On one of our previous visits to the Netherlands the good lady had, in a shop, admired a hanging embroidery featuring the eleven “cities” of the Elfstedentocht, five of which we subsequently visited last year. It has since been hanging in our home.

The eleven cities are from top: (coat of arms of Friesland,) Leeuwarden, Bolsward, Sloten, Hindeloopen, IJlst, Workum, Dokkum, Franeker, Stavoren, Harlingen and Sneek. I have recently posted photos of the italicised ones and we went to Sneek in 2017. Five still to go then.

Hindeloopen’s church, the Grote Kerk, is hard to miss. It’s dedicated to St Gertrude.

From another angle you can see its spire leans:-

In the churchyard are the graves of eleven Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War:-

Sergeant B W Palastanga, Observer, RAF, 7/11/1941 aged 21 and an Airman known unto God, a Sergeant in the RAF, 1/12/1941:-

Flight Sergeant W H Chapman, RAAF, 22/1/1943, aged 26; Sergeant A B Springett, Wireles s Operator, RAF, 23/11/1943 aged 23; an Airman known unto God, an Officer RCAF, 29/11/1943. In background – an Airman of the RAF known unto God, 26/7/1944.:-

Sergeant J O Organ, Air Gunner, RAF, 5/3/1943, aged 23; Sergeant R O Fulton, Flight Engineer, RCAF, 5/3/1943; an Airman of the RCAF, known unto God:-

Flying Officer G R Sugar, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, RAF, 13/6/1943, aged 22; an RAF Airman of the 1939-1945 War, known unto God, 31/8/1943:-

Church interior:-

Organ loft:-

Hindeloopen is a town/village on the IJselmeer (formerly known as the Zuiderzee) in The Netherlands. It is one of the eleven “cities” of the Elfstedentocht.

IJselmeer from seadyke at Hindeloopen:-

A Hindeloopen Street to left of above:-

Going round to the right leads to the harbour and this Lifeboat House. KNRM is the Dutch eqivalent of the RNLI:-

Old lifeboat on slipway down to harbour:-

Moving on round the road is this canal bridge and bell tower:-

View along canal from bridge above:-