Drainage-mill

On the other side of the wooden bridge that I showed you in yesterday´s post is a drainage-mill (poldermolen in Dutch) called 'De Boezemvriend', that as one word could be translated as 'buddy' or 'soulmate' however in Dutch 'boezem' also means 'drainage canal' - so it's a pun.

The mill was built in 1871 to help pump water out of the polder to another level, the building next to it is a pumping-station. In 1990 the mill was renovated and is still operational today. On the grass an old wooden screw pump (vijzel or waterschroef in Dutch) is displayed; placed inside a mill and rotating it 'screws' the water up. They were a replacement for scoop wheels.

Wooden bridge

I am continuing with photos from our hike last Sunday. After walking along the Havenkanaal for a while, we crossed the canal through this bridge..

.. and we had a nice wide view on the landscape south of Lake Zuidlaren (Zuidlaardermeer).

Early mushroom

 We were very surprised yesterday to spot a large mushroom in the grass along a canal near Zuidlaren. The season for mushrooms here is Autumn, so around October/November. This was the only one we saw though.

Apparently the ground here and humidity were good enough for it to grow. Nature doesn't check a calender first haha.

I'm linking to All Seasons.

The small boat

During our hike in and around the village of Zuidlaren earlier today we walked a while along the Havenkanaal ('Harbour Canal') and passed this nice small boat.

It looked old, though in very good shape. Maybe it belonged to the owners of the house there on the left.

Early Spring?

Even though March has just begun Spring seems within reach. This particular field near Zuidlaren hasn´t been ploughed yet, but around us more and more farmers have already started to get their lands ready..

Water tower

Halfway the marked walking trail around Zuidlaren we crossed the premises of the former pychiatric institution ´Dennenoord´. The oldest buildings on this huge area of almost 91 hectare (about 225 acres) date from the end of the 19th century, and have been registered as cultural heritage since 2007.
The water tower that you see at the end of this lane was built in 1895 and provided the water for the people who lived at Dennenoord. It isn't in use anymore, but was rescued from demolition when it officially received the status of national monument. Besides a 'private' water tower, Dennenoord also had its own church.

Let's see

Maybe not so difficult to guess that this is the facade of an optician.. :).  A photo from last Sunday in the village of Zuidlaren.


For more signs around the world go to signs, signs.

Sheep for sale

These sheep with their boulder-bodies and metal head and legs were for sale in front of a house in Zuidlaren. Aren't they sweet?

Zuidlaren bakery

This bakery in the centre of Zuidlaren advertises for the real 'Zuidlaarderbollen'. The Zuidlaarderbol is a large round bread, richly filled with raisins and currants. In the past this type of bread was regarded to be the 'ideal' bread for the farmers in this area, as it was very nutritious. For me it is a real treat and just delicious to eat with some butter :)

Nowadays the Zuidlaarderbol is baked in large quantities especially in the weeks prior to the Zuidlaardermarkt, an annual horse and country market that is held in October. The horse market is the largest in Europe, and is attended by Dutch, German and Belgian horsetraders.

The bakery has a nice sign as well, I think I will post a close-up of it on a later date.

Around Zuidlaren

This is one of many wonderful sunny views we had this afternoon when we were walking a marked trail named 'Rondje Zuidlaren' (something like: 'around Zuidlaren'). Zuidlaren is a town in the province of Drenthe, known for its village greens in the centre. This photo was taken just outside the village.

Horse-bench

It's a very nice and eye-catching bench, however I think it would look so much better in a natural environment like for instance a park, or a garden..  What do you think?

I photographed it at the entrance of a large exhibition hall in Zuidlaren.

Round and round..

..and downwards goes the small locomotive (now about halfway on the left side), then up again and round and round on it's endless ride..
Simple but ingenious! Seen at Bricks Art in Zuidlaren.

Sand sculpture

Another picture from the sand sculpture festival 'Sculpture Park' in Zuidlaren.

A mammoth from sand

This is from the Sculpture Park in Zuidlaren, an indoor exhibition with sand sculptures telling the story about the ´Hondsrug´: a ridge of sand in the north of the Netherlands dating from the Ice Age.
The mammoth is one of the animals that wandered around this area during the last Ice Age (110,000 to 10,000 years ago), when the Hondsrug was no more than a large tundra.