April 23

Another episode of our Eleven Cities Walk all over Friesland. 15 Kilometers or almost 10 miles again, between the city of Leeuwarden in the direction of the second city, Sneek.

A so-called “American Windmill”. American, because an American -Daniel Halladay- had the first steel windmill built in 1854.

On our way, we came across the village of Jorwert*. It became more or less famous -or at least known- because of the Dutch journalist Geert Mak, who wrote the book “How God disappeared out of Jorwerd”, a 400 pages “village history” between 1945 – 1995. The church (being built in the 11 th century) has a so-called “saddle-roofed” spire.

Whatever small a village, it always has a church (or even churches). Here, in the village of Mantgum, I pictured the “Maria” church, built in ca 1500. Its three parts spire dates from 1868. (it replaced the saddle-roofed spire). Almost opposite every church you will find a pub (Mantgum is no exception to this “rule”), as the Heineken sign reveales on the right hand picture.

De Elfstedentocht is originally a mammoth skating tour along Frisian’s eleven cities. On February 7th, 1912 the first official Elfstedentocht was held. There have been 15 in total. Today you can “do” this trip swimming (Maarten van der Weijden and Stafan van der Pal did), skeelering, canoeing, biking, running and, as we do, walking.

Today we walked along the Zwette (Swette in Frisian), which is, in fact “the left-over of the Middelsee”, quite a famous part of the skating route.

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*Jorwert in Frisian, Jorwerd in Dutch