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This is an 18th century Saxon-style farmhouse out in Wachtum inhabited by Jurjen's aunt & uncle, Wiek and Wim. They remodeled it and it is really fabulous - it's the kind of place you'd see in a magazine of clever remodels. They enjoy raising chickens, bees, and quite an amazing collection of various orchids, including miniature ones. Wiek is gifted with tremendous design skills, and I enjoyed Wim's enthusiasm for orchids (I like them too).
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We did a bit of driving around the Netherlands, and on the way we visited the office Jurjen worked in when he was in the Dutch army. This is the back of the building.
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We went down to Leuven, Belgium, one of my very favorite places. Here is Gery, the first real friend I made in Europe. I met him on my first on-site project, in Brussels...I've known him for five years now! On his right is his lovely girlfriend Brenda.
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We're out for a Bengali meal. Behind me you can see Dirk, who I also met back when I was working in Belgium. Across from him is his fabulous girlfriend, Ellen.
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Jurjen's mom, Riemke, had told me that there is a Dutch phrase about being wise - 'knowing where Abraham gets the mustard.' And while strolling around Leuven we found a sculpture about that very saying! There is no actual mustard imagery in the sculpture, but the owl is clearly meant to connote wisdom. And the saying is inscribed in the base.
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A nice park in Leuven, with chunks of the original city wall.
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At the Domus small brewery in Leuven. Belgium is famous for its beer - Jurjen is a happy guy here, drinking one of his favorite brews, Nostradomus.
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A nice dinner out in Leuven, with all of us. In front of me is a big pot of mussels. Yay!
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I like the dramatic presentation of this orchid plant. Keeping an orchid in a glass surround like that helps keep the air around it moist, which makes the plant happy (since orchids are epiphytes). Around my house, perhaps that would make it harder for the ferrets to knock them over, too.
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The night before leaving Leuven, we had drinks with Dirk and Ellen, and there are a lot of photos of us goofing around.
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We had a couple of lovely visits with Jurjen's good friend, Carl. Carl is studying at the conservatory in the Hague to become a concert pianist! Hooray for following your dream, Carl!
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