a feast! Reinie left just before 9:30, Klasien and I watched a tv program about the celebration of 30 years of Queen's Days (next one coming up on Friday), and the lights were out by 11:15... It was a great day, again!