When I say Spring, I'm talking about March 22, at the very beginning AND on a gorgeous, sunny day, which is why we went there then!
Astrid loves to find these quaint places for us to visit, especially if they make a nice day-trip for us, out-n-about...and also if she's never been there herself, here in the Netherlands.
You know me and Google maps, to get my bearings!
+/- 70 miles; +/- an hour's drive away.
Before we got there, we had to take a ferry over the Maas river,
where I snapped this lovely rural scene from the car.
Astrid says that's NOT flooding you see but signs of drought. :(
Right after that, out in the farmland, and before reaching Ravenstein,
I spotted this weathervane, which totally made my day.
I could have gone home right then and been a Happy Camper! :)
Ravenstein is a city of +/- 3500 people in North Brabant province.
Once entering city center, you can't miss the main landmark St. Lucia Church from 1735.We wanted to go inside, of course, but, guess what! Since at least 2018, the parish/diocese
has been in a fight with the municipality and has remained closed indefinitely. (SIGH)
Thankfully, the cemetery behind the church was open,
guarded lovingly by the Nijverheid windmill from 1857.
You know us and cemeteries, from which we learn much about a people and culture.
North Brabant is more Roman Catholic than Protestant,
as indicated by this central tombstone there.
It made a good choice, I thought, for my Good Friday image on our Shutterchance photoblog.
"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which is to say "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
(Matthew 27:46)
Continuing on past the cemetery, we were well on our way around the citadel city.
Look at how enchanting the weeping willows were at the beginning of Spring.
And, see, not far away from the windmill!
Like the landmark church, the windmill was visible everywhere we walked.
In this view, however, it's the Dutch pollarded willows that thrill me the most.
Crossing over the citadel moat, back towards city center, we got a better look at them and the boat
(for our Boat Friday photoblog, of course).
Prosciutto di Parma pasta salad and Lasagna Bolognese, shared.
And Moretti beer, of course.
I'll drink to that!
Misc. impressions after lunch as we left for the car to return home.
...while others of you, we know, are still having snow even now in April!
In Dutch they say "April doet wat hij wil," which is to say "April does what he wants!"
Hang in there and you, too, will see it come to pass.
"Just a day out". This is such a nice little city and so quiet on a Tuesday. What do I need to add after your wonderful pictures. It was a great day out and a wonderful lunch. I can still laugh about having a "half a liter of beer", he did not have that big beer-glasses....
ReplyDeleteAnother memory made. IHVJ.
I LOVE how you find these places for us to check out, Astrid. ALL of them have been winners. Thank you. And yes, how could we ever forget about our 25cl glass of beer. No mugs big enough for a pint! Unheard of!
DeleteWat zijn dit prachtige en zulke sfeervolle foto's in vele collages verwerkt.
ReplyDeleteEen heerlijk dagje uit zo te zien en te lezen.
Fijn weekend en gast het goed met je schouder ?
It was a fabulous day out, Marjolein, seeing the things that make my heart sing. As regards my shoulder, I'm very encouraged and optimistic that the healing is going even better than expected. Thank you for asking.
DeleteSpring was well underway! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was, Marie, even way back then. Thank you.
DeleteYou two! Every outing is a new experience with you and your eyes for detail. Yay for Astrid finding places to go, for both of you discovering and chronicling beauty and interest near and far.
ReplyDeleteBless you, Ruth. You know us well. Now that the pandemic is mostly behind us, there's renewed energy to get out again to see what we still haven't seen! Thank you for always following our shenanigans.
Delete