Dear Family and Friends,

I've always wanted to write one of these letters. As many of you know I traveled to Holland over my Christmas holiday. Here is an account of what I saw and did. Also, since I smile a lot I've included plenty of :) That is the smile of a happy computer nerd.

I traveled with my good friend and roommate, Barbara Baugh. Barbara has two friends in Amsterdam, Tjarrda and Simone, whom she met last year during her travels. Although we had problems getting to the San Francisco Airport (my truck broke down in Petaluma on Christmas night) our flights were ontime and without problems. We left SFO on Tuesday the 26th at 3pm and arrived at Schiphol Airport in Holland at noon on Wednesday the 27th. After converting our currency to the Dutch guilder (approximately 1.5 guilders to $1 US) we hopped on a train for about a 20 minute ride into Amsterdam. The train station in Amsterdam, Centraal Station, is rather large and impressive. Outside the temperature was near freezing but the skies where clear and the sun was shining. There had to have been over one thousand bikes parked outside of the station. We took a taxi to the Marriot Hotel which is right about in the middle of the city. Our room on the 8th floor overlooked Amsterdam to the south. The phone was ringing as we walked in the room and it was Robert deFremery calling from his home (he must have had the concierge notify him of our arrival). He told us his daughter, Emma, was still visiting but that she would be back in the city by 6pm to help us plan our stay. This was fine for us as a shower was necessary after our journey. Since it was still daylight we decided to make the most of our time and were able to walk to the Van Gogh museum, less than 5 blocks from the hotel. There we learned the history of this great Dutch painter and saw many of his original paintings and drawings. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at one of the many diamond cutting houses in Amsterdam and did a self guided tour (due to the vehicle problems over that last month I was unable to afford some new diamond studs :). Then it was back to the hotel.

Sure enough at 6pm Emma called and invited us over to her apartment (these Dutch are rather punctual :). Getting directions from Emma was difficult due to her accent. She spoke very good English but when she tried to spell out the name of her street (Browers Gracht) I could not understand the names she used for each letter. Finally I got it right when I was able to confirm that the name was like Brewer. Browers Gracht is the part of the town where the Brewers of Beer used to live (Gracht means canal). This made perfect sense to me. We arrived at Emma's and got to meet her dog, Festa, a rather large sheepdog like animal. I felt right at home with a large dog in the house. Emma's apartment overlooks Browers Gracht and is in a wonderful part of town. After visiting briefly Emma asked if we were hungry and if we would mind if she brought Festa along to dinner. She took us to a pancake house not too far from her apartment where no one was even fazed when we walked in with this huge dog on a leash (America was beginning to seem real uptight :). Pancakes are considered a lunch or dinner food in Holland. They are the size of an entire plate (actually hanging over the edges) and come with toppings such as cheese, bacon, and pineapple or fruit, ice cream and whipped cream. Over dinner Emma proceeded to tell us the problems she has had over the last 5 years. She got in a car wreck, got whiplash and lost mobility in her legs and arms, has problems concentrating on more than one thing at a time, lost her husband, lost her job, and lost many of her friends. I truly believe Festa has been a best friend to Emma and I am so happy for her being able to keep her dog. She seems to be fairing better now and hopefully will be able to continue her rehabilitation.

Emma told us we should take a canal tour the next day since the canals were freezing at night and the tours would not be offered for much longer. We asked if she would accompany us as our guide and she was agreeable. The next morning we met at her apartment and walked for about 10 minutes to the spot where the tours begin. On the way Emma showed us Dam Square which is right in front of the Royal Palace. She also pointed out how the top floor of every house or apartment was leaning in toward the street and there was a huge hook or pulley on the top of every building. This is how furniture and appliances are raised up since all of the staircases are very tiny. The entire city has very narrow streets with brick and cement houses or apartments built right next to one another. I had a wonderful time imagining what life was like 200-300-400 years ago. The canal tour was wonderful. We saw many beautiful buildings, some of which had floors built under the water line, and went out into the harbor as part of our tour. Emma brought along some Ollie Bollen which is a Dutch New Years treat. I loved them and ate more than my share :) They where much like a doughnut ball with raisins inside. We later heard locals refer to them as 'Oil Balls' so you get the idea.

