This was the day that we had planned to go the the Temple in Den Haag (actually it is in Zoetemeer), but we were afraid that with the money dilemma we had run into in Amsterdam would keep us from going. So as soon as we had gotten back to Tante Marianne's we called home and my Dad put some money into my account so that I could buy the train tickets and then some extra just in case. So, Tante Marianne dropped us off at the train station again (after making sure that we were able to get our money first), this time I bought a round trip ticket. Our first train was delayed, so we missed the connecting train that we originially were going to take. We had a hard time finding a train going in the right direction, but after talking to the conducters and telling them our final destination they were able to tell us whether we had the right train (or at least how close they could take us to our destination). Tante Marianne had really helped in this department because she printed out some of the train options we could take, so I had an idea of where normal train stops and swaps would be.
We finally made it to Zoetemeer and with the simple directions that the Temple President had given us on Sunday we were able to find the Temple. It was so beautiful, and such a wonderful experience. So peaceful! It was definitely worth all the trouble of getting there. What a great way to end a trip!!
When we left the Temple, there was a little restraunt-type place nearby, so we stopped there for lunch. When Laena spoke in English, the lady seemed to give a look like "If you don't speak my language what are you doing in this part of Holland for?" So, I tried to talk in my limited Dutch. That seemed to make her smile. So, not knowing what most of the stuff on the menu was I smiled and asked for my favorite dish, that I knew how to say "Kroquet met potat, astublief" (I will fix the spelling as soon as I find a my Dutch dictionary). That is my favorite lunch dish to order! It is a breaded....well, I don't know how to explain a kroquet, but you usually order fries to go with it, and you can't eat fries in Holland without the famous fry sauce!! Yummmm.... What did we drink? That was simple too. I almost always ask for "appelsap" (apple juice) or "sinasappelsap" (orange juice) because apple juice is easy to say, and orange juice is really fun to say. :)
The way back was much easier since Tante Marianne printed out the time schedules of the trains we needed to catch and which track they would be on. There was also a sign saying which stop was next in the train, and the conductor only announced that stop, instead of a lot of extra talking. We bought a bouquet of roses to give to Tante Marianne as a "thank you" in the Den Haag station (roses are cheaper in Holland). I was going to come up with this big story of how some stranger thought that we were so cute that he gave us flowers or something like that, but the bouquet was so big that it was too hard to hide behind my back, so there was not story to accompany the gift when Tante Marianne picked us up at the station. It sure brought a lot of attention on the train though. Everyone kept looking at me, especially this one guy (which is where the story originated). Anyway, it was a wonderful way to end the trip.
After dinner, Ome Jan and Tante Annie Bruijn, as well as Chantal, Remco, Nico, and Marian all came to say goodbye. Once they left we finished our packing and weighed our suitcases. It would be our last night in Holland.
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