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25 May 1882 — En route to Middelburg | |
Thursday. 25th May [1882]. We got in to Flushing at abt 6 A.M. & landed abt 7. At 8 we took a train to Middelburg abt 10 mins. from Flushg. There was a very civil stationmaster who spoke English. He arranged to take care of our luggage and got a man to carry our bags to the Hotel Abby in the town. It was a very quaint clean little place & there was a good deal of costume to be seen. The women wore white hard stiff caps with straw caps to fit over them. The caps are held on by springs ending with spiral gold ornaments wh stick straight out on each side of their eyes. They wore white shirts with black boddices & light black sleeves to the elbow—very full skirts—short & shoes of wood. The men wear short coats & tights & stockings & brimless beaver hats. As it was market day there were a great many of these peasants in the town. We had some breakfast & then took a carriage & drove to the little town of Veere abt ½ hour off. All the people we passed very politely took off their hats to us. We passed some very neat looking houses & well cultivated lawns. The vehicles we met on the road were of the most primitive description—one carriage was made of light coloured wood highly varnished & swung very high. At Veere we saw the very curious old town hall where there is a small collection of antiquities– The silver plaques worn by the different guilds—& a very fine gothic goblet given by Maximillan of Burgundy dated 15th Sept. 1551. The outside of the building has statues in niches & it has also a bulbous spire. We drove about the streets near the sea & came back to the ruined cathedral at the entrance of the town. There was nothing to see inside the part wh is patched up & used as a church. The greater part of the building is used as a hospital & the great arches have been built up with brick & so made habitable. We looked at the curious old gothic well close to the cathedral. It has the arms of the town on it & is under a circular building. As we drove back to Middelburg it rained & we had to shut up the carriage. Drove to see the Provincial Museum in wh are kept all kinds of specimens of natural history coins, & a library. It is all in excellent order. Went to the Middelburg town hall & saw some antiquities kept there such as silver badges, &c—then returned to the Hotel & rested for an hour– The chimes of the clocks of the town struck us very much—they played constantly. The Hotel is part of the old Abbaye & looks out on a kind of court planted with trees. It was quiet & picturesque. One enters by an old archway. We dined at 1 & had rather a bad meal & when we came to pay our bill found we had a deal to pay—33 florins (1:8d a fl.). Drove to the station & found our goodnatured friend the station master who put us into the train for Rotterdam. We had to change at Roosendaal & wait there 40 mins. We got to Rotterdam abt 6. Had tea. Played cribbage & went to bed very early—very tired—as I had not undressed last night on board & we had seen a good deal today. Hotel des Pays Bas. | |
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