July 22, 2019

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We just learned that the city of Tilburg, a mere 12 km from my home town of Vught, now has the largest summer fair in the country. It also happens that today is Rose (pronounced “rozz” Maandag, or what we might call Rainbow Monday. This is an event everyone talks about so we headed there today. We were not disappointed, it’s quite the show.

Not only is the fair spread out all over the downtown area, we saw some pretty sick rides that I’m no longer ready to embark on. And of course the gay and lesbian communities put on quite the show, with all being dressed in various shades of pink (called rose in Dutch).

The lavender fields on the Vughtse Heide are not yet in bloom, maybe another week. We’ll have to go back! Visiting the Fusilade near the old German concentration camp is always a sombre affair. Several hundred Dutch were executed there, mostly in 1944. The concentration camp was used after WWII to house Moluccan (Indonesian) refugees when they were no longer accepted in their own country because they had sided with the Dutch in the battle for Indonesian independence.

The IJzeren Man in Vught is a man-made lake. The excavated sand was used to build the train station in Den Bosch. The lake was named after the large excavator that dug the sand. In my teens, I used to spend nearly every day there in summer. Drinks and snacks are served even on the beach. No cash accepted here, only cards that can be “pinned” (PIN number used). Some debit cards and some out of country credit cards may not work. I was able to use my credit card using the Wallet app on my phone. The Netherlands is rumoured to be cash-free within the next few years. Everything will be done by smart phone!

On our way back, we passed through my old neighbourhood. Things have surely changed, and everything seems so much smaller and closer together.

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Photos

My old house 2nd from right
Neighbours getting a new roof?

Comments

[Dorothy Hillmann]

pretty large lake for being man made