Snakkerbuorren

A signpost with fingers. They don't make 'em like that anymore now do they? Location: corner Lekkumerweg and Bouwedijk Google maps heading towards Sakkerbuorren.

Skating

Skating is very popular in Friesland (I hope you notice the understatement here). In Heerenveen (googlemaps link) there is one of the best skate stadiums in the world and watching it all on TV can be very exciting. But if you would try to get tickets in the 10,000 plus seater stadium, you will come away very disappointed, unless you know someone who knows someone. The dutch skating union (KNSB) only sell 750 tickets a day. The rest are for sponsors! and skateclubs.

A protest group has been formed so that more cards will be available. I support them. They have set up a dutch language website for their cause over at http://www.volgendjaarwelkaartjes.tk/

Refugees and gravestones

Over at the Telegaaf (dutch language) there is an article about the cemetery in Sint Annnaparochie (link is to google maps). Refugees who die are buried here because the costs are so low. But they don't get a headstone. Former history teacher Frits Slicht heard about this from a radio program and got in contact with the Memento Gedenksteen Sichting (a foundation specializing in gravestones for special circumstances). Seven Artists made works which are being exhibited in Utrecht. On November 28th 2006 they will be placed at the graves in Saint Annaparochie.

Birds

Over at Low Weblog (dutch language) You will find this fabulous desktop photo of starlings/ Spreeuwen (wikipedia link - english). If you like birds, you could do worse than having to live in Friesland. Every morning we can hear geese either flying over our house or hear them in the fields down the road from where we live. There are literally hundreds grazing there. We also have droves of starlings flying around. Appearing in trees for about half an hour with an enormous amount of noise, only suddenly to disappear again and the quiet returns

The ice rink has been flooded for the winter

ice-rink.jpg, originally uploaded by Don Crowley.

In Friesland, if your village has a Hema shop, then it is better than the rest. Not that I mind. Our village doesn't have one yet ;-) but...

Every self respecting village in Friesland has it's own skating rink. It is now november and even though the cold has not set in (we have had the first night frost though), they are all flooded. When the cold sets in it will be packed here with people from gytsjerk and some of the surrounding villages. If the global warming does not act up too much I should have photos of this in January or February 2007.

File under: skating | friesland

The last bridge to Leeuwarden

Last Bridge to Leeuwarden, originally uploaded by Don Crowley.

On the 11 city skate tour this is the last bridge before the finish at Leeuwarden. This photo was taken at 7.30am. In the background you can see diggers clearing the waters for the winter. Location (Google Maps): Where the Canterlandseweg crosses the canal.

This photo was taken facing Bartlehiem. Behind me was Leeuwarden.

Friesland on Wikipedia

A very good place to find out more about Friesland is on wikipedia (of course).

Bartlehiem

DSC01146.JPG
Originally uploaded by dccrowley.

This is Bartlehiem... allegedly. It says it is, but I've heard that it is actually on the otherside of the canal in Ferwerderadiel while this photo was taken in Tytsjerksteradiel (these are both counties of the province Friesland). This photo was taken at the Vlier a campsite (looks nice) and a place to have coffee and apple tart (which they claim is world famous - sigh! But which is very good anyway). This is a great place in the summer to stop your boat if you are on the Dokkumer Ee canal or just passing by car. There is alot of traffic on the canal in summer but it was really enjoyable.

I give up giving up

Damn! I just cannot let this blog die. Right! So I have four blogs. I will update here when I get the chance. I'll be doing Bartlehiem soon, as i was up there last weekend… or was it the weekend before. Ok I' either going senile or I'm ridiculously busy. Take your pick.

Last Post

Yes, This will probably be my last post here. I am so busy and I have three other blogs to run as well. Friesland is a great place to live and the people are very friendly. I have no regrets about moving up here. In fact I will be starting a fresian language course in a few months as well.

I have a set of fresian photos over at flickr which I am still adding to. Thanks for dropping by.

