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Today was a day to discover where Frantz and Marianne were married and left Holland.
We drove to Rotterdam. Rolfe, Petra, Ome Natan, Tanta Lenie, Mariska and myself in a hire van.
Frantz and Marianne were married at the Rotterdam city hall first and then went to the church - Onze Lieve Vrouw van Altijddurende Bijstand. They left Rotterdam 2 days later on a ship from the Holland America Line. Tanta Lenie acompanied them on the ship as far as Amsterdam. Ome Nathan drove to Amsterdam and met the ship there to pick up Tante Lenie from the ship. Frantz and Mariane continued on to Australia, a 6 week journey. Mariane was a very reluctant emigant. It would be another 25 years before they return to Holland.
First we caught a water taxi across the Maas River - wide and choppy, to the Holland America Line building. Met a fellow tourist in the water taxi who was also on his first discovery trip to his father's Holland. He was from Australia, and wait for it.....Geelong...Drumcondra!!
The Holland America Line building is now a hotel. We had coffee and a long chat with Ome Nathan and Tanta Lenie about what they could remember about the wedding and subsequent departure only 2 days later.
Water taxied back across the river, saw a passenger boat named James Cook - the man who discovered Australia. How many coincidences with Australia can there be in Holland?
Lunch at Schmidt Zeevis - seafood restaurant. I had to have a bite of harring - raw herring with onions and pickles in a bun, and a bite of parling - raw eel. The Dutch need to refine their taste buds.
We then drove to the church where Frantz and Mariane were married. We sprinkled some of their ashes in front of the church where they came out and stood after their wedding.
Then we drove to the city hall and sprinkled the remaining ashes in the rose gardens. This was prohibited but the nice guide allowed us to do it and she even arranged for us to briefly see the rooms they would have conducted the civil ceremony and the celebratory room afterwards.
Highly emotional time for Mariska but she brought them home. Their circle of life and death is now complete.
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