Árdís - 01.01.1964, Síða 49

Ársrit Bandalags lúterskra kvenna
47
that the Dutch are ever mindful of the past. Now this country
knows no unemployment, and there is general well-being. To visit
the most wonderful places one would need a month, instead of
ten days.
I got permission to visit my friend in Deventer—Mr. and Mrs.
Scholten (Ton and Dicky) called for me and I recognized them
from pictures they had sent me. Getting acquainted with them, I
found them to be very much like what I had imagined—fine,
thoughtful people, but possessing some of the Dutch humour. We
travelled by train to Deventer and I enjoyed this, as a new ex-
perience. Most of the trains are run by electricity and are smaller
than ours, and seem to travel very fast. Arriving at Deventer, which
is an old town in part, we had to take a taxi to the new housing
area (apartment blocks), where my friends live. This is different,
as you have to phone the taxi and make an appointment to meet
it at the nearest stall, and then wait your turn, which was this
time, at least 10 minutes. No taxi trails you to say, “Taxi.
Where to?”
This new area, on the west of the town, comprises a great
number of apartments to relieve the housing shortage. These apart-
ments are modern in every way, with central heating, full base-
ments and painted in light colours. Suite No. 1, the one I visited,
is very homelike, with all modern conveniences, and tastefully
furnished. There are flowers everywhere and bowls of fruit, grown
in their country, while tables, chairs, rugs, large and small, are in
evidence. The small rugs are used for the tables, but look like light-
weight multi-colored carpet material. A piece of light fancy work
is laid across these table rugs, generally. The picture window has
a lace curtain, or valance on the top only. These are beautiful and
many are costly as they are bought in Switzerland. There are draw
drapes at the sides which are pulled very tight, at night, as about
three-quarters of the window-pane is uncovered. Pictures and paint-
ings adorn the walls but there are not too many, and there is no
cluttered appearance.
There are two adorable children in this family. Constance
(Stans) aged five years, and Albert (Bert) aged two years. They
are the picture of health and happiness. Stans attends Kinder-
garten, and she proudly presented me with a picture she had made,