Grouw, Skûtsjes and Mourning

It seems totally unreal to mourn and to enjoy the beautiful summer weather we have enjoyed these past days at the same time.

A typical sight in Friesland

Hoping for ice!

I spent two full and very exciting and enjoyable days in Friesland, one of our most northern provinces. A different country where they speak a different language – never make the mistake of calling it a dialect! - , similar to Anglo-Saxon, which wouldn’t be of any help to most of us. With so many lakes every Frisian can sail. But modern sailing is different from what it used to be: sailing on flat bottomed barges transporting freight across the lakes and myriad waterways. The so called Skûtsjes are big and heavy wooden barges, with lee boards. No engines. Every year in summer there is a contest between those sailing barges representing the different towns. The contest takes place over a period of 11 days, and on a different lake each day. It requires skill, muscle power and team work.

I was a guest on a sponsor ship of  Eernewoude, and enjoyed the spectacle from the top deck. It was such lovely weather, warm and sunny. Fortunately there was wind as well, as without wind the race can’t take place. The lake isn’t very wide, so manoeuvring is a very delicate job with those big barges. As Eernewoude won, the festive mood was even better! I took far too many pictures, having such a marvellous view and never having seen this before. Since the lakes are in part the result of peat digging, they are shallow and there are many bogs. Our sponsor ship got stuck in the mud, its keel too deep, and had to be towed by a tug!

 All the ships watching the race have gone "home" by the time we are towed away

One of many beautiful boats

Colourful sails

The next day my friends took me for a trip on the lakes in their motor boat, through nature reserves and parks along narrow and shallow ditches and waterways to Grouw, a very attractive Frisian town. 

Approaching Grouw. The flag is half mast, although not clearly visible in this picture

Almost every town has a harbour, as has Grouw. We walked around. It was sunny and hot again. The church, an old medieval church, was open. Almost all churches were open, as this was a day of national mourning. At four o’clock the church bells all over Holland were ringing, the moment that the first plane carrying the coffins of the victims of the plane crash touched ground at Eindhoven Airport. This was followed by a minute of silence. Trains, busses, cars, everybody and everything came to a halt. It seemed so unreal, innocent people, looking forward to a holiday, the victims of a war crime, dead. Complete families, couples, many children among them. The flags were half mast, but bright and cheerful in the breeze and the sun. Such a contrast, so unimaginable. Till we saw the convoy of 40 black hearses on TV, each one carrying a coffin. 

The Skûtsjes race that day was on another lake. After the race, the Skûtsjes were lined up, flag half mast, to pay their respect to the victims of the plane crash. Here you’ll find a picture of the lined up Skûtsjes and a report of the race of that day (in Dutch, I am afraid, but the photo’s are worth looking at)

Left: A side door. Right: the main doors

The entrance gate to the church green

The former choir, later also used as a courthouse. Thence the extra bell tower

"Saddleback" towers are characteristic of the the three northern provinces

Intricate brickwork : Tower, Back of the choir

Grouw is a very nice town. No high rise buildings in Friesland, but small and friendly houses and attractive gables. The church is very interesting, although spoilt by a beamer which is totally out of character. The organ is impressive and large for the size of the church. A guest organist who was due to give a recital that evening, was rehearsing, the choice of music adapted to the sad day so he told me.

An interesting aspect is the former choir of this church. There is a wall between church and choir. After the Reformation the choir was used as a courthouse till 1832. A special small bell tower was built on the roof. The bell would announce that court was in session. Now it is the vestry of the church and there is a connecting door between church and choir below the organ built against this wall.

 Woodcarvings on pews for the rich families and on the regular pews

The pipe organ

I love those small towns, the churches and the houses and narrow alleyways. Usually there are lots of flowers, if not in front gardens at least in window boxes. And I could dream about living in one of the attractive houses which were for sale.

 Grouw

 typical roof decorations

 Grouw

The wind across the water on our way back was lovely. The landscape is idyllic, big old farmhouses dotted along the water with red tiled or thatched roofs, shielded by trees, fields with cattle behind the buildings, very lush and green in the bright light. Or changed into holiday resorts or second homes, the land given back to nature. Windmills, old labourers’ cottages now also used as holiday homes, children swimming, jumping into the water from the banks or sliding down, screaming with pleasure, splashing, trying to keep cool. The sky a festive deep blue with a few white clouds just for decoration it seemed. The flags red, white and blue. The Frisian flag as well, half mast, hoisted to the top of the church towers in a rather unexpected way. Joy and sadness, sunshine and darkness, such contrasts on this particular day.

Our boat and one of the views