Taking Husband Pieter back to Knoxville, TN in Mom & Dad's Footsteps

On April 4, of this year we both stayed in Knoxville, TN for two nights.

For a very special reason...

After having gone to Clingman's Dome, see previous post below, we visited with a dear blogger friend close to Knoxville and then checked in at the Hyatt Place downtown.

The blogger friend is: Katie Isabella she is very sweet in person!

Also: Ramblingon Katie Isabella's Mom

Yes, we met both of them!
It is always a joy for Meeting with any Blogger Friend that you know for many, many years and it also proves again and again that you have so much in common.

Here husband Pieter finally stands in a spot where he took daily lunch break walks...
Pieter had to do a course about Statistical Process Control at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for Campbell Soup.
So on Saturday, September 6, 1986 Pieter flew from Atlanta, Georgia to Knoxville, Tennessee after I'd dropped him off at the airport.

Here, Mom & Dad are walking the gardens around the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, on May  6, 1987.
As a matter of fact, just received this photo from my Dad on May 21, 2019, when I drove straight home from the airport after landing in Amsterdam.
Showed him some video on my MacBook and photos from our trip to Knoxville in April.
Dad jumped up and grabbed his photo book from their FIRST trip to the USA.
Never had seen those pictures myself and of course immediately asked Dad to take them with me for scanning them for archiving.
So happy with these memories!

Pieter took this photo from the University of Tennessee, from the Hill Street...

The University of Tennessee, Hill Entrance

Card from the University of Knoxville that Pieter sent to Mom & Dad in The Netherlands

From September 6 till the 12th, husband Pieter stayed at the Knoxville Hilton in 1986

On Friday, September 12 of 1986, I did pick up Pieter at the Atlanta airport by 6:35 PM and he proudly showed me this!

Pieter took this photo upon arrival in Knoxville with to the right the tower from a special Church...

This was a photo taken by husband Pieter, from the Observation Deck at the Sunsphere, showing the Church Street United Methodist Church of Knoxville, TN

Just click here for more info about Knoxville, TN - Church Street United Methodist Church and what a magnificent building that is!

A very poor quality photo but seen are Mom & Dad and I presume that I did park near that Church for strolling around the University as that is to the right...

Here I am standing in front of this beautiful Church Street United Methodist Church!
While Pieter was napping, I found it on the Internet, and now had the address for walking to it from our Hyatt Place in Downtown...
It was rather difficult to recognize from the bad photo I had of Mom & Dad.
Pieter took this photo from the median with pedestrian traffic lights as otherwise the entire building would not be in the picture.
Pedestrians could not cross this 6-lane road in 'one' trip...

Mom & Dad on May 6, 1987 at the World's Fair Park in Knoxville
The tower's window glass panels are layered in 24-karat gold dust...
It measures 266 ft or 81 m!
The 1982 World's Fair, formerly known as Knoxville International Energy Exposition in which The Netherlands also participated and China for the 1st time EVER. 
See short video: Remembering the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee where President Reagan opened it on May 1.
Also called 'Sunsphere'

Husband Pieter took this photo in 1986 when walking around during lunch break...
In the center you see the Hilton hotel
Oh, I do recall Pieter talking about Worlds Largest Rubik's Cube From 1982 Worlds Fair of which they had a HUGE one on display.
Designed by Hungarian Architecture Professor Erno Rubik and became one of the 1982 World's Fair's most well known icons.

This photo I took of Pieter on April 4, 2019...
The first time that Pieter ever came back here since 1986!

Yep, Public Parking Poplar St Lot and Pieter pointing to the World's Fair Park and it is visible to his right.
There are still overhead wires visible but a lot less than in 1987 when I took Mom & Dad's photo.
Horizon pollution...

The Tennessee Amphitheater shown here, which got constructed during the 1982 World's Fair

Dad gave me also this photo where we just arrived in North Carolina.
We visited Highlands and also nearby Dry Falls of which Dad himself had pictures.
We spent the night in Cherokee TN, at a Best Western
Next day we went to Gatlinburg, TN and on to Knoxville.

Quite a solo trip for me, as we had dropped off Pieter at the airport on Sunday, May 3, after we had spent the weekend in Atlanta at the Marriott Galleria.
1226 km for me solo or 14 hours driving...
Pieter was still working full time for Campbell Soup as Vice President Training & Development.
A total of 1,226 km and back till the airport in Atlanta to pick up Pieter, all on May 6, and from there, Pieter did drive home!
That was a full day... all the way from Knoxville.

We had all four been together to the Dutch Queen's Birthday Reception at the Dutch Consul's home on West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta.
Dad sang the Dutch Wilhelmus on this side of the Atlantic!
So with 2 nights at the Marriott and some shopping, dropping Pieter off at the airport I'd gone back to Dublin for 1 night... Next day we left for North Carolina and the above Knoxville, TN visit.
When I'd come home in Dublin, I also altered a newly bought dress for Mom (while in Atlanta!) so she could wear it!

