2 days with 2 wonderful friends

What a wonderful few days we had with Vanessa and David from Bryn Mawr to visit the Netherlands!

After 42 years, the time had finally come: Vanessa and I saw each other again, this time in Amsterdam after her river cruise. Of course, it was a beautiful moment to reunite, and now with David and Karin joining us.

Early on the morning of May 20th, Karin and I drove to Amsterdam to greet David and Vanessa around 9:00 AM at the Amsterdam Cruise Terminal. Together with them, we played tourist in the Netherlands. We admired the Dutch pride, the windmills, at the Zaanse Schans, ate fish in the harbor of Volendam, and after a stop at the Afsluitdijk, we arrived in Drachten, where we still happily live. It was lovely to enjoy “Mamma’s Nasi” in our garden with a hearty beer.

The next day, after breakfast, we headed towards Giethoorn. After a cup of coffee with apple pie and whipped cream, we boarded a boat. A beautiful trip through a tranquil Giethoorn brought us to the Bovenwiede, a vast lake just outside Giethoorn. After about an hour of sailing, we were back in Giethoorn around lunchtime. The last part of our planned tour was the Ir. D.F. Woudagemaal in Lemmer, where we received a comprehensive guided tour in English. With a lot of new knowledge about water management and the function of the Woudagemaal, we returned home. In the evening, we had a delicious dinner at Spijshuijs – thanks, David and Vanessa!

Unfortunately, these two beautiful days also came to an end. On Thursday morning, I took them, along with Yanick, to the train for their onward journey in Amsterdam.

We also continued with our lives and traveled to The Hague to celebrate my 70th birthday there.

Hope to see you once again