The bridge at Vlissingen was scheduled to open at 9:25 am so we were ready and waiting to make our way through.  We knew the schedule for all of the bridges between Vlissingen and Middelburg so made our way accordingly so not to be either too early or too late. 

Going through the opened bridge

This big boy had been waiting too and followed us out through the bridge.

We let the big guy pass us and now we’re following him through the second bridge.

Passing by Middelburg.  I believe I read that this building was designed to look like a freighter and it certainly does to me.

Going through a small lock; we had to tie up but this smaller boat could just hold on t lines made for that.

Sometimes we have to wait for the lock and sometimes pedestrians have to wait for us to cross over the lock.  Given this photo I’m not sure what the blue sign is really saying.

Then we came to this giant lock that took Mary, Rick and me to handle the lines to tie ourselves to the lock walls.  There were two small boats ahead of us.  We were all tied up on the right side of the lock.  Then a giant barge came in just alongside us with not much space to spare.  And, the barge captain who drove so well,…. A woman!!!.   I’ve no photos as we were busy with the lines.  Sometimes the water level changes enough that you have to move where your lines are looped to the bollards on the lock wall.  That happened in this lock, but Mary and Rick took care of all that.  They’ve done this route before so are seasoned hands at going through locks.  But I am learning.  Thanks Sue Kelly for the boat hook trick.  Mary and I two it two handed.  She holds the rope look and I hook it over with the boat hook.  But we might try your tape idea too.

This is the big boat lock, though the barges in with us were huge in my opinion.  We were in what was called the sport lock. 

We’re the red line going through our lock and the line of black triangles are the boats going through the “Overzicht jachtensluizen.”

Boats tied up waiting for a chance to go into the lock we’ve just left.

This dock just beyond the lock and bridge were where we spent the night.  It was just lovely.  Lots of water birds shared their space with us.

A nesting swan

A coot family

Where’s DoraMac?

Keeping count of our Schengen days.

The circled part on the map includes both Middelburg and Vlissingen in what was Zeeland when the area that is now The Netherlands was at a point in history when they were separate islands and provinces. 

Delft tiles around the fireplace and ceiling decoration is painted concrete made to look like early Dutch tiles around the old wood pieces of the renovated ceiling.  There wasn’t’ enough wood to do the entire ceiling so this ingenious cement-work was used also. 

Gifts from Nagasaki;  the sister city of Middelburg

A beautiful locked teabox.  Only the mistress of the home had the key as tea was an expensive luxury at one time.

The former town hall meeting room is just through those heavy wood doors.  We can’t remember what this room was specifically used for but we all remember those carved doors.  They were once bed-cabinet doors.  People slept in giant closets to keep the warmth in.  These doors from the sleeping cabinet were those of a very wealthy man.  Our guide showed us the secret money drawers on either side so the sleeper would awaken if anyone was trying to steal his money.

You would lift up the sliding decorative covering and then pull out the drawers. 

Town Hall Interior  : The former Cloth Hall

     The interior of the Town Hall is open to the public. Above the old Meat Hall (now occupied by an exhibition of modern art) is the imposing Burgerzaal (Burghers’ Hall), originally the town’s first Cloth Hall, which is now used for civic receptions and other great occasions and as a concert hall. Items of particular interest include pictures, Bruges tapestries on mythological themes and a bronze model of Admiral de Ruyter’s flagship.

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/middelburg-nl-zld-mid.htm

The barrel ceiling, which is called that because it looks like a half barrel, was once over an attic space where hams were hung.  The Cloth Hall was below that and then the Meat Hall below.  The City Fathers liked having both the meat and cloth halls nearby so they could judge the amount of taxes that should be paid from both of those markets.

The Bruges Tapestry and a group portrait with one cheapskate who wouldn’t pay the fee for a face portrait so he was painted from the back.  See the red arrow.  This was a shooting club where everyone was sort of related to everyone so they all sort of look alike. 

Our guide explained the discoloring of the Bruges tapestry: the yellow color faded from the green threads leaving blue color where you would expect green.  And she showed us the brown which was the newly discovered madder color gotten from plant roots.

