The Netherlands - set 1

Jocelyn Timmermans
May 20
5 min read

Updated: May 24

April 22-May 3, 2025

This trip was planned before Case passed away February fourth. He was supposed to go with our three daughters and join in on the Timmermans family holiday in Belgium. Shortly after he passed, they asked me to come instead. I asked, "Do I have a choice?" and they said no. Reuniting with his family after three months was a good thing. We were much more able to enjoy it this time.

It was my 19th visit to Holland but the first time I went without Case.

Five of the eleven days were spent in Belgium where four of Case's siblings had rented five chalets. This part of the trip will be in my second set 2 blog.

At Vancouver airport, ready for the long flight. I managed to book business class which allowed me to lie down flat and take the pressure off of my spine.

April 23

April 24: Visiting Gerrit & Meke and their two daughters, Karen & Marleen in Alblasserdam, the town that Case grew up in. photo by Renee

After the visit, I had to get some moving time in so we went to see the nearby Kinderdijk, a Unesco World Heritage site. It has 19 windmills, of which 18 are still privately owned.

Jeanette, Renee, Chelsey.

On all my visits to Holland, I'd always go cycling through the kinderdijk.

May 25 - We cycled to Sietske's (daughter of Janet).

Notice the door has been built crooked to accommodate the leaning house. This is not an unusual sight in the Netherlands.

Then Sietske drove us to town to go shopping in Gorechem.

The date on the gate says 1391.

When you order a hot drink in the Netherlands, you get a small cookie to go with it. Ellie was happy to get her favourite: a stroop (syrup) waffle.

photo by Chelsey

Back at Bert & Janet's home in Meerkerk where Renee, Chelsey & I stayed while Jeanette and Willem and their four boys stayed just down the street at his parents' home. Their yard looks like a park.

Bert lives in the home he was born in.

May 26 was a day of celebration, it being Kings Day.

We went with members of Willems family to a small neighbouring town and got there just in time to join the parade. Each town has their own way of celebrating.

In the town square, by the church the band continued to play.

It's customary for the children to gather toys they don't want anymore, and sell them.

Scott & Case with their cousins. All blond haired and blue eyed.

And it's customary to eat Tom Poots on King's Day. Sooo good.

This craft table let the kids decorate their cakes with whipcream and sprinkles.

photo by Renee

The dutch and their battle with the water.

Afterwards we went to visit Jasper and his family nearby. Jasper was our very first dutch student who came to work for us for his practicum. He ended up returning to Canada eight times, the last time being for Case's funeral. He has his own construction business and did major renovations and additions to his home.

Then in the afternoon we went to Dordrecht where we visited Karen and Arlen, Gerrit's daughter & husband. The first photo is taken in her backyard, the second photo was taken from the windmill and shows her back yard which has the orange banner in it.

This is the only remaining windmill of 121 built in Dordrecht in 1632. It's named the Kyck Over den Dyck which means "Look Over the Dike".

This windmill is 32m high and covers a total of 950 square meters, making it the largest in the world. Its working parts are mostly original and include two sets of working mill stones.

Arlen & Karen have lived here for over ten years. This was the first time they were permitted to enter the highest ninth level of the windmill. The caretaker had just stopped the wings from moving because his colleague had fallen sick and went home early. We had to crawl under a big beam to see the heart of the windmill.

Chunks of pig fat hung on strings above the grinding portion of the wheels. The heat that the motion generated, caused the fat to drip thus keeping the joints lubricated. The first windmills were created in Iran. But the Netherlands created design with the long vertical post in the middle.

5-pic slider of Dordrecht

The main square in Dordrect. Bands were playing on almost every street corner.

April 27

We stopped in at Doy & Suus on our way to Belgium. Doy was another one of our dutch students who worked for us as part of his practicum.

Renee gave Doy & Paul the T-shirts that Case's friends had made for all those in the Cruiser Club. They had just been at our place last October to join the annual 4x4 trip to the Whipshaw.

Renee made the sketch of her father.

May 1 - the Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht

On the way back from Belgium, we stopped in Maastricht, the most southern part of the Netherlands.

This cathedral is built around the grave of St. Servatius (384 AD!) He was known for his healing powers and was believed to be a direct descendant of Jesus Christ.

5-pic slider - St. Servatius's bones are contained in this gold chest (1st pic).

The skull of St. Servatius in encased in this gold bust.

This southern portal of the basilica was added in the 13th century. Eight columns are carved with figures of the old testament: Abraham, Moses, King David, Samuel, Simeon (erroneously replaced by a Virgin Mary), John the Baptist and John the Evangelist and Servatius.

6-pic slider - The apocalyptic scene on the 12th century painting in pic 1 depicts Christ as Final Judge.

The Church of Our Lady, "Star of the Sea".

In the first century AD, a Roman settlement grew close to the site of today's basilica. Construction for this cathedral began around 1000AD but the building's history dates back further, even if there are no certain details.

The stained glass windows were replaced around 1900.

Catching up on sleep during the 4 hour drive back to Meerkerk.

Chelsey and I had dinner at Folker's home. His parents had a feast waiting for us. It was so good to be reunited with Pieter & Folker who had become part of our family since last year when they stayed and worked for our company for their practicum for 6 months and 3 months.

May 2

We started the day by visiting Willem's brother, Egbert who owns his own construction business. He started restoration on this old house seven years ago. It's amazing how he collected ancient beams and stone steps and even the wing of a windmill and integrated it into his home. I told him he could write a book on it! How 2 km of pipes supply the house with heating and air-conditioning from 10m into the ground! It was truely an inspiration (got a few ideas for my new home).

There's nothing like the dutch tarts.

Raising the road as a boat passes underneath.

The Keukenhof is open 2 months of the year. It covers 80 acres and has over 7 million tulip bulbs planted that are donated by growers all over the Netherlands.

The Adriaen was built in 1978 from the remains of an old 1920 pipe organ found in a dance hall. It plays on the perforated book system that was invented in 1892. It has 406 organ pipes.

photo by Chelsey

Renee & Ellie really wanted to eat out at a dutch pancake restaurant. We managed to squeeze that into the day. This one was close to Meerkerk.

Our last evening there we had a farewell get-together at Janet's place. Case's two brothers, Gerrit & Matthijs with two of Gerrit's daughters. These last four photos were taken by Renee