In MAASTRICHT, the capital of my Province of birth in THE NETHERLANDS, we had the XVth INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON THE SCIENCE AND CULTIVATION OF EDIBLE FUNGI. My husband had been lecturing many times for the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR MUSHROOM SCIENCE. So for the Millennium year we decided to fly to The Netherlands for meeting with a lot of former colleagues and friends from around the world. Even though my husband had retired, he still liked to meet with them. BUT, not having to lecture himself, as all previous years, he too could join the Spouse Programme and thus we ended up together for Tea at Château Neercanne in Maastricht.
This Tea was given in the Carrière Poswick & Orangerie.
My husband is seated right in front of the waiter...
As you can read below, the Carrière Poswick and Orangerie is hewn into huge Roman marl caves as you clearly can see in this photo.
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| Balcony of The Netherlands |
Funny that they call Château Neercanne the Balcony of The Netherlands... (just click above link)
It even is the only terraced castle in the Benelux (Belgium - Netherlands - Luxemburg)
This was the occasion...
First we of course did have a nice walk around this special castle that also is an UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.
Here I am to the right (in jeans suit from Escada) with dear friend Judy O'Neil from Canada.
This sadly was the very last time I got to see her...
We did consulting work for her husband's mushroom plants in Canada.
Sande Chase (from the blog: A Gift Wrapped Life) from East Windsor, Ontario knew Judy personally.
Judy worked from Sande's design studio years ago and they went together to High Point, North Carolina for the Furniture Show one year. Small world...
While they prepare for our Tea, we have a nice conversation with this International group.
This is a photo taken from the terrace looking at the Carrière Poswick & Orangerie where we enjoyed our tea and/or coffee.
Here I enjoy the splendid view over the Jekerdal valley.
You can have a look for yourself by watching this short video...
it looks like a beautiful place. nice that the two of you could attend without worries of making a presentation. :)
ReplyDeleteDearest Theresa,
DeleteThat was indeed a very rare BLISS!
Hugs,
Mariette
What a beautiful place, Mariette. It's so nice that your husband got to enjoy the program himself! <3
ReplyDeleteDearest Stacy,
DeleteSure this was a very special attendance; sitting both in the audience for a change!
Hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeletethis really is a lovely place.
Thank you for those wonderful pictures!
Love and hugs
Claudia
Dearest Claudia,
DeleteIt always is lovely for going back in the ages. Fascinating to see the architecture of the 17th Century!
Hugs,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletebeautiful, lovely, wonderful!
Sonnige Grüße
Elisabeth
Liebe Elisabeth,
DeleteJa dass war es!
Lieber Gruss,
Mariette
I have no words, Wonderful experience!
ReplyDeleteMarina
Dearest Marina,
DeleteOh, such cultural and architectural experiences in the Old World are always wonderful!
Hugs,
Mariette
Wat leuk Mariette, dus jullie waren of zijn nu in Nederland?
ReplyDeleteWat leuk om je familie en vrienden nog eens te zien, en inderdaad een prachtige locatie!Nog veel plezier!
Lieve groet,
Nicole
Beste Nicole,
DeleteJá we waren al 63 keer in Nederland... Maar de tekst vermelde duidelijk dat dit in het Millennium jaar was.
Liefs,
Mariette
Mariette, das ist ein wundervoller Bericht, wieder gespickt mit tollen Fotos.
ReplyDeleteEs ist doch auch einmal schön, nicht selbst aktiv sein zu müssen, sondern still genießen zu dürfen.
Einen guten Tag wünscht Dir
Irmi
Liebe Irmi,
DeleteJa, dass war wirklich herrlich! Nur das Wetter war etwas kühl aber man kann sich darauf anziehen.
Lieber Gruss,
Mariette
I'm glad you had a nice holiday and met people you knew.
ReplyDeleteDearest Kay,
DeleteIt was indeed a very worthwhile trip. We build over the years so many life time friendships and it's always worth meeting each other!
Hugs,
Mariette
Lieve Mariette,
ReplyDeleteZeker ken ik deze prachtige locatie in het mooie glooiende Limburgse landschap,
niet dat ik er wekelijks mijn cabrio binnenrijdt om te dineren...
ken het enkel van afstand wanneer wij er langsrijden en van naam als Neercanne in het nieuws komt wanneer de Europese leiders daar lunchen of dineren tijdens de Eurotop.
