Feeling the orginal Zeel(and) ©

Three days is not enough to get to know an entire province, but it does give you time to get to  know three charming cities and see a bit of countryside. 

And of course, the province holds a special connection thanks to our love for the American city with it's namesake, so we couldn't help asking each other once in a while if we were really "feeling the zeel" ©.

In hindsight, the answer is a resounding, "Yes."

We had a 'home base' in the city of Middelburg . . .

 . . . where there were more dining and lodging options. 

The B&B with the lanterns is where we had an extremely pleasant stay. 

But most of our time was spent out on the streets of Zeeland. And some of our wanderings led us to wonder why they were so incredibly committed to cellars. We think we found a sort of answer when we learned about the agriculture (onions) of the area... but we have more research to do on this architectural trait of Zeeland (Middelburg in particular). 

Zeuwse (Zeelandish) farmland. 

You can't see any piles of onions in this one, but they were common in the many other fields of dark soil. 

We started our tour in the coastal city of Vlissingen (called Flushings for in English... probably because people have trouble pronouncing languages that are not their own). 

Rather than a sign saying "this way to the sea" Vlissingen employed stripes to signal its many visitors in direction of the sea and town. 

It didn't take long for us to feel the sea air in our hair and see the town in the distance. 

But eyes can deceive you... it took a good while for our feet to reach town.  

However we eventually did reach town . . .

. . . and since all the stores were closed (Monday = closing day), we wandered around the lanes of Vlissingen for a while.  

It didn't take us long to find the sandy stretch of land that these days keeps people streaming into the small city: the beach. We were not sad to have visited during the 'off season' -- we can only imagine what a crowded sight the place must be in the summer. 

One fun fact aspect of Vlissingen that was not possible to capture on camera (for reasons of social propriety) were the binoculars/spy glasses in many a window. In fact we even caught a couple using their binoculars as we walked past. 

The many ships that pass by this city do not go unnoticed. In fact, it seems they provide a pastime for many a resident. 

We enjoyed some fresh breezes from the water and a cloudy sunset while walking along the beach. 

We always seem to go to the shoreline when 'you're not supposed to' but we find it to be the most peaceful time, so I don't think we'll quit the habit. 

We ended up back in town for a delicious meal of Zeeland mossels, but first we stopped to admire the biggest naval hero of Zeeland (and possibly The Netherlands?). Michael de Ruijter who was a naval general who led the Dutch to victory against the Brtitish. It was hundreds of years ago, but he's still plenty loved.

The next day we found some cushy rental bikes ...

... and left the city of Middelburg once again in search of...

. . .  the Medieval coastal town of Veere (fey- ruh). 

There it is in the distance. 

This small pristine town is really more of a tourists delight than much of a community any more (although there is an elementary school in town)...

... the buildings remaining from it's prosperous 1400's days is what keeps it on the map. 

Scaffolding... constantly ruining photos and saving buildings all over Europe. 

De Grote Kerk (The Big Church)

And it is indeed big. 

We were trying to figure out if the massiveness of the building is more of an illusion created by the tiny homes surrounding it, or if the sheer bulk of the width of the tower and thickness of the sides is what makes it seem so monstrous. Whatever the case... it sure feels like one Big church when you're walking up to it. And then once you've climbed to the top of the tower you can see right back to the city (Middelburg) where we came from. 

The inside of the church has seen better... and more religious days. 

Ever since the time in the 1700's when it was turned into a 4 floor hospital it's sort of fallen in and our of repair. Today it's really more of a shell of it's former self. 

As well as a great delight to children, because who wouldn't want to swing on a wooly seated swing from the rafters of a cathedral?

And of course what would a nice town in Zeeland be without some beautiful waterways? 

It certainly wouldn't be a typical Zeeland town. 

Market Day: Gouda

You kind readers, never complain, but you know as well as I how irregularly I post on this blog. Yet, even if we are going in reverse chronological order, I think it's worth it. Just pretend you're flipping through an online scrapbook. 

Any doubts about where we were? Flags and signs don't lie. 

Gouda was on our 'to visit' list with Mom & Dad from Iowa, but we weren't just going for the photos. 

We were there for the world renown cheese and the historical cheese market experience. 

Some Dutch citizens think that this market is completely cheesy, but there's a reason tourists come from miles to literally get a taste of Dutch culture-- it's great fun. 

"Twenty-five" *slap*

"Twenty- four" *slap*

"Twenty-four 'n a half" *slap*

"Deal." *shake*

(but in Dutch)

The man in blue represents the farmer as he would be at the market trying to get the best money for his carefully crafted cheese. The man in the white coat is trying to get the most cheese he can for the least amount of money.  

