Out on the day the weather changed

Today the heatwave ended and I can't say I regret it.

Now that Val does not own the barge in Belgium any more, we can explore what the surroundings of Rotterdam are like.
Today we made a trip to a place both of us had never been to: Drimmelen
It was a total surprise to find a tiny village of such high quality, such a gem, such an amazing sight to see; it takes the definition of picture postcard quality to the next higher level.
I am tempted to post way too many pictures of that place, but here are a few, after careful selection: not just the pretty images but the things with an extra.

The church for instance.

A tiny protestant church, set in wonderful floral surroundings. Will it seat more than 75? We'll check it out one of these days on a Sunday morning service at 10 a.m. No other time is possible. Other than the Roman Catholic churches abroad, Dutch churches can't be visited outside service hours.


We see it more and more these days, the names of all the family members are listed at the front door of houses. Peter and Ellen, who live here, have found a very original -and very Dutch- way of telling the world that they have a daughter called Janneke, followed by twin sons Sil and Siep.


Like much bigger Amsterdam, Drimmelen boasts a canal called Herengracht (canal of the gentlemen). Hardly more than a ditch, it is just what is needed to complete the picturesqueness of the street, where immaculately restored eighteenth and nineteenth century houses proudly line up.


On the side of this eighteenth century house we see the funeral door. As the name suggests it was only used to take the deceased out to the cemetery. If the ghost came back, he would find the door closed. This reduced the risk of the house being haunted.