On Sunday morning, myself , Rob & his family went to Willemstad. Of important note: yours truly drove the car for the first time in Holland. Not to different on the freeways, but on the narrow roads 2 way traffic and cyclists, it was a challenge! Ok, OK, I did post an earlier blog if driving for cows on a country lane, but that was only about 15 minutes, and the cows were very complimentary.
In 1953 the water flooded up to here In Willemstad:
Rob and his family used to sail to Willemstad about every other year on vacations. It is most famous for its star-shaped walls that surround the city. There are 2 sets of walls and 2 sets of moats to protect against invaders. It worked, the city withstood a seige in 1720 by the French. Good thing, or we'd have to see "Wee Wee", instead of "Ja, Ja"
There are also a whole series of cement bunkers from the 1800’s that Rob used to play in with a flashlight when he was little. I guess one to many kids went missing, because they closed them off.
Quinten playing in Willemstad
It is not exactly a bustling city of trade, as it took us about 20 minutes to walk around the whole town. We did find a very nice play set for my 1 year-old nephew, compete with slide and swings that we went on with him.
Later on Sunday afternoon, we had a nice dinner, using the wedding china for the first time. It is traditional to have a nice dinner on the evening before Yom Kippur. After, you fast for 24 hours. Rob's family joined us, and I explained some of the traditions around the holiday.
After a very enjoyable dinner, Rob came with me to Sunday evening services.
I go to a temple in The Hague that is 280 years old. It is built in the Sephardic Portuguese style, with beautiful candle chandeliers and wood carvings. I’ll write a later blog on the temple history/pictures. I attended services on Monday as well. As well as the traditional services, they had a beautiful memorial service with a singer, and violin/cello music. It was a very moving service, all in all.
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