Cesar Cascabel: "De Schoone Zwerfster"

In a cramped Dutch household, the Cascabels—father Cesar, his practical wife Cornelia, their curious children, and the quick‑witted servant Kruidnagel—suddenly hold a small fortune. After years of hard work, they have scraped together five thousand guilders, enough to fund a daring move across the ocean. Determined to protect their savings, they argue over a sturdy safe versus a simple money‑box, each suggestion revealing their personalities. With the decision made, they load their belongings onto a carriage and set their sights on the promise of California.

The family’s trek begins in the bitter chill of February 1867, the carriage rattling over cobbled streets toward the port that will carry them west. In Sacramento they find a city still rising from a frontier fort, its streets buzzing with former miners and merchants and the lingering scent of gold. For the Cascabels, this bustling town offers both opportunity and hidden dangers, and their modest dream of a secure future depends on navigating this new world. Listeners can follow their first steps into an unknown land where hope and hardship travel side by side.