#Merwede River

[shipwreckguy]

Gorinchem VIII

Ferry Gorinchem VIII electrical fire; no injuries #gorkum #nl #maritime

Photo: gelderlander.nl On the early morning of November 6, the 36 meter long passenger ferry Gorinchem VIII (MMSI: 244750275) caught fire on the Merwede River while berthed at a quay in Gorkum, Netherlands. Just before its first voyage of the day, the ferry crew found smoke coming out of the front hatch of the vessel. The local fire brigade arrived on scene with three fire engines. Firefighters…

[thedaveandkimmershow]

For years I had this photograph in my room, framed and prominently displayed.

My cousins.

It's taken by one of my uncles or aunts a super long time ago on the boat that either just left Gorinchem in Holland for Loevestein Castle... or was on its way back to Gorinchem from Loevestein Castle.

Loevestein Castle?

Yup. An actual medieval castle (with a moat!) a coupla miles upstream on the Merwede River.

Back to my cousins, though.

I'm pretty sure we all have this photograph. It's actually the only one I had for many years until I started taking my own photographs and keeping my own photo albums. Before that, the only way to remember the earliest times we spent together was through my dad's slide shows in our living room at home because my dad had all his vacation photographs developed as slides. So it was a singular occasion to remember our time spent with family in Holland.

The framed picture of my cousins and I on the boat as children, then, was the constant presence of family in Holland for as long as I lived with my parents.

It wasn't until just now, by the way, that I realized I lost that picture. Probably when I moved from my parent's house. Not sure... maybe it's in storage. 😕

So during our just taken trip to Holland, I actually reconnected with that photograph through my uncle, my mom's older sister's husband, who presented it to me on the late afternoon of our third day in Holland at our hotel's lounge. I didn't realize in that moment that I'd long since lost my own copy but—

I enjoyed and appreciated it never-the-less. Even more so now. 😁

The timing of that gift was exquisitely important, as it turns out. Because a few hours later we assembled with as much of my family at the cousins level as could be assembled. A group of us that has not been intentionally assembled in more than two decades.

All of us at once?

It's not clear to me how long since that happened. Our family trips to Holland usually involved visiting my mom's sibling's families one at a time.

So it was easy, growing up, to focus on that long ago photograph of myself and my three cousins as children. Of course, had we assembled all the cousins in one place at that time...

There'd be two more. The two sons of my mother's younger brother and his wife.

Had we assembled everyone a few years later, one of my cousins in the photograph (the one without his sister in the photograph)... would now have a sister.

Had we assembled everyone a decade or so after that... I would now have whatever the cousin equivalent is of brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Had we assembled everyone another ten years later, fifteen years later, I would have a gaggle of second cousins who I call nephews and nieces.

So when we assembled everyone just now, like a minute ago, it's breathtaking to me how much of my family isn't in that childhood photograph with just the four of us. Right now, my family's four generations deep. It's cousins, husbands, wives, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, sons, daughters, in-laws, parents, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on.

Basically it's one heckuva big family I've got over on the other side of the Atlantic.

And, as I said a minute ago, I was just reminded of that. As well as introduced to a bunch family I didn't know...

But now I do.

☺️

[bottegapowerpoint]

Jan van Goyen, A river landscape with the ruins of Merwede

[ronmayhewphotography]

Medieval Dordrecht

Dordrecht Dordrecht, the Netherlands Oldest City The medieval city of Dordrecht dates back to the 11th century. Situated at the confluence of several rivers, including the Meuse, Merwede, and Rhine, it became a strategic trading hub in the medieval period. The city flourished as a center for trade, particularly during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The picturesque city’s…

[ryusilva]

Just a normal spring day in Holland 😳 Apenas um dia normal de Primavera na Holanda 😳 #newlife #mudardevida #river #rio #merwede #city #cidade #job #trabalho #shiplife #rivercruise #cruzeirosderio #sailortrainee #msswisspearl #instagood #instaphotography #huaweimate10pro #huaweiphotography #huaweishot #shotonhuawei #snow #neve #spring #primavera #sliedrecht #nederland (em Sliedrecht) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNVf-FWMuCK/?igshid=19io1ohwldxkh

