May 27th 2024

Hi

Earlier this month I spent a week in Westkapelle, which is in Zeeland in the south west of the Netherlands with my friends the Brasser family. In 1983 I had passed through Netherlands and stopped briefly in Amsterdam for a day and a night on my way home from inter-railing. The only other trip to Netherlands was a weekend in Amsterdam so the rural part of the country remained unexplored.

I got an Easyjet flight from Glasgow to Amsterdam on 7th May and the train from Schipol Airport was about two hours to Middleburg, where Catherine picked me up for the twenty minute drive to Westkapelle. I met Jeff and Madeline, friends of the Brasser family who were also staying in addition to teenagers Boaz and Lis. A full house and the week was very full on! Rather than give my usual essay style blog, I'll give you a list of highlights to accompany the photographs.

I was in the Netherlands for a week but actually visited Belgium twice. Jeff was keen to visit Waterloo to see the battlefield and Wilbert and I were quickly signed up. From memory it was about two hours' drive south from Westkapelle. I would totally recommend this site if you are anywhere near this area. It is a world class facility with a brilliant museum, which was inaugurated in 2015. The battlefield can be viewed from the height of the Lion's Mound and there is a Rotunda with a fantastic tapestry of the battle. Further into the battlefield we visited the Hougoumont farm which had a pivotal role in the battle. If you like your history this is a great place to visit. Check out the photos.

Our other trip to Belgium was a day out in Bruges. Again this was about two hours' drive and the whole household came along. We wandered the streets and had a boat trip on the canals. It is a lovely city and would be well worth a more in depth visit.

The weather during my stay was outstanding. Jeff, Wilbert and myself took a four hour walk south along the coast to Vlissingen. Westkapelle is part of the island of Walcheren but is joined to the mainland. Vlissingen was formerly known as Flushing (as mentioned in Samuel Pepys diaries) and is also on Walcheren. I hadn't realised how much of the Netherlands coastline had beaches. On the walk we spent some time on the beaches and also walked along the dykes for a more elevated view. In Vlissingen we spent most of our time at the harbour. Vlissingen was granted city status in 1315 and was an important port due to its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea. It was the main harbour for ships of the Dutch East India Company during the Dutch colonial period. The rest of the family met us in Vlissingen so we didn't have a long stay and a return trip would be worthwhile.

There was lots of exploring to do in Westkapelle itself. From the Brasser house a walk of a few hundred yards takes you to the main dyke and the beach beyond. An M4 Sherman tank was placed on the dyke as a memorial to the war and to the village's liberation.The Dijk- en Oorlogsmuseum (Dyke and War Museum) is well worth spending a couple of hours in. The WW2 footage is excellent. The Allies bombed and flooded the town in 1944 prior to landing and the filming of that period really enhances the story. The tallest building in Westkapelle is the Lighthouse which is inland. There is another more modern lighthouse along the beach. There is a very 'village' feel to Westkapelle , although it is designated a city. Pop. c.2,500. The local bakery sold outstanding fare.

Another trip out of Westkapelle was to visit Wilbert's brother Albert wife Marlien and family. They live within walking distance of Kinderdijk, a Unesco site with multiple windmills. Ok I didn't see any tulips on this visit but did get the windmills in eventually!

On the day before leaving I took a twenty minute drive with Catherine and Emma to visit Jantien van Saane. Jantien was in Glasgow from 1974-5 for a nursing course and became a close friend of our family. Although Jantien spent most of her life working in Africa she had always kept in touch with my parents. I think I had last seen her maybe thirty years ago. Our reunion remains a very pleasant memory.

I hope this information will give some perspective to the photos. However I have not mentioned the main highlight of the trip. This was the fabulous hospitality and friendship of the Brasser family which made this such a fantastic trip. I enjoyed spending quality time with Wilbert and Catherine and getting to know Jacob, Bonnie, Alexandra and six month old Emma.

It was also a pleasure to meet Jeff and Madeline (whose nightly sumptuous banquet of arabic/middle eastern/mediterranean cuisine was a delight). For fun I also made some oatcakes with Dutch ingedients, but don't think I can really compete with Madeline!

I cannot thanks all my friends enough for this great trip. It is one that will live long in the memory!

All the best

Murdo