“Materials

     “Wool is the most widely used material for making the warp, or the parallel series of threads that run length-wise in the fabric of the tapestry. The width-running weft, or filling threads, are also most commonly made of wool. The advantages of wool are wide-ranging. It is more available, more workable and more durable than other materials, and in addition can be easily dyed. Wool has often been used in combination with linen, silk or cotton threads for the weft. This mixture of material is ideal for detail weaving and for the creation of delicate effects. Light coloured silks were often employed to create pictorial effects of tonal gradation and spacial recession. The glow of silk thread was often useful for highlights or to create a luminous effect when contrasted to the duller woollen threads. Silk was increasingly used during the 18th century, especially at the Beavais factory in France, in order to achieve subtle tonal effects. The majority of Chinese and Japanese tapestries have both warp and weft threads of silk. Pure silk tapestries were also made during medieval times at Byzantium (Constantinople) and in parts of the Middle East. Pure linen tapestries were woven in ancient Egypt, while Egyptian Christians and Medieval Europeans sometimes used linen for the warp. Both cotton and wool were used in Pre-Columbian art to make Peruvian tapestries as well as some Islamic tapestries during the Middle Ages. Since the 14th century, along with wool and silk, European weavers have also used gold and silver weft threads to produce a sumptuous effect.

     Tapestry Dyes

Dyes commonly used in Europe included: (1) Woad, a plant similar to indigo, which yields a good range of blues. (2) Madder, a root from which reds, oranges and pinks could be obtained. (3) Weld, an English plant whose leaves produce yellow. (4) A mixture of weld (yellow) and indigo (blue) was used to concoct green. “

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/tapestry-art.htm

My friend Sharon’s son Warren is a professional juggler/street performer.  So I had to visit this Juggling Store and have a chat with the owner who is more a kite man himself.  I would have loved to explore the building from the 1660s which might have been possible as the door was open and no one was in the ground floor shop.  I called and waited and called and waited and finally the owner came from either up or down.  Many buildings that look old were rebuilt after the war, but some with the dates of the 16 and 17 hundreds I’m assuming are original.

http://www.njf2014.nl/en/index.html  is the site of the 2014 Netherlands Juggling Convention

Seems I can’t resist a good climb so we went off the climb the tower of Lange Jan

“The octagonal tower – a rare feature in the Netherlands – popularly known as Lange Jan, originally dating from the 14th century but several times burned down (most recently in 1940), is the great landmark and emblem of Middelburg. A staircase of 207 steps leads up to the top (91m/299ft), which carries a large imperial crown in honor of Count (King) William II. From the top of the tower there are extensive views over the whole of Walcheren and much of the Deltawerken. “

http://www.planetware.com/

The Abbey Complex

Nieuwe Kerk

“In Middelburg, the two-aisled Nieuwe Kerk (16th C.), the parish church, and the aisleless Koorkerk (early 14th C.), the abbey church (beautiful reticulated vaulting), were originally joined. Since the parish church had no choir of its own, the west end of the monks’ church, known as the middle choir, was used as the choir for the lay congregation. Over this is the tower known as Lange Jan ("Long John"). In this church are the double tomb of the brothers Jan and Cornelis Evertsen, two admirals killed in the English war of 1666, and memorial tablets for Count William of Holland (d. 1256), king of Germany, and his brother Floris (d. 1258). The magnificent marble tomb was the last great work of Rombout Verhulst (1680-82). After their restoration both churches were provided with organs by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The organ in the Koorkerk (built in 1481) came from St Nicolaaskerk in Utrecht, that in the Nieuwe Kerk (1892) from a Protestant church in Amsterdam.”

http://www.planetware.com/

Middelburg

Horse statues of all sizes

“The Ring Rider.”

Hooves pound the sand and nostrils flare as the horses run full speed toward the ring – an oh-so-small ring. This is the age old sport of the equestrian ring rider. A traditional sport from long ago still played out today in Middelburg, Zeeland, a province in Holland.

A true test of horsemanship, the rider must be bareback – without the aid of a saddle- and the horse must be colorfully decorated.  The ring rider is also dressed in an official costume of white with an orange sash, symbolizing the connection to the royal house.

A centuries old horseback riding activity dominated by male equestrians, today, women are allowed to join in the festivities on horseback or with carriages where the man directs the coach and the woman stabs the rings that are hung in various places along the course.

http://writinghorseback.com/

Bicycle parking at the train station in Vlissingen.  This is nothing compared to the train station in Amsterdam when we were there in 2000.

Life on the canal in Middelburg.

Art and life not imitating each other….. the girls were so cute with umbrellas half their size.

Windows always have something to show off.