So happy for having received Dad's photos and being able to look back and for having shown Pieter once more...

Previous post:
SO Proud of my NONAGENARIAN | previous post by me

{Mom Lived 16 Days Short of Her 91st Birthday} | previous post by me with Mom & Dad's words in guest book

From CitizenM Hotel on Delta Airlines from Amsterdam to Savannah, Georgia

And so we were returning home from our 66th trip to The Netherlands!
It was a LONG trip this time since we did not want to use the much cheaper, all included flight + cruise from Viking!
Having your Dad, living in The Netherlands and bypassing him would be criminal in my humble opinion.
So here we went, right after having had a very hectic week with our choir, daily rehearsals for choreography and then 2 x performing on Saturday, May 18, at the local theatre.

Here I am, after getting back from Mass, in-between 2 performances.
Did not wear this to Church though... My Go-Go boots belonged with the 60s A-line style of dresses.
Found me this at Neiman Marcus Last Call and JIT = Just In Time. Click the link to read about the A-line silhouette, which did bring back very fond memories of me going to Fashion Design School...
Haha, half a century ago that is, but see, such styles DO return!
Go-Go boots came straight form China as I did not want any heels.
If you click the link, it shows them being very high, but not so on my long legs...
This dress can be pulled on over the head so I decided to take it with me to Europe.

Viking was offering this as: RIVER CRUISE AND AIR SAVINGS... Indeed, they offered very cheap flights from Atlanta to Budapest!
But we did NOT want to bypass The Netherlands.

Sure the VIKING INCLUSIVE VALUE was super!
Ground transfers with Viking Air purchase...

If air is not purchased from Viking, transfers may be purchased separately.
We ran into lots of bottle necks but with some back and forth writing it worked out.

BUT... 'After many long discussions with my management team and our operations team, I'm able to have transfers on your sailing at no additional price. All you need to do is provide us with your flight information.' - That was great news and we proceeded with the bookings!

This is U.S. time but it was 9:15 when our flight from New York landed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and I got a message from Verizon with welcome to The Netherlands you are connected... We had not even arrived yet at the terminal!
Still had to get off the plane, through customs and collecting our suitcases.
So I sent my youngest brother Jan a location snapshot...
And again after arriving at Dad's place shortly after noon, when I drove the approx. 2 hours south.

Happy for being able to surprise my 98 year old Dad with a visit!
And several visits that is, he was SO HAPPY, never have seen him 'show' it the way he did this time.
And so talkative... we stayed some 2.5 hours after we had landed in Amsterdam and I'd driven straight to Dad's place for a visit.
The above photo is from June 2, the Sunday before we would be flying to Budapest next day, to start our Viking cruise adventure together.
Dad always had drilled us while picking tomatoes or gherkins about what is the capital of Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary etc. He himself loved Geography and so did I.
Little did I know then, that I would get to see quite a number of those capitals...
But we both had never been to Eastern Europe outside of Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
I'd given Dad my booklet from Viking, so he could study it and read all about it.
He would know day by day where we were and what we would be visiting.
His question was IF we would come back...
Well, as we both wanted to surprise him on Father's Day for being once again at his place with my siblings, we did not openly tell him we'd be back.
WISH I had...
After returning from Bucharest when Pieter was so sick and I too was weak, we rested a few days and there comes the message that Dad had been taken by ambulance to the hospital, serious heart problems.
So instead of visiting him at home, we ended up visiting him at the hospital.
He was SO Happy again and said: 'So yet you are here!'...
We did bring him the remainder of the dark German Lindt chocolate, that we brought back from Bad Münstereifel, where I took Mom and Dad and they always LOVED being there.

On Saturday, May 25 we visited Bad Münstereifel together with our German 'Son' and family.
They had given Pieter a wonderful belated 90th Birthday celebration at their home...

We'd left Dad four of these sticks in the week after that...
Remainder got saved for FATHER'S DAY

Like Dad, I too LOVE dark Chocolate and Lindt has the 70% Cacao... so good!
Even for diabetic type 2, a daily small piece is okay.

So this is what we left on Dad's bedside table at the hospital after saying our FINAL GOODBYE... EMOTIONAL as Dad and we knew we would NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN - ALIVE THAT IS...
Hope he got to enjoy his chocolate and remembered both of us with each bite!
Sad that we had to depart from there, to return my BB & L rental car and next walk the 300 m to the CitizenM Hotel at Schiphol Airport.
CitizenM is a Netherlands-based hotel chain... click above link.

CitizenM says: wise travellers carry a small bag a big heart and good sunglasses
~
Convenient for our early departure as we were next to the Departure Hall already.

