Arrived from Texel in Leeuwarden, capital of the province of Friesland, in the far northeast of the country. The bus trip took us over the almost 30 km afsluitdijk, the large dike that closed off the Zuider Zee and transformed it into the Ijsselmeer. Both ends of the dike still have locks and bridges through which vessels can access the open sea. After leaving the water behind us, we’re back in endless very green farm pastures, dotted with livestock—notably more horses here—and beautifully thatched Friesian farmhouses.
The city of Leeuwarden is a warren of smaller and larger canals lined by a wealth of older gabled houses along with newer stylish ones, a harmonious composite effect. The predominantly pedestrian center shares walking ways with plenty of cyclists and occasional cars. An imposing new square is being built to house the soon-to-move Fries Museum. We pick up a map at the local VVV—as always very conveniently close to the train station, and after a stop for sustenance meander to our newest B&B, which turns out to be fabulous. We settle in to the upstairs room which comes with a delightful terrace laden with all manner of flowers and a picnic table, and return to the center to begin our preliminary exploration on foot.
On the following day we spend time in the beautifully appointed Fries Museum, which has a stunning collection of silverwork by Friesian smiths of old in a basement with old brick, low-vaulted ceilings that cannot but create a wondrous atmosphere for the pieces. There is also a floor dedicated to the German occupation and the local resistance on the top floor of the museum—but as there is a lot to read and it is all in Dutch, we browse. From this gem we move to the Princessenhof, a museum dedicated to ceramics, located in a beautifully remodeled palace. The quantity of pieces is staggering, to say the least. There are collections by a couple of locals who have amassed copious amounts of tea cups and saucers, serving bowls and dishes from all over. There is a stunning collection of Delftware, and also tiles of all sorts from central Asia to Turkey, as well as Chinese and Japanese pieces. In short, overwhelming.
We admire the leaning tower called the Olderhoeve, which was to become a church when it was originally built, but the plans were abandoned when the builders found no way to correct the slant of the building, which was already apparent at a height of 10 meters. Today it is a mere tower. This particular weekend there is a non-stop music festival staged on the open side of the Olderhoeve, and as we wander throughout the day we catch classical, klezmer and later even tango being played. We enjoy an excellent meal at a local Indian restaurant, Jamuna, both exceptionally tasty and surprisingly economical. For the rest we wander all over town, through the more outlying, almost prefabricated neighborhoods to the more stately and older homes in the inner city. The beautiful old weighing house De Waag (for butter and cheese, in years past) as well as the beautiful chancellery, town hall and other notable buildings lend color and life to an otherwise more staid and quiet town. Despite long summer days, later in the evenings, many areas are surprisingly empty. With daylight lasting until almost 11pm, it is difficult to end the day, but anticipating more bike riding nudges us under the covers after late night conversation with our wonderful (and most interesting) hosts, Frans and Els.
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