The tourist office didn’t open until 11 am so we HAD to kill some time with coffee.  Mary decided she had to try a local specialty, apple strudel with whipped cream and vanilla cream.  Rick helped her just a bit but Randal and I made do with our cappuccino and a tiny waffle cookie.

Then we returned to the Tourist Office where we were told a tour of the Town Hall would start in 10 minutes so we went back across the square to sign up for it. 

The Gothic Façade of the Middelburg Town Hall in Market Square

The info below is from a site that must have used Google Translate rather than a real human translator, but it matches what our guide told us. 

    “On April 21, 1452 was the first stone of the Town Hall of Middelburg. It would be a combination of a hall, meat market and Cloth Hall. This combination of features was very common in the Middles Ages. The Town Hall contains many Gothic features and belongs to the late Flemish Brabant Gothic. The most striking features are the tower and the beautiful facade with its Gothic windows, red and white shutters and sculptures. …..

     In the 19th century found numerous repair works. In 1884 began the most comprehensive restoration under the direction of the architect Pierre Cuypers. Here the facade overhaul. After the completion of the facade in 1912, the town hall, takes the place for a city museum and the municipal.

Destruction during WW 2

Then begins a fateful day for the city of Middelburg: May 17, 1940. While the rest of the Netherlands on May 14 after an invasion by the Germans surrendered,  the province of Zeeland was ordered by the government through fighting.  The city is located in the line of fire to lie. Three days after the bombing of Rotterdam, a large part of the historic heart of Middelburg destroyed by shelling and aerial bombardment. This, for many unexpected attack, take the City Hall, there remains only a silhouette on walls blackened. The spire, the roof and the whole interior will be lost.

     Soon the restorations was started. The Gothic facades are restored and a new section added in suitable style. After years of rehabilitation, among others H. Van Heeswijk and A. van der Steur, the Town Hall on August 18, 1950 by Queen Juliana festively reopened. The restoration of the exterior below takes many years to complete.

     During the rebuilding after the bombing, in addition to the outside, were made the inside underway. In the so-called Gothic part of the city hall is the old style interior decorated with antique furniture, tapestries and paintings. This can be seen in the hall, wedding hall, the former chamber of the mayor and aldermen, the council chamber and civic (former Cloth Hall).

Since 2004, the board of the city of Middelburg a new Council office in operation, designed by Thomas Rau (Rau & Partners). The old town hall complex is now used by the Roosevelt Academy. In addition there are regular weddings and place the meat hall used for exhibitions of Visual Arts Foundation Middelburg.

That the Middelburg Town Hall in 2007 on the second place finisher in the election for the most beautiful building in the Netherlands says much about the fame and beauty of this monument.

http://worldalldetails.com/

Our guide told the following story : On the façade is this sculputer created by Pierre Cuypers, one of the Dutch? Queens and her daughter.  Cuypers was Catholic so some interpret this as his attempt at a Madonna and child.  Cuypers’ response was that it showed the queen and her daughter so no one could argue. 

Model of the Town Hall at some point in its history.  More interesting is its base with a peek hole in both sides so if you look through just as someone is looking through you see eyeballs.  The sign said something about a tunnel and the sewage system but the engraving was too faint so I couldn’t  even use  Google translate to translate it.

Randal and Mary eyeballing each other.

Flemish Tapestries from the 1500 or 1600s, I can’t remember and the wedding ring cushion.

We were welcomed into the main hall and told to wait in the “wedding room.”  I thought our guide had meant waiting room until I saw this small embroidered cushion with the two rings.  It was indeed the wedding room.  Once upon a time it was used as a court for small crimes.  

Our tour continued all through the many rooms in the building. 

The main entrance hall had been used as a court for major crimes including murder.  Men were hanged and women strangled, our guide guessing that it would be improper to be able to see up the skirts of a woman hanging in the air.  No death penalty now in The Netherlands.  These 3 figures were left overs from the façade, no one knows who they’re supposed to be.  They are called “the spares.”

Stained glass or old discolored glass?  I voted for deliberately colored glass but R, R and M said it was just old glass that wasn’t clear.  The small brochure called the windows stained glass, so who knows?

The painting on the stairway was Antwerp not Middelburg

Pre-Napoleonic  Netherlands as evidenced by carts being driven on the left. 

Apparently Napoleon made each country he conquered drive on the right if they weren’t already doing so.  Napoleon didn’t conquer England so the UK drives on the left.  

Drizzle and strong winds didn’t stop me from visiting this windmill on National Mill Day.  You can see drops of water on some of these photos.  The wind really was fierce right here and I could practically lean forward and not fall over. 

