Updates of blog...

Sorry that our blog updates have been slow...

KEEP CHECKING... WE WILL UPDATE OVER TIME!........

I bought Wi-Fi time for the train, and it worked beautifully the FIRST time on the FIRST train!...  but it is pathetically inconsistent.  I thought I'd be able to do our updates on the train, but some trains don't have it, some are from Germany (they also don't have it), some have it, but you get connected, then can't access the Internet.

Anyways, we'll show a TON more photos when we get back, and will update our blog the best we can!

Love ya's...

12jun19-TUE-Fly back home! (boo hoo!)

Our wonderful travel consultant, YVONNE, again, drove us to the train station at Almelo, where we could catch a direct train to Schiphol Airport at Amsterdam.

We got the 9:18am train, and were at Amsterdam by about 11:30am.

Then we checked our bags, and went to a station where we waited 2 1/2 hours for a ride to the baggage check.  Funny part is, it was JUST around the corner!  (we thought by the signs, it was WAY over).

Then after that, another long wait for security check.  When we got to the area, we found out our plane was delayed (we got combined with what was SUPPOSED to be a direct flight from Frankfurt Germany to Toronto, but they added more people at Schiphol.

Then flew to Toronto... very nice flight on a newer A330!... that was REALLY nice... more leg room than the flight to Holland.  We met an author that wrote books, and he gave me a "Melatonin" pill to try for Jet Lag.  I slept for about 2 hours on the flight!

Then in Toronto, another LONG wait of 2 1/2 hours for a ride to the baggage, and then through security.  We got fast-tracked at the security, so that was great.

It was HARD to stay awake driving home, so I stopped in Markdale, and slept for about half an hour, then drove the rest... got to Owen Sound at 11:30pm (near midnight).

12jun18-Down Day

Yvonne had bought us more train tickets at our request, but we were so pooped, and it was raining (lightening hit the train system at Utrecht, and the trains were 1 hour delayed, so it was a good day to take a down day).

Ingrid and Yvonne went shopping for a while, and I stayed back and did some organizing on my photos (I thought i had lost them all, because i set up a test "Google Drive" on my MacBook Air, and decided to blow it away, and in turn, IT blew all my photos away!

Luckily, I had copied photos to Yvonnes, and still had the originals in the trash folder on my camera and phone!

I also worked on their WiFi to see if I could get it going better (it stops a couple of times a day if being used, and has to be reset every morning).  Tried setting to "G" protocol ONLY.  It is much faster, but in the end, it still needs a kick in the pants every morning.  I also got Danique's notebook working a few days ago as it couldn't browse).  We uninstalled AVG and Norton?, and put in MS.   Also put all of their machines to a STATIC address (as the LinkSys router DHCP goes whacky)... these problems are known problems with LinkSys (come on Cisco!).

12jun17-SUN-At ter Avest

Did devotions in the dutch language first thing in the morning with Arjen and Yvonne.

Then we went with Arjen and Yvonne to Tante Mieke's house and saw her place as well as Oom Johan's bicycle shop tools.  While there, Oom Dinand came and dropped our camera case off (we (oops, i mean ME) left it in his car during the visit to the farm).

We also visited the gravesites of Ingrid's relatives

We also visited the Canadian Memorial (where Canadian soldiers who died in WW2, are buried)

Then, at night, Holland soccer tried to win again (oops, they lost).

12Jun16-SAT-To Friesland...

Today (Saturday) we are going to the North, to Freisland, to search for my (ij) mother's birth place.  Our friends Arjen and Yvonne drove us in their car...
What a great day!
We started out in Nijverdal, Overijsel, drove to Ommen, to Staphorst, to Meppel and stopped in Giethoorn "The Venice of Holland",

then Steenwijk.  Just before Heerenveen, we found Uitwellingerga (Thialf Speed Skating Arena), 

We were looking for Uitwellingerga, the birth place of my Mom (ij), we found it on our way to Sneek).  Uitwellingerga ended up being a very nice village.  Yvonne seached out the village and she even knocked on a door and asked if they had heard of the family Feike Dijkstra history.  They knew the family!!!  We were led to a farm that may have been related to "Pake" Dykstra.  On the way to Lemmer, we stopped at the Afsluitdijk (where it was WINDY) and people were wind-surfing FAST!!)... saw sheep grazing on the banks, where we took some photos... then to Lemmer to meet Ingrid's twin cousins, Jantina and Johan. 

then stopped at a nice place (Cafe De held van '63) on the water, and had a Duvel beer (Yvonnes brother sells it around Holland), 

then drove back via Kampen (where Yvonnes parents were), and the church (De Bovenkerk Kampen http://www.debovenkerk.nl/ ) famous for its pipe organ (just missed a performance, but could hear the pipe organ from outside).  We went and ate ice cream near the church...

Here's a concert link where you can hear the organ... (thanks Arjen!)...

12jun15-FRI-Our Amsterdam Day!

