A Christmas Market Alternative

For the second year in a row, because of COVID, visiting Christmas markets here in the Netherlands or Germany has been out of the question.  Even if some are open now in Germany, they're not full-blown with all the usual stalls.

Talk about a bummer!  

So, you can imagine our excitement upon discovering that nearby garden centers in Rijswijk (Kolbach) and Dongen (AVRI) give a Christmas "fix" that is almost as good.  Little did we know!

What follows is a combined visual of both garden centers visited in one day, 29 km apart, with Kolbach just 15 km from home.  With lunch in between at one of them, it was totally doable.

First of all, remember that these are garden centers...

where you can still buy garden supplies, plants etc.  DUH.

But THEN you enter a Christmas wonderland!

And like at Christmas markets, you have a gazillion things to see...and/or buy.

The decorating creativity was as good as anything I've ever seen in America or Europe.

I told daughter Amy that I could picture one of these

next to her Christmas tree or fireplace.  Just call me a glutton for them.

But THIS is what grabbed our attention the most:  the model villages.

Both garden centers had several of them that took up most of our photographic time.

This is just one of them.

I think we all have Childlike Wonder at such sights, don't you!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And now, for all of you who celebrate the day...

Merry Christmas!  

And to my Jewish friends,

Happy Hanukkah!

The Rolduc Abbey in Kerkrade, NL

This is the last of our three Christmas Gifts from our mini-vacation in the south of the Netherlands and Germany the second week in December.  First it was the Christmas market in Maastricht, NL, on Friday, and the next day, Saturday, the Christmas market in Aachen, Germany.

On Sunday we stayed in Kerkrade, NL, where our hotel was, and drove to the nearby Rolduc Abbey from the 12th century.

How's this for believing it's the biggest abbey in the Netherlands!

[Trip Advisor image]

It's now a secondary school, a Roman Catholic seminary, and the Rolduc Congress Center.

It even has a hotel where you can stay.

And this is the entrance to the huge complex, on a snowy day.

Once inside the front gate, time seemed to stand still.

But once inside the abbey, the fun and games began next to where we purchased our tickets.

This was like another Christmas market...except inside.

All along the long hallways were artists selling their wares.

Astrid's DIL happens to collect snails, so we HAD to get her the escarGOOOOOOT.  How clever.

Looking out from inside we saw the snow accumulating in the courtyard.

In fact, after purchasing our tickets, we crossed one of the courtyards....

and bought another gift for friends:  Rolduc Abbey beer, which is brewed on site.

We saw the 18th c. cloisters only from the courtyard, but that still worked a treat.

But back inside, what we most wanted to see was the abbey church.

Throughout the day there were different groups performing musical numbers,

so we returned twice to get some images in between performances.

The first performance we attended was of a flute/recorder ensemble.

It was fabulous!
Astrid and I both played recorders back in the day.  Can you imagine playing there?!

After the children's choir, we had the chance to visit the altar, choir and chancel area,
before it became off limits.
It's a different view looking back across the nave to the organ in the back.

On either side of the chancel, on the main floor, is a side chapel.

A stairway leads down to the crypt from the left chapel.
All of the column capitals have a different design!

And as so often happens, I found the crypt space much cozier for my heart and soul.

But that's because these larger spaces are more like museums to me than churches.
I've learned to accept that after my protestant upbringing.

Before we left we had a sweet little lunch of erwtensoep  (pea soup) and brats....

and a last look at impressions.

Once again, it was enough,  We were filled up.
We had our Christmas market "fix" before leaving for home the next day...in falling snow!

In the Christmas Spirit

Because I want this in my In Soul archives (and not just on Facebook), here's a story to make your heart melt in these chaotic, messy times around the world.

It's about the second cat, Oscar, who found a home with daughter Amy back in Atlanta:

Here's the story in Amy's own words after finding him dirty at their patio door in 2012 (top-middle):

"We knew we couldn't take him in, but I wanted him to be safe. I brought him into the garage with a blanket, food and water, and left the door slightly ajar, deciding that if he was still there in the morning, we would take him to the vet to get checked out before taking him to the same shelter where we got C.C. [their female cat]. He was not in the garage, but instead roaming around out back in the morning.

