Árdís - 01.01.1964, Síða 46

44
ÁRDÍS
worry anyone; as we put our trust in our Creator, and our new
and efficient Dutch friends. Needless to say, we were served meals
and lunches of high quality, as the Dutch people believe that eating
is very essential.
After 10 hours we reached the Schiphol (pro. Skipol) Airport,
which is 13 feet below sea-level, having been reclaimed from the
sea. This is one of the main airports of Europe, showing much
engineering skill, and workmanship. Here we were met by three
coaches (buses) A and B for our transportation, and one to take
our luggage. That these coaches were to furnish our transportation
during our stay was duly explained to us.
Our destination was the town of Holten, and our headquarters
the “Hotel Holterman”, which was to be our meeting place, and
caterer of our principal meals. Here we were met by our hosts,
who had volunteered to house us and serve breakfast during our
pilgrimage. This was a heart-warming experience as they seemed
so thoroughly happy to welcome us to their homes. We felt that
the Dutch were very hospitable people.
My hosts were Mr. and Mrs. Dikkers, Dorpsstraat 35 (Main
Street), with four lovely children, ranging in age from 8 to 14
years, and an aunt who made her home there. Mr. Dikkers is a
baker, so I enjoyed many kinds of Dutch pastries, but my favorite
was one called “krakelingen”. I received a box of these dainties
as one of my parting gifts, with instructions not to open until I
reached Canada.
Some of the members of this family did not speak fluent
English but through their friendliness I seemed to be able to under-
stand them. I do not think the Dutch language should be very
difficult for Scandinavians to learn, except the pronunciation of
some throaty sounds.
Mr. and Mrs. Dikkers insisted that I should have a cup of tea
or chocolate before going to bed. In the pleasant atmosphere of
kindly smiles, and warmth from the fireplace, which was lit every
evening, as the damp air gets quite cool after sundown, I had my
first glimpse of Dutch home life. This was not a strange, although
a far-away land, but a land which we had read about, dreamed
about and longed to visit.
After our cup of tea and “krakelingen”, the children all washed