SkyWatch Friday

Last week in the Belgian Ardennes we saw beautiful blue skies. No planes that drew white lines and no sounds.


And then suddenly after 4 almost perfect days we were back in modern times again.

My World Tuesday

Last week I spent a few days in the Belgian Ardennes near Durbuy. I think it is the most beautiful part of Belgium. It has historic places and a wonderful scenery.
The first thing that strikes you in Durbuy is the imposing castle build in the 11th century on a rock overlooking the small town located at the river Ourthe. Most houses are built of Ardenese stone and have a real ancient look. Almost all of them are restaurants or hotels. Never seen so many in a small town.

SkyWatch Friday

This is what we have been waiting for. Looks like winter is over!

My World Tuesday

Today I want to show you some photos I took in Iceland a few years ago. Actually I risked my life to take them. We went on a tour to a glacier and our guide was amazed how fast it was melting. According to him this was all covered in ice only a few years before!


Only three months before we were there the ice reached the ground. Now a cave of ice had been formed.


Can you imagine there was an entrance under the glacier we could walk into. Our guide said it was dangerous to go in and it was at our own risk. He would not go in.
Well some of us did. It was exciting but I did not have the feeling the glacier would collapse at that moment. I knew what I was doing but I wanted to experience this. I would never get the chance to take photos from under a glacier again. It was fascinating and thrilling. The further we went the darker it was. At some spots the ice was really thin and we could see some beautiful blue light shining through. It was fantastic realizing there was such a mass of ice above us. And I muss confess I was also happy to leave the glacier safely. I let the pictures speak for themselves.

SkyWatch Friday

This was our sky today: grey and drizzly:



But looking up to the sky on the parking of our local hospital there was a lot going on. I saw dozens of crows nests and many couples of crows watching over their eggs. Marvellous. I have never seen so many nests before. These are only a part of all the nests. It was to wet to get out of my car!



Please click on the pictures for a better view.

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My World Tuesday

Today's picture shows a historical water mill, called the Weltermolen (molen = Dutch for mill). The mill was first mentioned in the 14th century. It is not known when exactly the mill was build. I suppose the first water wheel must have been made of wood. The ownership of the mill changed many times caused by deaths or divorces. It is now privately owned. The mill is fed by the pond mentioned in my last post while the pond is fed by a stream: de Geleenbeek. The water wheel was replaced by a new iron wheel at the end of the 19th century. During WW2 the mill was taken out of action and fell into decay. Because of the historical value of the mill it has been restored around 1980. On a few milling days the mill works and is open to visitors.


This picture gives you an idea of the size. The diameter of the wheel is over 5 meters.



For more interesting My World pictures clich here.

SkyWatch Friday

In and around Heerlen many trees, especially poplars, have tenants, namely the well known mistletoe. A lot of people take them for birds nests but they are half parasite plants growing on branches. The plants are protected in the Netherlands so it is strictly forbidden to cut some for Christmas. We are even not allowed to remove trees in which mistletoe is growing.