[zamasama]

Riverside Sunset by BertSeinstra

[connor-burrows]

Merwede (2) by BertSeinstra

[germanicseidr]

Merkwede

The Merkwede is the ancient primeval woods that seperated the Germanics from other people. This forest has been named in the poetic edda, its location was at first thought to be somewhere in Scandinavia, per example the Kolmården forest in Sweden but it is way more likely that this forest was located somewhere on the borders of ancient Germania.

The word itself, 'Merkwede' is the Dutch word for this forest. It is a composition of the Proto-Germanic words 'merkwiz'and 'widuz' meaning dark and forest. This forest is named Myrkviðr in old Norse and Mirkwidu in the old Saxon language. Acccording to the poetic edda, Múspells sons will cross this very forest when they appear from their realm Muspelheim during Ragnarok.

It almost appears as if Merkwede is a mythological place but there are however older written sources that suggest that this forest is very much real and not just known by the Scandinavian people. Thietmar, a bisshop of Merseburg, mentions a place called Miriquidi, a forest located near the ore mountains which lies in South-East Germany on the border of the Czech republic. Thietmar however also mentions a Mircwidu forest which was located in the South-West of the Netherlands. This could refer to the Meriwidu forest in the Netherlands, named after the Merwede river. These two are possible candidates for this mysterious forest as they are both located on the borders of ancient Germania.

Another written source, a 13th century Norse story called Hervarar saga og Heidreks, speaks of a conflict between the Goths and the invading Huns from the East of Europe. In this story a forest is mentioned by name, the Myrkviðr forest that seperates the land of the Huns from the Goths. The location of this forest must have been near the Maeotian swamp close to the Don river in modern day Southern Russia.

Another more possible candidate is the Hercynia Silva, the ancient Hercynian woods described by Julius Caesar in his work 'de bello Gallico'. This is how Caesar described the forest:

"There isn't any person belonging to this part of Germania who says that he either has gone to the extremity of that forest, though he had advanced a journey of sixty days, or has heard in what place it begins. It is certain that many kinds of wild beast are produced in it which have not been seen in other parts of which the following are such as differ principally from other animals, and appear worthy of being committed to record."

About a century later, a Roman historian Velleius described how emperor Tiberius moved through this forest from the land of the Chatti towards the Marcomanni. Another Roman historian, Florus, described how Drusus managed to cross this forest in 12BC during his campaign against the Germanics. Where did the name Hercynia Silva come from? The Romans didn't invent this name but copied it from the Greeks. Aristoteles already described the landscape of modern day Southern Germany in 350BC in his work Meteorologika. Greek historian Strabon described how the Celtic Boii's homeland was located in Herkúnios Drumós.

The Greeks didn't invent the name either, no they got the name from the Celts who lived near this woods before the Germanics migrated southwards. The name can be traced back to the Proto-Celtic word 'Erkunia' which means mountain range. Perhaps the Proto-Indo European people were already aware of this forest and could have named it Perkunia, we can however not be certain about this but apparently this forest was immens and known by ancient people before the Germanics settled in this area.

Unfortunately most of Hercynia forest has been cut down throughout the centuries but a small part of this forest still exists and is now known as the black forest in modern day Germany. This is an excellent candidate for the Merkwede forest as it is located on the border of two different cultures, that of the Celts and the Germanics. Even now the Black forest is huge, imagine it was only a part of the ancient Hercynia forest and you can understand why the Germanics thought this forest must have been endless.

It is very possible that this forest was once so large that the Germanic people might have viewed it as the end of the world or civilization. No one could possibly live inside this immense primal woods except for otherworldly beings and Gods. Walking in this forest meant walking into two different worlds, that of the humans and of the Gods. Mysterious things could happen or be seen while wandering through this dense forest with its ancient trees, a place forgotten since the beginning of time. Perhaps the Allfather himself wandered through these woods thousands of years ago, searching for knowledge.