Jij en je man zullen tijdens jullie werkzaamheden wereldwijd wel veel vaker op uitnodiging in zulke super de luxe en sfeervolle ambiance's verkeerd hebben.
Als ik het nou eerlijk zeggen moet en de foto's bekijk vind ik het een ''beetje'' kaal en ongezellig uitzien om gasten al plaats te laten nemen aan tafel voordat er ingedekt is voor koffie/thee.
Lieve groet,
Ger
Lieve Ger,
DeleteJij bent een erg goeie waarneemster! Ja, Pieter en ik verbaasden ons altijd dat zulke internationale congressen àltijd in top-locaties, en dus peperduur, gehouden worden! Je hebt gelijk met het nog moeten indekken en daarvoor verdienen ze zéker geen Michelin ster...
Het was uiteindelijk toch wel lekker en ook goed. Mogelijk was het een communicatie probleempje qua exacte tijd.
Liefs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette;
ReplyDeleteOh, you two must have had a wonderful time. Especially for your husband without any duty or tension. I wish I could see your beautiful birth country. Balcony of Netherlands; and I enjoyed the video very much(*^_^*) You look SO happy with you friend!
Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan to my dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*
Dearest Miyako,
DeleteThank you for your kind comment. Oh, it was so very different for going there without the pressure of duty. We will cherish this meeting with special friends forever, even more so since we lost several of them shortly afterwards.
Big hugs to you from the USA,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect trip you both enjoyed. It must hold bittersweet memories knowing that this was the last time you saw your friend. But how perfect that you had time to visit in such a lovely setting.
Dearest Suzi,
DeleteThanks for your kind words; indeed it turned out to be bittersweet for two of our friends whom we lost shortly afterwards.
Memories are what count for us in order to move on and frame those special moments together, forever in our hearts.
Hugs,
Mariette
Zuid Limburg is mooi, ik ben er vroeger met mijn ouders vaak op vakantie geweest. Deze locatie ken ik echter niet, is misschien een beetje te sjiek om zo langs te gaan. Het wordt vaak gebruikt voor congressen en ontvangsten heb ik begrepen.
ReplyDeleteBeste Marianne,
DeleteJazeker de natuur in Zuid Limburg is heel mooi. Er is ook zoveel oudheid te zien en Maastricht is de oudste stad van Nederland.
De locatie is inderdaad een beetje buiten budget maar ons internationaal congres had er wèl geboekt...
Liefs,
Mariette
How beautiful, Mariette. You look stylish, as usual. Naturally, my eyes were drawn to your scarf.....love it.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to read that it was the last time your saw your friend. She looks lovely.
Big hugs, M-T
Dearest Marie-Thérèse,
DeleteThanks for your compliment! The scarf was matching with my silk blouse. Indeed, stylish enough for the location and casual enough for the day's cultural walk through the oldest city of The Netherlands.
Yes, it is bittersweet for knowing this was our last time together...
Hugs,
Mariette
This is such a lovely place! It must have been so much fun to have tea time with your former colleagues and friends in this beautiful castle.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry this was the last time you saw your friend Judy. She got such lovely smile.
Dearest Tamago,
DeleteThis was a very special place and time. Maybe the reason that I only post it now is after several years have mellowed the loss of dear friends. It does hurt and once the raw emotions have kind of mellowed we can again look back at the fond memories together. Glad I have this lovely photo of hers. She was a fighter that's a fact.
Hugs,
Mariette
Mariette, I was quite taken with the beauty of the venue. Not only is the setting attractive, but you are ever so lovely too! It sounds like both you and your husband had a very nice time.
ReplyDeleteDearest Julie,
DeleteThank you for your very kind comment and compliment! We did enjoy this special time of meeting former international colleagues and especially the nature walk through the Jekerdal valley!
Hugs to you,
Mariette
Dear Mariette,what a beautiful place you visit!!!
ReplyDeleteYou must had a wonderful time!!!I hope you'll visit Netherlands very soon again!!!Have a lovely weekend!!!Hugs!!
Dimi...
Dearest Dimi,
DeleteWe certainly did have a very good time!
Going to The Netherlands is not an easy thing to do often. We have been there already 63 times... Age is also a factor.
Enjoy your weekend.
Hugs,
Mariette
My dear friend Mariette:
ReplyDeleteI believe that this congress must have been very interesting, what a lovely place to enjoy tea or coffee, and also the magnificent view. Beautiful memories that you keep in your heart and always nice to see it in pictures too.
