August 3, 2019

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There was no post yesterday because we didn’t do anything special. Just hanging around Eindhoven and doing some shopping.

Today was also spent around Eindhoven but we had two things in mind: walk to the Woensel Market and then to the annual fair called Park Hilaria. Brother-in-law Peter joined us for the walk and also to be our guide. The market was not as busy as usual, even several empty sales spots because of the vacation period in the southern Netherlands. Lots of cheap clothes, knick-knacks, vegetables, baked goods, fish and of course cheese. The smoked eel, a delicacy here, was quite expensive and looked greasy to me, so I did not try it this time around. After having stopped off at the train station for a coffee and quick snack, we headed to the fair to wander around and take in the many attractions that took me back many years, mainly because some of the rides have not changed for sixty years! One ride, called Le Papillon (butterfly) used to be called The Rups (the caterpillar stage of the butterfly) because once the ride speeds up, it becomes completely covered to make the riders invisible to onlookers. It was at this time of the ride that we used to kiss the girls we were on the ride with. Old-fashioned romance....

We didn’t try any of the game stands where you can spend a lot of money before you win any of these huge stuffed animals. The area around the site has many streets named after high-profile political leaders from the second war, such as Churchill, Montgomery and Eisenhower, and famous American Presidents like Kennedy. Hate to disappoint some readers, no Trump Square yet!

Got our tickets for the train to Amsterdam and the Rijksmuseum tomorrow. That will be a long day.

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