Posted by Les Faber in One of the reasons we came to Leeuwarden is that Helen wanted to visit some of the towns & villages where her family is from. Today saw us taking a trip into the Friesen countryside to find the village where her Grandparents (Beppe & Paka) made their home. Vrouwenparochie was our target. Easy enough to find with the nifty system of bike paths and signage.
Read about Days 1 (here), 2 (here), 3 (here), 4 (here), 5 (here), 6 (here) & 7 (here) of our Netherlands cycling adventure.
Author’s Note: Signage in the Netherlands can be confusing as there are really 2 separate systems of vehicular transport: Roads (cars) & fietspads (Bikes). Oh yes – and a combination of the two. Blue (lettered) signs are for cars and Red are for bikes. So if you see a blue sign and believe you only have 12 kilometers to go to your destination, you are more than likely in for a rude awakening. It has been my experience that bike paths take a less direct route to your destination. Budget accordingly. Also, we have often seen signs indicating (for example) 19 kilometers to a destination…. And we see the same sign after having cycled 3 or 4 kilometers. The bike route is usually less direct. But certainly more enjoyable!
So we found the village – easy enough. Now the challenge – find the house. The last time Helen was there was 1984. Since then, the town had renumbered the houses. Helen’s Dad had told us that – plus he had given us some other “hints”. End result? The picture below may (or may not) be Helen’s Oma’s home. No matter we had fun looking.
The rest of the day was spent wandering through the countryside in the general direction of Leeuwarden. We went down some stone dust fietspads. Not really sure where we were. But it really did not matter. It’s all about getting out, riding, and not worrying about too much. I will report that we did an excellent job at just that! Remember, whilst on a bike in Holland, you have numerous choices on how you will get to your destination. Take a chance; try a different route!
Some pics of our day for your enjoyment and comments
Nice, nice, nice…and sure it the house