Firdgum Friesland.

Dutch : Firdgum. West Frisian : Furdgum., is a small village in the municipality of Franekeradeel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. 

You could see that Autumn was starting to begin here in Firdgum, even though there was a clear blue sky there was definitely a cold nip in the air and when you took photographs the sun was very low and cast shadows making the images,quite dark sometimes.

It is a very interesting village of not only historical but also of archaeological interest.

We parked the car and walked up a graveled lane towards the tower, on our left, there is a house with a poster placed inside on their front door of a poet or writer.

The poster was a little stained from watermarks and slightly faded.

The house had been built in 1867.

Built in 1867.

There was no church adjoining the tower, though looking at the brick work one could see that there had been a church earlier on connected tothe tower.

This was to be confirmed later on when we discovered a chart we found located on the side of the road.
There were not so many graves and I believe that Firdgum used to be bigger in earlier times than what it is today.

Different photos of tower.

The views from the tower were very pretty and one could see that the tower had been built on a very high terp (a man made mound of earth).

We continued our walk and came across the information board describing the history of Firdgum through the centuries.

Photographs of the board appear below.

It is in Dutch but I will try and translate some of the information underneath in English.

Firdgum Church and Tower

Church and Tower of Firdgum according to a picture drawn by JacobusStellingwerf, living in Amsterdam around 1720. (from informationboard).

 

 

Sjaerda-Sjaerdema Coat of Arms.

we then walked through the village and came to a cross-road and peeled off to the left and came across a quaint bus stop.  

It had a button on a pole that you can press ten minutes before you want a bus to stop there and pick you up ( of course you had to look at the bus time-table and then be there ten minutes before the said time so you could press it to alert the bus driver that he would have to stop there in Firdgum to pick you up).

Bus stop.

Goats and surrounding views.

There were goats one brown one white, the brown one stared at usthrough the wire mesh with big eyes as if to say who are you.

The white one was more friendly and trotted up rested its head on top of the fence and just wanted to be stroked.

Houses and surrounding country side.

The countryside around Firdgum is very open and is agricultural, there was a sign from a company  that supports the Archaeological site there called 'Yeb Hettinga Skoalle' [Fries], Archeologisch steunpunt. Yeb Hettinga School',  Archeological support point.

Archeology support point sign.

There is  a row of houses in the main part of Firdgum that is very pretty.

There is a house with a old milk can being used as a post box well I guess they do have different uses.

That brought to mind that I have one and it is used as an umbrella stand.

My father he was Fries and his name was Anno Joseph Schaap, he painted it with two different scenes on either side of the milk can.

I am very proud of it.  I never knew my father could paint like this.

Painting of my fathers milk can. Top Left: winter scene. Right: Friesland coat of arms and Municipality Leeuwarden. Bottom left:milk can post box. Right: ship scene painted by my father.

We then continued our walk through Furdgum and took more photo's of the surrounding area.

 

Then of course it was time for us to go back to Leeuwarden another Monday walk of interest ahead of us next week. Till then.