January 27th, 2013

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Sunday, January 27. Meltdown.

Sunday, January 27th, 2013

Yesterday, Saturday, we had another thin coat of snow, to wipe out the tracks in the week old snow. But a warmer wind blew in from the SW. And the snow is one in most places. The long hoped for Eld Stedentocht is back on the shelf. A few skating races and tours were held on Friday and Saturday. But much can still happen between now and early March. My granddaughter Corrine and her boyfriend Euan came by train to Rhenen (about 30 KM west of Arnhem). I went to mass in Rhenen in the Gedachteniskerk. Father Henri ten Have gave a wonderful sermon on the epistle and gospel. I always appreciate a scholarly historical background of the time the scriptures were written. Father Henri did this well. But as I am now getting accustomed to, most of his parish members missed this opportunity. He preached to the (10 men Gregorian) choir and another 50 of the faithful in a church set up for 20 fold of that number. As you can see from the below picture, father ten Have had a choice to play for the Chigago Bulls.  A Brazilian priest father Aristóteles, it’s Greek to me, co-celebrated. He is part of a (Brazilian originated) movement Communidade Catolica Shalom. I would have liked to learn more from the rest of his Brazilian group who were at mass, but Corrine and Euan were waiting at the r.r. station. Rhenen has a gorgeous 11th century church, the Cunera church. It has been used by the protestant church since the Reformation. We took a quick look inside. The organist, for the last 28 years in the Cunera church, Gert van der  Vliet talked to us about his concert tours with the choir in England and America. We moved on to Amerongen, one of my favorite well preserved historical jewels, and took the ferry across the Lek to Eck and Wiel. The weather was not what I had hoped for, wet and cold.  I had hoped that we could go for a bicycle tour along the river. The same Lek river I had come up on to get on the Rhine, in 2010. After I had dropped them back to the station the skies cleared.