After the canal tour we walked Emma back to her apartment and then went to meet Barbara's friend Tjaarda. Tjaarda met us at our hotel and then gave us a walking tour of downtown Amsterdam. The shopping was Barbara's favorite part while I thoroughly enjoyed the Red Light District. After lots of shopping (and lots of gawking on my part) we left downtown and returned to the hotel to pick up Tjaarda's bicycle. Like most residents of Amsterdam, Tjaarda had a bicycle which was her main mode of transportation. Tjaarda explained that the locks, of which she had two, were more expensive than the bike in order to deter thieves. We then walked to Tjaarda's apartment for a wonderful evening of food and conversation.

Friday morning we awoke to another beautiful but cold day. We had intended to goof off for the morning since we both had a busy afternoon planned, I was to visit Henry and Louise deFremery while Barbara was to meet her friend Simone, but a call from Emma convinced us to visit the Rijks Museum.

We arrived at the museum right as it opened and quickly realized that we were not going to be able to see it all. Since Emma had mentioned the doll houses as her favorite section we headed toward that area. The museum is full of centuries old artifacts, paintings, sculptures, and other antiques. I had never seen such a beautiful display. The doll houses where of particular interest since they showed real life items that were otherwise not displayed at the museum. Irons, brooms, kitchens, living rooms and coat closets were depicted in detail that was very interesting to view. Some of the dollhouses were so large that ladders or steps were provided to get a good view of the insides. Since time was short we had to leave the museum in order to fulfill our other obligations. The Rijks Museum, however, is a must see for any visit to Holland.

Now I was ready for my first excursion alone. I left Barbara at the hotel and went to Centraal Station to take a train to visit Henry and Louise. I had a little trouble with not being able to read any signs but anyone and everyone that I asked for help was able to speak clear English and get me on my way. I was heading to the town of Hilversum. Since the trains are so punctual I was able to be at the Hilversum station exactly when Henry told me to be there. Henry met me within 10 minutes of my phone call to him and after receiving a warm family welcome from him, he told me the following. "Keep in mind that at one time this entire area was controlled by Germans. If it wasn't for the Americans, we wouldn't be here right now." I will never forget Henry telling me this for as long as I live. Henry was 8 when the Germans took over Holland and that is obviously something that he will never forget. Henry proceeded to drive around the countryside and show me numerous beautiful houses and mansions. I made him stop several times so that I could take pictures only to find out later that my camera was not working. I was able to get it working before we stopped at the church where Henry's grandfather was buried. We were unable to get into the church but it was a beautiful setting in a very beautiful little village. Afterwards, Henry drove me by a huge windmill that was just minutes away from his house. All during our drive I had been asking about the straw roofs that I was seeing everywhere. Henry explained to me that they last up to 30 years and that he had one on his house as well. I was able to get a couple of pictures of it. At Henry's home I got to meet Louise, Henry's beautiful and charming wife. Louise made me feel like family and we got to chat for about an hour. Henry and Louise have 2 daughters and a son and several grandchildren. Frank, their son, is currently traveling about the world with his girlfriend as they both graduated from college a year ago. Henry was able to show me several old deFremery pictures and artifacts, including a clock and other items that his grandfather had carved. Before I left Henry told me I should try the local liquor, Genever. He said that he thought his son had been traveling long enough because he had not been able to drink Genever with Frank for over a year and that was something he missed. Since he wasn't sure that I would get a chance to go to a bar he gave me a small sample bottle of Genever. And not to be outdone, Louise had a gift for me as well. She had managed to find a jigsaw puzzle of the windmill down the street and gave it to me. I was quite disappointed that I couldn't stay longer and also disappointed that Barbara was not able to meet these two wonderful people.

I was able to navigate my way back to the hotel in time for dinner. Barbara was hungering for Indonesian food so we asked Emma if she new of any good places. Emma was not too happy about the choice of restaurants but she finally got a good recommendation from her sister, Helen, who said that she could meet us there. Emma arrived at our hotel within an hour with pre-dinner snacks of herring and crackers that were quite good. The herring are salted but uncooked and eaten with onions and pickles. After snacks we walked to the restaurant where we met Helen. Helen has recently graduated with a doctorate degree in Economics but her first job is designing computer systems for some financial institution. We had a wonderful dinner (even Emma remarked how good the food was) and were sad to part company with both of the deFremery girls afterwards.

