Madurodam

Madurodam is Holland in miniature! There are models of famous Dutch buildings, town squares, harbours, bridges, windmills and more. It was very busy with tons of tourists weaving through the paths.

We went with Masoud, Mahnaz, Mona, and Gina. The four girls had a grand time. They received "passports" as they entered the park. In it there was a game where they had to find Bert and Ernie hidden among the buildings in the park. Each time they found them they would find a letter, and then they would have to decode a secret message.

The detail on the buildings was really something. Everything looked so perfect. There was an area with buildings that would be found in the centre of cities, another area for recreation which even had a water park, another area for farming and more rural areas, and another for big business. Through the whole park were various train lines, including a bullet train, commuter train, and freight train.

The girls had great fun together. Running through the various paths together seemed to loosen their tongues and despite language challenges they managed to have a great time playing on the computer and with their Barbies. I think they will be sad to leave each other in a couple of days!

CM

3 days until I can sip tea in my own living room!

Amsterdam

Thank you, Maria and Marieke. We had a great time staying with you. We were sorry to say good-bye this morning.

In Amsterdam our first stop was the Anne Frank museum. It was sad to go through the museum, especially after having seen Auschwitz. To think that this was only one story of so many similar stories made it even more heart-breaking.

We then took a walk around Amsterdam, stopping briefly in Dam Square before finding a boat to take us on a canal tour. Nadim gave me his sore throat and so a canal tour was great because it meant that we could see the sights while taking it easy.

After the canal tour, we walked to the flower market. It was actually pretty disappointing. There were many souvenir shops and several places where you could buy bulbs, but not so many flowers! At that point it started to rain and it was getting late in the afternoon so we went back to the car so that we could drive to Nadim’s cousin’s house.

It was great to see Masoud and Mahnaz again and the girls have been having great fun with their daughters, Mona and Gina. I think we will have a nice few days together.

CM

4 days until we're home!

Schiermonnikoog

Schiermonnikoog is one of the islands in the north of the Netherlands. Cars are not permitted, but there are many bicycles for rent. We really should have reserved the bikes ahead of time, but in the end we were lucky. One rental shop had some children’s bikes and we were about to take a bicycle built for two, but then found that the chain was off. The young fellow at the shop took pity on us and gave us his own bike, rusty though it was! After a little while we went back to the shop and found that someone had returned a bike and so we were all set to go a little further through the island.

We went through some of the farm land, stopping of course to pat the horses. We also biked through the sand dunes next to the beach. I think it must be one of the few hilly places to bike in Holland!

We stopped at the beach and despite the cool weather, the girls had a quick swim. There was a sand bar a little way out and on it were resting several seals. It would have been nice to get a better view, but the water was too deep at that point.

We caught the 4:30 pm boat back to the mainland. It might have been nice to bike a little longer, but Yasmin and Roya had tired legs and they were very excited to go back to Maria and Marieke's house because we had asked Marieke if we could do art with her that evening.

After a pizza dinner we set to work on our paintings. Marieke asked us to first close our eyes and think over the past few days and the fun we had had together. She asked us to think of emotions and told the girls that they could draw either something with form or something abstract. She showed the girls some examples so they would know what abstract meant. We first used pastels, and then we wet the paper and used water colours. I especially enjoyed the water colours and the way they could be made to blend together.

We had some tea, coffee, and juice and some cookies as we painted. When we completed our works of art, we also discussed and explained them. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed watching the shining, happy faces of both my children and my aunts, as much as I enjoyed the activity myself!

CM

Home in 5 days!

Typically Dutch

We had planned to take a day trip on bikes, but unfortunately the bike rental place didn't have children's bikes. Instead we went by car. We drove through some of the small villages of Groningen and stopped at a lake so that we could rent a boat.

We took the pedal boat to a nearby beach and Yasmin and Roya and Marieke had a swim, but the rest of us thought it was too cold. We all enjoyed a picnic and playing at the beach, but then it started to rain. Marieke and I pedalled the boat back while the others went to the car and kept dry. Luckily the rain turned out to be only a short sprinkle and the sky cleared again.

We then drove through the countryside, spotting old-fashioned windmills along the way. The girls were more interested in the numerous horses that they saw in the fields and started to count. There were so many that they lost count, but I think we saw over one hundred horses during our afternoon drive!

We stopped for a coffee at the windmill in the town of Eenrum. There were chickens and the girls chased them about and tried to pick them up, especially after they learned that I could pick up a chicken with little trouble!

