In Amsterdam, we visited a family friend, Greetje, in her lovely (and quintessentially Dutch) home in Sloten, a suburb of Amsterdam. Whereas Rotterdam is thoroughly modern, having been essentially demolished during World War II and rebuilt, Amsterdam retains its historic Dutch character and relationship to the past.
Greetje’s House in Sloten
Traditional Dutch Living Room
Greetje’s house was built by an architect in the late 1920s and recently modernized by her son Haijo, also an architect. The gardens around the house are lovely, as are all the homey touches inside, as is the woman who lives there. We spent many long hours sitting in the garden, eating marvelous treats and enjoying conversation, in a way Europeans really know how to do.
P.J. and Arjan at Greetje’s House in Sloten (photo by Greetje Gehrels)
Greetje’s Patio and Garden
Details are Everything!
Stroopwaffles and Butter Cakes
On August 3, the three of us strolled down old Sloten’s quaint, historic main street to the windmill at the end. Along the way, we visited many signs of the past: two old churches, a tiny police station, a marker in the town indicating that people who were banished from Amsterdam could come no further, etc.
Sloten Historic Main Street
1794 Stile Indicating Amsterdam Town Limits for Exiles
At the windmill (built in 1847 and refurbished in 1991), we took a tour and endured the tourist presentation at the top about Rembrandt’s time in the area. Our first guide wasn’t very interesting, so we jumped tours in the middle and learned a great deal more from the second one.
Old Sloten Mollen (Windmill)
- Watch Arjan’s Windmill Video (MP4, 33.3 MB, 0:16 sec)
In the evening, we joined Haijo in the Baarsjes neighborhood of Amsterdam for an outdoor dinner in the central plaza. Here, we saw signs of a vibrant student atmosphere and youth culture.
Haijo and Greetje in the Baarsjes Plaza
Early the next day, we repacked our bags (it was so interesting to Greetje to see me cramming my suitcases that she took pictures!) and started the drive north towards Groningen, the next family visit on our tour.
Photos © 2014 P.J. Gardner. All rights reserved.
Video © 2014 Arjan Post. All rights reserved.