The next morning we checked out of our hotel, said good-bye to Amsterdam, and began our journey to Doetinchem. The train ride takes 2 hours but the time sped by as we watched kids skating on frozen lakes, saw windmills with snow-white covers on them, and viewed many different homes and towns throughout the countryside. Rob had told us that morning exactly what to expect and he was right on everything right down to where he would be standing when we got off the train. The train station in Doetinchem was nothing more than a drop off spot on the side of the tracks in the middle of a very small town and we had no problems finding Rob. After loading all of our luggage in his car we then drove for about 15-20 minutes to his house. When we arrived not only did we have the pleasure to meet Ann, Rob's wife, but we were quite fortunate to find Claire, the middle deFremery daughter of Rob and Ann, with her husband, Norbert, their three children and the family dog. Ann was quick to point out that this house was a 'dog' house and to be prepared for when Claire's family left. We all sat down to a delicious lunch and discussed the family. Claire's family reminds me quite a bit of my brother's families as well as several of my cousin's families. The youngest was a boy about 3, then there were two girls about 4 and 6 years of age. They all had great fun playing with the family dog while we ate lunch.

Rob hurried us through lunch since we only had a couple of hours of sunlight left and he really wanted to show us his forests. After a quick good-bye to Claire and her family we jumped back into Rob's car and proceeded with the tour. Rob and Ann own over 350 hectares (about 700 acres) of forests. They also have several cottages that they rent out as well as several campground areas that the public can use. Our tour included several stand of Douglas Fir in varying stages of growth as well as Scottish Pine and American Oak trees. Rob told us about the different wildlife in the forest and we got to watch and take pictures of a small herd of deer. Another highlight of the tour was getting to watch a person practice with his dogsled team. It was very cold out in the countryside with a dusting of snow everywhere to make for a very wintery feeling. When we got back to the deFremery house Ann was letting the dogs outside for a run. She has three dogs, two of which are the same age and size as my dogs. Ann trains her dogs to compete in tracking events. By using a whistle and hand signals she can make the dogs go in different directions and find things. She is very proud of her Golden Lab, Hazel, who has won several second place ribbons in competitions with over 50 other dogs.

Before dinner we got to sit and talk with Rob and Ann about many different topics including our differing cultures, customs, and dogs. When Rob offered a drink before dinner I told him about Henry's suggestion that I try Genever. Rob promptly set a glass and three different types of Genever on the table next to me. He explained the difference between them and insisted that I try all three, since I did not have to drive. :) This made me a very happy boy. Genever tastes somewhat like vodka and after several shots I was ready for dinner. Ann explained to us that she could have either cooked or talked for the evening and since we were only visiting for one night, she chose to talk. Therefore, our dinner would be a simple one. This simple dinner consisted of a casserole with pheasant on the bottom, then a layer of sauerkraut, and finally a layer of mashed potatoes. With onion gravy to pour over the top, Barbara and I both had a second helping. Ann made us try many different cheeses with our dinner and Rob insisted that we drink more wine since we didn't have to drive. :) After dinner, while Rob cleared the table, Ann told us more dog stories and showed us examples of the competitions. Then Rob surprised me again when he asked if I wanted to smoke a cigar. I told him I would love to try one if he was going to join me. He then produced a couple of delicious Dutch cigars that were a perfect ending to a perfect meal. When Barbara asked to taste the cigar Rob insisted that she have one of her own. This seemed to please Barbara very much. Over the next hour or two Rob gave us a very detailed description of the deFremery family including past as well as present details. We ended up going to bed after midnight. This was one of the most pleasurable evenings that I will ever be able to recall.

The next morning we had a delicious traditional breakfast of cheese, bread, fruit, juice, and coffee. Then before we left Ann gave us a bon voyage package that consisted of cheese and chocolates that were all received thankfully. Rob gave me the brand names of the good cigars and Genever that I could buy at the airport and then gave us a ride to the train station, stopping along the way so that we could take pictures of a countryside castle. After a 2 hour train ride and a 13 hour plane flight we arrived in San Francisco in time to celebrate New Year's Eve. It was a fantastic way to end 1995.