Holland - family and friends

Jocelyn Timmermans
Jul 23, 2022
5 min read

June 7 - 9 + June 24 - July 6

It had been 4 1/4 years since we'd been in Holland. High time to go see the family. Case has six siblings there. Visits, mingled with walks, cycling and sightseeing filled the 2 weeks up quickly. This was my sixteenth trip there, as for Case we've lost count. It was a great way to unwind after doing the difficult GR20.

June 8 - The first 3 days we stayed at Bert & Janet's (Case's sister), getting over the worst of our jet lag.

Their yard is like a park.

Because of the long 9 1/2 hour flight, walking was a must. I have to limit my sitting because of my spine.

Janet took us to the historic town of Nieuwport. It was given city rights in 1283.

Geese.

Their son, Matthijs had his wedding here July 2nd.

This is it for the front yard. Most houses in the suburbs have little yards.

A shepherd's dog keeping the sheep from crossing the road.

Case says this is the largest willow tree he's ever seen.

1) The hall where the civil registry ceremony occured. 2) Tiny but strong cups of coffee.

Arjan, Bernadette & Janet -- Fourteen days later baby Jouke was born. Yes, we did get to see him.

Nephew Argan, has been to our place 14 times! He came in the summers and worked for us. Of course it wasn't all work. He didn't trust as so much about the hiking part since the first hike we took him on was Mt. Baker summit!

The "talk house" at Bert & Janet's. Many dutch homes have one in their backyard. Bert & Janet's is especially popular with their life-long neighbours.

June 9

A morning bike ride.

June 25

Two weeks later and we're back from hiking the GR20. This time we stayed at Case's childhood home on the dike for 3 days. His youngest brother & family live there now.

Stien greets us from his bedroom window facing the Noort River.

1) Yup, all those delicious dutch pasteries and fresh fish snacks were not helping lose those pots. That is Case's baby brother, Matthijs. 2) Coffee at older brother, Gerrit & Meke's. They moved and now live close to Matthijs & Miranda.

Case helped them landscape their new front yard.

Of course we had to do a bike ride to the nearby Kinderdijk with it's 19 windmills.

A routine visit to the fish stands.

Love this house. It used to be owned by a sea captain.

The dike infront of their house. As a boy, Case once swam across here! The large boats are constantly going back and forth.

Gerrit's fourth daughter, Marleen with her son, Max. She came by on her bike.

June 27

I had booked and bed & breakfast on the northwest island of Ameland. As we were waiting in line for the ferry, a storm hit right above us.

All those black dots are shipwrecks.

June 28

It was so peaceful here. An island for tourists. Many of them seemed to be German.

There's no lack of places to rent a bicycle. But my delicate derriere is rather sensitive to a bicycle seat. So I could only last for 2 hours.

The year the building was built is in big black iron numbers on the front of the house.

The tower of Ballum (built in 1755) served to warn the village people of danger and to tell the time. The 300 kg bell was stolen by the Germans in WWII.

An old farmhouse. Usually the barns were built onto the back of the house.

Many of the tombstones in the graveyard dated back to the 1500s!

The southern coast.

Oyster catcher birds.

More Oyster Catchers.

Back in the town of Hollum. A crooked house.

Case found someone to talk to while I checked out the windmill that is still in use. He says if he tells people he's a landscaper, he right away gets a positive response and is allowed to see their yard.

They make mustard here.

Then we drove to Nes and Buren, in the centre of the oblong island.

This house was very crooket. Notice the angle of the windows compared to the sidewalk.

Back on the ferry and then drove down the very long dike that created this vast inland sea that is now salt free.

We stayed in Volendam for the night. Had dinner at this lovely restaurant.

This Falk hotel even had a bathtub!

June 29

Walking the historic harbour of Volendam.

Time for breakfast.

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"Het Praathuis" means the "talk house".

Then we went to the nearby town of Edam to attend the cheese festival. It's the first time they were allowed to have it since 2019 because of Covid.

That very crooket house on the end of the street is the oldest house in the town, built in 1563.

1) This oldest house is now a museum.

The black wall to the left was leaning out toward the street.

The cheese weighing station.

Traditional outfits and traditional music was playing.

They threw the balls of cheese to eachother.

4-pic slider: The Great Church. Construction of this church built in the name of St. Nicolas, started in the 1400s.

2) The floor is made up of large slabs of tombstones where the bodies had been buried. This one dated back to 1626.

2) Back at the black wall.

The festival is finished and the men need a break from the hard work.

June 30

Gerrit & Meke treated us to a boat ride to the Kinderdijk. They used their daughter, Marleen's boat.

The Gebe transports her babies on her back.

We parked the boat just a little bit past this windmill that is open to the public. Most of the 19 windmills are still privately owned and lived in.

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A willow.

Back in the boat.

pic 2) A Water Chicken

An old farmhouse.

1) Blue Herin.

In the afternoon Case, me & Matthijs went for a walk through the Biesbosch. This is land that used to be submerged. This is a picture of a picture.

1 & 2) Thistle 3) Hoary Groundsel

1) Wild Morning Glory

July 1

We went to Dordrect to do some shopping. But with Case along, that didn't amount to much. I did get lots of photos of those crooket buildings though.

3-pic slider: The port of entry to the city built 1440-1450.

In the past the main form of transportation was by water.

July 2 - THE day! It was nice to relax and be a part of Matthijs & Willeke's wedding. We respresented the Canadian Timmermanses.

Jade, the granddaughter of Bert & Janet, was a ray of sunshine. I was looking forward to seeing my grandchildren soon again.

Opa Bert built this cart and wood toys.

A bike ride around the block before sitting for long stretches. 1) Endive Chicory 2) Mallow

1) Loosestrife 2) Daisy

I've never seen such a large Queen Anne's Lace before.

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Matthijs and his sister, Sietske.

Father, daughter & granddaughter.

Sietske helping her husband, Kevin.

There comes the bridal couple in Matthijs's blue truck.

Marcia & AP, close friends of Bert & Janet.

Willeke & Matthijs.

All 3 of Bert & Janet's children.

After the civil ceremony was the church service. After that was dinner and then the party. Yay! -- they had dancing! The church and public hall were within easy walking distance.

July 3

Case & I walked along the river in Ameide.

And then we walked these lovely lanes lined with oak, chestnut and beech trees.

July 4

A family walk through the Drunese Duinen (sand dunes). Case's eldest sister, Karla & Jan, Matthijs, Janet, Judith & Adrianne, Stein son of Matthijs + Marieke & Suzanne, daughters of Judith & Adrianne.