Netherlands Trip - Franeker      24th June:

De Bogt fen Guné

    Rain hammered out a white noise concert on the cabin overnight, and a howling gale whistling through the rigging provided the lyrics. We arose late, to be greeted by yet more rain. We did think of returning to Vlieland today, a blues festival was taking place. But we had missed the 9am ferry, and the next one was not due until mid-afternoon. The last ferry back would be 7pm. Rex checked out the blues festival on the internet. It appeared to comprise different bands appearing in different cafes, with no mention of which cafes or performance times. We gave it a miss. Instead we opted to visit Franeker.
    Franeker first appeared in the records in 1085; in the 12th century it was surrounded by walls and a moat; and it received a municipal charter in 1417. It is a charming little town with its ring of canals and its fine old buildings. Franeker is also noted for the Eise Eisinga Planetarium. A university, the second in the Netherlands, after Leiden, was founded in Franeker in 1585, making it the cultural centre of the north of the country. The most celebrated student of the Frisian Academy was the French philosopher Descartes. The university was dissolved by Napoleon in 1811 and was replaced in 1815 by an Athenaeum, which continued in existence until 1843. Franeker is also one of the historical eleven cities.

Sjukelan with P.C. Towers Behind

Kaatsen Kit

    The old place had not changed. We walked up past the Eise Eisinga Planetarium and Stadhuis before strolling past the market stalls, exactly as they were for years earlier. Carrying on up Voorstraat, we quickly arrived at the large field at the end of the street, a well-kept field of grass, the Sjukelan, behind two tall towers. The towers were called the P.C. Towers (short for Permanent Committee), and the grass was actually a kaatsen pitch. Adjoining the pitch was De Bogt fen Guné, the oldest students' gathering-place in the Netherlands. Kaatsen has an annual major Friesland handball tournament on this pitch, called the P.C. It is the oldest regulated sports tournament in the world. The P.C. has been held in the city of Franeker since 1854. The last time we were here a tournament was actually taking place, today however we saw no action.
    Heading back up Voorstraat we stopped off at the Keatsmuseum (Kaatsen Museum). Here an elderly couple enthusiastically showed us around their pride and joy. An ancient map showed how the roots of the sport had originated in northwest France, moved to Paris, and then moved north through Belgium and Flanders to Friesland, probably introduced by the movement of dyke builders to the north.
    A large collection of memorabilia, together with videos and multimedia presentations described the sport's growth, its traditions, the rules of the sport, and its heroes. We could also have a go ourselves via a Wii system. One fascinating video showed how the 26gm balls were made, stuffed with horsehair and surprisingly hard. Ten out of ten to the elderly couple who bubbled with enthusiasm.

Martinikerk, with a Column Depicting St. Adrian

Sign Outside Diakens Weeshuis (Orphanage)

    We drifted up to Sint Martiniplantsoen, the large square surrounding Martinikerk and popped into the light and airy church. A church dedicated to St Martin of Tours is known to have existed in Franeker from as early as the 11th century. The present church was built around 1421.
    The overwhelming spaciousness of the church is probably created by the thirty slender columns between the aisles and the nave of the church. These thirty columns represent Devine perfection. The twelve columns round the choir stand for the tribes of Israel, and these in turn refer to the twelve apostles, with beautiful images of the saints painted on the columns. The Franeker St. Martin's church is the only church in Friesland with a choir aisle. Prior to the Reformation in 1580 the choir aisle was used for processions.

Gable Top

    When Protestants took over the church at the end of the 16th century, the decorations on the columns were covered under a layer of whitewash. By mere coincidence these frescos were re-discovered in 1860 when gas lighting was installed in the church. Not until 1940-43 when the last major restoration but one was performed, were the frescos brought back to their former splendour.
    After tea at a cafe outside the church, we headed back to Harlingen. On arrival I went to pay the harbourmaster, explaining that there could be a possibility we may leave on Monday if the weather permitted. Wilhelm was a kind chap, gave us another free night and dropped the tourist tax; perhaps once we'd stayed here for a certain length of time we were no longer classified as tourists. Since he would not be here on Sunday, and we might not see him on Monday, he wished us both a safe journey and hoped that Rex's back would rapidly mend.
    Keeping up the routine, we visited our usual watering hole, De Lichtboei. The customers greeted "the English". Crumbs, had we really been in this town that long? We ate in a Chine/Indonesian restaurant later, the food was delicious; I got my much needed chilli fix. The pretty Chinese girl who served us came from a town near Hong Kong. She was currently studying Human Technology in Holland. In essence, that is a very broad subject which attempts to supply technical solutions to human needs. She spoke fluent Dutch and English, I was most impressed.