Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15

Approximately every 18 month to 2 years either we visit Vlaardingen or they visit us and this time it was the turn of Blaize members to go to the Netherlands.

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The 4 couples from Blaize who went by boat enjoy an early breakfast

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The first visit for the boat people was an exhibition about a new motorway that was being built after 50 years planning

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The actual motorway which is hidden in a ditch to reduce the noise and not spoil the landscape.

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Then it was off to visit Rene Moerman's home and beautiful Gardens

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Graham Robinson certainly enjoyed himself

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Rene's partner Joly had put on a fabulous lunch including these delicacies

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The weather was at it's best allowing an easy going lunch

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Meanwhile the other half of the Blaize visitors arrived at Schipol and made their way to Rotterdam by train

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Right outside the station in Rotterdam is the new Markt Hall which on the date of our visit was expecting it's 5 millionth visitor since opening in October 2014

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The boat travelers and their hosts wait outside the station for those who were coming by train.

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Second from the left in the picture is Wim Goedendorp who is to be the District Governor in 2016-17 for District 1600

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Inside the Markt Hall the walls are decorated with artwork of flowers, fruit and vegetables. The walls and roof contain apartments with windows looking outside and others looking into the Hall

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - On the opposite side from the Markt Hall there are several unusual buildings including the library with it's yellow pipes running everywhere

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - More of the artwork and apartments

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Refreshments were taken in one of the cafe's inside the Markt

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Robert Askew, Barbara Barrow and Barrie Birch take in their surroundings

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Some of the produce on sale in the Markt

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The Laurenskerk is a church close by the Markt Hall.

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Construction started on the church in 1449 and as with most such buildings continued for several centuries

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - But on 14 May 1940, both church and tower were very heavily damaged by fire resulting from the bombing of Rotterdam. Only the walls of the church and the tower remained

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Between 1947 and 1968 the church was restored to it's former glory

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Blaize President Barrie Birch examines a sculpture in the church

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Ellen de Vries-Roetman and Marilyn Robinson outside the church

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Dinner that evening was provided buffet style in meeting room belonging to the new Vlaardingen Museum.

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The room is on the opposite side of Westhavenkade street from the Museum overlooking the main harbour

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Blaize were very fortunate to visit the museum as it was closed in 2010 for a full restoration and does not open until 20 June 2015

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Before going across tothe Museum Siem van der Marel explains that there are not any exhibits in the building yet but what he will be showing is the conversion work

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Once in the building Roderik Rot explains the origins of the building (a fish processing plant) and the work undertaken to restore and convert it

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The outside of the new museum

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The ceiling in one of the rooms

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Ellen de Vries-Roetman and Graham Robinson with John Waterhouse in the background

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - A several thousand year old fishing boat found in the mud of the river bank in Vlaardingen

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Fons Hosman in the foreground enjoys the evening

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - President Barrie Birch thanks VL80 for an enjoyable evening on behalf of his Blaize colleagues

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The next day was a relatively early start for a day cruising down the Rhine to the sea on the Tug Elbe

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Elbe has had a varied life: 1959 to 1976 tug name Elbe, 1976 to 1985 pilot boat named Maryland 1985 to 2001 Greenpeace action ship

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - A Ghanian student who is on a 12 month exchange visit in Holland and who is staying with a VL80 member

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The main bridge of the Elbe with Marjon Aarons partner Frans in the foreground

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Marilyn Robinson examines the lifeboats

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Perhaps Marilyn was interested in the lifeboats because Graham had control of the wheel!

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The VL80 flag flying from the madt of the Elbe

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Unfortunately the weather wasn't as kind as the previous day and some felt the need to wrap up

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Down in the engine room the controls for the engines

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Graham (he gets everwhere) with Susan van der Ploeg examines the spare propellor

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Presidents Barrie and Conny van der Vaart-Seen welcome everybody onboard

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Even Robert gets under the blanket for warmth

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Barrie Birch and Rene Esmeijer

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - That evening some Blaize Rotarians went to the homes of individual VL80 members whilst others went to the Indigo restaurant

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The entire party outside the Indigo which is a restaurant that specialises in organic food a lot of which is grown on the site

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Ron Hoekstra's friend entertained the company by playing tunes on his accordion. When asked for a tune that everybody knew we ended up singing Old MacDonald had a farm

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The main dining room at the Indigo

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - A more leisurely start the next day saw us head to Den Haag to visit the Panorama Mesdag. This photo shows Robert talking with Rik Bouman and his partner Ploni

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Part of the Panorama painted by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and team under guidance of his wife who stood at the centre and told them where to paint

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The second part of the Panorama. The picture was outlined on paper which was wrapped around a central lamp which then projected the image onto the canvas for the painters to copy

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - After the Panorama lunch was served at the Strandpaviljoen De Kwartel restaurant on the beach

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Where Blaize enjoyed the wonderful hospitality provided by our friends at VL80

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Arend Kreeft and his partner Ria in the foreground with Alan & Marjorie Morrell and Ron Hoekstra

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Wim and Elly Goedendorp toast their guests

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Nel Hoekstra gives advice to the Blaize members who were staying on for a few extra days to visit Keukenhof and Delft

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - The beach at Scheveningen

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - But eventually all good things must end and the Presidents make their closing speeches

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - Barrie tells Conny that we have all had a fabulous trip and look forward to the next time when our friends will come to the UK

Visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 24/4/15 to 26/4/15 - As a thank you for the hospitality shown Barrie hands over a book which recorded the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in Yorkshire in 2014

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The above pictures tell the story of the Bradford Blaize visit to our twin club Vlaardingen 80 in the Netherlands. Many thanks go to our hosts for a wonderful visit with particular thanks to Ellen de Vries-Roetman and Ben Valk for all the organisation they put in to make it such an enjoyable visit.

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