It’s been two years since my mother and I last had a chance to visit our Stockmann family in Holland. The cause being, of course, the covid-19 pandemic. To avoid flying and make us more flexible, we took our car from Sweden and drove all the way to Amstelveen, close to the airport Schiphol. We had in total five days with a tight time schedule to visit as many as possible, i.e. my uncle Guido in Amsterdam, my cousins Ynte and Johan with families in Den Haag, and my God Parents Carl and Mieke in Nijmegen. Plus we went shopping on the market (lots of cheese), bought long-enough jeans for me and a lot of other nice things to have from the Netherlands, e.g. cookies and raisin buns. It was beautiful and warm weather most of the time and we therefore also went on a longer biking trip along the canals. There is simply water everywhere in Holland and it’s surprisingly green and space-friendly considering how many people live there. One perfect thing; there are no electrical scooters – heaven on Earth!
Photo: Gabrielle. View from my aunt Helma’s apartment on the 14th floor in Amstelveen.Photo: Marlous Stockmann. Visit to Helma’s friend Els with me on the couch.Photo: Gabrielle. Helma and Els enjoying a drink before dinner.Photo: Gabrielle. Helma and my mother Marlous on the Friday market in Amstelveen.Photo: Gabrielle. The market in Amstelveen.Photo: Gabrielle. My mother buying garlic and ginger on the market.Photo: Gabrielle. I brought an empty suitcase for all our Dutch delicacies.Photo: Gabrielle. The canal in Amsterdam, where my uncle Guido lives.Photo: Gabrielle. The canal in Amsterdam, where my uncle Guido lives.Photo: Ricardo Regazzoni. Family re-union in Amsterdam with Helma Stockmann, Gabrielle Stockmann, Marlous Stockmann and Guido Stockmann around the table.Photo: Gabrielle. Guido’s long-life partner Ricardo Regazzoni is a famous artist working with sculptures inspired by his Mexican background.Photo: Gabrielle. Out on a 2-hour bike trip along the canal.Photo: Gabrielle. Out on a 2-hour bike trip along the canal.Photo: Gabrielle. We took a ferry across the canal to shorten the trip a bit. Notice how the water table is higher than the areas around it.Photo: Gabrielle. As mentioned, there is water everywhere and everyone appears to own a boat.Photo: Gabrielle. A visit to the island and town De Kaag.Photo: Gabrielle. A visit to the island and town De Kaag.Photo: Gabrielle.A visit to the island and town De Kaag, where this Briard was calming guarding the premises.Photo: Gabrielle. A visit to the island and town De Kaag.Photo: Gabrielle. A visit to the island and town De Kaag, where they have a park full of religious sculptures, a sanctuary.Photo: Gabrielle. A visit to the island and town De Kaag, where they have a park full of religious sculptures, a sanctuary..Photo: Gabrielle. A visit to the island and town De Kaag with Helma and my mother in front of the old school.Photo: Gabrielle. Same view as the first picture, but this morning started completely misty.