Hugs to you my dear friend
Laura :)
Dearest friend Laura in Canada,
DeleteYes, these beautiful memories of a dear Canadian friend are precious. Together with the photos we keep them in our hearts.
Proud also of the Province I was born and glad I could share that with you.
Hugs to you,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteI'm your dreaming about your Pieter and your friends of all memories and it long time your hearts.
I love to see with the international group with enjoyed your very nice TEA or coffer it sand very nice!
Best to you and lots of love!
Michiko
Dearest Michiko,
DeleteYes, friends will stay forever in our hearts and such photos will help keeping the beautiful memories alive.
It was a very nice international group that enjoyed their coffee or tea.
Hugs to you and enjoy your spring weekend.
Mariette
Mariette, you lead an interesting life. Thanks for taking us along to Chateau Neercanne.
ReplyDeleteDearest Sarah,
DeleteOh we certainly did and there are so many fond memories...
Glad to share some of them with my readers. Château Neercanne is a lovely 17th Century Castle!
Hugs,
Mariette
What a lovely place to gather for tea surrounded by history and beauty.
ReplyDeleteIt makes more sense to me to put a description above the photo so readers know what they are about to see rather than them seeing a photo with a description after. A magazine layout is certainly different than scrolling through a blog. Sometimes when I go to blogs who do the opposite, it's very confusing and I have to keep scrolling back up again to figure out what I am seeing. My brain obviously works different than some.
Have a fabulous Friday! Tammy
Dearest Tammy,
DeleteIn the Old World we often can find such historic buildings like this Château from the 17th Century. It makes a difference and especially for Americans where history is still so young.
Sure in the text above a photo one can already mention and explain what they are about to see. But the detailed info that goes with the photo always comes below. In your case it was all about similar photos about the moon and it was hard to guess which one was taken in Amsterdam...
Hope your Friday has been fabulous so far.
Hugs,
Mariette
Che bei posti Mariette e che incanto quel castello, imparo sempre qualcosa di nuovo quando vengo a trovarti.
ReplyDeleteGrazie sempre per le parole affettuose che lasci al mio blog, sei una grande amica!
Un carissimo abbraccio
Anna
Cara Anna,
DeleteGrazie mille per le tue affetuose parole qui. Davvero era in castello incanto per avere un delizioso tè o caffè con amici internazionali. Ora dopo tanti anni che posso guardare le foto di un'amica che abbiamo perso... È buono e sono contento per avere i ricordi nel mio cuore e ancora le foto dei tempi migliori.
Un carissimo abbraccio,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette, thanks for taking us along to Netherlands-lovely places !!!!
ReplyDeleteYou must have had a great time !!!! I enjoyed both the photos and the video !!!
Have a great weekend !!!!
Niki
Dearest Niki,
DeleteThanks for enjoying this. Compared to Greece's ancient history such a 17th Century Château is still considered young. But it is different. Maastricht used to be a Roman city and is the oldest city in The Netherlands.
Hugs to you and happy weekend!
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletedieser Platz mit dem Schloß (aus Sandstein, denke ich?...)und der Aussichtsterrasse sowie der wundervollen Orangerie sieht wirklich sehr schön aus. Danke, dass du ihn uns vorgestellt hast, ich kannte das Château Neercanne bisher nicht... Es wirkt sehr sehenswert auf mich!
Ich wünsche dir und deinen 2- und 4-beinigen Lieben ein wunderschönes Wochenenende!
Ganz liebe rostrosige Grüße und Katzen-Fellchenstreichler, Traude
Liebe Traude,
DeleteDanke für die liebe Wünschen.
Ja dieses Schloss wird oft benutzt für offizielle Besuche. Es liegt in eine wunderbare Gegend und ist schon Jahrhunderte benutzt worden.
Auch einen ganz lieben Gruss an euch; 2- und 4-beinigen Lieben!
Mariette
Dearest Mariette, This is such a lovely resort and such beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing your trip and I was so nice that Pieter could enjoy it on the other side of the dais this time.
ReplyDeletelove to you, Ginger
Dearest Ginger,
ReplyDeleteThank you and yes, for Pieter it was very enjoyable this time without having to perform! Such historical 17th Century Châteaux are always interesting.
Hugs to you and happy weekend.
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post! Thank you for sharing these beautiful and precious memories, and I loved seeing you in these pics!
Enjoy your weekend! Big hugs!
Dearest Anna,
DeleteThank you; glad you enjoyed this!
Wishing you too a lovely Sunday.
Hugs,
Mariette