Being lost in the woods…

...when it’s getting dark is not fun at all. Thankfully this section of Austerlitz forest is relatively small and we have the option to go back and take a different route through a nearby village. To prove the point, we had to retrace our tracks twice because we could not remember seeing the fallen pine tree on the road. It was getting dark and in another 10 minutes it will be pitch black in the forest. You never know, there could be a serial killer sheltering behind the iced bushes and trees waiting for his chance to slay. I know, macabre thoughts always come into the equation eh? Can’t help it, its automatic pilot when dire consternation is involved, plus it’s freezing cold, definitely not my choice of place to be stranded.

So trusting our instincts we followed the path we thought is best and indeed after several minutes we saw moving lights from a distance. Must be the main road! Ah, thank goodness we are almost there, we just need to figure out which side of the road the car was parked.

Here are a few fotos I took before nightfall:


Later we comforted ourselves at a bar café restaurant in the local village—De Jonck Vrouw, which reminds us of typical Dutch bruin cafes—traditionally styled with dark brown wooden interior and fixtures. This café has its own fireplace as well and we are lucky it was lit and a table in front was free. Nice! And so we had a snug place in front of the fireplace while outside is dark and cold. It’s not even half past 5 in the afternoon and it is already black.

January will be the month with the shortest daylight and the longest night time. The winter solstice has truly begun.

I had port and Dutchman had hot chocolate milk with whipped cream and a kransjes cookie (typical Dutch Christmas cookie). Very tempting to order a plate of cheese but settled instead for some nachos.

So that was our 26 of December, the second day of Christmas.


Visit Period: December

Destination: Austerlitz (Zeist - Utrecht), The Netherlands