You sleep in a HUGE bed and under a light and soft down duvet on down pillows...
Only wish you had the luxury of sleeping in or at least till a more decent hour than 5:30!

It is the most convenient way to spend the night and for my Pieter especially, not having to walk too far is a big PLUS.

CitizenM is located at Jan Plezierweg 2

Pieter was in awe as with our boarding passes in my Wallet on the iPhone, I could self check our suitcases!
They had to be placed on their side, with handle up and then holding the iPhone with boarding pass, in front of scanner. Label got printed and you tied it around the handle and you also received the above Claim Tag! With the weight... mentioned and directing you to Please go to Gate: E20
So there we went, off on our Delta flight to Detroit at 9:20 in the morning...

We did have quite a lay-over in Detroit so we solved that in a nice way.
Since we have the Platinum Delta SkyMiles credit card, you can buy a day pass for the Delta Sky Club at $ 29.00. One of its perks! So I got us both a pass and we could relax, Pieter even could nap in an armchair and they provide salads, soups and light snacks with drinks.
Also WiFi available so I could check my mail etc. for the day before traveling on.
At 22:00 I arrived safely home by car, from Savannah, Georgia... that would be 4:00 o'clock next morning for Dutch time! A long day from 5:30 till next day 4:00...
We went straight to bed, left the suitcases in the car till next morning when I woke up around 5:30 again.
Of course, Dad had been released that afternoon... Murphy's Law!
~
But on June 30, I received a WhatsApp message from brother Piet, that Dad had passed away, in his chair, in his garden on a Sunday...
A jogger had spotted him, sitting a bit lopsided in his chair.
So my ESP, or heightened intuition/empathic accuracy proved to have been once more right.
I'd heard it in Dad's voice soon after his 98th Birthday, somehow he'd lost his spark for life...
Also when he told me that after his bad cold, my sister Diny had cancelled his membership as an elderly choir member of Levensvreugd (Joy of Life)...
Dad has reached a unique 70th and last year even a more unique 80th Anniversary for being a Choir Singer.
He got two Royal Awards in The Netherlands for that!
Sure enough, when no longer being with his tiny circle of friends, his joy for life was kind of snuffed out, like a candle...
Especially dramatic changes for elderly, do have a huge impact on their overall well being.

On Wednesday, May 15 of 2019, Dad received this big nosegay of fresh flowers from an anonymous person through the soon to be Foundation of Bleumkes vaan Geluk (Flowers of Happiness) puts lonely elderly in the sunshine!
Dad proves in this excellent photo that he was pleasantly surprised!
He was scraping off the old paint for obviously wanting to repaint his window...
This was handed to him only 6 days before we arrived by surprise!
Maybe these happenings did inject him with some more life-elixer?

While we were in the Bad Münstereifel, Germany we received this page from best friend Ellie via WhatsApp. Dad rehearsing for his upcoming performance...
And yes, Dad did manage to perform one more time on May 30, on Ascension Day!
Just imagine, at age 98...

Photo courtesy of Hub Vermeeren of Horst aan de Maas
Notice that Dad is reading his typed text without reading glasses!

Photo courtesy of Hub Vermeeren, also member Fotogroep Horst aan de Maas
Showing where they set up a sheltered podium for eventual rain.
It was adjacent to the St. Lambertuskerk (Church) in Horst aan de Maas
Dad sang a very old Horster Folk Song and in the context of 800 years Horst he performed several times, also in the studio.

Dad after his performance... photo courtesy of Hub Vermeeren.
On Dad's nose they'd removed a skin cancer and created a nasty scar... Here in the USA they do a far better job!
There is a video on YouTube: Horster volkslied Piet van den Munckhof, Jan Joosten en Bas Nellen just click it.

My comment is gone...

The other bitly link above: June 30, 2019 ←click link for English comment by me on FB.

At the end of May, at the opening of the 800 house on the Kerkstraat in Horst, Piet Van den Munckhof, togeether with Jan Joosten and Bas Nellen, sang the old Horster national anthem. A month later, on June 30, 2019, Piet passed away unexpectedly, at the age of 98.

Dad didn't die unexpectedly... We came extra for him on May 21, our 67t trip to say goodbye to him. You could hear it in his voice and also in what he said when we called him, So we had sensed and estimated that very well.

We were on Ascension Day at a 1st Communion party in Sevenum but regularly visited Dad and he enjoyed it and talked a lot!

After the absolute and very emotional goodbye in the hospital on Father's Day, we drove to Schiphol and after a short night back to the USA with a very satisfied feeling!

In the local Hallo Horst aan de Maas, the Horster Mannenkoor (Male Choir) published this very warm text:
On the weekend we heard that has died our honorary member
Piet Van den Munckhof
Piet has been a member of the Horster Male Choir to this day; He joined in July 1938 and was by far the oldest member of our association.
Although he has not been active in our choir for many years, we have been able to enjoy his singing qualities in May during the singing of the old Horster Folk Song. As an accomplished performer, he recited this song adjacent to the St. Lambertus Church.
 "Horst can boast on scholars, sparkle by their great talent ", he sang then.
Piet was as 1st tenor for years our mentor and we are grateful for his contribution and dedication.