Grou

Train station, Grou.
Originally uploaded by don.

I had completely forgotten about this photo. I had taken it in October last year (2005). We were staying at a campsite there for a long weekend with the kids. This was a wet monday or tuesday morning on my way into work in Leeuwarden. We have bought a house since then. I love it up here. A few thoughts though. The difference between town and city life, especially here in Friesland. It's my first time living in a village but I love it. I'm going to take a course in fresian in the autumn. Also living in a village. It is so unbelievably dark at night... fabulous. Yes the pace of life is much easier going. The cycle to and from work everyday is great (in the summer at least), there is so much wildlife to see. I know I'm a hopeless city dweller.

Grou is a very old town (with city rights). It is nice to see, the people are friendly and in the summer if you like water sports it's basically the place to be.

Storks and Herons

stork-and-heron
Originally uploaded by dccrowley.

Near Gytsjerk (Giekerk) their are quite a few Storks nesting here. I've never seen them anywhere else. There is also a heron a bit further back.

Lekkum

lekkum-1 Originally uploaded by dccrowley.

The cycle path along the Dokkumer Ee from Lekkum to Snakkerbouren (just to the north of Leeuwarden).

Snakkerbouren

snakkerbouren-1
Originally uploaded by dccrowley.

Snakkerbouren is an extremely cute looking village. I don't think it has any shops. People are friendly but after 10 minutes you probably won't have a reason for still being there. It is part of Leeuwarden. I think it's abit of a pity how many villages are part of Leeuwarden. I can't imagine it helping their village life at all.

Tietjerkstradiel, Frisland

Tietjerkstradiel, Frisland
Originally uploaded by Don.

Over at Flickr I have more Friesian photos. I was living in Leeuwarden for seven months. I've now moved out to a village 10k towards Dokkum. It is great. Quiet, friendly, everyone speaks friesian... and dutch. At night it is pitch black. It really is beautiful here and there is so much wildlife.

End of the hibernation

I hope!! Don't expect a storm of posts here yet. But we are moving up to Friesland in the next week and I have high speed internet since today.

3 little birds

3-little-birds Click on photo for larger version.
Originally uploaded by Don.

We are just at the point where we will be moving up to Friesland to live. We can't wait. I've been living out of a suitcase for the last 7 months. My children only see me 3 days a week. Now we can live together again. We have a blackbirds nest in our garden and today these 3 worm lovers where born.

City Kid

No photos still, but a story about a city kid (moi). This happened last November. It was dark. I was on a mountain bike with a suitcase on the handlebars looking for ‘camping’ in Grou. It was too dark to see the sign from the cycle path so I kept on cycling until I ran out of cycling path. And then I did something stupid. I kept cycling, on towards Warten in pitch darkness, with only ditch on both sides of the road. The sudden appearance of driving rain didn't help either (er! – I may have used a few expletives in fact).

After more than 10 minutes I copped myself on and turned back and within half an hour found the camping. I was now soaked to the skin so I changed, huddled up to the gas fire for a few minutes and then made my way up to the restaurant for a coffee and a whiskey (to get the juices really flowing again). That was my baptism of fire for life in the countryside. I mean there were at least two motorists who thought I should cycle to the nearest psychiatrist. It being November we did not get loads of sun, but we did not get wet either for the rest of the weekend which was a big relief. And we really enjoyed ourselves.

Fresian winter landscape

Fresian winter landscape
Originally uploaded by Don.

Unfortunately I was sick this week so this photo was taken from a train (not that I would have had time otherwise). But the landscape is really cool when white. That should provide lots of photo opportunities in the future.

At flickr though they have public photos of Friesland by others. [1] [2] in particular are very good winter scenes, taken by Aldo van Zeeland.

First snow falls

First snow falls
Originally uploaded by Don.

We had our first snow in Frisland this week. Two days where a challange on the bike, because of the ice under the snow. I usually hate the stuff, in fact I think it's a pity we don't hibernate. The locals here though love the stuff and it's contagious.