Saturday, 20th. December, '97.
Netherlands.

SAS flight 555 departed on time, and served a wonderful breakfast. A wonderful sunrise, and flying in over the Oostfriese Eilandein (Or was it Waddeneilanden ?) once the cloud had cleared - to see rows and rows of orderly fields - villages clustered around churches with spires, steep red-roofed homes, tree-lined roads, highways and canals. So tidy, so neat - so orderly. Apartment houses and shopping centres, cement works and farms, sheep, cattle, and birds. Rows of white wind-powered windmills - not at all what I expected.

Met at the airport by Teri & Renke , and after a very welcome cappacino - off (at great speed) along freeways south-east through the countryside to Deventer on the river Ijssel.

Deventer, Holland

What a dear little house, and a nice home. A garden out the back with leaves still on the trees. A Christmas tree inside, cable TV, and a cat.

A nap before supper, then off to Beekbergen to a larger house with a REAL "Dutch" door - winter apples with the Christmas decorations, wine, candles, company and chat.

Sunday, 21st. December '97.

Unable to access Geocities to update this page, so hopefully this will allow me to catch up.

Today Teri and I spent a few hours in Deventer. There was a 'Dickens' festival on with many of the streets closed to through traffic while carts and Christmas sleighs pulled by beautiful 'gelders e Parrden' carried Santa, children and adults.

Most shops were open and Deventer trumpeters and band members played carols. In the city square market stalls with Christmas decorations of all types, clothing, Belgian waffles, potted hyaciths, candles, 'poffitjes', leatherwork, 'Deventer koek', and 'oliebollen' all added to the festive atmosphere.

Modern apartments, cobbled roadways, narrow lanes, historic buildings. The spires of the church and the imposing shape of the Waag - and another building took my attention, tiny little lead-light windows, shutters, hand-hewn sandstone with tiny little hand-made bricks.

Monday, 22nd. December, '97.
Deventer / Utrecht.

Walked the short distance to Deventer station through the park, caught the train to Utrecht.

Fields, freeways, canals - apartments, thatched roof farm houses, cyclists waiting for the train to pass. Walking through the huge shopping centre to the brick and cobblestone pathways between rows of shops, following canals and crossing bridges was wonderful !

And towering over the town, the spire, and chiming clocktower of Domkerk.

This beautiful gothic church had the foundation stone laid in 1254 although a small church for Frankish soldiers was here since 630.

Apart from the stained glass, rosettes, towering columns, carved wood and stone, the nicest suprise was the little tearoom, with a curved glass wall overlooking the cloister, and the clear dome up to the spire.

Book shops, speciality shops, jewellers, clothing, shoes, homewares. 'Australian' ginger chocolates, lunch at MacDonalds, cinnamon lollies, and Belgian waffles for 'later'.

Arrived back home exhausted.

Tuesday, 23rd. December, '97.

Once Renke arrived home from work in the afternoon, Teri was driving down to Reusel.

Scenery - this time putting a new perspective on what had been seen from the air. Many of the farmhouses where thatched, and the larger buildings - barns, hence the lack of farm animals and machinery.

The rows of trees besides canals and roadways - so similar from the air, looked so wonderful in the evening mist, rows of different lace silhouettes - birch, poplar, oak, willow. Ones I did not recognise except from paintings.

Once we arrived in Reusel, we stopped for 'fish & chips' before heading to "De Kei" - the local community centre in the town for the local school concert "De Kinderen van de Kerstman" - which starred Rowena - one of Teri's daughters, before heading back to Deventer.

No support for Teri - I kept falling asleep - the lull of the constant flat, smooth roads, hum from the motor, comfortable seats.

Wednesday, 24th. December, '97.

Teri busy baking today, so last-minute trips to the shops.

Went exploring myself and returned hours later laden with cheeses and salami, apricots and garlic, blue lamp oil, Turkish Barkla, unsalted butter, postcards and stamps. Did I mention cheese ?

Met and chatted with heaps of people, and made a pest of myself in the hardware shop asking about this wonderful Dutch invention I had seen on the broom handle.

Suprised to find a 'Winfield' cigarettes promotional pad on the counter at the newsagent/tobacconists with a younger, smiling Hoges. Spent time in a shop selling only Christmas decorations, amazed at the burgandy tinsel, elegant glass balls, sculptured candles, garlands, metalware, table centerpieces and ornaments in every shape and colour.

Later walked back over to Deventer with Guienny and her friend, stopped and used the local phone box, walked and walked as the shops were closing. People doing last-minute shopping and catching up with friends and neighbours in the streets, pleasant staff, bicycles, cars and pedestrians. Mild weather - around 10oC, overcast.

Thursday, 25th. December, '97.

Friday, 26th. December, '97.

Saturday, 27th. December, '97.

Walking up the shops for fresh bread, milk, more waffles and of course more cheese ! A pale clear sky criss-crossed by numerous jet-stream tails, geese flying in formation, honking as they passed overhead.

Little houses side by side with lace curtains, cyclists, people walking their dogs. Tiny little gardens winter-bare, potted plants of cyclamens, azaleas and hyacinths inside on window ledges.

Into Kaizerslanders for the shopping, and driving to a nearby town in the afternoon, with a stop for coffee on the way back as rain started to fall.

Sunday, 28th. December, '97.

Up early - a lovely clear morning. Waffles, coffee and fresh milk for breakfast. And Dutch cheeses - herb, caraway, mild (Leerdammer ? Maas Lander ?) and tasty, smoked and camembert with salami - and packing the rest.

The drive of about an hour through forest, farms and fields as the sun rose over misty tree-lined pasture, canals and freeways will long be remembered.

Saying goodbye to Teri, Renke and Guienny at the airport until we meet again - probably in Australia, in two years.

The friendship and warm, genuine welcome as they allowed me to share their home, their time, their computer with them makes me feel rather humble. There is also deep appreciation and wonder at the thought this would never have happened without the internet.

Renke said they would not wait for me - and they did - last one to board, and offered a bread roll with plain cheese (!?!) and lettuce - so I had my own picnic, with extra cheese and salami.

Next stop - Frankfurt.

How far is it ? - 227 miles (365 km)