Second Week of My Field Trip Abroad

Well, I've been up to quite a bit this last week. Here's a photo-impression of a few of my activities:

1. I attended my granddaughter Dana's riding lesson:
2. I visited with my sister in-law, Joan Herweijer, a sculptor:

3. I attended a country fair where lost and dying arts were demonstrated, this is a wooden shoe maker making a pair of miniatures:
4. I went with Dorri to the Saturday market in Harderwijk and arrived home laden with flowers:

My First Week in Holland

During this last week I have been observing (and enjoying) the typical Dutch atmosphere.

I have been to Friesland with Dorri to visit her mother enjoying the landscape on the way. One of the excursions on this day was to a distillery in the town of Sneek where they produce the regional “bitter”.

I went swimming with my grandchildren, Dana and Christiaan, went out to dinner with my brothers and spent quite some time on the bicycle on our trips back and forth to Harderwijk…. Averaging ten to 12 kilometers a day.

Today, Saturday, is market day in Harderwijk. We all went to town with saddlebags. Coert even had a little trailer so their dog Esra wouldn’t have to run all the way.

Luck would have it that today was the annual “Flag-day” for the traditional fishing fleet.

The whole harbour was full of old fashioned fishing boats, people in traditional dress, stands showing and selling the lost arts of basket weaving, net-making, broom-tying.

I think the pictures below should be self-explanatory by now:

Day Trips in Holland

Yesterday I posted a couple of photographs I made at the market in Harderwijk. I just love how there are bicycles all over the place... Old and young bicycle to the market and do their shopping. Notice the large ¨saddle bags¨, helmets are worn only by the youngest of cyclists.... up to around five years old. This photo is taken with my back to the ¨gate of paradise¨, one of the entrances to the 13th century convent in the direction of one of the remaining city gates called the Smeerpoort.

Grotere kaart weergeven

Surprise vist to the Netherlands

I went to the Netherlands to surprise my brother André for his birthday on Dec. 4th. Of course I didn´t tell Coert, Dorri or the grandchildren either..... surprise surprise. This morning we went to the weekly market in Harderwijk, the town where Coert and Dorri live. Below a photo of Dorri at their regular fruit and vegetable stand.
In the background, Sam, is the man that serves them every week for some years now.
The second photo is of a woman in front of the flower stand. Notice the children and baggage on her bicycle! Click on the photos for enlargment.