Christmas

February 20, 2012

Day 3, Jan. 29th Sunday's Ventures

Sunday, we were headed to the LDS church in Leiden. We first went to Alex and Yvonne's home, our personal chauffeur Yvonne picked us up . Today the Jewish community who use the cemetery were having what they call a unveiling. One year after burial the Jewish family members meet to unveil the headstone. And they socialize with coffee and cake.
While we were there Yvonne's father stopped in. What a gentleman he is. He wanted to know if we were enjoying our stay and wanted to extent his welcome to Holland. What a sweet picture of the two of them.
This is the quaint little church in Leiden, about 50 members attending that day. Everything was in Dutch, but we got the concept of it all. Little did we know that they held the English speaking branch earlier in the morning. Next week!After church we headed to Scheveningen just outside De Hague. There we would see the boardwalk, beach front shops and cafes'.
Bitter cold down by the sea and a very stiff wind! No scarf and gloves today, but it didn't take long. They were selling them along the boardwalk. That scarf would be a lifesaver the rest of our trip! I had packed some but not quite warm and bulky enough.
This is the Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel which originated as a bathhouse from the nineteenth century.
The architecture was beautiful as were the paintings and murals.
Is there a giraffe on my back? Here it is, the scarf!
As we were exiting the hotel the bellhops were curious if we were from Texas. It must be the hat and mustache. What brought us Texans(Utahans) to the Netherlands in the wintertime? Is that really JR? We got that a lot while we were there. I don't think I saw another hat like Stuart's the whole time. A great conversation starter.
We drove around to the fishing docks. Another beautiful place to be.
Notice how all the streets are made of brick, or cobble stone.
Getting hungry? Yvonne and Alex introduced us to pancakes. More like what we call crepes. We went to the Pannenkeoken Boerderij or in english the Pancake House.
My first glance at real wooden shoes. And some of them real antiques.
Everything you could want on your pancake was available. Just like pizza toppings or fruit and slagroom! Yvonne's a Mexican flare. Alex was bacon, ham and cheese. Stuart's was a lot like a western omelet. And mine was a little fruity! Banana's and slagroom. So much of it that I had to share with Alex. I soon found that Alex was actually helping me keep the pounds off!
Sleepy time, the time change is catching up with me. Monday will be a catch up day!

6 comments:

Lida said...

Love the photo's and love your sjawl! Hugs
Lida

Yvonne said...

What a great diary you have been making of your trip so far! Can't wait for day four!

Else said...

So nice to read about your trip to our little country, looking forward to the day's to come! I think I have pannekoeken for dinner tonight, they look delicious. Have a nice day, hugs Else

Rennie said...

It's so nice to read about your experiences on your trip. I love the pictures and they bring me back to those wonderful days.

carina said...

Hey you are mine number 80 follower. Nice i love it really so much to read about your experiences here in holland. How you you look at use:) mine english is verry bad but i hope you undertand the rare woords i write down. By by a hug carina

Inge said...

It's so much fun to read your blog with the stories about your visit to our country. I think you and Stuart had a great time here.

Hugs,
Inge