Deventer Tribute to Opa

The 11th of the 11th!

The beginning of Carnival in Europe and the birthdate of my dear deceased father-in-law in 1916 here in Deventer.

These photos made yesterday with my iPhone camera on our Etty Hilllesum (Jewish) tour of Deventer are a tribute to Opa who was born 97 years ago today.

I am pretty sure this could have been his life motto. He was always ready for the "fun" part. Not so sure about the rule part, since he was a "stickler" for some rules.

Nederland without bikes? Never!

A rhino on the church yard, must be The Netherlands!

The lovely brick house is an old city farmhouse. I must do some research about when city farmers finally gave up herding their farm animals through the city streets.

Pristine painted windows and doors in the oldest part of the city.

Shadows show the gables on both sides of the street in the Bergquartier.

Almost the same shot, but notice the house on the right was built in 1629. That is about the time my ancestors became Americans. And yes, some of them were Dutch!

Opa's son (my hub) giving me his own tour of the city where he too was born.

Have to read about this parrot in a cage above a door. (Not real, of course!)

The sign says Evangelical Church, but it is the Jewish Synagogue. One of the few synagogues in Moorish style perhaps influenced by Spanish Jews.

City gate restored in the 1990's.

City square is bare on Sundays, but full to the hilt on Market Days. Waag ( weight house ) in the background. If you look carefully, you can see the bridge used in the movie "A Bridge Too Far."

Another city square view. Note right corner people sitting in the sunshine having coffee or whatever in the sunshine.

Inside the Jewish synagogue. The lamp is the oldest surviving original element from the original temple.

Not great photography, but you get the idea. Jewish women worshipped in the upper lofts separated from the men.

Old gable peeks out between the new structures.

Anno 1639!!!! Ijssel valei gable style.

At one time there were three synagogues in Deventer. This one is now an Everything for 14 Euros store. And the Star of David is a reasonably new symbol for Jewish people. (More about that later.)

Look carefully for the Stokvis ( remember I wrote about wanting to cook that expensive fish last Spring) hanging from the hoist on this house.

Speaking of hoists, this one is even covered. 

That was our tour. 

(Wonder if Opa ever heard of Etty Hillesum? More about her later, too.)