Zutphen is one of the oldest settlements in the Netherlands, and part of the old wall protecting the city still stands. I’m no historian so you can read about it here if you want to know more, but I just loved the old structure.

Its interesting how the end of the wall has been ‘finished’ with modern metal end, adding an element of the new to the old. I love the way the dutch seem to do that so well.

How lovely are the apartments that look over the canal. A lady sat reading a book in the sun on one of the balconies. A beautiful, restful spot…I do wonder how they keep these old buildings (or even new ones!) from crumbling from the constant moisture.

What is even more amazing (to me) is that parts of the wall are actually inhabited! Can you imagine living in something so old? I come from Australia where everything is relatively new so it amazes me that not only are there such old buildings in Europe, but that most of them are still lived in!

Plans change from day to day – we were meant to spend some time in The Hague yesterday but Inge’s daughter tested positive so that was off the table. Instead we babysat her grandaughter in Leiden for a few hours instead. Well, she babysat her grandaughter while I spent quality time with Pim, their cat.

Basically a quiet day with a couple of walks, no visit to the museaum we’d planned. Oh well. Next time. I know I’ll be back!

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