"All roads lead to Amsterdam. And each will take you past an irritable little boy with his finger in a dike demanding that you take his place in holding back the sea." ~ Duivel van Kletzkop, 1923
I'm looking forward to the comments I get for that little remark. When I started this series on the Tulip Festival, I showed you some posted photographs at Dow's Lake about life in the Netherlands (and connections to this side of the Atlantic). Here are some more.
I hope you get an interesting collection of comments for that. Sadly, I don't have anything funny or interesting to say.
ReplyDeleteAaaaah, we got a lot of news from Canada in the former days because of the state visit of King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima to Canada. Ever since World War II the Canadians have a warm place in our hearts. I saw in the newspaper that 1 out of each 30 Canadians has ancestors from Holland!
ReplyDeleteNice collection.
ReplyDelete:-) So true, so true!
ReplyDeleteYou are right, I just finished my hour sitting with my finger in the dike here, we all have to do that otherwise we would drown :)
ReplyDeleteI knew that all roads lead to Rome, but in this case Amsterdam seems quite right...
ReplyDeleteCool! :-)
ReplyDeletea most interesting quote. :)
ReplyDeleteThat last picture is awesome with the windmills. My hubby got a great shot of some at Gretziel (sp) Germany across the sea. Funny to think about the stories of the boy and th dike.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Marianne's comment made me smile :)
ReplyDeleteI have no clue what your quote means, but it made me smile so I like it
ReplyDeleteThe finger in the dike says so much about the Dutch people and their ingenuity, determination and hard work. The finger in the dike has always been an inspiration to the Dutch.
ReplyDelete@Whisk: it's the meaning of the word duivel that I'm interested in seeing.... I've been called that, and for good reason!
ReplyDelete@Peter: that doesn't surprise me. A lot of immigration in the post war decades has firmly established Dutch roots across this country.
@Bill: thank you!
@Revrunner: thanks!
@Marianne: my parents had a humour book about Dutch culture that featured a 90s version of the little Dutch boy story.
@VP: Amsterdam is a city I would love to see for myself someday.
@Jose: thanks!
@Tex: I've got another fake quote in mind down the line regarding a piece of art.
@Linda: I think as I've grown up windmills have grown on me. My dad liked them- at one point there were three of them on the property.
@Grace: me too!
@Aimee: a very old story!
@Red: holding back the sea the way they've done certainly shows tenacity.
Nice post.
ReplyDeleteMB
Seems Canada does have strong ties to the Netherlands!
ReplyDeleteI am glad the Netherlands hasn't forgotten how kind Canada was to their royal family in the war. It's nice that a good deed is remembered in this way.
ReplyDeleteI love the windmill!
ReplyDeleteNot sure how to comment on the quote..haha.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are beautiful!
Hey, if you had to hold the damn dike with your finger, you'd get a little irritated, too! :))
ReplyDeleteFunny! And re your comment on Ocala: we are alike; I get the same way on escalators; methinks we have, uh...type A personalities? :)
@MB: thanks!
ReplyDelete@Cheryl: it does.
@Halcyon: it's a positive legacy of the Second World War.
@Linda: so do I.
@Tamago: I've had some relatives refer to me as a duivel, and I know my dad has occasionally called cats or dogs that!
@Lowell: escalator slowpokes are a pet peeve!
Such close ties to the Netherlands!
ReplyDeleteI think the relations between Canada and the Netherlands will remain for many years to come. Except during the soccer match between the Canadian and the Dutch ladies of course. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat boy's finger has become world famous! ;)
ReplyDeleteI had to go back to earlier posting (14th May) to refresh my memory about the connection with Netherlands. Found it and most interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteare you sure it isn't ROME? i thought it was all roads lead to ROME? i could be wrong. but I have never been to Rome or Amsterdam. I would love to see both locations one day soon. fingers crossed on that one. ( :
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that they provide information about the NL!
ReplyDeletenever heard of that quote, so no comment either way.
ReplyDelete@RedPat: very much so.
ReplyDelete@Jan: soccer fans take their teams seriously!
@Marleen: and it's such a peculiar story, too!
@Lauren: thank you!
@Beth: in this case, Amsterdam, but I'd love to visit both cities.
@Ciel: yes, it was a very good addition this year.
@Gill: I've got a fake quote by Napoleon coming in a future blog. I don't think he'd approve, but hey, he's long since dead.
You always come up with the information William, love the photograph of the photograph in the third picture..
ReplyDeleteThat would be a beautiful place to visit.
ReplyDeleteThat little boy has a very famous finger!
ReplyDeleteHa...Marianne is correct. I am amazed at how much land the Dutch has reclaimed from the sea.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Amsterdam several times and got to meet the beautiful Marianne ( Biebkriebels) on one of those trips.
Yes Canada has strong ties with Netherlands.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby was born there. When he tells me how the people of Holland helped during the war and took people in for safety. People appreciate the Dutch old and young.
Really, wouldn't you get irritated, too, if you had to wait so long for someone to relieve you? Someone needs to institute shifts!
ReplyDelete@Geoff: thank you!
ReplyDelete@Randy: indeed.
@EG: it's quite a story!
@Janey: I'd love to see the country someday.
@Carolann: my parents both came from there.
@Kay: all too true!