He represents the cheese shop owner. 

These gentlemen probably do not have those professions in real life, but the way they hammed up their roles, you'd think they really were working out a good bargain.

As you can see in the picture, the men were reenacting the hand-slapping part of the bargaining. A man offers his hand and a price, then the other slaps the palm and gives his price in response. They slap hands back and forth until a price is decided upon and a handshake seals the deal. 

Look closely. 

See anything irregular about one of these wheels of cheese? 

As part of the bargaining act the audience got to try the cheese for themselves and offer their own opinions. Usually they sided with the farmer and the price went up.

I had a great time watching the deals, but the longer I looked the more I started to think that the hardworking hands with simple gold wedding bands reminded me of someone dear back home. I could easily see my Opa De Boer donning one of those white coats and working out a deal so he could stock up the store with cheese. 

Or maybe, befitting of his last name he'd nestle on a dark cap (I think he already wears one around...) and red kerchief and represent the farmer. Either way, with his talent of being able to talk to just about anyone, proud Dutch heritage, and his love of making others laugh, I'm sure he would have been a real asset to the tourism industry in Gouda. 

Oh well, Chicago gets to benefit instead. 

But besides a good laugh and all things Dutch, my Opa De Boer also gave me a love of markets. I remember going to flea markets and such with him and hearing the vendors shout out their offers in loud voices. I remember feeling small and intimidated, but when Opa imitated their loud calls and pointed out the neat stalls I could tell that he was enjoying the hustle and bustle of it all, and I learned to relax and appreciate the array of goods and cacophony of voices. 

This market was no less noisy and for the tourists they had a selection of all things Dutch: cheese galore, stroopwafels, and a cheese making station. 

That may have been the most educational stall, but right across from it was the most delicious one. 

On the griddle, filling small circular indents is some delicious batter, that, when cooked, makes...

. . . Poffertjes! Hot off the griddle.

Add a little butter, a good dump of powdered sugar and you have one tasty treat. 

As you can see, these hardly were around long enough to make it into a picture (half of them have already been gobbled up). 

Undoubtedly you have noticed this distinguished building adorning the background of many of the previous photos. In case you were wondering, this gem of a building 

from about 1450 A.D., is the city hall of Gouda. 

I have never taken a class on historical architecture, but this past year I've learned to recognize those stately spires as distinctly Gothic. So in case you were wondering, what actually does a Gothic style building look like? 

Just take a long look at Gouda's city hall. 

Visitors were allowed inside, so of course we admired it from the inside as well. Despite its tremendous age, the building is still a fully functioning city hall, and anyone who knows about Dutch weddings knows that the place the bride and groom go to tie the knot in the official records is the city hall. 

This is Gouda's 'wedding chamber', and the foliage on the walls is not wallpaper, it is woven cloth. But no, it doesn't date to 1450, most of the beautiful room interiors are from the luxurious 1700's. 

I've heard that Gouda's city hall is a popular choice among brides, 

and I've absolutely no doubt about why. 

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There is actually more to Gouda than a town hall and cheese, but in case you are planning a trip or are just one to research historic places, I'll leave some gems for you to uncover for yourself. Plus, there's a lot about Gouda I haven't discovered yet for myself. 

Playing Tourist

I've done a good bit of traveling this past year. I've peered through the glass of many museums, stared at many churches, and climbed many towers in search of a view-- that's just the sort of thing that tourists do.

Well, as we found ourselves with a relaxing week at home and wondered what to do to get ourselves out of the house and enjoying summer. Beaches here are crowded silly and our fridge and closets were full... So, what better way to pass some days than play the tourist in our own city?

The first day was so spontaneous that I even didn't think of my camera until our bike wheels bumped us up and down some brick roads lined with lovely historic buildings and out into a tiny harbor. That's exactly when I realized I didn't have my camera along, but it is imprinted in my mind, so if you're willing to read the next thousand words you may get an idea of the picture I saw... 

Just kidding. But seriously, it was a beautiful moment; wooden sailboats lined the docks, their masts creaked gently as the boats swayed. Beyond the small harbor the Maas River glistened gloriously in the bright sunshine. And in a darling moment two children "helped" their grandfather and father unload the sailboat after what looked like some time at sea. Their orange life jackets still fastened, the little boy and girl carried some beach toys as they ran down the dock exclaiming "Opa! Kijk eens Opa." "Kom hier, Opa." Their opa (grandpa) followed slowly behind, patiently pushing a wheelbarrow full of supplies from the sailboat. 

