The Niemantsverdriet Family's Tour Experience

It seems like all my life I had dreamed of going to the Netherlands - land of my ancestors. In April 2001 that dream came true as 19 members of the Niemantsverdriet family journeyed "home to Holland". So often, the reality of a situation doesn't meet one's expectations. That was definitely not true on this trip. I could not have imagined how emotional and moving the actual experiences were.

We visited many of the tourist attractions that all visitors should see - the lovely canal tour of Amsterdam (I wish we'd done that twice!), and the Dam Place, "red light district", Westerkerk, Anne Franke house, Rijksmuseum, the diamond factory, the visits to the flower auction at Aalsmeer, the cheese market at Alkmaar, the outstanding Keukenhof Gardens, the Hague, Middelburg, Het Loo Palace, Delft, Giethoorn, seeing the Queen (and having her wave to us) - the list goes on and on. But the most moving experiences were those involving family, ancestry, and heritage.

In Charlois, the village where our ancestors had lived prior to emigrating, we met some distant cousins in a little historical museum. We were greeted with hugs and kisses, coffee and pastries. These people were strangers for only a few seconds, and then indeed we were all family. They led us up the streets and down the alleyways that our ancestors had walked. Charlois is now part of Rotterdam and has experienced the ravages of war and of modernization. And yet the city hall and police station, quaint little homes with steeply pitched roofs, restored little fire house and lovingly renovated church were there to greet us. These places, these buildings, played an important role in our ancestors lives.

The Oude Kerk, the old church, would have been an important social and religious center in their lives. We, too, felt the effect that these institutions would have had on their lives and the internal struggles they must have gone through as they made the decision to leave their homes and families to make their lives in a new world. Here, in this church, in this community, they would have pondered the move to America.

We lunched at Landhuis de Oliphant on Krommezandweg. The restaurant had been constructed in 1592 and later moved, brick by brick to its current location and rebuilt. It seems so amazing to have buildings this old - buildings constructed before permanent European settlement of America! Buildings still in active use and beautifully maintained. Down the road a piece is a windmill - the Molen Krommezandweg built in 1723 - our family would have known it, would probably have visited it.

We learned of a Niemantsverdriet farm, inhabited by the Niemantsverdriet family for over 100 years. Unannounced, we were welcomed into the home by the elderly owner, who, unable to speak English, looked just as in awe as we were. The wooden shoe, the sign of welcome, hung next to her front door.

We visited cemeteries, small town churches, local historical museums, Klaaswaal - the village where our family name first appears in records. Everywhere we went, we felt a kinship, felt that this, too, was home. Our home. Our history. These small, charming communities of our collective past welcomed and embraced us. This opportunity to visit the places of our personal history made this trip extremely special to us.

The opportunity to take a family tour tailored to our needs and interests was wonderful. We not only visited the well known and beautiful, but also the humble, the work-a-day, the lovely places that called to us. The tour was enhanced by our common history, our common interests, our related though diverse family of individuals! What a wonderful, wonderful experience. And, we hope to go again! This trip was indeed a dream come true.

Thanks to everyone at Witte Travel!
Carolyn Bauer Niemantsverdriet