IN VOORSCHOTEN( MY OLD HOMETOWN)

Marianna by the canal de Vliet.

Our old house from 1964 till 1981( for me)

nienke entering their house.

Carel Fabritius laan.

the renovated old flat.( apartments)

Leiden train station ( left)

the silver factory

the catholic church

the council building

unpacking my stuff behind the house

NZ KIWIFRUIT FOR SALE ON THE MARKET

GOLD KIWIFRUIT

SCHOOL STRAAT

MOLEN LAAN

DORPS STRAAT

THE MARKET ON FRIDAY

MY FAVOURITE STALL

TRYING SOME GRAPES.

BEHIND "OUR" HOUSE

GERARD DAUW PLANTSOEN

MOLENLAAN

Hi Friends,
Here I am now in Voorschoten, in my old town .
I did a typical"Marianna thing"again. I checked out of the hostel and went to the busstop, which was on the right hand side of the road, because when we arrived we arrived on the other side. What I didn't realise was that you got on the bus same busstop same place where we got off, not on the other side of the road. Seemed strange as it seens like the bus is going in the wrong direction. Anyway, I was on what seemed like the right side, but was wrong.
The bus came past but wouldn't stop.
On the other side was the bus came and stopped, but it seemd to be going to the wrong direction, not to the harbour......
So then , after waiting for a while, a lady on a bicycle came to me and asked me where I was going. When I told her she told me I was standing at the wrong busstop. I should have been on the other side, as this side was "hopping off only".
By now I had missed the bus and my connection to the ferry.
Then there was only one option left: hitch hiking.
The lady told me it was safe to hitch on the island and she walked me to the roundabout, then turned left which was the only road to the harbour.
As soon as I was on that road, I put my hand up, smiled to the next car that came along, and ...... it stopped.
Two nice ladies asked me what happened and I told them, then they said: "hop in, we are also going to the harbour".
I was very grateful and thanked them heaps. I got to the harbour 10 minutes before the bus that I had missed!!!
And I got into the boat as the first passenger.
The boat trip was pleasant, and I sat on the front deck, outside.
Then I took the bus and got to Den Helder station and then Mercy was there and we walked to her house.
I organised my suitcase again and we had a nice cooked Phillipino lunch made by Amy, Mercy's sister, who lives next door.
After lunch we went to the railway station and Wander, Amy's husband, put my suitcase on the back of his bike and biked ahead to the station.
I made the 14.04 train and only had to swap trains once in Heergugowaard.
Then it was a fast train to Leiden.
In Leiden, Annie en Henk were there for me. I had to look around at all the changes made in Leiden railway station.
Then we drove along some places I didn't recognise at all anymore but when we got closer to Voorschoten, I recognised the Leidseweg, I saw manege van Zelst and I remembered that manege as my first ever manage where I got my first riding lesson in 1972.
Then driving through our old street was really weird, but soo amazing, and unreal, in a way. It is very hot and humid here today and it will be 30 C tomorrow.
We got chinese tonight( without msg) and now I am writing this blog. My own computer doesn't work here as they have a different system, but I can use Annie's laptop.
OK, cheers for now, more tomorrow or the day after.
Well more has happened now and I am behind with photos and stories. So here a few photos of my old hometown. Good weather as you can see.