Well done to everyone who cracked yesterday’s code. First prize, if there was one, goes to Julie.
2024 is the year of the great hat crisis. It’s been cold and hats have been lost or even left in the UK, so hat sales in Dirdrecht, have increased exponentially. Only one person still has an original hat. From the photo below, can you guess who is the owner of which hat and, more importantly, which one hasn’t been purchased in the last two days?
Today the sun shone and we cycled around the Beisbosch National Park. Less than a mile from our hotel is a ferry that takes you from Dordrecht, across the Nieuwe Merwede river, to the park. Sadly it crashed a couple of weeks ago and, annoyingly, doesn’t resume service until tomorrow! Bikes were therefore loaded onto the car for the 40 minute diversion. We had worried about space for parking, cars are probably the most challenging form of transport over here, but all was well.
The history of the area is fascinating and it has been a harsh environment to boblive and work in. In 1421 the whole area flooded, washing away the villages, because distracted landlords had not kept the dikes in good repair. Rich agricultural land became an inland sea and an abundant fishing ground. Slowly the land was planted with rushes and willows providing tough, low paid work for inhabitants. Rush, reed and willow cutting was hard physical work. Cutters often lost fingers, this one more unlucky than most to lose four fingers! The wooden prosthetic was shaped to enable its owner to remain employed.
In 1970, there were incentives to fill in polders and create larger fields to improve crop yields. This lasted 30 years until the land needed to be returned to water to deal with flood waters from the Rhine and Meuse. Today it forms part of the flood defences, protecting the surrounding land from flood water and high tides and respite for migrating birds.
The Biesbosch museum was amazing, not only for its’ design – it’s covered in grasses and disappears into the very flat landscape – but also it’s informative and engaging displays.
braysabroad 