A Day Hanging Out with my Girlfriend ~ Tineke

 Tineke's daughter Marleen had a Birthday today!  Her aunt would arrive by train to come along with us!

So we walked to the Central Train station with Ben Tineke's lab and waited for Jannie to arrive.

 It was a nice walk & the sights around me were so pretty!  The Hague (Den Haag) is a very pretty town where the government offices are situated in Holland. 

 Tineke said the have renovated the whole station & shops and it looks really nice! 

The Tram also comes to the station and the buses too!






The train was right on time...9:09 am....

Hey There is Jannie!!!  She & Tineke both have come to visit us in Bend Oregon!  How nice to see here again!  Jannie's son Boy & Brandie and grandchildren live in Singapore now - but we visited them in the beginning of our trip in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia!

Marleen lives close to the Peace Palace here in The Hague...

Peace Palace The Hague

International Court of Justice 

 It was great to see Marleen - she had a brand new hairstyle...first time ever I have seen her with short hair...very stylish Marleen...you look like a model! 

 Marleen had baked 2 different kinds of cakes...very very nice Marleen!

 I have known Marleen since she was born!

So today was a precious day...and so fun to be here to enjoy her Special Day!

 Another Aunt & Uncle - Tineke's sister in law was there to Marion and her husband Gus ~ so nice it see them again after many years!

 The Birthday girl opened some of her presents and she was happy with her gifts!  A Beautiful standing lamp from her family - one she had wanted for a while!

 Great picture of Mom with her first born!  Yes very proud of her girl...of course! 

 
  Hey I want a picture with the Birthday girl too!!!

 We decided to walk back to Tineke's house - the weather was so nice...and took some pictures along the way!

Piet Hein Straat ~

 Here's a shop with a half cut Fiat car on the wall...a real one!

 Here is a Hoog Straat...where the previous Queen had her office! 

 The Mauritz Kade is very close to where I lived with my grandparents back in 1969!  Wow! That seems so long ago!!!  Ages!


Here is the old church - Willems Kerk that was next door to my grandparents house.  They have renovated it and it is an office building now...

 This is a beautiful home isn't it?

Along the canal~

 Nick is always teasing me that I should of gone to the "home-making" school when I was young...a joke he makes...and I pointed one out to him! 

 I worked in The Hague for a very well known Bakery and this is the specialty!

There will be a book printed next month about this very store...it has been a long standing store and well known in these parts!  I loved working there...they hired me when at 19 yrs old so that I could speak English to the English speaking customers...Shell & Aramco where big companies here in The Hague - and I have wonderful memories of this place!  Tineke still works there - she has worked there since she was 13 years old....yes 41 years now!  Wow!

 We enjoyed dinner in her backyard ~

 Macaroni and a big salad!  Very good Tineke!

That very evening we also went to her brother Bert & Jenny - sister in law's house...because she too had a Birthday...so I was able to see all of Tineke's family again!  Now that was a treat! 

Walking to Jason's house we saw this language school!