Monday, December 28, 2015
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Snowy May in Sirdal with Esjeberg cousins in Cabin 47
It was an extended weekend with family members from Esjeberg, Denmark ... Fidgeland was still full of snow!
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Rolde at last
After three years in Norway, we finally relented to Aisya's constant request to go "home" back to our house in Rolde. We took the opportunity during Easter school break in Easter to fly to Amsterdam and drove up to Assen.
It was a short break but sufficient to show the children the highlights of their early childhood years. We stopped by Blauwe Pinguin, their kindergarden on Maria De Campislaan to find out that the place has either shifted to a new location of had closed down. We stopped by the Helen Sharman British School which had also closed down.
The highlight had to be the short stroll from Rolde's Albert Heijn on Grotebrink to Stoetenakker 8 to see the our previous house. The house stood as it did when we left it. The front hedge had gone, looked exactly the same except for the new tenants and furniture. The old couple next door, Nell and Bart had moved on; so did the neighbour next to her. The neighbourhood hadn't changed very much.
We took the opportunity to show both Ali and Aisya their old hangouts :- Balloerveld with the heather, dunes, ancient pines and birches; their playschool near the old windmill and of course the windmill. We even visited Wilhemina Hospital where Aisya was born and got her a new replacement blue rabbit which was her favorite gift from the baby days.
We went to Keukenhoff to show them the gardens and tulips which they visited when Aisya was still carried around in the baby basket.
It was a short break but sufficient to show the children the highlights of their early childhood years. We stopped by Blauwe Pinguin, their kindergarden on Maria De Campislaan to find out that the place has either shifted to a new location of had closed down. We stopped by the Helen Sharman British School which had also closed down.
The highlight had to be the short stroll from Rolde's Albert Heijn on Grotebrink to Stoetenakker 8 to see the our previous house. The house stood as it did when we left it. The front hedge had gone, looked exactly the same except for the new tenants and furniture. The old couple next door, Nell and Bart had moved on; so did the neighbour next to her. The neighbourhood hadn't changed very much.
We took the opportunity to show both Ali and Aisya their old hangouts :- Balloerveld with the heather, dunes, ancient pines and birches; their playschool near the old windmill and of course the windmill. We even visited Wilhemina Hospital where Aisya was born and got her a new replacement blue rabbit which was her favorite gift from the baby days.
We went to Keukenhoff to show them the gardens and tulips which they visited when Aisya was still carried around in the baby basket.
The two hour drive to get "home" upon arrival in Schiphol.
Stoetenakker 8, the last corner unite on the left.
Aisya and her new blue rabbit at Wilhemina Hospital, Assen.
Aisya happy to be "home".
The old windmill near Rolde Grotebrink, the folks were busy prepping the grounds for the Easter Fair on the weekend.
Aisya racing the no. 1 to Groningen.
Outside the gate of the Blauwe Pinguin.
In front of the Drenthe Museum.
On the grounds of the Drenthe Museum.
Ali and Aisya with little Bart.
Ali and Aisya with tulips now at 14 and 12 respectively.
Aisya on a wishing well in Keukenhoff gardens.
On the windmill at Keukenhoff.
At the big dike on A7.
All in all, Assen hasn't changed very much aside from a few subtle changes. Our favorite carpark near Drenthe Museum is now a small park. The Egyptian selling falafel in a corner lunch place has changed owners. The Indonesian toko in sentrum is now a fashion shop peddling cheap clothes. Sinbad still serves a mean portion of ribs.
We didn't get to visit many other favorite places due to the limited time we have in our hands. It's only an hour plane ride to Amsterdam from Stavanger, we were sure that we'd be back in the future to visit and enjoy a few more of our old haunts. Maybe next time we'll rent a bike or two and cycle around to recapture the joyful feeling of returning "home". There'd be more holidays in the future ... it wouldn't take twisting of arms to get us back to these places which are still warm in our hearts.
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