What do you know? Last weekend was, again, a very typical Dutch summer weekend – the perennial dark somber grey skies, rain, wind, and more rain and wind, with temperatures fluctuating between 10C to 15C by day. It’s just awful, awful, awful weather. Honestly, I can’t believe I have adjusted to this kind of sad horrible weather here. I guess it just grows on you after some time.
I know many people from the tropics would dream to have fresh cold weather everyday. I’m going to stop you from that day dream because you people don’t know what real bad weather is! In the flatlands, when it rains, it rains the WHOLE fricking day, and it goes on for days, even weeks. Plans of going out are ruined — its dark outside, cold, windy, my newly blow dried hair is flat and wet, and why am I still wearing thick stockings and boots when it is supposed to be summer? Anyway.
Henschotermer –is one of those Dutch feat of engineering… this time the Dutch did not reclaim land, dried up a sea, stopped water from rising or salvaged submarines, they made a lake… no, a beach! In the middle of a forest!
Well, these fotos are more than 2 weeks old when we had one of those trickles of perfect weather days. I can only look back and marvel about it. Dutchman and I went to Henschotermeer where we had a little afternoon picnic. We leisurely lazed on the beach, in the warm weather, under the blue skies… ah, not a bad idea, huh.
Henschotermeer is located in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug forest nearby Maarn and Woudenberg in Utrecht and its right beside the highway. The place is a perfect weekend getaway for families with small children who love to run around freely and play with water because the waters are not deep.
A quick 1-minute footage taken from the island in the middle of the lake/beach before we left for the day. Volume up please so you can hear the therapeutic sounds of chirping birds.
Henschotermeer is a public recreation area, cars however need to pay separately for parking, and it looks like from the foto on the left that half the population of Utrecht had the same idea what to do on a Saturday. When the sun shines the Dutch stays out until they have baked their pale skins to redness.
With my picnic basket of food goodies… dried sausages, small plum tomatoes, (I know I am missing cheese here), cider I bought in Honfleur… and the Breton cake framboise I bought in Mont Saint Michel that you do not see on the foto because Dutchman and I finished it already =)
You can find a few more fotos here: Henschotermeer, Utrecht – The Netherlands
To see an aerial view of the lake – beach go here: Henschotermeer Aerial View
It was indeed a very beautiful day. Dutchman particularly enjoyed the sun so much, he kept moving his spot on the beach following the sun. Like most of the pale northern European folks, he is a sun worshipper. He loves to bake himself under the sun until he turns into a red tomato. I don’t mind the sun on my skin really as long as it does not get directly in contact with my eyes and head. I get migraines from it which is exactly what happened because I forgot to bring a hat!
I hope the weather will improve towards the end of the week because I’ve had enough of staying indoors in the weekends with my pyjamas.