Pieterpad: Venlo to Swalmen

Hiking, The Netherlands, Travel, ,

July 3 – What a difference a rainstorm makes! We bid adieu to Villa Anna, and stepped out into the 56 F morning – a forty degree drop in one day! A beautiful clear day, with a high in the mid 70s and 15 miles planned.

More quirky statues as we walk out of Venlo
Quiet please!
Getting out of the city. Which way do we go now?
Today’s signage was the most confusing so far…do we follow the red and white, or obey the X?
Let’s go this way
So many choices!
More beautiful flower farms
A noisy wood chipper came by to widen our path
Deer stands all along this route
I love a natural arbor
Horses!
Lexi, what kind of horse is this?
…and sheep!
Still water
A lookout welcoming us to Swalmen
Another statue on the way to our B&B
This is St. John of Nepomuk, also known as the Bridge saint, as he was killed by being thrown off a bridge. He has his finger to his lips as he was martyred for refusing to betray the confessed secrets of the queen.
An odd sculpture outside the restaurant
An exquisite supper – Jim had the stuffed peppers, and I had pasta and burrata. I’d not had burrata before: it is a cheese globe of mozzarella on the outside, which you break open to find soft creamy stracciatella inside. What a treat!

Leave a comment