SUMMER 1963 p.53

Aug.21: Took several buses and hours to visit old Navy Buddy Frans van Oudheusden, in Rijswijk, where I spent the night.
His wife is from Tasmania and they were happy and congenial. He loves it in "Materiel" in the Navy.

Aug.22: Wrote to Cynthia (formerly from Bangkok); Virginia Arnold (SIO Registrar); Charter Flights

Aug.23 (Friday): Around noon Rose and I took a bus to the Central Station to take the train to Groningen, where we arrived around 15:00. Took another bus to the Hora Siccema Singel to visit my sister Carla and husband Hans. We had a fine dinner, watched photographs and TV (Rose's favorite Perry Mason)

Aug.24: Rose and Carla did clothes, Hans and I drove to Zeerijp to visit former schoolmate Theo Pol, now minister, and his wife Adri and two sons of 4 and 1: a very fine reunion! Back in Groningen we had loempia and watched "Eine Nacht in Venedig" ...strange memories, less than a month ago we were there!

Aug.25: A cold morning, so we only left at 10:00 for our first pit stop in Sneek, known for its famous WATERGATE (right) the "Elf Stedentocht" and its SNEEK-WEEK (or "SNITS-WITS" according to "us heit" = our Dad)

The next -cold-stop : on the "Afsluitdijk", was followed by a quick coffee stop in West Friesland (Nf 100. courtesy Hans) and hot soup at Mom's by mid-afternoon when we resumed playing sjoelbak and said goodbyes to Carla, Hans and Ronnie.

Aug.26: Rose was sick and I spent the morning running from her to my mother and back trying to explain inexplicables (later easily blamed on her pregnancy, but at that time "Mom" 's doctors verdict on Rose had been not pregnant...) That evening we had a magnificent dinner at the Kleyns with lobster, steak, wine, speeches and presents, followed by slides of Ascona and Scandinavia

Aug.27: Went on borrowed bikes to Amsterdam: first, to the "Tropen Museum", where we saw a film on S. Africa including details on the Cullinan, 0.65kg (1 carat=200mg).
Next, we passed by ARTIS, the Zoo, on our way for brief visits to (1) - Aunt Mary and cousin Len,
(2) - Mrs van Benthum, mother of my schoolfriend Piet - who was in a bit of a panic because she was missing two diamonds
(she is a diamond cutter at home), but told us Piet was now a missionary doctor appointed to South Africa,
and finally to (3) Oom Piet and Tante Martha who treated ut to a nice meatball and glass of wine and sermon about formality.
We then peddled on to Amstelveen which we made by 18:15, just a quarter too late, but they had delayed dinner for us under the circumstances. Again, I felt the large culture gap within myself: dinner starts at 18:00 sharp (MOM: mealtimes determine schedule)
versus who cares exactly when you eat (USWIFE and later also SAWIFE : people's schedules determine mealtimes)