No ride tiday. Along with most of our rally-mates, we took a bus trip to Willemstad, an hour away. It is a small, intact fortified town at the entrance to the Holland Diep river. Built in late 1500's during the war with Spain to control access to the interior by sea. Town has never been successfully invaded. Napoleon and WW2 Germans both occupied the town but only after the Netherlands surrendered. Germans built artillery bunkers on the ramparts, still there, along with tiny cage - like cells used by the Germans to punish and intimidate townspeople. A volunteer gave us a walking tour of the interesting little town.
Our two housemate couples did a bike ride instead and had a bad time of it- rain, difficulty finding shelter or food, and a flat tire on one of the bikes.
Pics: our cottage at the rally, flood marks on the wall at Willemstad, German cells, a memorial to Belgian soldiers lost when a POW ship was mined offshore (town saved and hid many survivors), and Hotel Mama- see if you can translate.
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