Today, Sunday the 11th of September 2022, we’re still in Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean. For various reasons, not least to meet good friends – also overwinterers in Amersfoort, we stayed in Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean last week. A possible painter would visit us during the past week and on Saturday the 10th we were expected to visit a carpenter in Oppenhuizen/Toppenhuzen, near Sneek/Snits. That's about only 3 to 3.5 hours from here - assuming our usual pace. This image, made possible by Google Earth, shows our current location in the centre of Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean. As the further report will show, some things have changed.

Since we arrived in Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean we have stayed in four different places - all close to 'De Kolk'. The latter is the wide bend (where larger ships like ours have to turn before leaving Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean again) that leads from northwest to northeast and vice versa. When moored along the northwestern part of Heeresloot/Hearresleat, the road is called Herenwal/Hearrewâl. Moored along the northeastern part, the road is called Breedpad/Breedpaad. We have chosen a photo next to the Breedpad/Breedpaad. Particularly the female half of our crew doesn't like to be there - especially during the noisy weekend. We were only here shortly because of the possibility of connecting to shore power. To no avail, it soon became apparent...

We are now again along the Herenwal/Hearrewâl, opposite house number 6 (a beautiful, well maintained, residence!) and the city theater across the water. What you see is the outer wall of the city theatre as we see it from our little ship - when everything turns gold by the setting sun.

‘A misfortune never comes alone' is a famous saying. It turns out to be correct, because at the same time as our charger/inverter, the electric pump that pumps out the grey water (washing machine, showers, sinks) also started to show caprices. This pump has also served us without faltering since 2010 (almost 12 years). If all goes well, this indispensable part will be replaced by a new one on Monday the 12th of September. The engine room was unfortunately rather flooded; apparently the pump had been leaking for quite some time. There's work to be done!

From now on, some things that stand out to us here. We are close to Heerenveen's/It Hearrenfean's centre, where the catering industry is concentrated. It is noisy during the weekend, to say the least. Drunk young men step on our ship, they scream and they even grabbed a plant and threw it into the water. (Have we had a good time!) Nowadays we bring our plants to safety before we get to sleep. It is infuriating what can be seen in the morning when we walk our dog. Scandalous! Nota bene next to a waste bin!!!

We suspect that this street is called the Schoolstraat (Schoolstreet). What a waste of public money!

Classic cars are also sometimes to be found in Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean. Here's an antique Chrysler. This car is so wide that both the front and rear seat can easily accommodate four passengers side by side. (Did wider roads exist in the past?)

Again while walking our dog, we noticed this school(name). It is CBS 'De Hoeksteen' (The Cornerstone). Normally you would think that CBS stands for Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Central Bureau of Statistics). But we suspect that in this case it stands for Christelijke BasisSchool (Christian Primary School).

The Heeresloot/Hearresleat in Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean is spanned by four movable bridges. This is the Stationsbrug/Stasjonsbrêge. The other three are: the Herenwalsterbrug/Hearrewâlsterbrêge, the Trambrug/Trambrêge and the Terbandsterbrug/Terbantsterbrêge. We do not pass the Herenwalsterbrug/Hearrewâlsterbrêge, because then we would end up on a route with bridges that are too low. That is why we always turn around, pass three bridges, and take a (never annoying) detour of more than 15 kilometers. Next to this Stationsbrug/Stasjonsbrêge is a quarter cogwheel and an explanatory text: 'This cogwheel was part of the old Stationsbrug (Stasjonsbrêge) that was used by the tram from 1883 to 1931'. Strange that this bridge is called Stationsbrug/Stasjonsbrêge and another Trambrug/Trambrêge...

We close this week with the Mill 'Welgelegen'. This photo was taken on Saturday September 10, 2022. The mill was open and in operation. The rotating sails were decorated with flags and all kinds of flours were sold: spelled flour, pancake flour - you name it. An explanatory board informs the interested party as follows: 'This flour- and peeling mill was built in 1849 by the well-known mill builder W.F. Looman from Deventer. In 1898 the substructure of this octagonal mill was raised 6 meters; this is still visible. The flight (wing span) is 22.4 meters (around 74 feet). In 1873 J.M. Tjepkema (1845 - 1923) became owner of the mill and would remain this for almost half a century. That is why people still talk about the Tjepkema mill. The mill has been owned by a foundation since 2007. Members of the Guild of Volunteer Millers work here regularly. Restorations in 1945/1950 and 1990/1991.'