A rainy afternoon..

..but I love how the Autumn colours are starting to show! Photo taken earlier today in Sneek.

View from the Reidehoeve visitor center

Adjacent to the Joh.Kerkhovenpolder, of which I told you in my previous posts, is the Breebaartpolder. This 63 hectares (155 acres) large piece of land was transformed into a polder in 1979, and has become known for its extensive bird life. Visitors find paths for hiking and cycling, a hut for birdwatching, and a visitor center called Reidehoeve. The photo above was taken through one of the windows of the visitor center, where -as you can see- the window sills were also used for exhibiting items.

Social sofa

This mosaic bench in Woldendorp is one of ten social sofas in ten different villages along the Dutch Wadden Sea coast. Inhabitants were asked to bring ideas for a design that should fit to the theme "Wadden Sea coast".

The social sofas are part of a project called Kiek Over Diek (local dialect for "view over the dike"). The project was started to make the natural and landscape elements of this area, that is on the Unesco World Heritage list though not widely known, more visible to people.

Johannes Kerkhovenpolder

If you enjoy wide views, the countryside of the province of Groningen is where you should be! Like yesterday's photos this one also shows the Johannes Kerkhovenpolder. Johannes Kerkhoven was a banker from Amsterdam who had bought these lands to create a polder.  His ambitious plans were carried out by his heirs though, as Kerkhoven passed away before the project started in 1875.

I'm linking to signs, signs.

Agriculture

Our hike brought us in the Johannes Kerkhovenpolder in north-east Groningen. This area was turned into a polder in 1875/1876 so there would be no danger anymore to be overflown by the Dollard (see also yesterday's post).
The ground in this coastal region consists of marine clay which is very fertile and used for agriculture, like potatoes and sugar beets.

These sugar beets are waiting to be collected and taken to the Suikerunie (a sugar factory) in Groningen where it will be processed.

Dike and Dollard

Our hike yesterday went partly along the Dollard, a bay in the Wadden Sea which forms the border between the (northern part of the) Netherlands and Germany. Most of it dries at low tide, which was obviously the case when we were there.

Lots of sheep on the dike and at some points we had to zigzag between their droppings ;)

I'm linking to All Seasons.

Woldendorp church

We started our hike today in Woldendorp, a village in the far north east of the Netherlands and part of the municipality of Delfzijl. This is the Petruskerk (St Peter Church), originally dating from the 13th century. During WW2 the church was badly damaged and needed a lot of renovation work after the war. The grave stones we saw were all from the early 19th century.

The church facade seen from the other side.

The side entrance was a beautiful wooden door.

Weekend reflections

Another one from the North Sea beach near Callantsoog, last weekend. I'm linking to Weekend Reflections.

Lange Jaap lighthouse

View on Huisduinen, a small village near Den Helder at the point where the North Sea becomes the Wadden Sea. Across the water in the distance is the island of Texel. The lighthouse is called "Lange Jaap"("Long James"), a cast iron tower constructed in 1822. At a height of 55 m it is one of the tallest traditional lighthouses in the world.

Seen from the other side. I'm linking to Skywatch Friday.

Kijkduin sea aquarium

From the eight vaults inside Fortress Kijkduin (see also yesterday's post), two are now set up as a sea aquarium. Being there it was so hard to imagine that once soldiers resided here, that there was a shooting gallery, a gun powder room, and everything that was needed in a war..

Visitors walk through a 12 m long underwater tunnel, which was really wonderful. The aquarium, which opened in 1996, is entirely focused on life in the North Sea, so all fish are "local".

Fortress Kijkduin

 

We visited Fortress Kijkduin last weekend, located in the dunes of Huisduinen just south of the village of Den Helder. After Napoleon visited Den Helder in 1811 he became aware of the strategic importancy of the town, and wanted to create a big marine harbour here. The fortress in its original form was built in his command.

Nowadays the fortress is a museum, and learning about the history of the fortress and its residents made it an interesting visit. It also played a big role during WW2. The first photo was taken wandering through one of the narrower vaults which had blue lights, and the second photo shows one of the fortress entrances.

Beach restaurant

The walls and even the ceiling of this beach restaurant near Callantsoog were filled with "sea things" and other stuff.

Fish was swimming everywhere ;)

Colourful art near the entrance stairs of the restaurant.

Callantsoog beach

At the North Sea beach near the village of Callantsoog last weekend. Dark skies behind us but we were lucky to see the clouds pass us without rain :)

I'm linking to All Seasons.

