Author: The Cedar Journal

Reposted-Memorial Day – The Netherlands

February 21, 2023

I am reposting this blog from Dutch Memorial Day of last year. My feelings have not changed, we as a collective should not forget that each and every war is paid in blood by those who fight it on the front lines. Please take a few moments this week in quiet reflection to remember those on both sides of the current conflict who have loss their lives.

Tonight at 8 pm Dutch standard time the entire country will pause for two minutes of silence. This tradition each year is to honor, remember and respect all war dead. That it includes, not only military, but civilian casualties from those conflicts.

On March 10th this year, the Hubby and I visited the largest American Cemetery in The Netherlands from World War II, Margraten.

One of the thousands of graves of American military who died liberating The Netherlands in 1945.

Not our first visit, but I needed time to reflect on what was happening on the World stage. I needed counsel from the silence to make sense to what was happening in the Ukraine.

War is never cheap! It costs lives, some so young, they never got to live the life I have lived. Marriage, children, jobs that would give them joy. They never experienced Europe free from Nazi rule. Yet, each and everyone one of those souls helped to change the course of history. Leaders of the time after these soldiers had fought and died, said NEVER AGAIN!

Yet, here I was in 2022 trying to understand why? How?

Silence of those American’s who died for the freedom of Europe.

As we walked through the silence of the peacefully resting souls who now are forever part of the Dutch landscape, I cried. To know that so many were lost, that so many helped to make Europe what it is today without ever seeing the war at the ending…sad…yet sadder to see a repeat of something so similar in the Ukraine.

Some of the gravesites have been adopted by local Dutch families who continue to place flowers on the grave. This one just happened to be from my home state of Minnesota.

So, wherever you are in the World as you read this blog today, please stop and send your thoughts towards peace. War is never the answer but we must remember the ultimate cost for everyone.

© The Cedar Journal, 2022, all rights reserved.

Floris V Pad…2023; Strijensas to Numansdorp

February 6, 2023

I started the year with one goal in mind, complete the Floris V Pad hiking trail to Bergen op Zoom in 2023! Look at the total route or different route sections here.

So when the Hubby asked what I wanted to do for my birthday, I first asked to visit a castle with my spinning wheel and spin wool.

That suggestion was vetoed immediately.

Instead he was happy to hear about my second choice of continuing my hike on the Floris V Pad. Well…maybe he wasn’t completely happy but he agreed to be my driver.

We arrived at our wonderful B&B De Schuur Inn on 1 February. An isolated place in the flat country. I would highly recommend this B&B for anyone hiking the Floris V Pad as the owner is also a hiker and has completed several Dutch hiking routes. Plus, the breakfast each morning was perfect for tanking up prior to the hiking.

These are just the local names of the more than 1800 lives that were lost during the 1953 Dutch flood.

The first night I did a short three kilometer hike to a local memorial site. Follow my route (here).

Appropriate since it was the 70th remembrance of the 1953 flood. The flood that caused such a large lost of lives, animals, and property destruction that it pushed the Dutch government to create the Delta Works, a series of locks, dams, and flood gates that finally cut off the ocean from the flat landscape. A system that can regulate the water flow at high tides and damaging storms. One of the worlds best engineered solutions for water control.

A beautiful local memorial.

The next morning I headed out to where I had stopped last August (here), the village of Strijensas. Can follow my route on AllTrails link (here)

This route along the Hollandsch Diep River is flat, very flat except for the dikes that run along the river. It also is a gathering site for all sorts of water fowl.

Then there are the sheep. Everywhere along this trail.

Just a bit in my way…can you please move?
This black sheep wasn’t bothered by me hiking past.
There is always one dumb sheep in every flock! How do I know? I grew up on a sheep farm. This one had gotten his head stuck in the fence and couldn’t get out. My good deed of this hiking day was helping him out so he could rejoin the flock.
More sheep…
Not only sheep…a couple of turkeys too!

That was day one…sheep, turkeys, farm equipment, and a few chickens.

I walked right to the B&B front door from the trail. Perfect day one!

Day two…

Started from the B&B with the plan of meeting the Hubby at my end point on the other side of Numansdorp. You can follow my route on AllTrails (here)

Day two started with Brussel sprouts!

No, I didn’t eat them but I saw fields and fields of the winter veggies just waiting to be harvested.

Rows of Brussel sprouts.
A closer look.

The universe started throwing new signs at me.

I laughed. Really? This can be on my Hummm…file.
I guess it wasn’t a joke! There are actually Walibi in this pasture!

Not much else to see along this hike until Numansdorp. Although, I did see a low flying military helicopter.

Numansdorp, is an old harbor village. The route has plenty of newer buildings on the outskirts leading into town.

One of many extremely large houses on the edge of the village.
The Numansdorp church tower.
The Numansdorp harbor.
The Numansdorp water gates that block the river off from the harbor.

Now outside of the village I was about to experience the full force of the wind.

The wind never seems to stop in this part of the country but from the dike I had the full force of it in my face as I headed to my end point.

When I made it to my last few hundred feet I passed a harbor dry dock. The boat names I always find interesting.

Good! Someone “seas me”!

I accomplished another 18km of the Floris V Pad hiking trail. I am so happy that flat land with wind and sheep are done! Now across the river and the last 61 kilometers to Bergen op Zoom!

A very special THANK YOU HUBBY, for being my supporting transport to and from this section of the Floris V Pad. Through the road construction, bad gps directions, round and round the countryside full of concrete barriers you were there for me at the end of the trail. ❤️❤️

©️ The Cedar Journal, 2023, all rights reserved.