Today it got too late to work on my blog.
Just a quick and short note. Yesterday I came to Herten, South of Roermond. From there I went home by train, about 60 km, and today I took the train from home to Roermond, in order to walk from Roermond to the North. I waited for a call from the riding school in Overijssel where I had bought pack horse Leon. Today they would let me know, if I could bring Leon back to them tomorrow. Indeed, when leaving the station in Roermond my cellphone rang. Bit tricky in the middle of traffic, with Tosca on the leash. Leon? Yes! We want to buy him. That call did not come from riding school in Overijssel, but from the hamlet Melleschet, Vijlen, the village where I live.
The ins and outs of the deal I will refrain from my blog, but Leon remains close in Vijlen, where he is going to live at his new address, close to my home, in the company of two other horses and I do not have to go to Overijssel tomorrow.
Next about tomorrow: Tuesday, an early start again. Sonja will bring me to the station in Heerlen. I will travel tomorrow by train to Venlo, the end of today. Tomorrow I want go to Swolgen, Meerlo or further. I will wear my full backpack again. Even though the day before yesterday I got a blister, but “allez”, who cares.
So this morning I walked from Roermond to Swalmen, the village where I was in 1978 (bah-is that long ago) to do my traineeship to become a GP at colleague Ruud’s. I had called my colleague Albert and his wife Wilmie in “Zjwame” (Swalmen) to announce that I would drop in for a cup of coffee. To my great pleasure they had also invited coach Ruud in 1978 and his wife Reinhild and so it was a reunion happy together after many years.
Swalmen is the birthplace of Grandfather Huyben. The paternal history goes back to, inter alia, Horn, middle of Limburg, where our pride, the Huyben brewery, was located. Until Heineken took over Huyben brewery second half of last century. So When my brothers and I started a vineyard a few decennia ago, an old family tradition was restored in Wahlwiller in the -80’s: the ghost back in the bottle and for the rest we were also in the oil (Dutch expression!).
Grandfather Jacques Huyben worked at the railway and so his job was in transport. Just like Jacques’ father again, who was my grand grandfather. The latter transported timber? from Swalmen to Germany, of course with cart and horse, because we are talking about the 1800. So grand grandpa also was in transport, a tradition that stopped in my branch of the family. But Swalmen still has my sympathy.
22:00. Intermezzo: phonecall from friend Cees. Harry, do you know that a dog may not enter in Norway? Three months quarantine etc. New problems. To be continued.
Venlo’s restaurant named like brother Jack and me
Historic house in Venlo 
With collegue coach Ruud, coll. Albert and Wilmie and Reinhild in Swalmen
Harrie Huijben pony en hond
Geef uw mening