Árdís - 01.01.1964, Blaðsíða 48

46
ÁRDÍS
be placed in the spacious hallway, between the bedrooms and the
bathroom.
The plumbing is installed quite different to ours, and the pres-
sure comes from above, manipulated by a chain. It makes a tre-
mendous noise, as the force is so strong. The pilgrims were dis-
cussing their bathroom experiences, when they met at the hotel
in the morning, and we had some laughs about it. One lady got
all her clothes wet, which was not very pleasant. I can truly say,
that it was a relief when the noise stopped after pulling the chain;
as I thought there had been some mistake. However this works
efficiently when you get used to it and there is really plenty of
fairly soft hot and cold water.
While walking through the small yard, I noticed how every
inch of space was used for growing either flowers or vegetables.
That’s thrift even in a yard on Main Street (Dorpsstraat). While
driving through the countryside, we saw this amply demonstrated
in the small but beautiful yards.
We noticed so many houses with some kind of red shingles so
I inquired about it, being told that these shingles were made from
Dutch clay, hardened by the use of a secret formula, into stone.
These shingles, scooped in the centre and flat at the ends, for over-
lapping, must last for ages and are evidently what we read about
as stone roofs. Some of us really wanted to take a shingle back to
Canada, but were told they were too heavy to ship.
On all our tours, and we went out every day, we saw new and
interesting projects, buildings, old castles, historic forests ,with all
the underbrush cleared, and flower beds, here and there, canals,
draining the low areas, dikes, protecting the land from the sea,
or large rivers. The dikes are mostly over-grown with grass now,
but one realizes their great importance in a country where forty
per cent of the surface is below sea level. The hilly Outdoor
Museum near Arnhem, displays souvenirs, where the small ones,
ancient jewelry, lifesize wax figures, dressed in ancient costumes,
pottery etc. are in glass houses. Also on display are wind driven
windmills, (now electricity or power is used) ‘los hoes’, a tiny
house where man and beast used to share the same quarters with
only a wall between, but the Dutch cleanliness had always been
in evidence. These are only a few of the exhibits, but they show