Thursday, May 08, 2014

The Biesbosch Museum in Werkendam, NL


Because we almost never drive from Point A to Point B in a straight line, here's a bit of a prelude before I take you to the next museum on our Museum Card.

In all fairness to our first museum, which was the open-air museum in Arnhem,
here's the windmill in Geldermalsen we stopped at first for our cornmeal, ground there by the mill.
It's the De Bouwing grain mill from 1848.
And it was a gorgeous spring day, April 11.

Two weeks later we drove to our second museum, just 6 miles from from us, in Werkendam.

And as you know, we stop whenever something interests us along the way!
That huge house next to the church had whirligigs in their yard and cows in their window.  HA!

Whenever I got out of the car, I HAD to capture the flowers...even the weeds.
The right-middle image is rapeseed.  They grow a lot of it in England but just a little here.

A handful of weathervanes.

A few sheep and cows.

We even had to stop for a saiboat at the Biesbosch lock drawbridge.
Astrid has lived with drawbridges and locks her entire life and still gets excited about them with me.
I loved watching the tip of the sailboat mast pass by!

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By the time we arrived  in the vicinity of the Biesbosch Museum, it was time for koffie.

It was a good place to start feeling the energy of this water basin, 
formed after the St. Elizabeth flood of 1421.

Today it is a nature preserve with reminders of a day gone by when inhabitants earned their living here,
fishing, hunting, weaving baskets, farming....

As museums go, at €3.75 normal rate, it sure packed a wallop.

 For some reason, I've always been a glutton for life-sized model re-enactments of past eras.

Someone put a lot of time and energy into all the details.

I liked the boats, of course....

...but my favorite was this mama doing the laundry with her sweet little girl (and cat!) nearby.
Did we really use to do things that way???  Oh, yes.  I remember.  HA!

All the taxidermy was done to perfection.  The birds....

...critters...

...and even the water creatures, all in their natural habitat.

The walls were covered with photography and paintings.  
Lots of history to see and read about or watch on flatscreens throughout.

We actually were thrilled by this little museum.

It took us only 2 hours to see it all...perfect for an afternoon's inspiration.

Another time we may decide to go back and pay the extra price of the electrically-powered "cruise"
 around the creeks and waterways, to see the otters, birds, foxes and who-knows-what.

Don't you just love what you can find in your backyard...once you buy your annual museum card!

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As an FYI, we fly to England tomorrow for our Shutterchance photoblog meet-up on Sunday,
and will return on the 18th with lots to show and tell!

12 comments:

  1. I love your excursions and the decadent food you always have as a treat....and such interesting museums....safe travels and enjoy!

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    1. Thank you, Donna. What's so funny about those decadent foods is that when the Dutch have them with koffie break, they are NOT considered dessert. Weird, I know. I always think of these treats as dessert! But yes, we have so much to see, and now that we're starting to see the museums, we have a lot of catching up to do. :)

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  2. This is a wonderful museum about life in the Biesbosch. A real heaven for birds. I am impressed by what they show in the museum, for such a small museum, very educational.
    Days out like this are fun, I hope many more to come.
    Great pictures.

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    1. I was very impressed...more than I expected, to be honest. It made me realize how much we will see this year as we take in as many museums as possible. Total fun, indeed. Many more to come!

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  3. So love that field of green with the strip of yellow! And the man pulling the dog. All are great! Enjoy your time in England and can't wait to see the photos you make! xoxo

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    1. We're always "short of eyes" on these outings, Robin. So much to see. And yes, now we're heading off to see even more...in one of our next favorite countries!

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  4. You must make many stops on your ways from Point A to Point B if you stop whenever something interests you along the way, it's obvious. :) I sometimes think it would be worth stopping and taking a photograph or two but I either don't have my camera with me or don't have time or both, unfortunately. But I can see so many interesting details in your photos and moreover, your collages give them a story. Nice to go through these ones too.

    PS I loved the mom with her little daughter too. So touching...

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    1. When we are out-n-about, Petra, we do try to stop whenever we can, especially since we're on the back roads. We take this into account whenever we plan a trip, which helps. Thank you for your vote of confidence! :)

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  5. i would love road tripping with you gals. are you like me, i like to take the detours, the side roads, the back roads.....that's where most of "living" happens.

    hope you're enjoying your holiday.

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    1. It would be wonderful to have a meet-up one day, Maria, and see things through each other's eyes. We really ARE similar in what we see and do. I love it!

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  6. The sheep nestled in the hill, the bird on a nest, the museum… wow. I would never make it from point A to point B… sensory overload! Just beautiful.

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    1. That's exactly why we say we're "short of eyes," Margaret!!! Thanks.

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