Good times... Relaxing! (on train from Amelo)



In Amsterdam...

12jun14-THU-Farm Visit

We got picked up by Om Dianand Griet, and taken out to their farm, where we met Henry, and a lot of the Wassink family was there also (Herma, Mieke(BicycleShop), Jannie, JennieStam(going blind).

It was a nice visit, and Henry has a robotic milker, that was interesting to see.

Then we got a ride back again by Dianand, and went back and at dinner at Arjen and Yvonne's place...

12jun13-WED-Big Train Day! Utrecht and Apeldoorn

Yvonne picked us up some train tickets on special at her grocery store for 16Euro each, and allowed us to hop on and off the train all day (after 9am)... VERY nice way to get around!... so we went to Utrecht and Apeldoorn.  THANKS YVONNE for all your car rides to and from the train station... we LOVE YOU!...

On the train from Almelo to Utrecht...

Waiting for train

We walked around and shopped in Apeldoorn and when the stores closed at 6pm (YUP, they close down at 6pm!)... we found a nice Italian Pizza shop to eat at (yup, we had PIZZA!).  Then back home where Yvonne picked us up, and then we watched Holland play soccer (well they TRIED).

12jun12-TUE-TanteHerma&Hans then Jelmers PARTY

We ate croqueten at ter Avests with Danique, Jelmer, and Yvonne for lunch, then to Tante Herma's (Arjen's mom, and Gerrit's sister), and met Arjens brother Hans.  We walked around Nijverdal downtown before dinner).

Arjen made it for dinner too.

We waited in suspense for Jelmer's mark (pass or fail) to come via phone... then (of course) found out that he passed, so a bunch of relatives and friends came over for a party that night.  Jelmer had hung is knapsack and flag on the front of the house, as is custom around there, when someone graduated from Secondary School.  CONGRATS Jelmer!

12jun11-MON-To Munster Germany

Yvonne ter Avest took Ingrid and I to Munster Germany, where we saw churches, took a tour on a Double Decker bus, stopped off half way for a coffe and pastries... beautiful day!

12jun10-SUN-ToAlmelo-HermansChurch-Then to the ter Avests

Arno and Angie drove us from Leidschendam to Almelo, where we went to Herman and Anneka's church.

After church we went to their home, and met some of the family.

Then they drove us to Nijervdal where we met Arjen and Yvonne, who would be SO kind as to allow us into their home and take over their master bedroom (they moved out and up the to 3rd floor if you can believe that!)... what a GREAT experience getting to know them and their children, Danique and Jelmer!.......

12jun09-SAT-To Den Haag with Arno and Angie

We had breakfast at our temporary home, and then Angie and Arno picked us up, and we went to DOWNTOWN Den Haag!

This is the Peace Palace....

Then to Noord Einde (North End)...

We got to experience Den Haag, and walked where Angie's mom and my mom (Sisters) would have walked and worked when they were growing up!

Here is the Service Entrance (Back Alley) to the Royal Palace (Queen Beatrice)...

King William I Statue...

Queen Beatrice's Working Palace...

French Church... on the front sign it reads...
"Come to me all who are troubled and I will give you comfort"

More downtown...

Angie, Arno and Ingrid (where Arno bought Angies wedding ring)...

Coffee at the most prestigeous coffee shop in Den Haag!...

Bij't Goude Hooft... (Coffee Shop)...

Watching the Tram go by in the middle of Den Haag...

Old City Hall...  built in 1564...

The Passage (Covered Shopping area)...

Houses of Parliament...

Eating Hollandse Nieuwe Haring (new herring)...

12jun08-FRI-Down Day

We took a day off and just stayed at our temporary home!... it was windy and rainy, so it was a good day to just relax and, yes, catch up on some more jet lag...

We did have a chance to sit outside and relax in the sun when the weather broke for a couple of hours in the afternoon...

12jun07-THU-To Rotterdam with Arno and Angie

Angie and Arno picked us up at 10am (well, we were running a bit late because we are still a wee bit jet lagged lol)... ok 1030ish we got away, and they took us to Rotterdam, and we took a nice cruise on a boat called "Spido", all around Rotterdam harbour.

It was interesting because Arno was born downtown Rotterdam, and his grandpa was in the Harbour Police, and knew a lot about the area.

My Cousin "Angie"...

Soccer is pretty nuts here!... big game on Saturday night, so out comes the beer and some hootin and hollerin!... (Angie is painting our faces!)........ Notice flags on front of the ship....

12jun06-WED-To Den Haag and Scheveningen with Arno and Angie

Arno and Angie picked us up at 10 am and took us to Den Haag, and the area that our moms lived as children.

On the way we saw some wind mills, polders, and dykes.

It started out rainy and cold, but during our lunch the sky broke and became sunny... in fact we sat outside and got a bunch of sun latter in the afternoon!

We went to a seafood restaurant in Scheveningen, The Hague, The Netherlands and ate a nice fish and chips lunch where we could see the North Sea and ships.