{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to India - Arrival in New Delhi}

Following the Mission of H.R.H. Prince Claus, husband Pieter did travel to India from 14 - 28 March, 1982.
The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Delhli arranged that they were picked up at the airport in New Delhi, India.

Of course, they also had to report at the Royal Netherlands Embassy once in New Delhi, India.
The hotel was just around the corner, in walking distance.

From the air, looking down to the new and completely unknown territory where Pieter would be traveling and consulting for two weeks.

A new country with completely different architecture...
Wish we knew which building this is within the square...

Different people like this driver,m in a taxi on the way to the hotel...

From the hotel, the view was onto Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, the Diplomatic Enclave where all the Embassies are and also the Presidential Palace further to the right (not seen here).

In the back is the pyramid like ITC Maurya hotel, New Delhi, and bottom left is the High Commission of Malaysia.

Another direction from the hotel...

To the left, at the top, those blue domes are of the High Commission of Pakistan. 

To the right in the distance ought to be the Presidential Palace...

It was walking distance to the Dutch Embassy and this was the road with divided mid-section.

To the left of the tree trunk, you can again see the blue domes, smaller and bigger ones, from the High Commission of Pakistan. To the right of the tree you can just see the French flag waving off the French Embassy, which is across the road.

Being in a hotel, adjacent to the Embassy of Malaysia, Pieter was very close to the Royal Netherlands Embassy, just around the corner...

This is a Google map from 50-M, Satya Marg Chanakyapuri, New Delhi ←(click it) with the embassies and where the red marker is, the President's official home...

Those 3 round-abouts, that I marked yellow, can also be seen from the photo below the cab driver.

But husband Pieter did look around a bit further and away from that very affluent area...

Different local means of transport...

Lots of people too...

Feeling a bit at home by observing that many bikes; like back in The Netherlands!

Bike repair; right alongside the road!

Sharing a potato alongside the road...

Setting up shop in any street corner...

Shoe shine service...

Construction going on everywhere... It is a vast country with a population at present of around 1.22 billion!

That is, not counting all the animals that also live alongside...

Husband Pieter did break loose from the group as he was NOT in favor of adding a research wing to the University of Delhi.

That was for sure not what H.R.H. Prince Claus had opted for, as his mission was about development projects that would really help the poor in making a living!

So Pieter did listen to his friend colleague, Dr. Agha and would visit Mushroom projects in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh State and in Solan and Shimla, Himachal Pradesh State and all the way up to the J & K State = Jammu & Kashmir State in the North of India.

Related link:
{The Mission of H.R.H. Prince Claus - Husband Pieter's Trip to India} | previous post by me

{Make Friends - Live Longer}

Already in 2005, I read about: 'Make Friends - Live Longer'

On our way to Curaçao, at Miami Airport I met with Friend Natacha who's my New World Sister!

Vrienden

Een uitgebreide kring van goede vrienden en bekenden bevordert bij ouderen een lang en gelukkig leven. Zo'n stevig sociaal netwerk draagt hieraan zelfs meer bij dan het hebben van familie, constateert L. Giles (Flinders University, Adelaide) in het vakblad Journal of Epimediological and Community Health op grond van een onderzoek onder 1500 zeventigplussers.
~
Friends
A comprehensive circle of good friends and acquaintances in the elderly promotes a long and happy life. Such a solid social network carries this even more than having family, notes L. Giles (Flinders University, Adelaide) in the Journal of Epimediology and Community Health on the basis of a survey of 1500 people over seventy.

Make friends, live longer ←click for Pdf

So let's continue to cultivate our Friendships for Longevity!

The Mayo clinic also writes -- Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health ←click it.

Old friends and mentors -- Costco Connection June 2012 ←click it and see page 13

Quote by Walter Scheel:

English: Friendship is not inherited

Dutch: Vriendschap kan men niet erven

German: Freundschaft wird nicht vererbt

Related links:
The Role People Play in Our Lives ... | post by friend Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista, about  Toxic People ~ when people really aren't your friends...
When Good Friends Happen ... part II | post by friend Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista  'As we get older mature...'

