Springtime in Woudrichem, NL

 

Every year I say that Autumn is my favorite season of the year...except THIS year, when so far it's Spring.  HA!  I suppose that after a year of some semblance of lockdown, my senses are paying better attention to what's in front of me...NOW?!

So, a morning out on Sunday, May 2 (3 weeks ago yesterday), walking around the charming city of Woudrichem across the river from us, was just what the doctor ordered.  As daughter Amy would say, "We should do it more often."

As you know, this is what we both do:  look at and grab what we can with our cameras!

(They say married couples need to keep doing what they did when they fell in love, right?)

Like Gorinchem, where we live, Woudrichem is a citadel city with dijks/walls surrounding it.

[credit:  VVV Altena Biesbosch]

While walking, you can be below looking up...

and be delighted by what you see, almost out of view.

Or you can be on top...

seeing what's happening at eye level...

or looking out/down across the rooftops of city center.

At that vantage point, you can't miss the 2 landmark churches of the city:

the St. Martin's Reformed church from the 15th century (left side),

and the Johannes Nepomuk Roman Catholic church from 1838 (right side).

They seem to coexist in perfect harmony every time I see them.

The minute I saw this horse transfixed (for as long as I watched), I laughed at the "nitpickers."

At first I thought they really were eating bugs in the hair, but once blown up,

I saw the hairs/fur being picked...to warm their nests, I suppose?

Imagine how good that felt to the horse!

As you'd guess, there are harbors everywhere in this citadel city.

It's one of the things I love about Dutch cities, with ever-present water from rivers and canals.

To be honest, here's my favorite view in the entire city, no matter the season.

Though from a different angle, it's the same view from 2013 on a foggy, autumn day.

See what I mean?!

And with all that water, what would you expect, even on a cold (but sunny) day!

Fishermen of all ages headed out as though on cue.  It's a Dutch way of life...

as are the windmills, which you know by now.

This is Woudrichem's Nooit Gedagt (Never Thought Of) windmill from 1995.

(The original mill from 1662 was destroyed during WWII.)

That day we got to see it's many faces because of the lowering skies.

And then, just as we were leaving, I was reminded again of what we love to do:

point and shoot.  No matter the weather!

And because it's our 2nd Pentecost Day today (Whit Monday), a national holiday,

I leave you with the pinksterbloem/Pentecost Flower that we saw that day.

Astrid almost always has to point it out to me because its dainty bloom is easy to miss in the grass.

It comes and goes so quickly at this time of Pentecost...as though also on cue.

In a few days June will arrive...and, with it, Summer.

But for now, I really am still enjoying Spring, like never before.

We really should do it more often!