Eemrum also has the last Klompen (wooden shoe) maker in Groningen! We stopped at the shoe-maker's house, but it was closed. Luckily the shoe-maker was there and opened his doors especially for us. He even gave us a tour of his shop. He started with the willow trees that they use to make the shoes and showed us the various steps and specialized machinery that they use to make the shoes. They had so many shoes in a drying room! One litre of water comes out of each pair of shoes, making them light, and waterproof.

Roya and Yasmin also had to have a pair of wooden shoes. They were so happy with them. They wore them to the post office with me and to the neighbour with Marieke, getting compliments on them in both places!

We ended our day filled with Dutch activities, with a typical Dutch meal of potatoes (dug from the garden yesterday), green beans, large meatballs with gravy, and for dessert we had a sort of pudding with fruit syrup and another one topped with cinnamon and sugar. Delicious!

CM

We will be home in 6 days!

Around Maria's House

I woke this morning, still thinking of all the family and discussions I had yesterday at the family reunion. We all felt that it would be nice to have a restful morning after the busy day yesterday. We did some things around the house and really didn't feel motivated to go into Groningen as we thought we might and so the whole day was a restful one.
Yasmin and Roya were more than happy to not have to go sight seeing! They played with their toys and played catch with Marieke and I joined them as it looked like so much fun. We didn't even go in the car today. It was nice to just be around the house, and garden and stray a little ways for a walk and some exercise.

We had a tour of the "jungle". The garden has tomatoes, plum trees, vines with currents, raspery canes, and all sorts of weeds have happily joined the other plants of the garden. They also have potato plants. Although I've grown many different plants in my gardens, I've never grown potatoes, and so I've also never dug them up. It was kind of fun to go hunting for potatoes in the "jungle" and I'm sure they will taste very good in tomorrow evening's supper!

They also had a Japanese Wine Berry. It looked much like a raspery, but the vine and buds were not the same at all. They were very good.

Many of the vines had been growing there before Maria and Marieke arrived. Marieke says that they are gifts from the garden. She also says that peace is another gift of the garden. I tend to agree because no matter if the garden is a jungle, perfectly manicured, or bursting with flowers, I enjoy them all.

CM

7 days before we are home!

Postma Family Reunion

This morning’s pace was leisurely, fitting for a Sunday morning. We started our breakfast with Maria and Marieke’s rituals of updating the calendar, and lighting an oil lamp. Maria is always interested in spiritual writings so she asked us to read aloud from our book of daily Baha’i readings. It was a beautiful start to the day.

Before lunch we went next door to the church to meet Maria’s small congregation. She is on holidays and did not preach this morning, but I think she wanted to introduce us to the people who are such a part of her life, and she of theirs.

We had a tour of the church and we all enjoyed the pipe organ. The organist was very enthusiastic about explaining how it works. He showed how it could make trumpets, or flutes, and other sounds. We saw the pipes that make the sounds. With a little math we found out that there were 2,320 pipes! It was really something to stand in the middle of a pipe organ!

After lunch we drove to a hall where much of my father’s family had gathered for a reunion. He came from a family of ten children. Six of his siblings, my aunts and uncles, were there, and many, many of my cousins.

I was in Holland about six years ago and then I was the only one of my cousins with children, but this time there were babies and toddlers, and young children and the dynamic had changed. Our girls had so much fun with their extended family. Funny how language is not really an obstacle for young children!

My Aunt Akke and Aunt Conny had done a lot of work in organizing the hall, the food and even a blow-up, bouncing room for the kids to jump in. There were balloons and bubble blowing and the kids all had so much fun.

My Aunt Elske and cousin Frank, from Nova Scotia, were even there. So strange to come half way around the world to meet up with family from Canada!

The younger cousins were there. Some of them had grown so much from the time I last saw them that I hardly recognized them. They seemed to be enjoying Nadim’s stories of our big trip.

I enjoyed chatting with everyone, but it is especially nice to talk with my uncles and aunts and the cousins that are a little closer to my age as I remember them from many visits to Holland.

Near the end of the party, I had such a laugh with my uncle Pier who is now 63. He said that my father and he slept together when they were children! My father was two years younger than Pier and when he was young he had been in hospital with a kidney problem. When my father came home from the hospital the two of them played with a cart, but Pier complained that my father was too weak so he got to ride in the cart and Pier always had to be the horse!

Another uncle, Sikke had done a family history. He had traced the Postma name back to 1701! He had also traced my grandmother’s family (his mother) back to the 1600’s! I’ll have to get the history from him one day.

