 Passing Through Noordhavenpoort |
Well wrapped up against the chilly wind, we ambled down the pontoon, pausing at the Irish boat. The owner informed us, "We intend to leave in an hour, we're off to Yerseke. Apparently, it is one of the best places to buy mussels." We wished them fair winds and proceeded on our hike of discovery.
A first we followed a path by the moat that circled the town, the logic being that the Nobelpoort is sited by the moat at its northernmost tip. However, after a while, the path ceased and we had to divert to suburban streets. Soon we were hopelessly lost, so we latched onto visuals of the Sint-Lievensmonstertoren and the Stadhuismuseum, and worked our way back to the Havenplein. To console ourselves we indulged in a cappuccino and ginger tea.
All was not lost, we continued our itinerary for the day, and headed to the Sint-Lievensmonstertoren; it would be open today. As we approached it, a monk was marching swiftly from the building, and entered a building opposite the Nieuwe Kerk. I guessed he was the chap in charge of the tower since a sign on the closed door indicated he would be back shortly; a call of nature no doubt.
He soon returned, and we found ourselves stepping into a large hall containing static displays of the building, with a very high ceiling with other floors above. The monk was very friendly, helpful and with a sense of humour explained that there were 207 steps to climb (which made Rex flinch), and on the way we would see two expositions and a film. "The film will be in Dutch, with German subtitles," he laughed.
We set off on our monumental climb. The first exposition on one of the floors contained a collection of sculptures that resembled cod skeletons.
The film was much more interesting, despite the communication barrier, and covered a major conflict. The town lies within the County of Zeeland, an area which was hotly contested between various factions for several centuries. At the end of the Middle Ages the city served an important strategic role on the southern Dutch coastline. Its location on the island of Schouwen made it a key location in the defence of Holland's territories.
In 1304, after the Flemish had invaded Zeeland and Holland, the Battle of Zierikzee saw the town embroiled in a large-scale naval battle between a Flemish fleet and an allied French - Dutch fleet, which took place on 10th and 11th August 1304. The battle, fought near the town, ended in a French - Dutch victory. The battle was part of a larger conflict between the Count of Flanders and his French feudal lord, King Philip IV of France (1296-1305).
In the 16th Century, the town became involved in another major military stand-off resulting in the Siege of Zierikzee during the Eighty Years' War between October 1575 and July 1576.
Spanish troops tried to storm Zierikzee but failed, and then tried to cut off supplies to the town. Several further sorties followed and the Spanish attempted to seal off the town. This was followed by a major sea battle which ended without a clear victor. The town was eventually occupied by the Spanish but a mutiny broke out among their troops, angry that they hadn't received their wages. Instead, they took money and goods from the population - and later abandoned Zierikzee.
Suitably fortified by the film, we took in the second exposition: a group of sculptures of dragonflies (meant to signify rebirth apparently). I must admit neither exposition thrilled me.
We eventually reached the pinnacle of our visit, and were afforded magnificent views of the town and environs, including Nobelpoort and Kornmolen de Hoop which we had missed on our hike.
 Nearest We Got to Seeing the Nobelpoort and Kornmolen de Hoop |
 Stadhuismuseum |
 Kornmolen den Haas |
 The Zeelandbrug, Spanning the Oosterschelde, is the Longest Bridge in the Netherlands - 5022m in Length. Notice the Marina Towards the Foreground |
 For Completeness, an Aerial View of Sint-Lievensmonstertoren and Nieuwe Kerk |
A few hours later we found the marina restaurant crammed full due to a BBQ, so we headed back into town, and got soaked in the rain, returning later in glorious sunshine and zero wind. We love the variety!
I gazed from the boat at a heron gliding effortlessly between his favourite spots along the canal, waiting patiently for his last meal of the day. Opposite us, a herd of sheep slowly progressed along the bank cropping the grassy covering. As the sun sank down to the horizon, less sheep were interested in grazing, and just stood stock still staring in front of them. As the the sun disappeared below the horizon, more and more sheep adopted this position until as dusk fell, they slowly walked up the bank and dropped down the other side to their preferred refuge for the night.