'Het Gezicht van Nijmegen'

'Gezicht' = 'Ghe-zikht' van 'Nijmegen' = 'NIGH-mey-gun'
'The Face of Nijmegen' -- 6 meters high, a sculpture modeled after a face mask used by horseback riders during Roman times.

The Romans conscripted local men in the areas they conquered, so it is quite likely that the mask, the original of which is now displayed in the local museum (under renovation at the moment, so we didn't visit), was actually worn by one of the Batavians from the area.  Nijmegen is, if I am not mistaken, the oldest Roman town in the country.  Extensive archaeological excavations have been done in and around the island of Veur-Lent, on which this work of art is located, where the fort of Knotsenburg stood.  Remnants of this fort can be found a few meters from this sculpture.  The whole area is now a kind of historical park.

I'd been mentioning this excursion to AW for about 1.5 years.  Either the weather wasn't good or he wasn't keen on going or I had other obligations, and the winter is too cold anyway.  After we returned from Malta, AW much preferred to follow the Tour de France, and why not, so it wasn't till today that all the planets (or ducks?) were sufficiently aligned.  We went in the afternoon after cloud radar gave the go-ahead, and neither of us were sorry.  The park spans both sides of the canal but we stuck to the side where this is standing.

Some extras!  9 points if you can spot AW in one of them!

After visiting here, we popped over at his cousin Marine's place for two cuppas, a cozy and also hilarious afternoon together.  Dan wasn't home but Dette had just returned from her nursing shift and eldest daughter Yna was home, too, but they didn't join us.  I like the arrangement where both families are free to come together or leave each other alone if they so choose.  They did wave goodbye when we left.

Back home meant back to genealogy work and kitchen duties after dinner, as well as post-processing.  Thankful for the generous amount of sunshine, a smooth drive, and a very good camera, as well as the chance to see old friends.  Thanks also for your patience.  Today's trip did quite a lot of good.