It was a great reunion, but of course we were all exhausted by the end of the afternoon and evening. It really left me thinking about so many families. My parents have both passed away, so our girls do not have grandparents on my side of the family, but I think it was quite special that they could meet so many great-uncles and great-aunts. I think they have more great-aunts and great-uncles than they do aunts and uncles!

CM

8 days before we get home to Ottawa!

Arrival in Holland

One of the annoying things about driving on the German autoban is that every once in a while there is a sign asking you to slow down to 130 km/hr! But this slow speed limit usually lasts for about 2 km for construction or something, then you can go as fast as you want. I was cruising at about 150 and there were cars - usually a BMW or a Mercedez - zooming past us! Yasmin wants us to get one of those cars now. NM

As we crossed the border into the Netherlands, we cheered. For me it felt familiar. The flat fields, the canals, and bridges, it was all familiar and it made me smile.

Left to Right: Roya, Nadim, Christina, Marieke, Yasmin, Maria

We arrived earlier than expected at my Aunt Maria's house, but she and her partner Marieke gave us a warm welcome. They are staying in the manse near the church where Maria works. It is a very large house and the girls were happy to have their own room.

Marieke's profession is an art therapist. This meant that the girls were provided with coloured pencils and paper, and they made themselves busy.

We had a lovely meal together and talked a lot. It is at once so nice to be in the company of family.

CM

9 days until we return to Canada!

The Black Forest

We had one day to explore the Black Forest. It wasn’t really enough, but we sure packed a lot into the day. We first drove through the area along highway B500 with its beautiful mountain views and picturesque little villages.

We stopped a few times to walk around a lake, to buy some postcards, to walk to a waterfall, and to visit a village. It was really nice to enjoy the nature and I really wished we had more time to take a longer hike through the forest.

We stopped to see “the world’s largest cuckoo clock”. Actually there are a couple of clocks that are proclaiming the title. It was pretty cool to see all the gears of the clock, but 50 times larger than they are in normal clocks!

We spotted people zooming down the side of a mountain on karts on rails. Too much fun to pass up! We had to take two rides down the mountain because it was too much fun to do just once. Very fast! Like our personal mini-roller coaster.

We made our way back to Baden-Baden and went to the town. We wanted to see about going to one of the thermal baths, but we found out that children under 14 years were not permitted to the one we were interested in visiting. We’ll have to save that for a return visit! We did manage to have black forest ham sandwiches and black forest cake though!

We happened to see some cards with beautiful pictures of a rose garden. The shop keeper told us that they were taken at a local rose garden so we took a walk there and strolled through the gardens. I’m sure the roses would have been nicer a month ago, but they were still nice with many, many varieties and colours.

CM

The girls have been counting down the days until our return to Canada – 10 days until we are home again!

Baha'i House of Worship

We left Aladin and Claudia after a very nice breakfast and more talking about our trip and other things. We were glad we had made the effort to connect with them. Family is family, even if it has been thirty-five years!

We went to the Baha’i house of worship that is near Frankfurt. It is not nearly as large as the one in India, but it is beautiful in a different way.

The first couple of metres of the perimeter walls are completely glass. This reveals the beautiful gardens beyond.

We stopped into the information centre and met a nice couple volunteering there. We had a cup of tea together and discussed our trip and various activities going on in Baha’i circles. There was also a book store so we browsed through the books and picked up a few as well.

We arrived in Baden-Baden a little later than intended but were still able to find accommodations without a problem. It was too late to visit the thermal baths. Hopefully there will be time for that tomorrow.

CM

Arrival in Germany

The drive to the north of Poland would have been very long, and we’re getting tired of driving. We’ve driven about 10,000 km in two and a half months! So instead of going to the north of Poland we drove straight west to Germany. Nadim has a cousin here in Germany that he hadn’t seen since he was a child. We were put in contact with him by another cousin of Nadim’s who we are planning to visit in Holland. So we arrived in late afternoon and were welcomed with open arms. We had a chat in the garden, ate a delicious meal, chatted some more, we even saw some old pictures of Nadim’s parents. We went for a walk around their village after supper.

It was interesting to see an area that had once been split by the infamous border that divided east and west Germany 20 years ago. It is all rolling hills and countryside, and narrow roads lined with cherry trees.

CM

Boleswiec Pottery

The town of Boleswiec is famous for pottery making. Polish pottery is typically painted with swirls and dots in dark blue. It was a bit of a drive to get there but I was hoping for amazing deals that would make it worth it.

We visited some of the factory show rooms, but I was sadly disappointed in the prices. They weren't that much better than what we had found in Krakow. We had lunch in the town square. It was quiet, but pretty with its colourful shops.

