Awatrekking Off to the UK

Tuesday, 26-August-2014 - Eindhoven - I got up at 0530 and made coffee.  Marij and I drove Whitney and Abbie to Eindhoven Airport.  They were off to London Stansted Airport.  We will never forget this wonderful visit with Whitney, and our two newly-adopted nieces Abbie and Alivia.

Awatrekking2014 in Rotterdam

Monday, 25-August-2014 - Rotterdam - We started our tour of Rotterdam at the Hotel New York.  There we had a fancy and delicious lunch.  We took a water taxi to get to the other side of the Maas (Meuse) River where the Spido Sightseeing boat dock was located.  A 75-min exciting boat ride (photo) took us right next to giant ships and dock cranes.  We saw the magnificent Rotterdam skyline from the water.  We fell silent next to Ossip Zadkine's "Destroyed City"

Awatrekking2014 Driving Stick-shift

Sunday, 24-August-2014 - Veghel - Marit and Chris made breakfast for us.  Back at home we listened to Steve's Wednesday sermon.  That evening, I found an empty parking lot, and I gave Abbie her first stick-shift driving lesson (photo).

Awatrekking2014 Windmill Bicycling

Saturday, 23-August-2014 - Dinther - After breakfast, we made lunch and headed on bicycle to the nearby Kilsdonkse Windmill.  There, miller André van Esch (at left on photo) gave us very interesting and in-depth tour of the only combined water and wind-driven oil and grain windmill in the Netherlands.  We continued on to the building site of Chris and Marit's new home.  Chris joined us at the nearby Heeswijk Castle.  We visited Chris and Marit's temporary house nearby.  After repairing Abbie's flat tire and returning home, we drove with Marij to Frank and Marjo's home in nearby Uden.  There was this year's Marc's Bar BQ Volleyball Team barbecue.  Koen and Rosan joined us there.
 gps-tracked route part 2
gps-tracked route part 3

Awatrekking2014 Goes Amsterdam

Friday, 22-August-2014 - Veghel - Chris and Marit joined us for a pancake breakfast, before awatrekking2014 headed for Schiphol.  Abbie helped fold in the beaten egg whites (photo).  Alivia had to return to Illinois for school.  She is going to be a great teacher.  After saying goodbye, Chris took Abbie and Whitney to Amsterdam.

AWA Trekking 2014 Arrives in the Netherlands

Thursday, 21-August-2014, Veghel - My niece Whitney and her two friends Abbie and Alivia (awatrekking2014) arrived today in Veghel by bus.  The first stop of their European adventure was three weeks earlier in Madrid.  Chris and Rosan joined us for supper.  Marit came after getting off from work.  We were busy teaching Chris and Rosan how to play euchre.  Yes, it took me this long to indoctrinate two of my children in this part of their German-American heritage.

In Memoriam--Has van Cuijk

Monday, 4-August-2014, Veghel - Rosan called us with the sad news that Koen's father, Has, had passed away as a result of a heart attack. “Keep on running!" was his motto.  May he keep on running in our memories.
In Memoriam--Has van Cuijk
nr 44
the sun will rise again
hasfoto