Veere was our first stop in The Netherlands, in Zeeland.  Zeeland is the district at the southern edge of the country, where most of the land has been wrested from the water.  Veere was a river harbor during the Middle Ages.  By 1300, it was collecting harbor fees from wool merchants and other exporters.  Veere traded with Scotland for raw fleece to be woven into woolen fabric. There is still a section of the main street called the Scottish Houses. Veere thrived sufficiently to erect a town hall and a large church.  Over time, it dwindled in importance until it became more of a hamlet than a city. 

       Now restored, Veere survives as a tourist attraction.  It has appealing shops and waterside paths.  I should have liked to walk more there, but it was cold again this morning and the wind was sharp.

      Miri, HL and I warmed up in the Veere Museum, in the former town hall.   No one else from our tour ventured into the narrow premises where vestiges of the port’s history were preserved. A class of about a dozen elementary school students were the only other visitors.  A docent, dressed in fanciful medieval attire, led the children in several games.  Then she distributed costumes for the children to wear.  Thus transformed, they sashayed, one at a time,  between the split ranks of their peers.

       As I write, the ship is moving fairly rapidly.  It may sail throughout the night, on to Kinderdijk and its waiting windmills.

Veere

The former town hall, now the Veere Museum, is to the right of the house with the colorful shutters

A lesson in medieval Dutch history

The courtroom

Antique Kitchen Equipment