Netherlands Nuesday 55

Bikes in Amsterdam at night

Netherlands Nuesday 54

Spout at the Rijksmuseum

Netherlands Nuesday 53

Dutch cousins Sander & Cory, 2007

Last year in Groningen, we met our cousin Sander at the family reunion. Last weekend he did a presentation at MIT in Boston and today, we will be welcoming him to our house in Grand Rapids. We are so excited!

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Light Fixture at Het Loo

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Fountain at Het Loo

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Green guy in Dam Square, 2007

Netherlands Nuesday 49

Amsterdam Canal Cruise with bottles of water, 2007

Netherlands Nuesday 48

University of Groningen

Netherlands Nuesday 47

Inside the Groningen Train Station

Netherlands Nuesday 46

Tack room in Queen Wilhelmina's royal stable

Netherlands Nuesday 45

Canoeing in Groningen, 2007

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September, 2007

It was a whole year ago now that we went to meet the relatives! :)

Netherlands Nuesday 43

Mom & Paula grocery shopping in Nieuwveen

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Hard Rock Cafe, Amsterdam, 2007

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Dutch Lily Pads, 2007

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Flower boxes in Amsterdam, 2007

Netherlands Nuesday 39

Nieuwveen, 2007, following the dotted line

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Zijls on the zijl, 2007

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Rainy Day in Amsterdam, 2007
Marianna & Paula

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At the bottom of last week's stairs in Amsterdam, Marianna, Paula & I gathered around the mirror in the tiny bathroom for a photo, 2007.

Netherlands Nuesday 35

Steep, old steps in a restaurant in Amsterdam, 2007

Next week I'll show what we saw at the bottom.

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Downtown Bedum, 2007

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"Wooden Shoe rather be on the beach?"


Bridget says, "Awwww Mom, do you have to?"

Netherlands Nuesday 32

Sister Paula with her kopje koffie, Sept. 2007

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Dutch Horse Reflections

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Sign in Bedum

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Queen Mother with Bouquet 2

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Mom, Flower arrangement in Bedum, September 2007

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Amsterdamcool, Dad, Will & John, Sept. 2007

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Tina & Ralph, September 2007

We had a good visit with cousins Ralph & Tina in Groningen this past September. Tina was always a very lively, fun person to be around with her heavy Dutch Brogue and this time was no different. Sadly, Mom told me that Tina died last month of some lung complications. I'm thankful we were able to see her this last time.

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Ceiling in Groningen Train Station, 2007

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Our first night in the Netherlands, we were so excited to get to the hotel that we decided to pose in various groupings of people on the non-descript bridge.

Netherlands Nuesday 23

Mom & Paula doing the Hot Babe Pose in front of Hotel DeZiende (they look glad to be leaving ;))

Happy Birthday to Sister Paula today!!! Woohoo, you get your picture in the blog.

Netherlands Nuesday 22

Groningen Train Station, September 2007

I could say this was taken during the war, but I'm really bad at April Fool's day jokes.

Netherlands Nuesday 21

Coffee in Groningen

Netherlands Nuesday 21

Monastery in Ter Appel, The Netherlands

Netherlands Nuesday 20

Bouquet of flowers on table at Hotel Gemeentehuis
Bedum, The Netherlands, 2007
Photo cross-processed in photoshop

Netherlands Nuesday 19

Orange Tree at Palace Het Loo, 2007

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Grocery store, Bedum, 2007

Here is a fun advertisement that is all in Dutch!

Netherlands Nuesday 17

Goose on canal, at the Rijksmuseum

Netherlands Nuesday 16

Mar doing Amsterdam "hardcore", September 2007

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The Queen Mother in the Palace Het Loo Restrooms

I'm not sure why I took this one - maybe I wanted to remember that eager anticipation that you feel each time you enter a bathroom in Europe. As anyone who has traveled there knows, there are 101 ways to flush a toilet and each time is a learning experience. It's weird how I remember almost every potty break as a big event.

Netherlands Nuesday 14

Sign on the door of Men's Restroom in Bedum

I think the Dutch have a sense of humor about their body excrements. This reminds me of the Dutch tile we had on the toilet in our bathroom:
Use me well and keep me clean,
And I'll never tell what I have seen.

Netherlands Nuesday 13

Doesn't that mean "Don't walk on the grass?" Apparently, the chickens at Het Loo think it means they can't wear their shoes.

Netherlands Nuesday 12

Modern Dutch Landscape, September 2007

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Their cashiers have cush jobs in the grocery stores.

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Two of my half-dutch sisters pretending to be Dutch ladies on the street corner in Bedum, 2007

Netherlands Nuesday 9

Hark, the herald angel is singing at Pricess Wilhelmina's palace

Netherlands Nuesday 8

The Queen Mother & John pretending to speak Dutch to each other over their Dutch breakfast in Bedum at the Hotel Gemeentehuis, September 2007

Netherlands Nuesday 7

Today we have some video footage from the Zijl Family reunion, September 15, 2007.

Netherlands Nuesday 6

Building in Groningen, September, 2007

This building reminded me of a fancy cake or a little tin soldier.