What a Wild Weekend!
On Saturday I took a train from Amsterdam to Heerenveen. Djoke met me at the station and drove me to Drachten, about 20 kilometres away.
As I left, Amsterdam was starting its Gay Pride Parade. The day before, it was obvious what was going on, because there were gay and homosexual couples everywhere. I couldn´t walk 10 metres without seeing them. That didn´t bother me, but then .... I was in the ladies´ dorm room at the hostel, washing up at the sink. I had my shirt and bra off and was standing there, doing my business, when a lesbian couple walked in. That was a weird feeling for me!!! I guess that if it´s a womens´room, women can stay there, right ... how in blue blazes can I make a question mark on this keyboard....
Anyway, the two of them walked in, obviously VERY gay, and I suddenly felt NAKED. Well, I was half naked, but until they walked in, I hadn´t FELT naked.
So, I left Amsterdam to its "celebration" and gratefully arrived at Tjalling and Djoke´s cozy home here. Drachten is a sweet little city, full of tidy homes with tiny, glorious flower gardens in front of each house and tiny, private back yards that all look like garden centres. The people here sure do love their flowers and their gardens!
Yesterday brought news from France. It seems like half the people who live in Holland are on holiday in France right now, along with the rest of Northern Europe. They drive their "caravans" .... camping trailers .... or cars in and through France, many of them heading south to Spain. The result is a stretch of highway in the south of France ... the Autoroute Soleil .... around 600 to 700 kilometres long that becomes one, long, miserable traffic jam. Traffic stops, then starts again only to crawl along a few dozen feet and stop again. Emergency services received over 1,500 calls yesterday from stranded tourists whose cars had overheated on that stretch of road. This day is always called "Black Saturday."
Last night Djoke and Tjalling started telling me some family stories. My grandfather and Djoke´s father were brothers, and I am delighted to be getting stories from that generation, because none of the family in North America has any to tell me. These stories are very dramatic, and I can´t wait to get them all scribbled down, then go home and start weaving them into the family history book.
Djoke is only ten years older than me. My grandfather married early and had children right away. Djoke´s father married late and didn´t have children for a few years. Djoke was the last child born in that family. So .... although she is technically more like a great aunt to me, we feel more like cousins.
The weather yesterday was idyllic, about 27 degrees celsius, which is something like 78 farenheit. It rained during the night and today is much cooler, well below 20 celsius.
I walked to church with Djoke this morning under an umbrella. It was wonderful to sit in a REAL church service again, even if I couldn´t understand everything. There was a big, beautiful organ and the congregation sang many, many hymns. I closed my eyes and could just imagine being a little girl again, in church, with the organ playing and all the Dutch people around me, although in my childhood church the hymns and service were rendered in English.
I was absolutely THRILLED to discover that I was able to understand some of what the dominie.... that´s what they call the pastor, here .... was saying. Even more thrilled to be able to read the words of the hymns and sing along with everyone. Although I didn´t understand most of what I was singing, I figured God knew that I was singing to His glory, and it was good. Very good. So, even though I wasn´t able to learn enough Dutch to be conversant, my studies are proving to help in many, many ways. I am comfortable reading directional signs in stations and on the streets. I can pick up the basic meaning of many printed items and menus are not a problem at all. There are always one or two menu items I don´t understand, but for the most part, I understand and am able to order without any help. I just order one of the items I understand. It feels GREAT to have this small measure of independence, and not have to ask for a menu in English. Yay!!!
I have lots of good pictures from Amsterdam, and from a side trip I took. Since I can´t upload pictures from my camera onto this computer, I will save my "touristy" stories and pictures for when I get home.
On Saturday I took a train from Amsterdam to Heerenveen. Djoke met me at the station and drove me to Drachten, about 20 kilometres away.
As I left, Amsterdam was starting its Gay Pride Parade. The day before, it was obvious what was going on, because there were gay and homosexual couples everywhere. I couldn´t walk 10 metres without seeing them. That didn´t bother me, but then .... I was in the ladies´ dorm room at the hostel, washing up at the sink. I had my shirt and bra off and was standing there, doing my business, when a lesbian couple walked in. That was a weird feeling for me!!! I guess that if it´s a womens´room, women can stay there, right ... how in blue blazes can I make a question mark on this keyboard....
Anyway, the two of them walked in, obviously VERY gay, and I suddenly felt NAKED. Well, I was half naked, but until they walked in, I hadn´t FELT naked.
So, I left Amsterdam to its "celebration" and gratefully arrived at Tjalling and Djoke´s cozy home here. Drachten is a sweet little city, full of tidy homes with tiny, glorious flower gardens in front of each house and tiny, private back yards that all look like garden centres. The people here sure do love their flowers and their gardens!
Yesterday brought news from France. It seems like half the people who live in Holland are on holiday in France right now, along with the rest of Northern Europe. They drive their "caravans" .... camping trailers .... or cars in and through France, many of them heading south to Spain. The result is a stretch of highway in the south of France ... the Autoroute Soleil .... around 600 to 700 kilometres long that becomes one, long, miserable traffic jam. Traffic stops, then starts again only to crawl along a few dozen feet and stop again. Emergency services received over 1,500 calls yesterday from stranded tourists whose cars had overheated on that stretch of road. This day is always called "Black Saturday."
Last night Djoke and Tjalling started telling me some family stories. My grandfather and Djoke´s father were brothers, and I am delighted to be getting stories from that generation, because none of the family in North America has any to tell me. These stories are very dramatic, and I can´t wait to get them all scribbled down, then go home and start weaving them into the family history book.
Djoke is only ten years older than me. My grandfather married early and had children right away. Djoke´s father married late and didn´t have children for a few years. Djoke was the last child born in that family. So .... although she is technically more like a great aunt to me, we feel more like cousins.
The weather yesterday was idyllic, about 27 degrees celsius, which is something like 78 farenheit. It rained during the night and today is much cooler, well below 20 celsius.
I walked to church with Djoke this morning under an umbrella. It was wonderful to sit in a REAL church service again, even if I couldn´t understand everything. There was a big, beautiful organ and the congregation sang many, many hymns. I closed my eyes and could just imagine being a little girl again, in church, with the organ playing and all the Dutch people around me, although in my childhood church the hymns and service were rendered in English.
I was absolutely THRILLED to discover that I was able to understand some of what the dominie.... that´s what they call the pastor, here .... was saying. Even more thrilled to be able to read the words of the hymns and sing along with everyone. Although I didn´t understand most of what I was singing, I figured God knew that I was singing to His glory, and it was good. Very good. So, even though I wasn´t able to learn enough Dutch to be conversant, my studies are proving to help in many, many ways. I am comfortable reading directional signs in stations and on the streets. I can pick up the basic meaning of many printed items and menus are not a problem at all. There are always one or two menu items I don´t understand, but for the most part, I understand and am able to order without any help. I just order one of the items I understand. It feels GREAT to have this small measure of independence, and not have to ask for a menu in English. Yay!!!
I have lots of good pictures from Amsterdam, and from a side trip I took. Since I can´t upload pictures from my camera onto this computer, I will save my "touristy" stories and pictures for when I get home.
posted by Me | 6:29 AM
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