When we took him to the vet, he was diagnosed with FIV, the feline version of HIV. We had already decided we didn't want another cat, but that was confirmed by the vet who expressed concern about C.C. being infected. I believe there are meds that have a possibility of reversing the diagnosis, but if I recall correctly, it wasn't a strong possibility. And because he didn't have any symptoms, there were no other meds needed. Just a diagnosis he would have for life, and similar to HIV for humans, weakens the immune system, making him more susceptible to infections or other illnesses.

When we left the vet, we took him to the shelter and were informed that they literally did not have a single spot available for Oscar. They also were adamant that C.C. would be fine. They said there is a lot of fear and misinformation around FIV (similar to HIV) and that the only way for Oscar to infect C.C. is via a vampire-like bite, enough to pierce the skin. Given Oscar's sweet temperament, we didn't think that would be a concern. But what made the decision for us was when she said: "No one will adopt a cat with FIV. He'll live here for the rest of his life." Ugh, I couldn't bear the thought! I called Dennis (he was out of town) and he simply said, "That's our cat. He found us, he showed up on our doorstep. That's our cat."

So, we decided to keep Oscar, but given how dirty he was and the fact that he needed to be neutered, we paid the usual adoption fee to the shelter to take him in (they found a cage in the surgery ward), clean and neuter him [bottom center image], before bringing him home. After only a few months of good food and being indoors, he quickly shed the straw-like fur for rabbit-soft hair. And now he is the whitest of whites, fluffy love-bug!

I can't remember when exactly, but I believe it was earlier this year (or maybe last year just after the move), when the vet ran the FIV test (twice) and both times it came back negative. He's never showed any symptoms and doesn't take any medication.

Can you imagine him sitting in a shelter just because of a label?"

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And now a couple of add-ons to the Christmas spirit:

A Canadian friend of mine makes mugs as a business venture,

so, to support her, I bought one that says "bow-chi-chihuahua."

Just the other day we gave it to friend, Coby, who has two of her own chihuahuas.

Merry Christmas!

Here's a better pic of the live Christmas tree that Astrid decorated for us.

We had it up by December 1st, believe it or not, because of Christmas dinner guests on the 2nd.

Traditionally the Dutch do NOT put up their Christmas tree until after Sinterklaas on December 5th.

Speaking of which, Sinterklaas marked my 8th anniversary of moving here to the Netherlands!

And because of our dinner guests, Astrid was the one who suggested putting up the tree early.

Merry Christmas!

And then, just yesterday, when we went to get our biennial mammograms, 

(government freebie for women aged 55-75),

we found these workers putting up their plaza tree (the day after Sinterklass!).

Normally such a big tree is purchased from Norway and shipped for a gazillion euros.

To get around that cost, look at the ingenious Dutch way of doing it:

they build a tiered stand on which they mount, in this case, 43 smaller trees,

to make it look like one HUGE tree.

As I often say, leave it to the Dutch.

Merry Christmas!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And to celebrate the season, Astrid and I drive to the south of the Netherlands tomorrow

to visit the Christmas markets in both Maastricht, NL, and Aachen, Germany,

right across the border from each other.

This map gives you a feel for our trip:

Gorinchem (middle red dot is where we live) to Maastricht = 168 km (104 mi.).

Maastricht to Aachen = 39 km (24 mi.).
We'll be staying at a hotel in between the two till Monday.

Merry Christmas!

Season's Greetings from the Netherlands

We interrupt this broadcast to share some seasonal greetings from here where we live in the Netherlands!

First of all, remember how we used to have a Christmas tree like this in our apartment?

Every year, that is, until I needed the space for my exercise bike after knee replacement in 2015.

So, both last year and this year, we opted for a wee live tree sitting on the bookcase.

And Astrid is now the one who decorates it...with a bit of help from me.

An exercise bike AND a Christmas tree, just because you need priorities.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

You may also remember that every year at this time our city, Gorinchem, holds a Santa Run for charity.  Astrid and I ran it my second winter here, in December of 2010, when we had...drum roll, please...S N O W.  This year Astrid ran it with her son Jeroen, while I took the pics:

All 3 km of it, over in almost a flash.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, because there was first a half-hour warm-up at the town 

square.  I love how everybody and her aunt and uncle participate.  It's a family affair.
Over 1,000 runners this year raised €28,000.

