I thought I knew every nook and cranny of my home town. My primary school class mate, Jeannette van Oostveen, took me on a tour to-day. First we stopped in our old neighborhood, the “Rivierenbuurt”. The below picture was taken in front of the apartment on Alblasstraat 41 II, where I was born and left from for the USA in 1957;  the black and white picture was taken in the same spot in  August 31, 1939 on queen Wilhelmina’s birthday. We drove through all the familiar streets of the neighborhood and past the Dr.deMoorschool. Then Jeannette showed me a very well preserved corner of the old city that I had seldom seen. Her father and grandfather had a printing business, Kampert en Helm Drukkerij,  which had operated from several still existing buildings, first on the Barndesteeg off the Oude Zijdsvoorburgwal, in what is now the red light district, then on the Binnenkant and last  on the Henri Polaklaan, near the Zoo and in the old Jewish quarters. This was a delightful walk while Jeannette pointed out where her aunt had lived on the Oude Waal and what the different old buildings had been used for in the past.

Kees Brandenburg en Nel Brandenburg-Cupido also made a surprise visit to the boat this morning, old neigbors from the Alblasstraat.

Last night I had  a gourmet dinner aboard “Jasana”, with Matthias and Regina from Hamburg who moor their boat here. The weather has been cooler but no rain to spoil my trim epoxy repairs and I expect to be sanding and varnishing to-morrow.