Ryvarden

My colleague and friend had told me she would come and pick me up at 10am so we could go on another walk today. Not to where she lives now, but to where she used to live when growing up. We were going to see the lighthouse at Ryvarden!

It was sunny and there was a fair bit of wind, but armed with sunglasses, cameras and back packs with packed lunches and water we made our way to the light house. It was only a 2 km (1,3 miles) walk one way, but it did go up and down and there was plenty to see along the way. 

We saw a toad and a (dead) snake, we saw how nature had started to recover from a severe fire only three years ago, we saw rocks, rocks and more rocks and finally we made it to the light house. I had expected a lighthouse that would be high and tall and this was a building only two stories high perhaps. 

Of course the lighthouses in the Netherlands stand at sea level so need to be much higher than a tower that stands on a rock that is at least 50 meters over sea level!!

Until 1984 the lighthouse had a lighthouse keeper who lived in one of the two houses that stood a little way back. But then it was automated and there was no more need for the lighthouse keeper. However, the path he had used to get to his boat was still more or less there and we followed it down (it was low tide) to get a good view.

After that we made our way back up to have our lunch, but we were nearly blown away, so when the food was gone, we made our way back. Slowly of course, because there were still plenty of things to see! Like the pile of rocks that was used in former times as well, probably pre-lighthouse. Those piles of rocks would be found all over the coast line and fires would be lit on top as far as I could make out. 

A monument to the 16 people who died in a
ferry accident just off the coast.

Walking back was a bit more challenging: the wind was blowing really fierce now and even though the sun was hiding mostly, it was still hard going for me. And then we dropped down between the trees and the wind was gone and we both stopped in our tracks: it was so hot all of a sudden!

Close to the dead snake we saw a live one, but it got spooked and by the time my lenscap was of the camera, the snake had made its way into the undergrowth! 

I need a wider camera strap to avoid sun burn!

On our way back we stopped for ice cream. A good finish to a good day!