Bleiswijk

And here is an experience that I'm sure most of my family has been waiting for - my time in Bleiswijk: the town my Grandpa grew up in. As I said before, we (Loretta and I) went to Bleiswijk after Gouda. It was relatively close to Gouda but generally you say Bleiswijk is just outside of Rotterdam. We had to take a regional bus out to Bleiswijk because it's not big enough to house a train station.

By the time we arrived in Bleiswijk it was like the sky opened up for us. The clouds disappeared and there was only sunshine - perfect weather for this experience. I had drawn out a little map in my journal and had found the directions from Mapquest - I was able to use my great-aunt Anne's diagram to determine the street: Prins Mauritstraat.

Since Bleiswijk is a small town it didn't take us long to find the street - I was so excited that I was shaking.... I just couldn't beleive that I was walking on the same streeets that my grandpa played in over 50 years ago! Based on a photo from 1980, I knew I needed to find house number 25. It was a very small street so it didn't take long to reach 23... then 24.... and then... a pile of rubble and construction zone!!! WHAT?!? I was horrified! I just couldn't believe I had come all this way only to discover that my Grandpa's house no longer existed! How could I come back and share such news at the annual Duivesteyn picnic?!?

I saw a local neighbor outside and decided to ask for help. This really nice man told me that he was born here in 1950 - last name was DeKorter. He was able to recognize the house from the photo and offered some excellent information: the house wasn't demolished! In fact, it was right around the corner.... the street name had only changed!! He offered to take me there and even knocked on the door to introduce me to the couple living there - they didn't speak any English. I just couldn't believe it!! This couple was so nice, they let me come inside and look around. The layout was still the same at Aunt Anne's memory. They had a lot of fun looking at the old photos I had brought with me. Besides the white shed now being covered with vines, and two of the front windows being made into one big one, the house pretty much looked the same as the old pictures.

The couple living there now looked about Grandma and Grandpa's age. Like all the Dutch people I've been meeting - they were extremely helpful and nice. While we were inside the house, I asked if they knew any Duivesteyns still living in Bleiswijk. They mentioned the name Koos and I immediately recognized the names as the youngest brother of my great-opa Pieter Duivesteyn. They looked up Koos's address in the phonebook and wouldn't you know? He only lived about a 5 minute walk away!!

At this point, the Dekorter man left and so I had to rely on my Dutch to communicate with the man who now lived in the house as he walked Loretta and I over to Koos's. I was told that Koos's wife had passed away just two years ago and he now lived on his own but with daughters close by. At the door, an elderly man in his late 80s was surprised to see two young guests. Koos didn't speak any English whatsoever but as a surprise to myself - I was able to explain who I was and all about my travels in Holland so far.

Koos was SOOO happy to meet us. He very graciously got us some juice and sat down on the couch with me as we looked through the old photos. There was a huge smile accross his face as he recognized pictures of his brother, himself and his extended family. He understood that my grandfather was the "dreide zon van zijn oudste broer". Koos showed me pictures of his wife, his daugthers and his grandsons. We had a really nice visit and I was so happy that Loretta became the official photographer of this excursion. I made sure to get Koos's address so that I would be able to write him and tell him how happy I was to meet him.

After our visit with Koos, we went back to the house to get some more photos. We followed the steeple through the trees and came to the Reformation Church that was also in my photos. We couldn't go inside at that time, but it was still amazing just to see it.

The couple living in the house now told me that the old mill that had once been managed by grandpa's Verhuel grandparents no longer existed - a supermarket is there instead. However, the name of the mill "de Volharding" can still be seen on a house right beside the old site of the mill. We made sure to check that out as well.

I left Bleiswijk with such a happy feeling inside. I just was so grateful that I had the opportunity to meet the only Duivesteyn still living in the town. The way things worked out couldn't have been better. It was so fortunate that the people I met on this journey were so helpful. This couldn't have been a better day.