Dwingelderveld sheep

Most of the sheep of this flock at the Dwingelderveld was in the shade of the tree. When we stood still for a while to watch them they noticed us and started to turn their heads towards us.

I´m linking to Eileen´s Saturday´s Critters.

Bridges

View from a bridge to a bridge to a bridge...   ;)  Photo taken a few weeks ago while out on my bicycle near the village of Stadskanaal.

I'm linking to Weekend Reflections.

Leeuwarden city street

View into the Grote Kerkstraat on a quiet moment in the city centre of Leeuwarden.

Glasses

A pair of glasses made an eye-catching sign..

..in this narrow street in Ribe, Denmark. If I remember well it was on the facade of a real estate agent, most likely the former location of an optician. Both photos were taken last August.

I'm linking to signs, signs.

Zuidveld bridge

This is the Zuidveld draw bridge crossing the Ruiten-Aa canal in Zuidveld, a hamlet in the Westerwolde region. The word on the bridge 'Zuidveldsluis' refers to the nearby lock, outside the photo.

Monday Mural

During a recent visit to the City of Leeuwarden I found this mural on an electricity box. It pictures the 'Onze Lieve Vrouwepoort' (The 'Our Lady Gate'), one of three old city gates that originally date from the 15th century.

The mural was an initiative made possible by a local Community Forum that takes care of the liveablity in the city centre.

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

Sunday hike

After a few rainy days, today was sunny and nice. We made a 14 km walk in the rural Westerwolde region, which is nearby our home town. The path went partly along the German border, the corn fields and windmills across the water are in Germany.

And the road we were on here was called ´Groentje´, meaning ´freshman´ or ´rookie´. A funny name for a road :)

Sand sculptures

This year's theme of the Garderen Sand Sculpture Festival is "Explore Your Own Country". Dutch regions, buildings and famous attractions are exhibited as sand sculptures. These 2 photos picture some icons of the Efteling, a fantasy-themed amusement park in the town of Kaatsheuvel. The attractions are based on elements from ancient myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore. The park opened in 1952 and in 2016 it was the third most visited theme park in Europe. I have never been there by the way ;)
The figure on the left (with his mouth open) is gobbler Hollow Bulging Gijs ('Hollebolle Gijs' in Dutch) from a Dutch children's song, who could eat a lot but stayed hungry all the time.

And looking over everybody's heads here is Long Neck ('Langnek'), a popular attraction from the Efteling's Fairytale Forest. It's a figure inspired by the Brothers Grimm. You may notice that his neck isn't that long here, the 'real' neck in the Efteling is 4.8 meters!

Skywatch Friday

This image is from last Sunday, seen from the bench where we sat for a while during our hike in the Dwingelderveld Nat.Park.

I'm linking to Skywatch Friday.

Cheese and more

This shop located at the Kleine Kerkstraat in the city of Leeuwarden specialises in cheese, nuts, olives, home made salads and much more. The ´cheese-bicycle' on my header photo is part of their advertising. It was right behind me from where I took this photo.

Warning sign

The last few km to the Dwingelderveld Nat.Park are on small country roads like this. Here we had just passed a camping site. Signs warn for kids crossing the street.

I'm linking to signs, signs.

Wood carving

We found some amazing wood sculptures at 'De Beeldentuin' ('The Sculpture Garden') in the village of Garderen, like this gentleman..  Could be a Greek god.

These pieces accompany this year's Sand Sculpture Festival, which is next to De Beeldentuin. More about that on a later date.

Mushrooms

We spotted quite some mushrooms yesterday during our hike in the Dwingelderveld National Park..

...Autumn must be around the corner, what do you think? We are enjoying lovely late-Summer weather here though. Let's hope it will last a bit :)

Margaretha Church Odoorn

This is the Margaretha Church at the Valtherweg in the village of Odoorn. The Dutch Reformed Church originally dates from the 12th century; but only the vestry -at the back of the church- has original parts.

One of the windows at the other side. It seems as if that small window part there in the middle can be opened..

Schapenpark flock of sheep

Last Sunday we started our hike in the village of Odoorn, and the route passed the Schapenpark nature area. There we saw that the flock of sheep had been gathered. They are usually hard to spot as it´s a large area and they wander about freely. 

I asked a lady what was going on, and she told me that the flock had just been examined.

The flock consists of about 55 Drenthe Heath Sheep. It is a domesticated breed of sheep originating from the Netherlands.

I'm linking to Eileen´s Saturday's Critters. Happy Saturday :)

Skywatch Friday

Looking back at the road we came from, on foot from the villages of Haren to Onnen on a perfect Sunday morning last month. I'm linking to Skywatch Friday.