Wednesday, August 14

Sparkenburg holds a fair highlighting traditional crafts and performers for 4 Wednesdays in July and August. Today they were holding the last one this year. So, even though we have been there 100 times, we drove over again. Its amazing to me that in a small town like this one with so many people showing up that we are able to follow the signs "Centrum", for center of town, turn into an underground parking garage that is free and park and come out in the middle of the event area. Our objective is to eat lunch. We decide to buy fish at one of the vendors cooking on the street and find a place to sit down and have a beer. I go searching for a table and Linda stands in line for kibbling fried chunks with a tartar sauce with herbs - good.

We sat under the trees and ate and drank sharing the table with two other couples who spoke limited English. We had a very limited conversation with them. They had arrived on their bikes. Their total trip was about 50 miles. As we leave the eating area, Linda stops to ask one of the performers who is wearing white wooden shoes if they are comfortable. She has a little trouble with English and Dutch but manages and the woman lets her try them on. They rock. Yes, actually rock back and forth. It was a fun experience.

We walk around a little and Linda finds some pants and a top that matched perfectly - had to have them. Linda had been shopping and knew that these prices were the lowest around. The pants are loose and colorful with elastic at the waist and ankles. Very Dutch-stylish. As we walk and talk toward the car a well-dressed man makes a comment. We start talking to he and his wife. Turns out they live in Soest about 2 blocks away from where we are staying. It continues to be a small world.

Since it was early afternoon, we drive to Hillversum to refresh our memory of the place and have an espresso. We find the middle of town and park in a AH Grocery store parking garage and walk down a pedestrian-only street. After the espresso for me and a Palm beer for Linda, we stroll down the rest of the street. Linda stops a guy who is riding a bicycle with a large wooden cart on it that holds children and groceries. We see them all around the place and we took a picture of it. See below. You must have to have good balance to ride one of those with kids shifting around.

We walk back to  the car a different way and come across the area of town we had visited previously. We stop at the AH where we parked and bought meat and shells for tacos for dinner. This is a really big store. Much bigger than the one in Soest.

Back in Soest, I cook dinner and we have tacos for dinner in the garden. Afterwards we read and try to watch TV, but its not working. It does appear a little later. Even later, I happen to check my email and see an entry from Dan and Janie saying they are at the train station waiting for us. Whoops! Wrong day. We were expecting them tomorrow because of a previous email. After trying to email and call them, we finally contact them at the hotel they needed because we didn't show. Everything will be ok tomorrow.