Wachtendonk, Germany

Just across the border on the way to Duisburg.  Every time I drove on that highway (to Duisburg, Essen, Münster), I would pass one of those roadside signs indicating a historic or cultural or archaeological site, or a UNESCO site, and the sign said there was something to see in Wachtendonk.  I'd never heard of the place, but, okay, you never know.  I am not that naïve,though.  Like any other ad, the result doesn't always deliver what's promised.

Wachtendonk is a cutesy little village, and the name strongly suggests it must have been part of the Netherlands, or at least the Low Countries, before it became part of Germany.  Maybe, at one point in time, there were more Germans living in it?  Who knows!  Not being in a research mood right now, it can wait.  I parked just before entering the village centre, and really, if you walk around for half an hour, at the most, you've practically seen it all.  There are houses and other buildings built in different centuries -- 1684, 1707, 1853 -- and, surprise, there are ruins of a small cutesy castle, which I didn't expect.  What I liked most, though, was that many of the buildings were painted in strong pastel colours, and the thickness of the paint reminded me very much of marzipan icing.  My favourite is what I've just posted -- an old, light yellow, cottage-like house in one of the side streets.

AW is still in a lot of pain but does not want to lie down the whole day (I wouldn't have wanted that either) and believes in moving regularly to avoid getting too stiff.  I just hope he doesn't do anything that will twist his muscles even further.  He can be quite a stubborn patient.  I don't think that's necessarily a bad sign.