Saeftinge

Wednesday April 21, 2010

It is quite amazing for someone like me who was born just after the war how WWII is still so vivid in the minds of people who lived through it and how often it is the subject of conversation. In that vein today was almost a bridge too far, I had never been to the “Verdronken land van Saeftinge”, a unique stretch of tidal land on the banks of the Westerschelde near Antwerp. Trouble was that it meant a round trip of 95 kms in quite strong wind so we started of fairly early as we had to be back early because Ellie is cooking supper tonight.

This is the canal from Terneuzen to Gent. It carries a lot of traffic, mainly barges but also quite big ships.

I liked the name of this barge even though it doesn’t quite look like the “real” thing.

We deliberately took some minor roads through the polders and came across this lovely field of tulips

At about lunchtime we arrived at our destination, the smokestacks of Antwerp forming a bit of a contrasting backdrop of this largest nature reserve of its kind in Europe. Fortunately to the west it looks a bit better.

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