     “The Orange Mill, a flour mill and former Pelmolen the Orange Dike in Vlissingen and because of its geographical location, a good wind catcher as an eye catcher. It is a mill in 1699 is described, and thus should be built sooner. He is covered with roofing felt and has a flight of 24.50 / 24.60 meter . The mill was once proficient, and is still used to grind grain on a voluntary basis. Of the 23 mills town of Vlissingen, the Orange Mill the only one left. It is the closest beach to the grinder Netherlands . Several times, the mill suffered in war. A bullet from the British fleet in 1809 was still in the southwest side of the mill wall there. There are still traces of the Second World War to find – the Allies landed in 1944 near the mill.”

http://www.travelwithtaangoo.com/locations/view/Vlissingen

Oranjemolen   Orange Mill  I’m guessing for a color and not for the food as the word for the edible orange is sinaasappels.

We huddled out of the wind and drizzle at the locked door of the Windmill.  How disappointing!

A lock to a lock.  Normally open on Fridays, this mill was closed for renovations so not open this National Mill Day.

Bunker Museum

“The Bunker Preservation Foundation has equipped a number of bunkers at Walcheren in which the Atlantikwall is central.  Also considerable attention is devoted to the battle that led to the liberation in November 1944 at the mouth of the Westerschelde. This battle is known as the Battle of the Schelde”

http://vlissingen.com/en/museum/108/bunker-museum.html

http://www.battlefieldsww2.com/Vlissingen.html tells about the defenses and battles along this coast.

Interesting to me is that the bunkers and defenses were built by the Germans to prevent Allied landings and the Allies were the ones who bombed the dikes flooding the poldars with seawater.

http://static.nai.nl/polders/e/  describes what is meant by a poldar. 

We could only stand to be inside a short time as the fumes from the coal stove were hard to stomach. 

Rebuilt Dikes behind the windmill and  Bunker Museum

Stairs leading down from the dike with a “bicycle rail” and  a bicycle basket with roses bought at the Saturday market we visited the day before.

Water Tower now a holiday apartment for rent. http://www.tourist-paradise.com/vacation-rental-o52446.html

The Water tower at the badhuisstraat was constructed in 1894. Its height is 35 meters and the reservoir is 300 m³. The building is a National monument.

Seaside Hopscotch embedded in the sidewalk

The weather was rainy and very windy so we ducked into the closest place after the Bunker Museum for coffee.  It was a do-it-yourself cappuccino machine.

Het Arsenal….  Don’t get me started and pirate themed parks….  So this is from tripadvisor.

“The pirate adventure show was very 80ish style and would really benefit from an update. Available only in Dutch with German subtitles makes it difficult for the kids to follow. The area where the kids can touch sting rays is very interesting. Good option if the weather does not play along, mainly for younger kids. Just be aware this is not cheap – approx 50 Euros for a family of four.”

http://www.tripadvisor.com

Marina in the city center on a dreary weather day.

De Vissersvrouw  :  The Fisherman’s Wife by Herman Bisschop 1985 : sometimes referred to as “The Bride.”  She is looking out to sea with the city behind her. 

Lots of decorative touches on the buildings.  The shutter pattern is that of an hourglass.

“zandloper luiken (hourglass shutters) also known as simply zandlopers. These zandloper luiken are usually painted in the colours wit (white) and rood (red) and are typical throughout the Netherlands”

http://stoked4life2.blogspot.nl/2013/01/zandloper-luiken.html

Sint Jacobskerk (St. Jacob’s Church)

Vlissingen’s main church dates from 1328 but took its present shape in the 16th century. The region was one of the first to accept the Protestant faith and the first Protestant service took place in 1572. Have a look at its tower with a medieval base and a renaissance spire. Three of the most recent restorations were results of a fire in 1911, WWII and the 1953 floods (where there height of the water in the church reached almost two metres,) the last larger restoration took place in 1998.

It is not that easy to get into the church as they have an irregular opening schedule. Usually, it is Friday and Saturday between 1330 en 1630 – with some extra days in summer and less days in the winter. Chck out their website under the menu point "openstelling".

http://www.virtualtourist.com/

Bikes and motor bikes share paths with walkers which means I feel much more fear of being run over by someone on two wheels rather than someone driving 4 wheels.  As for the yellow sign, I have no idea !

We had to wait for this train to go by… before we started off not following the direction I’d written out.  But the “serendipitous” route was more scenic and luckily there were some folks along the way to give us directions. 

