…. . .-.. .-.. -_-

Our days have started with a very tasty sharing breakfast. There has been no fighting, although Kim had more than her fair share of muesli this morning.

Today, we cycled into Dordrecht. It was granted city status in 1220 making it one of the oldest in The Netherlands. It was an important merchant city, trading in wood, grain and wine and, today, is home to many monuments and museums. The Dordrechts Museum, established in 1842, is one of the oldest in the country housing 600 years worth of art. We didn’t visit it, there was no appetite for paintings by old Dutch Masters but we did wander through a beautiful city.

Our museum of choice was the 1940-1945 Museum, a history of Dordrecht’s Occupation and liberation. A small room was dedicated to the Dutch Resistance which can be characterised as largely non-violent according to “Was God on Vacation” by Jack van der Geest . Apparently a 1938 Dutch law required all guns to be registered, when the Nazis invaded they found the register, went house to house demanding the guns and hence there wasn’t actually a great deal of resistance. Exhibits have been donated by local families and provide a rich collection together with some wonderful stories of very brave people assisted by the British SOE. As we arrived, one school party were leaving and we were advised to ‘move quick’ to get ahead of the next group of children.

The Simon van Gijn museum, the former Mayor’s house boasting beautiful interiors, is next door and merited a stop. We only made it as far as the cafe where we were lulled into serenity with very good cuppas and tasteful jazz music. Two hours later, we thought we ought not to spend all day there and wandered off to find culture that was suitable for all – there’s been a lot of grumbling about old Dutch Masters. Modern art was discovered in the Kunstkerk, a converted church now housing exhibitions by new Dutch Masters. The entrance is amazing. The mural depicts the legend that the world is carried on the back of tortoises – very Discworld! The chicken on the top is a nod to the building’s history as a church and its old weather vane. The current exhibitor is Hella de Jonge, we will let you make you own mind up on her art.

Next stop was the Rutte Distillery, gin distillers since 1749. The Rutte family owned the business until 1992 when it was sold to a group who loved the product. Gin is still distilled on site and the smell of botanicals was prominent as we walked in the shop. Today, they were distilling Sloe Gin and a long conversation followed about sloes in the UK. Sadly we needed 8 more friends to be able to take part in a tour and tasting.

The rain had held out for us but the first spots started as we cycled back through a small estate that caught our eye this morning. Dutch architecture is fascinating

Finally, can anyone decipher today’s title?

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