2011-07 Waalwijk and Heusden, Netherlands

  

Ray made a trip to Waalwijk (sounds like vall-vick), which is a town about 60 miles southeast of Amsterdam.  It was originally known for the manufacture of shoes, not the Dutch wooden clogs everyone associates with Holland, but rather leather shoes.  There is shoe museum in town, but it was not open when I passed by.  I did see my share of windmills along the way, but only one was actually operating.

Being summer and located so far north and west in a time zone, the sun did not set until 10:00PM, giving me plenty of time to explore after work.  I went to visit the old town of Heusden, which was a major strategic town for many years due to its location at a bend in the river.  A moat was built around the island and 20-30' tall walls built along the walls to aid in the protection of the city and protect the castles.  I took a walking tour of the area to learn a little of the history of the town.  It was expanded from its original size and the old moat still runs through town. A full scale model of the town and surrounding area is housed in the city government building.

I stopped for dinner in the Vismarkt (fishmarket), which has a number of restaurants along the open plaza.  It is located near a small inner harbor.  I had a huge plate full of spare ribs, and they were delicious.  It was quite an effort to get them all down, but I managed.

The next morning before my flight home I rented a bike to do some more exploring.  I rode south towards the sand dunes national park area, but couldn't find a good path to take to the dunes themselves.  Most were sandy and were better for walking than riding. 

I did see a park working trimming bushes and trees with a lawn mower.  He was able to trim them up very evenly, and I was impressed.  One of the driveways I passed was lined with many beautiful and large hydrangeas.  Another nursery was growing some interesting curly trees.  The Netherlands is known for it horticultural industries, especially tulips.  The facility that I was visiting actually makes the plastic flower pots used for growing small ornamental flowers.  They are also known for Tulips, and I was bringing some home as a souvenir.  When I got home I read the inspection sticker and they were actually from France, but were being sold as Holland bulbs in the airport.

It was a quick trip in and out, but it was fun to see a new part of the world and take in a few of the sites.