We met this lovely young woman with her bicycle come to collect her Friesian horse.  She asked where we were from and upon hearing, USA immediately said that she loved Americans.  Especially some singer who she named whom we’d never heard of.  The Friesian breed originated in Friesland, in the Netherlands.  She immediately reminded me of my niece Jessica who also has horses.  And is lovely! 

Only in The Netherlands!

A very well behaved horse for sure.  But hopefully she wears a helmet when she rides horses.

1958 Chevy : a photo Randal wanted as well as those of the Ford below.

1930 Ford with NL on its plate.

Very curious sheep that looks sort of like pigs…maybe related to Babe. 

Okay Charmaine and Linda, what kinds of ducks are these?

Friends! 

And one very funny Lobstah at Fort Rammekens with something in Dutch to explain what it was doing there.

Forts are not my thing but it was a lovely walk along the sea and the dikes to get there.

More windmills along the serendipitous route

Dikes too.

Fort entrance

Fort Rammekens is located in Ritthem, Zeeland,  in the Netherlands .  It was built in1547. It is the oldest coastal fortress in Western Europe.

Three girls in the wind by Jean Houben.  The date on the sculpture is 1980.  The only info I could find about Jean Houben is birth and death dates, 1942-1981 so he died just after this was completed.  I really like it.

We stopped for coffee in a very photogenic café

Fish heads painting..

Fork windchimes

Interesting town fountain.

Wooden shoes and windmills : Dutch souvenir shop

Very strange building complex.

I think this was worked into the brick-work of the building.  Different!

Sitting in our pilot house we can watch the bridge raise for traffic though this pulling boat could just pass underneath.  It reminds me of my Outward Bound boat though we had 2 masts for sailing backwards into the wind.  Long story.  The next day we saw a boatful of women row past.

Most windmills in use today are the tall white version in the lower photo.  Not sure if the old fashion ones are used for anything other than show. 

Town Center is a mix of old and new.  See the lifiting hook on the top of the yellow building to raise things to the upper levels.  Building were taxed by the frontage along the road so they were build tall and narrow.

The lovely fronts are a façade as you can see in this side photo.

Giant ice cream cones.

These lovely adverts caught my eye in 2000 when Randal and I did a bike – barge trip loop starting and ending in Amsterdam.  The one on the right looks particularly tempting.

I have no idea!

. 

Some kind of strange bus though the vehicle of choice here really seems to be the bicycle.

        Great working hours for the public library, though not sure how accommodating it is for patrons.

Vlissingen center

Pubs of all kinds selling Bier.  I have fond memories of seeing the London production of Wicked with Valerie. 

Recycling center along the street  and a building front of green glass bricks.

A pedestrian mall

Beat swords into ploughshares…..or bury cannons in the ground to use as mooring bollards.

Ship builders just behind us on the Kanaal Door Walcheren which begins just about where we are. 

“The difference between a canal and a river is that a river is the work of nature, and a canal is a channel for water made by men.” http://groundreport.com/the-difference-between-a-canal-and-a-river/

I really like this boat.

The man who lives here has a motorcycle that he keeps in back and what looked like a big fluffy black cat. 

Leaving Ipswich : The Orwell Bridge is tall enough so masts can pass under.

A sunny day, plus long weekend with Monday’s Bank Holiday made for a very crowded river with boats under sail having the right-of-way.

Randal and Rick had marked out a track on the chart.

The Victory, once a Thames barge, now takes passengers from Ipswich on a river cruise. 

Technical difficulties late morning at the lock caused them a late departure.  From radio chatter between other vessels and the lock keepers;  the paying guests were not pleased.  The Victory was allowed to go to the head of the line of the several boats waiting to leave the marina.  Our departure was planned for 2 pm so we had no problems getting “locked out” from the marina into the river. 

Arrived in The Netherlands waiting to enter the lock at Vlissingen.

Our spot at Jachthaven VVW Schelde

Also a working river; the bridge just past the marina; between us and the supermarket, was raised to let some sailing boats and this barge go through.

Lots of cycle paths and people on bicycles, almost none wearing helmets. 

To pass under some bridges between Vlissingen and the Black Sea, our mast and paravane arms must come down.  First task was to take down and store the sails. 

Amazingly both fit under our back cabin mattress along with several boxes of spares and other boat supplies already stored there.

A combination of brawn and brains to get it all stowed away.