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20 July 2008
15:43:54 o'clock BST
20 July
Not much doing today, apart from preparing for tomorrow's journey. The weather is showery and windy, and a gale is forecast for the northwest of the country.
I leave tomorrow morning, and this is therefore the last entry on the Shell Gallery, until I return to Holland. I'll close with a few images of the past 2½ months. Blogging will resume on Tuesday 22 July on Northern Trip.
Written by veluweman
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19 July 2008
21:26:55 o'clock BST
Saturday
Not much improvement in terms of weather, continuing with the heavy showers and mediocre temperatures. Went to the cemetery for the last time before my departure on Monday, to leave some flowers. Next week, the weather in Holland should get warmer, so I hope they will keep. Have taken a few pics, some of which will feature on the public part of my Flickr site. Don't think we escaped the rain on the way back - no chance!
Written by veluweman
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18 July 2008
22:19:30 o'clock BST
Soggy day
Although I was lucky to return dry from a shopping trip, my dad was not. He got caught in a downpour of monsoonal proportions. No surprise that we did not venture out today. The other, more valid, reason was a visit from my sister. Unfortunately, she got caught in traffic on the motorway, so her 75 minute drive now took over 2 hours. It was nice to see her and her family before I leave on Monday.
Written by pharmolo
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17 July 2008
21:38:09 o'clock BST
Picture links
Yesterday's pictures, about the walk round to the swimming-pool, can be seen here.
Today's pics, "Rainy Ride", can be viewed here.
A few images are a bit fuzzy; the light was low, and trying to take pictures from a bicycle when you're doing 10 mph in those conditions is asking for that.
Anyone got any ideas yet what a cerviduct is?
Written by pharmolo
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16:55:19 o'clock BST
Rainy ride
In spite of the damp forecast, we did set forth by wheel just after lunch. From the centre of Velp, it was northeast bound towards the Zijpenberg (nice ascent) and onwards further north towards the Imbosch, where we were only two days ago. As we arrived at the crossroads, the heavens opened, so we waited for a few minutes. Three other intrepid cyclists did keep going through the rain. After it dried up, the journey continued north towards the Loenermark. This is an area of woodland and heathland, with a few treacherous hills to keep you on the pedals. Once out on the western side, near the hamlet of Groenendaal, it was a straight run down the old Apeldoorn to Arnhem road. It runs close to the A50 motorway, which is busy. It is spanned by a cerviduct - I leave it to you to work out what that is. We returned home along the Koningsweg and then down the cyclepath past the cemetery. As we passed the Castle, the heavens opened again. Although it was but a brief shower, it has now been raining for nearly two hours.
I'll post a separate entry when I've uploaded all the pictures.
Written by veluweman
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16 July 2008
21:59:11 o'clock BST
Nostalgia
My trip down memory lane, which much of the past 9 weeks has been about, took me to a swimming pool this afternoon. A former one - it closed in 1988 after 33 years of service. It was the place where I was awarded my A-diploma swimming (to certify I would not sink like a brick) many moons ago. My memories of Beekhuizen (on the periphery of Velp) are of arriving on the pushbike in a searing heat, park the bike in the racks, walk up the hill and pay a small fee. Change in the communal changing rooms, and then go outside to the pale-blue pool area. There were three pools; one paddling pool for the tiny tots, a shallow pool (2 feet in depth) and a deep pool, where the water depth would increase from 3 to 5 feet, until the floats, where the depth would increase sharply to 7 feet. A diving tower loomed over an area of 12 feet in depth. After a swim, you'd lie on the sunning lawn on your towel, until you got too hot again and would take another plunge. You'd be there all day on a really hot day.
Hardier souls, like my father, would go down there at 7.15 am for a constitutional - when he was the age I am now. The pool's heating system wasn't all that good, and the water only got up to 63F.
The pool closed down in 1988, and I had left the area some 6 years previous. I had taken a peek through the fences in the 90s, but today's visit was a shock. The bike racks have gone, as has the paving around them. The entire pool and lawn area is heavily overgrown, to create a nature reserve. I felt very sad to see the smartly painted bath & buildings so delapidated and unrecognisable. Wonder what the old poolmaster, if he's still alive, makes of it all.
Written by veluweman
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11:14:36 o'clock BST
Updating
Updates on this blog will cease after next Sunday, 20 July, until I return to Holland again. I am flying to Stornoway on Monday afternoon, and will review things from there. Northern Trip will become my primary blog again, but probably with a changed remit.
The Shell Gallery will, as I already indicated, remain where it is, as will the pictures.
Written by pharmolo
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15 July 2008
22:49:47 o'clock BST
Weather forecast
You're promised a sunny day, so off we went at 11 am for a long walk. Well, we hadn't left the woods before the clouds pulled across from the west. Didn't see the sun after that, which made for a cool walk to the Imbosch, 6 miles away. Visibility was not great, only just 2 miles or so. Pictures are therefore a bit hazy. I am currently uploading them, so give it about half an hour to go and have a look. Annotations will follow tomorrow.
Written by pharmolo
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13 July 2008
22:17:53 o'clock BST
Cycling the circle
We went out on wheel (to quote my dad) today, cycling around the city of Arnhem, without actually really going into the place. First port of call was the town of Oosterbeek, which is 7 miles away. It was at the centre of hostilities during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. A little ferry put us across the River Rhine to the town of Driel, which boasts an impressive weir-complex, where the barrages can be lowered (as they were today) at times of low water. Currently, the river runs at just shy of 9 metres; in winter it can get as high as 14 metres; 16 metres means it floods the dykes.
We then turned eastward, through a nature reserve at Meijnerswijk where horses roam wild. A warning is posted that horses can damage vehicles. The route took us under the three bridges that Arnhem has to the ancient city of Huissen. It is a formal city, although it is not terribly large. There is another ferry there, which brings you to the town of Westervoort on the river IJssel. A noise crossing by bridge took us into Velp and back home. I'm currently uploading the pictures, and due to the lateness of the hour, I am not going to annotate them today. Check back tomorrow for those.
I take the opportunity to also draw attention to yesterday's pics, taken in the forests near the town of Rheden. This place boasts its very own flock of sheep, which (until 1990) were grazed on the Heathlands, which I frequently mention on here. Small wonder the Heathlands now look more like grasslands, with no sheep to graze them.
Written by pharmolo
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11 July 2008
23:00:31 o'clock BST
Wednesday's walk
Got pictures of Wednesday's walk on view here.
Written by pharmolo
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