After lunch we went back to the pottery manufacturing area and this time I had some luck. We picked up some pot-belly mugs. We liked various styles so we picked a bunch that matched in shape and colour, but not in paint designs. Now all we have to do is get them home in one piece!

CM

A Day in Wroclaw

With walking guide and map in hand we set out to see the sights of Wroclaw. We started at St. Elizabeth’s Church, which is just off the main square. It’s absolutely huge, but the inside is not nearly as spectacular. We did climb the church tower, 302 steps, for the view of the city, which was pretty spectacular!

After that we went to an area that was once the butcher’s quarters. There are some cast iron animals in that part to remember its history.

We walked through the university grounds and stopped in at a church which is right in the middle of the university. It was so ornate that we had to sit for a few minutes and enjoy it.

We crossed the river to the Ostrow Tumski area which is full of churches and also has a botanical garden. There were a few rain showers but somehow we managed to stay mostly dry thanks to the shelter of some very large trees. The garden was beautiful and we even had our lunch there. It also had some whimsical little garden gnome sculptures which the girls enjoyed finding.

We made our way back across the river again in search of the Raclawice Panorama. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but it was really amazing.

The Raclawice Panorama is a painting that is about 15 metres high and makes a complete circle of 140 metres circumference. We walked up into the centre of the circle and it was like being in the middle of a famous Polish battle scene from two hundred years ago. The artists blended the bottom edge of the painting in with solid three dimensional form so it felt like we were standing at the top of a hill and could see “real” objects at our feet which then blended in the distance into the painting. A totally surreal experience!

CM

Wroclaw

It was raining this morning. We seem to be leaving town on rainy days lately! The drive to Wroclaw (the “W”s are pronounced as “V”s and the “C” is pronounced as “Tz”) was just under three hours so we arrived in early afternoon.

We went straight into the centre of the old town and walked around a bit. We were expecting something similar to Krakow but I thought it was much more decorative. There were so many different colours and lots of scrolls and swirls around the windows and roofs.

It was fairly easy to find an apartment again. We had gotten a recommendation from the last place and arriving as we did at last minute we were able to talk down the price by about a third – not bad! We’re in the middle of the old town so we relaxed for a bit and then took a walk before dinner checking out some more of the beautiful architecture. I’m looking forward to taking a closer look tomorrow!

CM

Salt Mines

We went to the old square in the morning to look at some more shops and get some postcards to send home. The post office in the square has an interesting shape.

It was so hot in the afternoon that we were glad we had planned to go to the salt mines, which are well underground. The Wieliczka salt mine dates back to the 13th century, and is more than 320 metres deep and there are 300 km of tunnels. The entire mine, its caverns and shafts are hewn by hand from solid salt. It was around 16 degrees underground, compared to 38 degrees in town!

It was incredible to see so many statues and wall carvings, all made of salt. Some of the carvings had quite a bit of detail too.

The highlight of the visit was the huge chapel, also made of salt, with carvings on the walls showing the progression of the life of Jesus. There was even a carving of Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" on one wall.

There were many chandeliers hanging from the chapel ceiling and it was amazing to learn that these were made out of salt crystals, with 99.9% salt content. The entire chapel, including the wall and floor carvings took 60 years to build by 3 very talented miners.

At the beginning of the tour we were told that we were walking on salt, the walls were made of salt and we could lick the walls if we wanted to eat some salt. We didn't lick the walls, but scraped them with our finger nails and it tasted very salty. We even got a little present of salt crystals for helping the guide demonstrate how an old-fashioned lift worked. We have to be careful not to get the crystals wet!

NM

Kazimierz & Lake

We went to Kazimierz which is the old Jewish Quarter of Krakow. This made us think of Brian, our Jewish neighbour and friend back home. Kazimeirz used to be a separate town, but it expanded with so many Jewish people seeking refuge there that the two are now joined. We browsed some of the shops and strolled the streets, stopping to go into the Tempel Synagogue. It was beautiful with so much red and gold and colourful stained glass windows.

For the most part the Jewish Quarter isn't so different from the rest of the town, but there are a few old courtyards that are quite pretty and typical of the Jewish style of the time.

It was pretty hot so after lunch we drove to a nearby lake for a swim. The water was nice and refreshing. The girls spotted two huge beach balls that were being rented out for kids to play inside! Of course they wanted to go too.

Roya got quite good at running inside the ball. It was almost like watching a gerbil! Yasmin was pretty good too.

CM