Week 2 - Den Haag

by

Timothy Perrin

Den Haag - August 11- 16

We went from Jonnie's to Den Haag (the Hague) for six days with three hosts.

First up were Bob and Rosie Harle. He is a computer geek with an international agency, the European Patent Agency. She is a very talented writer. They live in a little cottage on a canal in a suburb of Den Haag which backs on to a sheep field. Behind that is a golf course. All very rural and beautiful but really only a long walk--3 km--from downtown Den Haag. Rosie made incredible scones, the recipe for which she shared with Terre and with which we will grace on our friends when we return.

By the time we left 48-hours later, Rosie and Terre were nearly in tears at parting: twins parted at birth, you would think.

See you guys soon.

Adnan and Angie are a very interesting couple. He is also a computer guy with an international agency--the chemical warfare inspection agency. He is Turkish. Angie is about 15 years younger, completely different in personality, a psychologist by training, and Greek. Wow! They are a great couple! Fun, interesting, fascinating, full of stories from two very different cultures.
Adnan is a true diplomat in practice as well as legal fact. He treated us beautifully and always kept us well plied with food and beverages. (Oh, I think I need to loosen my belt another notch.)

Angie has a marvelous Greek temperament and gets wound up about things. Adnan is quiet and soothing. He tells the story about coming into Athens. He is on a Turkish diplomatic passport. She is using her Greek passport. "Now don't go getting all wound up. You're the wife of a diplomat," he tells her. "I won't, if they aren't idiots," she says. Of course, they ask too many questions or something and before long, Angie is wound up. "Why are you asking that? What does that have to do with anything?" Adnan says he just stood back and hoped she didn't get herself arrested.

By the way, Angie--who so far has kept herself out of jail, thank goodness--makes the best bar-b-que east of New Mexico. You can come use my grill anytime, Angie girl.

Interestingly, their official home country is Canada and Angie is the vice president of the Canadian Women's Association. They were living in Ontario working near Ottawa when Adnan got this job in Den Haag. Angie can't wait to move back to the great white North. We can't wait to have her.

Again, Terre bonded with Angie instantly and leaving was hard. I really liked Adnan as well and I am greatly looking forward to seeing them again, hopefully before we leave.

Our third family in Den Haag were Margreet, Kent, and Christy Foster. Kent is originally Canadian and he met Margreet when she was a pretty young Dutch girl traveling in Canada. They ended up married and moved back to Holland. Christy is their smart, perky, fun 13-year-old who took us to the fireworks competition on the waterfront. What a show. The Polish team had fireworks coming right out of the water off the beach.

Kent works for the International Criminal Court, not to be confused with the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal. The Yugoslav tribunal was set up by the UN just to handle cases arising out of the former Yugoslavia. Once they've tried all those cases, they are done. The International Criminal Court is a permanent body. It is the one the US refused to participate in so that it is free to commit war crimes without international sanction.

The Fosters live in a magnificent old house owned by Margreet's mom. They have the second floor. Mom has the first. There is an apartment on the third and another in the attic occupied by two women who also work at the ICC.

Christy goes to the Montessori high school--she just started high school the day after we arrived. Terre wanted to visit her classroom but it was the first day and just too soon to do something like that. We hope to squeeze it in before we come home.

It was Christy's 13th birthday the week before we arrived but she had been at camp so she didn't get her presents until after we arrived. She had an earring from her Canadian grandmother that had been damaged in transit. I dug out my trusty soldering iron and fixed it making myself the hero of the night.

Margreet turned us on to the Den Haag Rose Garden. For those of you who don't know, perhaps my favorite photographic subject is flowers. (Remember, my degree is in botany.) I was in heaven. The sky was overcast meaning the lighting was perfect. I spent hours and hours taking pictures. This orange rose is the best shot of the lot.