Weeping at the Wetland Ditch. Driemond-Abcoude, The Netherlands
You-all know I like the Gaasperplas, but today I left that delightful place on on my right and ambled out to Driemond. Driemond: Threemouth. Three little rivers meet here, the Gaasp, Smal Weesp and Gein. I bore to the right - more or less the west - and backtracked the meandering Gein towards Abcoude. Very green at this time of the year with pretty farms, mostly well taken care of, on the higher land along the Gein dike. In the distance the fenny greens lead eventually to the woods planted along the Gaasperplas. And the ditches - as this one - water down from the Gein to that lake. Once this entire area was fens, contested in the Middle Ages - broadly speaking between Utrecht and Amsterdam; both wanted to convert the area to pastures. It's hard to believe that these very wet lands - at least 10% of them - were at one time grain fields. Anyway... don't get me going on the water economics of this area; you'd be here until the wee hours!
On my little hike - near an ancient Weeping Willow - I came upon a farm with a lovely dairy shop. The farmer and his wife and beautiful daughter make cheese and other dairy products and also slaughter a modicum of meat. All in time-honored fashion. I'd not seen them before because they open only a few days a week when I haven't been passing. My knapsack was heavier on leaving...
Walking the Ruwelswal, a dike separating the Gaasper and Gein from the Broekzijder polder, I passed through the nature reserve De Hoge Dijk, and made my way to the Metro which would slip me back into town.
Weeping at the Wetland Ditch. Driemond-Abcoude, The Netherlands
You-all know I like the Gaasperplas, but today I left that delightful place on on my right and ambled out to Driemond. Driemond: Threemouth. Three little rivers meet here, the Gaasp, Smal Weesp and Gein. I bore to the right - more or less the west - and backtracked the meandering Gein towards Abcoude. Very green at this time of the year with pretty farms, mostly well taken care of, on the higher land along the Gein dike. In the distance the fenny greens lead eventually to the woods planted along the Gaasperplas. And the ditches - as this one - water down from the Gein to that lake. Once this entire area was fens, contested in the Middle Ages - broadly speaking between Utrecht and Amsterdam; both wanted to convert the area to pastures. It's hard to believe that these very wet lands - at least 10% of them - were at one time grain fields. Anyway... don't get me going on the water economics of this area; you'd be here until the wee hours!
On my little hike - near an ancient Weeping Willow - I came upon a farm with a lovely dairy shop. The farmer and his wife and beautiful daughter make cheese and other dairy products and also slaughter a modicum of meat. All in time-honored fashion. I'd not seen them before because they open only a few days a week when I haven't been passing. My knapsack was heavier on leaving...
Walking the Ruwelswal, a dike separating the Gaasper and Gein from the Broekzijder polder, I passed through the nature reserve De Hoge Dijk, and made my way to the Metro which would slip me back into town.