Gorinchem

Travel Tales Excerpt – A Piece of Gouda in Gorinchem

“Are we going someplace, mama?” Sarah asked.

“We are going to visit Uncle Isaiah in Antwerp,” Sarah’s mom answered simply. While Sarah had finished her bread, she still held the piece of cheese. Her mom rose and took her by the hand, leading her down to the first floor. As they walked to the door, Sarah looked around and noted that several items and objects seemed to be missing.

The morning sky was a cold and damp grey when both she and her mom exited the house. Her father quickly locked the door, kissed them both, and led them to a small horse-drawn cart. The cart was loaded with suitcases, boxes, and packages. While not overloaded, it was full, and there was a small space for all three of them to sit.

Sarah silently waved at the house as her father handed her to her mother, who was already seated. Then, the car rocked and squeaked softly as her father found his seat and took the reins. The horse snorted slightly and began to walk, the cart lurching in the initial motion.

– End Excerpt

As described in the story on Gorinchem, our cruise ship had to divert due the strong storm instead of its intended stop. I had already seen the windmills of Kinderdijk, so this was a happy surprise. The ship docked close to the town and the fort photographed here is the same spot in the story. It really was a cute town, even though we arrived very early and almost everything was closed.

Gorinchem is a perfect town for walking. It is packed with many restaurants and shops. For me, the best shop was small shop that sold, teas, chocolates and candies, and cheese’ a lot of cheese. The owner was a warm and friendly woman who was happy to give me samples. She had me pegged as someone who would buy cheese. Without shame or regret, I did buy a lot of cheese and it legally made its way home
On a previous trip, I had taken a tour in a nearby town where cheese was made. The owner of that farm had taken over the family business and she gave a great tour. It was there that I had a taste of the Fenugreek Gouda cheese. Fenugreek is an herb native to Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia. As an herb, it has a reputation of being healthy and prevents certain ailments. It has a maple syrup like taste, yet its form looks like little pieces of crystal pebbles. It is not a common type of cheese to buy where I live in the United States and I do like the flavor.
There was no guided tour of Gorinchem; we were on our own for a couple of hours. Again many nice shops and restaurants, but were closed because it was early morning. The town appeared to be preparing for a festival or early Christmas market near the church in this series of photos.
As I wondered through the town, I came across a small plaque that commemorated the small Jewish population that had lived in the town. When I returned to the ship, I did a little research. The events at that time were similar to my own father’s life events in Greece as a child, though he was not Jewish. Yet, the experience and emotions of uncertainty, anxiety and desperation spanned both countries since they were both ultimately invaded during World War II. My father had a special food memory of those days. While I was in Gorinchem, and as I was trying to decide what items in my luggage were to be thrown away to make room for the Fenugreek Gouda cheese the idea that some little girl fleeing her home, would always carry in her mind and heart some special local treat as she was feeling her home