Board and Members
Horster Male Choir

🎼

R.I.P. Dad!

Related link:

Taking Mom & Dad to Bad Münstereifel in Germany | previous post by me
Day 11, From Radison Blu Hotel to Bucharest Airport with KLM to Amsterdam  | previous post by me

Day 11, From Radison Blu Hotel to Bucharest Airport with KLM to Amsterdam

On June 13, we reached our final day organized in an excellent way by Viking!

This is very close to the Radisson Blu hotel, once more the University Library with just visible the back of the horse of Carol I, equestrian statue.

We did have a great night at this Bucharest City Center Radisson Blu Hotel click it

Our Radisson Blue Hotel Room just like this... click it

Bucharest Radisson Blu serves great breakfast too at one of their 5 on-site restaurants! Just click it

After a relaxed breakfast time, we placed our luggage in the hallway for pick up.

The day before, our luggage was waiting inside our room 455; organized by Viking so we did not have to touch or handle that ourselves.

Viking also organized at what time we had to place our luggage out for being handled.
For us, being cabin number 107, that meant 10:30 and departure for the airport 11:00.
Kudos to Viking indeed for organizing this 11 day journey to perfection!

We had started this Viking Lif PASSAGE TO EASTERN EUROPE in Budapest, Hungary and now ending and departing from Bucharest, Romania...

Sorry for the dangling loop in the bus...
This is the Romanian Airmen Heroes Memorial in Bucharest.

Click through for more info about: Monumentul Eroilor Aerului din Piaþa Aviatorilor (Ceremony organized at the Memorial of Air Heroes in Aviatorilor Square) - foto Cãtãlin Ovreiu

In about 25 minutes we reached Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport
Again a lovely sunny day!

We flew back again with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines from Bucharest to Amsterdam...

On our flight Amsterdam to Budapest we had seats 7C and 7D but now it was 11C and 11D

We never wanted to use Viking's much cheaper option for flying directly from the USA to Budapest...
That would have been criminal, being in Europe and not seeing my 98-year old Dad!
So we went around that, even though it was complicated...
Again did arrange a rental car from our favorite BB&L with fastest airport service as they meet you right outside of the arrival hall and you go up the escalator to departure hall, where you get into your car. Drop off is also in front of the departure hall!

BUT, I would be in for a surprise... the worst traffic jam experienced in all 36 years coming from Schiphol/Amsterdam Airport!
This was a stand still in Breukelen, Province of Utrecht on the Interstate or 'Autobaan' as it is called in Dutch.

Culemborg, Gelderland the Province where Pieter is born but he lived to the east.
Always those low hanging Dutch clouds, famous from paintings the world over!
One wants to almost duck... We were so lucky for traveling during the lovely summer time with green fields and gardens.

Approaching the River Waal near Waardenburg, Gelderland

Cable Stay Bridge... I've always liked this Cable Stayed Bridge!

Bridging the River Waal

Click for some interesting facts: One of the few Dutch Cable Stay Bridges: Martinus Nijhoff Bridge | Zaltbommel

That again was a long day and there still was one hour time difference from Romania.
We both felt under the weather and wanted to REST

But it took us quite a long time to drive to the South of the country, to Limburg...

Below you find two short Relive.cc videos, just click below:

Relive 'From Radisson Blu to Bucharest Airport'

Relive 'Schiphol - Horst aan de Maas Sevenum'

Well, this actually would be the 67th time in our 36 years visiting our birth country; coming from Bucharest, Romania this time.

From May 21 till June 3, prior to our cruise, I had driven 1,301 km or 808 mi
From June 13 ill June 16, after our cruise,                            367 km or 228 mi
Total driven:                                                                     1,668 km or 1,036 mi

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Related links:

Day 10, by bus from Giurgiu to Bucharest, Romania | previous post

Day 9, Russe, Veliko Tarnovo & Arbanasi, Bulgaria | previous post

Day 8, Bulgarian Danube and Belogradchik Rocks & Fortress | previous post

Day 7, Serbian Danube with Golubac Fortress & Djerdap Gorge to Iron Gates | previous post

Day 6, Panoramic Belgrade, Serbia | previous post
Day 5, from Vukovar to Osijek, Croatia | previous post
Day 4, Kalocsa Baroque Cathedral with Organ Music and Puszta | previous post

Day 3 Departure from Budapest on Viking Lif | previous post

Day 2 Passage to Eastern Europe - Panoramic Budapest | previous post

My 3rd Trip with Husband Pieter to Hungary with stay at Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest | previous post