What a great way to raise money for charity, right?

After the warm-up, I went to one of my favorite spots on the citadel trail to catch them.

That's Astrid (bottom-left) trying to pass the ones in front of her...once she spotted  me.

What a colorful, soulful event, year after year, snow or no snow.

(We can always wish for snow next year!)

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

That afternoon (which was last Saturday, incidentally), we drove out into the polder for lunch at our favorite pannenkoeken restaurant.  I wanted to see "the brethren" again.

What is it about sheep!

When I got out of the car, Astrid whistled for the sheep to come over, which they did.
But who expected THIS!  A sneezing fit.  HAHAHA!
It made my day.

But as they say, all good things must come to an end.
Even sheep are easily bored?

Last evening we celebrated a Christmas meal with 30 neighbors here where we live in the retirement center.  Tonight we'll celebrate another Christmas meal with our very dear friends at the Malle Molen (the Silly Mill).  And then on Sunday, Christmas Day, we'll celebrate the BIG Christmas meal at our favorite Greek restaurant nearby.  That's THREE festive meals this year, our gifts to each other.  And why not?  It only happens once a year.

Then, on the 2nd Christmas Day, Monday, (a Dutch holiday), we are scheduled to see the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One, with Femke and Jeannette, followed by some up-close-and personal hapjes (snacks) in their home to end the holiday.

Good God, Good Friends, Good food!

It's like the celebration never ends!  But there you have it...a run-down for this magical time of the year (even without snow).  My wishing cap is on, not only for snow but for magic everywhere to settle things down a bit, all over the world.

So, to you who celebrate it, may there be wonder, joy, health, peace and love.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tecklenburg, Germany, with Philine and Mechtild

So, finally, we come to the end of all the posts from the end-of-November and early-December trips to Koblenz, Germany (3 days), and  then to Vasse, NL (four days)!  I knew I'd eventually get here but didn't know when.  HA!

It was during our Vasse trip that we took a day to drive the 85 km to Tecklenburg in the North Rhine-Westphalia area of Germany, on the western side of the country.  

You may recall that we have had several delightful visits with Münster friends, Philine and Mechtild, over the last years.  Once we realized how close we were to their neck of the woods, while in Vasse, it was a no-brainer to figure out a visit.  Philine has always wanted us to see the quaint town of Tecklenburg.  So the trip was scheduled.

You know how the journey for us is always an important part of our destination.

We already knew that Tecklenburg was a town of half-timbered buildings...and hills.

From our parking spot, we immediately saw the church tower, hallmarking the town's center.

As we entered the center, it was a sight for sore eyes.

And because we had an hour to "waste," before meeting up with Philine and Mechtild,

we headed straight to the tourist center to get our bearings.

We were there on a Tuesday, between two weekends of the Christmas Market.

We didn't have to walk far to get a feel for the town and it's hilly levels.

Remember that this was the second week of December, so Christmas was everywhere.

Have you ever seen so much mistletoe in one spot?

Or how about a witches' path?

Impressions everywhere.

Then Philine and Mechtild showed up and, because it was time for lunch,

we immediately went to the Three Kings hotel where Philine had already reserved a table.

It doesn't get better than that:  good God, good friends, good food.

Even lots of photo-op goodies inside the hotel.

Back outside, we continued "looking and seeing"....

...being good tourists that we all are!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Astrid and I still had another hour or so to kill before heading back to Vasse for dinner,

so the 4 of us took the short drive to the nearby Haus Marck, 2.5 km away.

It's a 12th century castle/mansion that is still a family home.

A young fella inside the courtyard graciously allowed us to peek.

Then we walked alongside the moat towards the back of the property...

and enjoyed the view as the sun was setting.

What a way to end our day with friends who have become dear to us!

Thank you, Philine and Mechtild.  We should do this more often 

(as daughter Amy loved to say).

And what a way to end these two trips, one week after the other, from last year, 2015!
Now it's this year, 2016, already February...and miles to go before we sleep.