Last Day, Last Blog

Well, it is hard to believe that our 7 weeks are coming to an end! We have had such a wonderful experience here, and are really happy we made the trip happen. We have learned a little Dutch, perfected our knowledge of the metric system, made some/rekindled with great friends, and truely lived in another culture.

The Pamas have been the BEST hosts! Alex, Fenny, Folkert, Vernique/Arnold, Ingrid/Rob, Elka/Richard--thank you for everything! You have made us feel so comfortable here, and we appreciate your generosity and time spent with us. You are always welcome in our home in the US!

We spent our last night in Den Helder, having a meal with Fenny and Folkert (just as we spent our first night). Vernique and her children also joined. Below are a few pics..

To all of our readers: We hope you enjoyed the blog. We had a great time sharing our stories!

Mary and JR

Golf Tournament

Sunday was the golf tournament that JR had been organizing the last 6 weeks. There was a full field with 72 players. Everyone had a great time, and the event was a success!

The event was held at the Leeuwarden Pitch and Putt, a par 3 course. In the Netherlands, you have to have a golf license to play at a regular course, so this worked perfectly for beginning golfers.

I even chipped in, serving raw herring with onions on hole 1. It smelled so bad--I don't know how people ate it!

The group receiving instructions

JR after the event.

With our friend and host, Alex

Zaanse Schans

On Monday, Fenny took us to the Zannse Schans, one of the Netherland's most popular tourist attractions. It is a village on the river Zaan, just north of Amsterdam. It is home to green wooden houses, bridges, working windmills, a wooden shoe shop, and a cheese shop (along with other shops).

The mill grinds stones into dye for fabrics and paints. We were able to go inside and see how it works--it is really small inside the mill, so pictures did not turn out well..

There was a demonstration on how to make wooden shoes as well. Who knew wooden shoes are water proof?

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Village in background

Final thoughts on Paris

Paris is really just too big to do in a day and a half. We definitely want to come back one day..

My French was much better then I expected. I have not taken a French class since 2002, so I was a bit nervous to speak. However, I think I did a pretty good job!

Of course the food was great. JR fell in love with chocolate eclairs! I had one as well, and it was heavenly.

JR avec une eclair chocolat et
une tartlette de fraises

In short, nous aimons Paris! (We love Paris)!

Les Jardins

One part of the French culture that JR and I both love is the laissez-faire attitude. Parks were full of Parisians and tourists alike, just enjoying the day. The well manicured parks have plenty of chairs for relaxing and are decorated with ponds, fountains, statues. People bring lunch, cofee, ice cream, etc and just relax.

On Saturday, we took a break in the Jardin de Tuileries (outside of the Louvre) and on Sunday morning, we relaxed in the Jardin de Luxembourg in the Latin Quarter.This garden is located outside of where the French Senate meets.

Jardin de Luxembourg

In front of the French Senate

Pond in the Jardin de Tuileries..Louvre in back

Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame

We rode the metro to see the Sacre Coeur, a church nestled on the highest point in Paris. The line to go in was way too long, so we decided to just enjoy the view. There were lots of street performers, musicians, and artists there..so it was a good people watching spot..

View from the Sacre Coeur

We also visitied the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. Unfortunately, we did not get a glimpse of Quasimodo :)  The church was really dark, and did not get great pics.

Beautiful stained glass

View from a bridge..it is the building with the 2 towers

Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees

The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to honor French soldiers. It serves as a round about point for 12 different streets in Paris. There are no lanes in the round about, and JR and I agreed that it would be a nightmare to drive in!

One of the roads coming off the circle is the famous Champs Elysees. (In 7th grade French, that song was always played between recorded lessons..I sang it the whole day..JR caught on too) The Champs Elysees is home to great shopping in Paris (but really expensive). It is also lined with lots of restaurants, which JR and I stopped at one for a beer and a 7-up. The bill was 13 euro for these 2 drinks!! (that is about $16.50)

We did not have any time to do any shopping, but I want to come back someday to do just that!