Dordrecht - Friday morning

Dordrecht

We could see this windmill from our dock. There are 120 windmills on this 10-square mile island that is Dordrecht. Population 120,000. We were told again (3rd time) that this is the oldest city in the Netherlands. 

Citizens of Dordrecht are called Sheepheads because of this legend: once upon a time there were heavy taxes on imports and 2 brothers wanted to import sheep but didn’t want to pay the taxes so they dressed up the sheep as people (origin of the nickname “sheeple”??) to try to sneak them in. They didn’t get away with it and were fined double. But word spread and now these residents are nicknamed Sheepheads. (Could be true, who knows?)

There are many canals here and a lot of “social housing”. Here they believe everyone should have a home, so people who cannot work or afford housing can apply for social housing at 300€ a month. Two photos at the bottom are streets with social housing.

Many people live on their boats. If you can find a spot, for 1500€ A YEAR (?!) you can dock your boat, have electricity and access to showers, and more. At top right is an old steamboat that is permanently docked as a monument and is maintained by volunteers. 

This is one of 7 “Old Wives Courts”. Women only, there are 38 social houses in this court. You need to petition the Regents to join and there is a rigorous vetting process. 

This is the smallest house on the island. The hidden door is in the tunnel. You need a small ladder to access it. 

This is called the Love Bridge because many couples come here to take weddings pictures. The church is in the background…much prettier on a sunny day, I’m sure. 

Then this happened. A quick break for apple pie and coffee. 

In Maastricht these were called Tripping Stones, here they are called Stumble Stones but serve the same purpose. These mark homes where Jews lived and note when they died, usually in one of the camps. 

This is the original port entrance. These were built to demonstrate importance and like many monuments, tells a story with the carvings and decorations. Here we see a virgin (like a virgin, this city will never be “taken”) who is symbolically feeding the city. She wears a stinky plant on her head to repel men. (It’s been said that many women in town inquired as to where to buy this plant….)

There are so many churches here that are no longer in use, so they’ve been repurposed. This one is now an Art church and museum/shop. 

More symbolism atop this building that overlooks the Harbor. We see Father Time with an hourglass on his head, held by an eagle and a bat, communicating that “time flies”. 

Back on the ship, we had a Taste of Holland for lunch; a buffet of all kinds of local foods, beers and desserts! With a fun table setting. 

A short sail puts us in Rotterdam this afternoon.