The name of this forest also lives on in popular culture. J.R.R Tolkien used the name of this forest to create Mirkwood, a great forest where the woodland elves live in his work the Hobbit.

Here are pictures of: Modern day Ore Mountains forest, Biesbosch forest in the Netherlands (location where once the Meriwidu forest could have stood), Black forest in Germany, Artist's view of Myrkvidr forest by Adam Wesierski,

[thesephotoswillspeaktoyou]

Nieuwe Merwede by BertSeinstra

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Yesterday we got a late start. Our niece and her dad were in Amsterdam for the Friends Experience because they are both HUUUUUUUGE fans of the show.

They had tickets for a while now but my niece somehow forgot and went already with a friend of hers. Then yesterday she went again with her dad because, you know, Friends.

The experience involves accurate and various Friends sets and moments... and the two of them took full advantage with photographs of themselves in iconic spaces recreating iconic moments.

They both said it was super busy because the day got off to a delayed start due to technical problems... so there were more people than expected crammed into a shorter schedule. Still, the pictures they took make it seem like they're the only ones on set.

Adorable. 😊

Around 2 in the afternoon I get a text they're on their way back from Amsterdam... so at 230 we leave our hotel for the local grocery store, Aldi, because Kimmer literally cannot get enough of the place.

Also, I'm not clear why we need more food. My aunt is a relentless feeder of family members. Plus we've got a stock of baked foods we keep receiving as gifts from family over the last few days.

Still, we're going up and down the aisles looking... looking...

And yeah. We find a gift or two for someone or someone's at home.

Don't tell them, though.

It's a surprise. 😉

3pm and my niece and her dad are pulling up to our hotel. Since we're still at Aldi, they drive down the street to pick us up...

And then we're on our way to the center of Gorinchem.

Now first we've gotta a coupla highly important things to figure out.

Here's how my niece put it:

"So my father and I are discussing a few options. We thought we could get a chai latte 😆 we could go into town and drink some in one of the local lunchrooms. Then I can take the card game to my grandparents tonight! Or we could get the chai latte to go and go to our house. Or we don’t get a Chai latte 🤣🤣 so many options😆"

Yeah.

Complicated. 😉

We quickly decide the Chai Latte is essential to our afternoon so we head to Gorinchem Centrum and park in the Kweeklust parking garage along one of the rivers surrounding the centrum.

We spend the next hour walking from the north end to the south end where there are locks and then those boats that take tourists down the Merwede river to castle Slot Loevestein.

I'm pretty sure this is the dock from which my cousins 'n I as children made that trip ourselves with our parents, one of whom took an iconic photograph of us.

From the parking garage, Kimmer 'n I do a pretty good job of walking and being present with family. This part of town is so picturesque, though, there's so much unique architecture, so much fascinating detail, that for a while in there we become raging photography monsters, eating up everything we see along the way.

This is, of course, my niece and her dad's hometown. It's also a small town and every so often they run into someone they know.

And then another someone.

And another someone.

Yeah.

That small.

Either that or they're both quite famous and we just don't know it. 🤔🤨

Along the way, both my niece and her dad point out the shops and cafes they frequent: a record store here, a high-tea restaurant there. It's a lovely bit of family Show 'n Tell. 😊

For example, my niece points out an entrance to a church that used to be walled off, hidden from the Nazi's during the occupation of Holland during World War II.

My niece's dad one-upped her by pointing out a lane along which is a row of connected, narrow homes. In one of these, he tells us, is the home in which he was born.

He just can't remember exactly which one. 😕

He can tell us, though, that the building across the narrow lane from the row houses used to be an orphanage. And then a block later we run across a shop featuring a painting of Hugo the Great and an illustration of castle Slot Loevestein which prompted a telling of this slice of dutch history in which Hugo is captured, taken to the town center where villagers help him escape inside a wooden cabinet.

