27/05: Five Town in One Day
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Today was a full day visiting five small towns --- Geithoorn where we stayed last night (it was a sun cloud mix this morning so better photos), Sloten, Stavoren, Hindeloopen and Makkum. Tonight we are staying at a B&B in Harlingen (not Texas!)
May is a good time to visit Giethoorn as it's not too busy. Apparently, it's a bit of a mad house in the summer.
Sloten received city rights in 1426 and is the smallest of the eleven Frisian cities (Friesland is one of the Netherlands twelve provinces). The city has a small footprint, it's probably almost the same size as it was in 1426.
This city has an interesting statue/fountain and a windmill.
From this angle it looks like the clothes is on a rack that's attached to the bicycle, but in reality there is space between the rack and the bike. I think the middle of the sidewalk was the only place that the resident of the house could find sun to help dry the clothes.
Stavoren is the oldest city in Friesland and once was a prosperous port. During the Middle Ages the city of Stavoren was a prosperous port city with a thriving harbour. Unfortunately the city's fortunes took a turn for the worse when an impassable sandbank formed at the mouth of the bay that prevented many ships from entering the harbour. Of course this slowly decimated the city's former prosperity, and as was the custom in those days, the whole thing was blamed on a woman. (borrowed from somewhere on the Internet) Here's a link to the tale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_Stavoren
We walked along the dijk to enjoy the view and came across sheep grazing. Sheep are used to keep the grass on the dijk cut as tractor and cows are too heavy and could go through dirt of the dijk.
Colourful paint is a good way to spruce up some row housing.
Hindeloopen is an old city on the Ijsselmeer. Hindleloopen is another of the 11 cities of Friesland and is filled with little canals with wooden bridges and pretty captain's houses.
In the church graveyard and graves from WWII Canadian soldiers.
Sheep are mowing the grass in Hinderloopen as well.
Makkum is a village with town like structures dating from the 17th century. Again, another town with canals, bridges and pretty houses on the Ijsselmeer.
May is a good time to visit Giethoorn as it's not too busy. Apparently, it's a bit of a mad house in the summer.
Sloten received city rights in 1426 and is the smallest of the eleven Frisian cities (Friesland is one of the Netherlands twelve provinces). The city has a small footprint, it's probably almost the same size as it was in 1426.
This city has an interesting statue/fountain and a windmill.
From this angle it looks like the clothes is on a rack that's attached to the bicycle, but in reality there is space between the rack and the bike. I think the middle of the sidewalk was the only place that the resident of the house could find sun to help dry the clothes.
Stavoren is the oldest city in Friesland and once was a prosperous port. During the Middle Ages the city of Stavoren was a prosperous port city with a thriving harbour. Unfortunately the city's fortunes took a turn for the worse when an impassable sandbank formed at the mouth of the bay that prevented many ships from entering the harbour. Of course this slowly decimated the city's former prosperity, and as was the custom in those days, the whole thing was blamed on a woman. (borrowed from somewhere on the Internet) Here's a link to the tale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_Stavoren
We walked along the dijk to enjoy the view and came across sheep grazing. Sheep are used to keep the grass on the dijk cut as tractor and cows are too heavy and could go through dirt of the dijk.
Colourful paint is a good way to spruce up some row housing.
Hindeloopen is an old city on the Ijsselmeer. Hindleloopen is another of the 11 cities of Friesland and is filled with little canals with wooden bridges and pretty captain's houses.
In the church graveyard and graves from WWII Canadian soldiers.
Sheep are mowing the grass in Hinderloopen as well.
Makkum is a village with town like structures dating from the 17th century. Again, another town with canals, bridges and pretty houses on the Ijsselmeer.