You know the drill. Put on your seatbelt and fly through this with me. Many of you are starting to recognize these places...that you, too, will see if you ever come to visit us....
Which dear Philine did this past weekend! She's one of our Shutterchance bloggers with whom we have contact almost every day. That's saying something!
I picked her up at our train station last Friday at noon, just a 10-minute walk away.
Astrid was still at work but was home by 4p for her spinach tart supper!
We even watched "Mamma Mia!" that evening...one of our favorite movies.
We woke up to fog on Saturday morning and decided we didn't care.
We did our citadel walk regardless and saw everything with new eyes.
Philine is such a trooper!
And so adorable!
In spite of the fog, we weren't the only ones out-n-about.
Remember that water surrounds our citadel, so we get to see these delights while walking.
It really was foggy!
A photographer's paradise.
Since Philine is our Shutterchance Wiki brainiac, it's appropriate that she knew the artist,
Jan van Munster, who created the Brainwave sculpture in the canal below (not pictured).
Jan van Munster, who created the Brainwave sculpture in the canal below (not pictured).
It so happend that Sinterklaas entered Gorinchem that morning before we got to the inside harbor.
Seeing the little Black Petes took on new meaning with all the controversy this year.
(sigh! we won't even go there!)
The festivities were over by the time we got there....but that was okay by us.
Everything was calm at the harbor.
And still foggy!
De Hoop windmill is still a symbol of...well...of Hope, no matter what.
The stillness was a balm to the soul.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Once the citadel walk was done, we went to eat lunch at one of our favorite cafés, the Metropole, and then got in the car for a short drive across the Merwede river....
...to our sister city, Woudrichem.
I am such a glutton for any city with harbors, especially on a foggy day!
Here, too, were Black Petes, ready to help Sinterklaas arrive in their harbor at 5p.
(center image by Astrid)
(center image by Astrid)
Because it was getting late and the fog had not lifted...
we decided to high-tail it to Loevestein Castle before it closed at 5.
We could barely see it! Seriously.
But we did get to put Philine in the stocks before leaving.
What a good sport!
That evening we ate ertwensoep for a light supper and then watched "Calendar Girls."
We sure know how to pick the movies, right?! :)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The next day, Sunday, was our day to drive out into the polder....
We told Philine she could stop the car on a dime any time she wished.
Besides the sheep, she LOVED the willows.
I was the one who wanted to stop for the doves and the chickens...
...and the white herons that are so rare here in the Netherlands!
These images are not good images but they're from 1200mm out!!! Each time Astrid stopped the car,
they flew away and then landed where they felt "safe" far away from me. HA!
they flew away and then landed where they felt "safe" far away from me. HA!
We stopped in Nieuwpoort long enough for a short walk around the center.
I even "eavesdropped" on two neighborhhood ladies.
(click any collage to enlarge)
(click any collage to enlarge)
And then, yes, of course, we ended up at our favorite pannenkoeken restaurant for lunch!
(image of Philine by Astrid!)
(image of Philine by Astrid!)
...looking out the window on this!
What a way to end a delightful visit with a dear friend...
...before walking her to the train for her trip back to Germany.
And until the next time!