{Pieter’s Tanner Krolle Attaché - Royal Gift purchased at Harrods by English Friend}

From his long-time English Friend, Peter Stanley-Evans, husband Pieter did receive a Royal Gift, purchased at Harrods in London... On a given day when once again Pieter was visiting England, Peter Stanley- Evans and his wife arrived in their Land Rover, at the hotel my husband was staying at. They did tote a package, obvious from Harrods in London and it contained this Royal gift for him. An English bridle leather Tanner Krolle Attaché in Hazel came out... With his initials: P.J.C.V. added under the handle in gold gilding!

This is Pieter at his desk while being V.P. Training & Development for Campbell's Soup here in Dublin, Georgia. To the top left is his Hazel Tanner Krolle Attaché.

Pieter received this Royal gift for years of friendship, including with their son, and good business advice, for which he never requested any money...

ROYAL GIFT indeed:

Prince William and Prince Harry went to school with trunks made by Tanner Krolle...

Tanner Krolle is unquestionably one of the most little known, and most undervalued luxury brands on the market today...

Tanner Krolle continues to manufacture leather goods and accept commissions from style icons and royal househoulds worldwide. Notable customers include Jackie Onassis, Diana, Princess of Wales, Princes William and Harry, as well as Saudi Arabia's late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.

The Upperdeck Luxury Experience Tanner Krolle - Flawless 

Mr. Peter Stanley-Evans thought that my Pieter was worth such a Royal Gift!
Believe me, husband Pieter was very appreciative.

Sadly there is no photo of it up close, here again it is visible, standing open to the left on Pieter's desk.

Zoomed in...

Ben Silver in the U.S.A. is still selling this Tanner Krolle...  Attaché Case in Hazel 

Husband Pieter always loved its Hazel color bridle leather...

Mr. Peter Stanley Evans had it personalized for Pieter with his initials P.J.C.V. embossed in gold gilding...

Tanner Krolle still provides Gilding in Gold or Silver for Briefcases / 1912 Classic lid over body slim line attaché

As mentioned already earlier, we do NOT have any closeup photos of this Royal Tanner Krolle Attaché... In this 1985 photo you see it in our previous home, on a little corner counter in the kitchen to the right.

My dear Thai born friend and me and yes, this was around New Year with a wall full of Christmas & New Year cards!

BUT... tragedy struck!

This is on March 3, 1992 when we just arrived from our job in India; back to our villa in Indonesia...

From all the vandalized things (curtains cut up); all personal belongings robbed, goose down duvet with pillows and all bed linens... most shocking was to find Pieter's Royal Gift in this condition!

I'm looking at the remainder of crochet thread, books, slides and educational material they did NOT take.

Brutally cut open, the gold embossed initials under the handle were even scraped off with a knife.
After this incidence (it already was the 3rd robbery!), we soon did come home to the U.S.A. instead of working a few more episodes of 2 months, while living in Indonesia.

{The Surprising Power of our Social Networks}

Quite interesting book and subject in general...
Reading with a cup of coffee, fine chocolate and fragrant paperwhite flowers is such a bliss!

Connected

The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives

This is the book that I purchased after reading about it in the Dutch Nouveau magazine from June 2010...

Connecties hebben grote gevolgen - Connections have large consequences

 How Your Friends' Friends' Friends Affect Everything You Feel, Think, and Do 

Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives ←(click it) by Authors: Nicholas A. Christakis  James H. Fowler  

Excerpt from the above link; just click the pink line above...

"Quite interesting how everything we do or say tends to ripple through our network, having and impact on our friends (one degree), our friends' friends (two degrees), and even our friends' friends' friends (three degrees)."

"Instead of simply knowing who our friends are, and perhaps our friends' friends, we can peer beyond our social horizon and see our place in a vast worldwide social network."

