A time out!

From here:

to here!

When we decided that Mongolia was not doable  2up,  Marian decided to take the opportunity to visit Holland, something she had wanted to do for some time.  She had the good fortune that her Aunt was able to open her home to her for the spontaneous visit.

Flights were booked from Ulaanbaatar via Moscow to Schiphol followed by a train ride the following day to Hengelo .  Arriving in Hengelo hot and tired in the extreme heat, loaded down with a large duffel bag, a motorcycle helmet and a purse, it was a relief to be met by her aunt’s smiling face.

The first few days in Holland were spent exploring the countryside, and visiting friends and family.

Enjoying a cold drink in the beautiful garden of my aunt’s sister, Cora, an amazing painter, and her husband Peter.

Next Urk, a seaside fishing community, to buy fresh smoked paling and enjoysome fish and chips! Delish!

Urk:

We returned home through beautiful farming areas with great produce markets and viewed some historic Dutch architecture.

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As Holland was experiencing the same extreme heat as the rest of Europe, constantly in the mid thirties,  we decided to spend some time at the seaside. We booked in at the Grand Armarth Kurhaus  and caught the train to Schevening.  We arrived on a cloudy day…..go figure….so decided after checking into the hotel we would visit the Hague for the afternoon.

The Kurhaus Hotel:

In the Hague we visited the Peace Palace, the House of Government and the Palace where King Wilhem and Queen Maxima work.

Tree of Prayers that welcomes you at the Peace Palace:

Peace Palace where the International Court is located:

Attendee at the 1899 Peace Conference at the Peace Palace

Next day it was a beach day.  Still cloudy, but really comfortable and warm.

Then off to  Amsterdam.:

A canal ride and enjoying the architecture, shopping, small coffee houses and canal vistas.

After Amsterdam it was back to the beach. A friend, Marijka, invited us to dinner outside of Waasenaar at Kataijk Beach. We arrived in sunny skies and extreme heat, but as we were eating a late afternoon storm came rolling in. We managed to finish before it was upon us.

The final days in Holland were spent back on the beach, enjoying lunches out, playing bridge and doing a little shopping. Wilma and I also visited my aunt Rine and met two of her grandchildren.  She treated us like royalty,  welcoming us with specialty coffees and home made almond tart, followed by a gourmet lunch of specialty cheeses, asparagus hors d’oeuvre’s, specialty breads, advocado salads and much more!.  It was a wonderful  visit, I only wish I had taken photos..

It was time to say good bye to Holland and Wilma and to rejoin the ride.  Flights were booked, and I was on my way to Astana to meet Lindsay and Tom……

It was a great visit.