Sightseeing with Hanneke & Richard.

 

Dear friends,

Here is the 2 nd installment of photos we took while on this big " adventure". These were mainly taken while we went sight seeing with Hanneke & Richard.

We visited the " Kinderdijk" , an area in het " Groene Hart" , in the province Zuid Holland, which has many waterways and lies very low, hence the many water mills , to keep the water level safe.

Especially on the Kinderdijk there are many mills, which have become a tourist attraction and can also be seen in many paintings and scenes by Anton Pieck, a well known Belgian artist. In winter when all the waterways are frozen over, many people skate here.

View of a mill on the Kinderdijk.

More mills on the Kinderdijk.

We visited Vlissingen, a place in Walcheren, one of the islands in the province of Zeeland . It lies on the Wester Schelde, the thorough fare for ships to Antwerp.

The boulevard of Vlissingen. Here in Holland they also have a beach......!

Containers on their way to Antwerp or maybe from Antwerp to Germany......?

We wandered on the promenade, lots to see!

A picturesque little harbor in Vlissingen .

 

Richard, helpfully lighting a cigarette for the man in bronze.

In the province of Drente. Replacing the thatch on the roof of the barn house.

 

One of the many picturesque little lanes we drove through while in Drente.

It was the season for the heather to start blooming. A wonderful sight.

A prehistoric stone grave or burial chamber . In the Netherlands they are called Hunebedden. This Hunebed (Dolmens) is one of the biggest found in Holland. It lies near Havelte in the province of Drente and is dated from 4000 BC . It is claimed they are older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids.

A wonderful walk through the country side, with the heather blooming.

Harvesting the wheat.

A harbor in Friesland, near the Afsluitdijk , a very large dyke enclosing the IJsselmeer . After closing they started building the polders. In one of them, the Noord Oost Polder, Lourens and I spent a big part of our youth .

The Afsluitdijk .

Stadhuis in Bolsward, a town in Friesland, where Simone went to Teachers College. Opposite this building we, 3 friends and Simone, rented rooms during their studies.

Before the IJsselmeer was closed in and the polders built, Schokland an ancient island , lay in the middle of the IJsselmeer . Many "old" remnants remain and it is again a tourist attraction.

An English explanation about Schokland. Hope you can read it, otherwise, if you are interested go to........!

The restored church on the island, with in the foreground a remnant of the sea wall to protect the people from the sea.

A view of the country side around the " island" . Very fertile soil, this reclaimed land!

Urk, another township on an island in the IJsselmeer . It was a fishermans town with a big fleet , fishing in the IJsselmeer and in the Waddenzee . People are still prosperous here, but history shows there was also much sadness, many people, fathers, and sons lost their lives at sea. The weather can be wild! They are a very religious group of people.

Part of the big harbor ,this showing many pleasure craft.

More pleasure crafts.

Statue on the quayside , a wife and mother, looking out over the waters for the return of the fleet. Behind her are the many names of the men and boys who lost their lives at sea over the years.

Us in Amsterdam at the Heiniken Experience . Richard had a good time and so did we!

A poster at the brewery.

Dam square.

The canals, the bikes, in general experiencing Amsterdam!

 

A visit to Giethoorn, also called "Little Venice" . All the farms and houses are mainly accessible by boat. In summer time very touristy. We were there on a sunny Sunday morning and it was very peaceful there.

The four of us.

Beautiful gardens and lots of water and greenery.

The " melkbussen" ( milk containers) cleaned and stacked away for the next usage.

Cheese, cheese and more cheese. A cute and wonderful shop in the middle of Amsterdam.

A very practical way to do the shopping on your bike .

A novel way to display the names of the people living in this house. Far more interesting than a name plate!! Hope you can read the names, they are written on the clogs next to the door.

Start of the Floriade. Big boots to fill.....!

It was possible to travel by cable car to the end of the Floriade Displays and get an overall view of which ones you would like to visit. It is impossible to visit them all in one day.We did it the other way around (had some " inside info from people who had been there.....)!

Wonderful things to do and see and also very informative for children. This pond was a delight.

Beautiful ways to arrange garden settings and plants and shrubs.

Who is that , sitting in that huge clog?

The fairies were a delight!

They gave a wonderful performance and wre very graceful.

Look at that!

Do you like the " green" table setting?

Another way of a great display of plants, shrubs and herbs and veggies.

I loved the " plastic yellow flowers" , they catch the sunlight and at night give a wonderful glow in your garden.

Well that is the end of this blog. Soon some more to follow. We hope you enjoy the "trip" as much as we did.

More to follow, till then.

Greetings from Lourens & Simone.