What a lovely seen to wake up in the view of the above rose lying on the lawn. Not that the king of Heeze doesn't beautify the same lawn as well:
It's a sunny yet cold morning flirting with 10C but I can't resist the pool anymore so I decide to jump in the water. The result of this idea is obvious by looking at my nipples😅
As the day gets better a walk around looks like an even better idea.
Cuteness goes on:
I decide later that I deserve a nice lunch so I treat myself accordingly as a cook:
It's interesting to see how a different oven can make the same food made by the same hands taste so differently. Especially the skin. Loved it.
You should be asking me how come I haven't shared cycling details as I am already several days over Dutch soil.
Well, finally time to cycle:
I am starting from Heeze heading East all the way through the forest.
And I love it!
Is this how they do the bins in Netherlands? Cool!
Beef meeting on the way:
Cycling back through the forest again:
A superb house I saw on my way back:
Dead tree still standing among its younger comrades:
The above image is anything but rare around here but I guess you're not surprised - Netherlands can't get any more flat than it already is. One can safely say it's the perfect opposite of Hellas. In more than one ways but that's another story. The current one has to do with my walk around the castle of Heeze.
I didn't enter it as it was closed but that's nothing to regret about as the surrounding forest offers great walks in the woods and part of its beauty is visible from the outside anyway. Speaking of woods, I'm already sure I'll be back to explore those tracks but next time on a bicycle:
Some of them end at the castle's fence:
Effortlessly pleasant summer walks around as the tall trees keep you always in the shade:
Not that I need that much of shade anyway, it was 10 Celsius when I woke up this morning and just around 20 during those pictures. At this point I can't skip commenting on the weather's craziness: A week ago they had 40s here and now it feels like mild Hellenic winter. All 4 seasons in the middle of the summer in the same week. Weird if nothing else. And scary. Unless you voted for Trump.
Let's go back to the woods. You know I have a feeling for old ones if you are among the privileged ones who follow me. Far from surprised I see that this place has its share:
Some trees are (even) more gracious than others:
I find the following sign on my way but can't manage to get what it's about:
The QR code leads to a broken link, translation makes me think it means "the forest of the castle" or something like that. Sorry, my Dutch are actually non existent except a few words that are similar to German and my German are close to zero in the first place...This sign is in front of this thing:
Castles used to use water trenches for defence and this is no exception:
As I walk leaving the woods behind I see the following building:
Right behind it you can see the castle:
Wonderful isn't it? Especially if you consider that (as it seems) it's a residential house with its own street number and mailbox.
That old bridge is how they get in there:
As far as I can tell it's a classic old retractable bridge:
There's more to this unique property but I didn't want to spoil the residents's good time while having their coffee outdoors. Here's a few more:
Of course the real gem is the castle next to it:
It's impressive enough to make the flat green around look almost indifferent:
View to the cobblestone from the entrance:
Trench:
I take the way back through the cobblestone and take a few pictures on the way:
Close to the exit I find this building now (or back then as well?) acts as a pigeon house:
Once more I enjoy the beauty of Heeze with its cute houses as I walk back to my place:
And as soon as I arrive I pet my diabetic new friend under the sun:
Here's a video from clips I shot around the castle:
