A Heritage walk around Amersfoort

The sun catching the clock face on the church that
marks the official centre of the Netherlands

Rest day from blog yesterday as we got chatting and eating with cousin Paul, and his daughters Nienke and Isabel.

The temperature was pretty mild for this time of year so we went for a long walk around the old town in the afternoon. 

The sun was shining but it’s weird seeing it so low in the sky by 2-3pm.

Cousin Paul was a great guide as he is an archaeologist and works in the Cultural and Heritage Office.

There are two ‘city walls’ here, the first constructed in the late 13th century and the other about a century later when there was a need to enlarge the city. 

I find it quite amazing walking around here - coming from a country like Australia where there were no permanent dwellings for many centuries after those still standing here. 

Remains of settlements dating back to 1000BC have been found in the area.

The streets around where we are staying are named after scientists: Celsius, Edison, Volta, Fahrenheit, Ampere, Dalton, Marconi.

The streets in a nearby area, near a military base are named after famous generals.

A mix of old (foreground) and very new (the dome in the background)

One side of the town square - note the sunshine and shadows!

Another edge of the town square - long shadows for just 2pm!

very old canal-side buildings: 1569

An interesting sculpture made of chunks of timber / driftwood

One of the town gates (and locks) around the old walled part of town.