As I watched the kids stomp out a run on tiny legs, I was glad they were still wearing their life jackets. The way they were running they were either going to need the jacket for padding when they did a face plant or for flotation when they tripped off the edge. Amazingly, they managed to get safely to the side and we strolled on to be entertained by the barges that were gliding down the glittering river. 

The next day of touring I towed my camera along with.

It took some bike riding to get there, but we found Delftshaven-- an old part of Rotterdam that escaped the bombing. While it looks like it could be part of a traditional Dutch town, this view is extremely rare in the high-rise, modernized Rotterdam. And a visitor to Delftshaven can't help but wonder just what Rotterdam would have looked like if it hadn't been hit so hard in WWII. 

We enjoyed the view of one of the two remaining windmills in Rotterdam, but even though it is from the 1700's it wasn't the oldest building there. We found a few from the 1600's. Plus, fun fact for us Americans, the English pilgrims of 1620 stayed in this area for a time while preparing for their Mayflower trip. 

See the clock tower? That's a part of the church where the Pilgrim Fathers worshiped while staying in Rotterdam. 

Just checking out the old buildings and enjoying the shade for a time...

Until we set out on our bikes for our second destination...

. . . the Euromast. 

I neglected to take a photo of the Euromast itself, but it pretty much looks like a space needle jutting out of a grassy knoll. If you want to know more about it you can follow this link .

The whole point of the Euromast is to give you a good view of Rotterdam and the surrounding area, and I have to say, it serves its purpose well. 

Supposedly, on a clear day people can make out towers from the Belgian city of Antwerp, south of Rotterdam. The horizons were a bit fuzzy for us to claim the same, but we were able to easily distinguish some cities even though they were a 30 minute train ride away. 

                                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next time you're in your hometown without much of an agenda, or tired of all of your old haunts, stop and step inside the store/restaurant/cafe that you've never gone in or find a new spot to scope out. Play the tourist for a day and you never know what new perspective you'll gain. 

We spent two great days getting off our beaten paths and it was a blast. 

Paris

What better way to celebrate the end of a long first year of teaching than go on a whirlwind tour through Paris? 

Can't think of one? Neither could we, so here are some photos that highlight our 12 hour tour of the highlights of Paris. We went with a church group that took a tour bus through the night, got dropped off in Paris for the day and hopped back on 12 hours later for the ride back. 

There may be nothing charming about this photo, but the atmosphere of the moment was a sweet taste of sleepy Paris. We had just gotten done squeezing the bus through the fruit trucks that were unloading for a Saturday market. The air was cool and foggy, but the outdoors felt good after the bus ride. 

This was our first site to see. 

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

Not an old church, but a beauty all the same. 

In order to reach the church we had to climb this rather steep hill.

But if you don't have energy to climb the stairs you can pay a fee to take these little rail cars up. 

Next we headed to the modern / business district of Paris, set a little apart and above the old city center. 

There's Luke, walking around, in the silent glass and metal maze of the early Saturday in the modern district of Paris, led by our excellent guide (shorter, white haired man in the center, who happens to be a French teacher at our school).

I really don't know any of the particulars about each building, so I simply took photos for the sake of capturing images of this architectural 'gallery'. 

While wandering, Luke and I saw a familiar shape peeking out from between the buildings. 

Our fellow Grand Rapid-ians will no doubt recognize the color and structure of this statue. 

This Calder made us feel like we had happened upon an old friend. 

Despite the urban setting, they remembered to incorporate green space. 

If you were starting to think that Paris was artsy, you would be right on. 

I am sure that many a practically minded person will wonder 'what is the point?' when it comes to this reflecting pool with flashing colored bulbs on spiraled poles, but if you take it for the artistic space that it is it makes for a cool framing of the old city that you see in the background. 

And people familiar with Paris will notice that directly in the center of the photo you can see the foggy outline of the famous Arc de Triomphe which is was our next destination. 

Arc de Triomphe

If you really care to learn about it, a history book is a much better source than this blog, but I have to say, Napoleon and Romans, for as much as you got wrong, you were right that the arch makes a mighty nice frame for historical events and photos. 

Fun fact: Neatly lined up with the Arc de Triomphe original is this cube in the modern portion of the city. It stands with similar command, but obviously it's stones aren't nearly as weighted with history. 

Today, the Arc de Triomphe also commemorates the sacrifices of soldiers in WWII with the grave of this unknown soldier. I found that to be rather fitting, as all military triumphs in history come at the cost of many anonymous men/women. 

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That definitely sets the record for the amount of site seeing I've done before breakfast . . . 

More to come.