We have returned from our journey to attend the funeral of Anneke’s mother. It was a long journey with a sad purpose, but within the context, it was a good trip. The funeral was well attended and Anneke was able to visit with family that in some cases she had not seen in a very long time. Her father is holding up as well as can be expected and he was supported through the process by his children and grandchildren.
We did spend Christmas with Anneke’s sister and her family. This was a good time and they prepared a gourmet meal in the bargain, as well. We were able to use the Dutch version of a camping park model owned by her BIL’s parents. It was very nice of them to let us use it and it was very comfortable.
While there was really no time to visit some of our favorite places, we did manage to hit a couple of places in the province of Friesland in the north. The towns of Lemmer and Urk are associated with the historic tradition of the Dutch as seafarers.
Lemmer was where her parents lived after they retired for many years and is famous for its boating activities. From the town, you can access the huge inland waterway system and the IJsselmeer, which was for most of its history completely open to the sea. This area is also famous for racing of the traditional Dutch sailing vessels that is seen in many of the Dutch Masters’ paintings. While in Lemmer we managed to take in a Dutch style Indonesian/Chinese meal.
On one of our north/south trips, we stopped in the traditional fishing village of Urk. From here, before the IJsselmeer was dammed, fishermen braved the elements to bring home the fish to meet the constant demand of the region. The water’s edge memorial demonstrates the hazards of this occupation from the earliest of times until the present. This town is also well known for its kibling (a deep fried fish) and we were able to have some for a quick lunch stop.
We are working on getting ourselves back into the swing of things here and are looking forward to the New Year.
We want to wish all of you a happy and healthy New Year!!
18 comments:
The reason for the journey was sad, but I hope Anneke was comforted being with her family.
What in the world constitutes a Dutch Style Indonesian/Chinese dinner?
Glad u are back safe & sound! Loved seeing the pictures of another land. Lovely homes and buildings.
Beautiful pictures. So glad you had a safe trip. Hope dad continues to do well. It must be very difficult for him.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to you two and WELCOME HOME!
So glad to know you are back safe and sound. Good to know also that things went as well as could be expected with the circumstances. The country is certainly beautiful! I've certainly thought about you during the holidays and wished things would go smoothly for the events and travel!
Best wishes for 2012!
Welcome back. Glad you had a safe trip and a visit with family members even if it was for a sad occasion.
Happy New Year!
welcome back to you both..we hope that 2012 brings you good health, happiness and safe travels!!
Happy New year!!!
Thank you for the very interesting blog. I will always regret that I didn't get to Holland during my European travels. It was good that Anneke got to be there with her family.
A very happy new year tok you!
Really lovely pictures of your trip. It was wonderful that Anneke could be there for her father and with her family. Glad to know you are safely back.
Happy New Year to your both.
Sherry
www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com
Welcome back ... hope that sharing the sadness with loved ones has eased to burden a bit ... time will heal what remains as will shared memories of good times.
Great pictures--thank you for sharing those with all of us. Glad to hear that you are safe and sound back in the good old USA, just in time to ring in the new year. Happy 2012!
It was good you could get Anneke home even for a sad reason. I'm sure being with her family helped her deal with the loss of her mom.
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Or maybe I should say, "Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!" (had to check my spelling of that one.)
Nice to see some photos of the Dutch countryside. Thanks for sharing.
Glad to hear you had a safe, although sad, trip. Reconnecting with family is wonderful. Happy New Year.
Although a sad reason to go, glad you're back safely.
Have a wonderful 2012!
Glad you're back safe and sound. Looking forward to sharing your new year adventures here on the blog. Enjoy the sunshine.
Welcome back-our thoughts were with you having to make that sad journey. We hope you found some comfort in being with the family and some of your travels while there. Here's to a great 2012 for you folks.
Welcome back. Even though it was a sad occasion, it was important that you were there. Enjoyed seeing all the pictures. Hope 2012 is a great year for you.
Not the way you want to go back to visit family but sounds like you had an enjoyable time and were able to see and spend time with family that you haven't seen in a while.
Wishing you a better New Year and hope that 2012 will bring you lots of happy times.
Kevin and Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
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