This book is available in many languages:

TRANSLATIONS ←click it

{The Mission of H.R.H. Prince Claus - Husband Pieter's Trip to India}

With special permission from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs I am allowed to use this photo from His Royal Highness Prince Claus

His Royal Highness Prince Claus

Page 53 of the book: The Royal House

Prince Claus 1926-2002 was also a Diplomat in the Dominican Republic for 3 years.

The Kingdom of The Netherlands...

The Royal House is a book that we received from the Dutch Consulate General in Houston, TX for use at local schools when we had to do programs about our birth country.

It is published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague 1996 

Available at Amazon: The Royal House: Kingdom of the Netherlands ←click it.

On September 25, 2014, I received permission, shown above... translated below in English.

Dear Mrs. Van den Munckhof-Vedder,

Thanks for your mail message. As long as the source is mentioned, you can use the pages.

With kind regards,

Merle Tip

Editor in Chief

Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 

Dutch Parliament States General

As you know an official delegation headed by H.R.H. Prince Claus, as Special Adviser for Development Cooperation, has visited India in February/March.

Clausgate 

In early 1981, Claus went as officer of the Ministry for Development Cooperation to India, as the leader of a delegation who was going to speak about Dutch development projects.

Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal pages 4 and 5

Based on the visit of an Indian horticulture mission to the Netherlands, discussions are going on about a joint program for cooperation in horticultural areas. This will result in a number of projects, of which currently a project in the area of seed production and a mushroom cultivation project is in an advanced stage of preparation. Also in the field of animal husbandry cooperation will come into being.

~

So now I finally can start with the story about my husband Pieter's trip to India, for the Dutch Government, following the Mission of H.R.H. Prince Claus in 1981.
On September 9, it was exactly 45 years ago that in The Netherlands the 1st and ONLY practical Training College for Mushroom Growing in the world, had its official Grand Opening by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery, a branch of the Dutch Government. My husband Pieter founded it and he was the Principal and one of the active Teachers for decades until he became Vice President Training & Development for Campbell Soup Company in charge of their Mushroom Division in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Stay tuned for the story of the actual trip to India...
A trip that greatly impacted both of our lives!

Related links:
{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me

Pieter J.C. Vedder | LinkedIn profile

{How to Install Your Own Flag Counter}

Per request from Italy, in one of the comments on my previous post about: {201 Countries Visited - Welcome Saint Barthelemy} - How to Install Your Own Flag Counter...

Just click on FlagCounter and follow example here below...

Be VERY careful to scroll down ALL THE WAY, the drop down window behind Maximum Flags to Show 250! That cannot be changed later - or you might risk losing all your flags.

I had that happen to me when I first put it on in April of 2010, but made that mistake...

On September 14, 2010, I had this and only 3 rows of flags... 

In my new setting I did not want the Flag Labels be shown, making it more simple.

~

My new counter is from July 10, 2011.

You can select your own date for the window to show in: Label on Top of Counter and select custom.

A popup window will show, requesting your Email

You also can skip... and select Continue

Here you get the Code for websites (HTML) and you copy and paste it into your own blog.
If you ever want to enter your Flag Counter, just click on it anywhere and it will open with all the info for you.

GOOD LUCK!

{201 Countries Visited - Welcome Saint Barthelemy}

Already on December 9, the 201th Country Visited my humble blog - Welcome to Saint Barthelemy!

This tiny island in the Caribbean, was discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who named it for his brother Bartolomeo, Saint Barthelemy was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, the French sold the island to Sweden. France repurchased the island in 1877...

{Happy & Healthy New Year 2015}

Wishing you all, the world over, a Happy & Healthy New Year 2015!

Be it Champagne or in our case, an Italian Prosecco, Champagne's sexy Italian cousin; CHEERS to Good Health and Happiness!

For all my Greek readers:  Ευτυχισμένος ο Νέος Χρόνος! Happy New Year! ←click it for learning from Marie-Anne, more about the Greek day for Gift Giving on Saint Basil's Day on January 1, like Saint Nicholas on December 6, or Santa Claus on December 25.