Remember when?

[robb_k]

Both my grandmothers grew up in the 1880s and 1890s, when there were no airplanes, nor even autos. They each drove a horse and wagon, for work, one for deliveries for her father's butcher shop in Den Haag, in The Netherlands, and the other for her father's grocery store in Haarlem, in The Netherlands. From 1972 through 2007, I lived in my great grandfather's house [[where my grandfather grew up), in Den Haag [[The Hague). The house was built in 1882. It had a courtyard behind, and behind that was a row of horse stables, where car garages stand in more modern situations in North America. The house has a large wood cabinet, lined with metal, and has a heavy metal door, with a latch handle. resembling a safe door. This was an ice box, used before refrigerators were widespread. The ice man used to come in his ice wagon, and carry a big block of ice up the stairs and plop it into the box, and people then put their perishable food next to it. The house had retrofitted electricity, new, better piping, and a retrofitted garbage disposal. We had a washing machine, but no dryer. I still hung my wash on the line, and still do today, at my homes in The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. I DO use dryers when I'm staying in Winnipeg, Chicago or L.A. I use bicycles only in Europe. I do still have a car in L.A., and use my sister's car in Manitoba [[but don't enjoy driving cars).

[MotownSteve]

Both my grandmothers grew up in the 1880s and 1890s, when there were no airplanes, nor even autos. They each drove a horse and wagon, for work, one for deliveries for her father's butcher shop in Den Haag, in The Netherlands, and the other for her father's grocery store in Haarlem, in The Netherlands. From 1972 through 2007, I lived in my great grandfather's house [[where my grandfather grew up), in Den Haag [[The Hague). The house was built in 1882. It had a courtyard behind, and behind that was a row of horse stables, where car garages stand in more modern situations in North America. The house has a large wood cabinet, lined with metal, and has a heavy metal door, with a latch handle. resembling a safe door. This was an ice box, used before refrigerators were widespread. The ice man used to come in his ice wagon, and carry a big block of ice up the stairs and plop it into the box, and people then put their perishable food next to it. The house had retrofitted electricity, new, better piping, and a retrofitted garbage disposal. We had a washing machine, but no dryer. I still hung my wash on the line, and still do today, at my homes in The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. I DO use dryers when I'm staying in Winnipeg, Chicago or L.A. I use bicycles only in Europe. I do still have a car in L.A., and use my sister's car in Manitoba [[but don't enjoy driving cars).

I thought when you write Den Hagg is actually supposed to be s-Gravenhage.

[robb_k]

I thought when you write Den Hagg is actually supposed to be s-Gravenhage.

" 's Gravenhage " is the OFFICIAL title of the city, which contains The government offices and Parliament of The Netherlands, and is called "The Hague" in English language. But the common name for that city, to Netherlanders [[Nederlanders) is "Den Haag [[whether in speech OR in writing).

It is the same with Den Bosch. The official name is "Hertogenbosch". But people refer to it as Den Bosch.

's Gravenhage refers to "The Count's hedge". Graaf means "Count" in Dutch. In the early 13th Century, The Count of Holland was the Governor of North and South Holland under The Dukes of Burgundy. Originally, Den Haag was built to serve as a country home for The Count, with a "haga" [[ "hedge" in English) that was an enclosed hunting area for The Count's recreation.