Huzzah!

By 'n by, we wander to a historic door that's related to the Hugo the Great story... next to which is Espressobar Hugo.

Where we get our Chai Lattes.

It's 4pm.

A lovely little espresso place, the bar offers a full sit-down experience: take your seat, check out the menu, and soon someone comes by to take your order.

Eventually, our Chai lattes are brought to the table. Actually, three Chai lattes and one cappuccino 'cause that's my niece's dad's jam.

The Chai, by the way, comes in tall, thick, clear glass cups accompanied by a shot of whipped cream with Bailey's and a little square of chocolate brownie.

Kimmer couldn't have hers... so she gave it to me for a sum total of two little brownie squares for my afternoon.

After a lovely hour of hot drinks, good fun company, and a bunch of photos Kimmer felt compelled to take at the back of the espresso bar, we take our leave of Gorinchem in order to swing by the home of my niece's family.

Why?

Because our day's primary agenda with her is to play her Harry Potter trivia game.

We've taken most of the afternoon with a lovely city walk, so now we're gonna grab the game on our way to my aunt and uncle's to play after dinner there.

Of course it's not a grab 'n go we do. The "stop" easily turns into a Show 'n Tell of their home including the "shed" out back that's a pretty massive deal with plenty of storage inside and a covered space outside for lounging on chairs. There's even a sign over the window facing the covered space that reads

Surf Shack. 🙂

It's actually more fun than I'd guess getting a tour of someone else's home. But this one's comfortable and hits a lot of the same design notes that we love from lighting to furniture to decor (including the old-school LPs and the Lego VW bus).

6pm We're back at my aunt and uncle's place for dinner. At the dinner table's their daughter (arriving a little later than the rest of us due to work), her husband, their daughter/my niece, and then us.

Once again it's a lovely time had by all with a thoroughly traditional Dutch menu including variations on mashed potatoes, sausages, and beef.

After dinner, we settle around the table to play my niece's Harry Potter trivia game. We don't specifically read or follow the rules... we just play in a way that makes sense to us and is fun for us.

So.

Is it fun?

Well, all I can say is it's LOUD. It's competitive. And we're super into it against each other and with each other.

Because that's how we roll. 😉

Now, while we're thoroughly into all things Potter, my cousin's husband's in the living room with my aunt and uncle revisiting some of my uncle's history.

Meanwhile (and I don't know how this happened) the game we're playing at the dining room table turns into a wide-ranging conversation about the British royal family, from "The Crown" to the tabloids to each royal to each royal couple.

Again. No idea how that happened.

Definitely the conversation drew my aunt into the room. My aunt... who isn't into Harry Potter trivia games but is quite able to weigh in on British royals past and present. 🤔🤨

And then somehow (again, I don't know how) the conversation pivots to the challenges of being a parent and the simultaneous, complementary challenges of growing up. It's another wide-ranging and detailed conversation with everyone everyone everyone at the table weighing in.

'Cause we're all experts like that.

With so many parents at the table, it's like a support group. 😉

Inevitably, our arrival at 6pm flips through more hours than I would've guessed because suddenly it's 11 o'clock at night.

Did not see that coming either.

So, with hugs and kisses all around, my cousin's husband and niece drop us back at our hotel at 11:30.

Dang.

Talk about Time Travel.

That time at my aunt and uncle's flew.

And yeah. It's amazing how much life you can cram into those hours...

When you're with your tribe.

☺️

[clogging]

Nieuwe Merwede by BertSeinstra

[theframelines]

Nieuwe Merwede by BertSeinstra

[eda11y]

Biesbosch by BertSeinstra

[oncanvas]

Peasants and Cattle by the River Merwede, Aelbert Cuyp, circa 1658-60

Oil on panel 50.8 x 38.1 cm (20 x 14.96 in.) Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands

[gepski]

This is the Dutch Noordwaard polder that has been flooded to give more space to the water of the river Merwede. By flooding this area, the nuisance of high water in nearby cities is reduced.