¬Û¤ù

Winters have been very mild in the Netherlands during the last years, setting average temperature height records every year. Today forcasts say it will be around 10 C, about 4 degrees above normal.

This photo was taken almost exactly one year ago in Spaarndam just outside Haarlem. Today the skies look about the same as then, except for the temperature, I think it is about 5 degrees warmer today.

The slightly accidented terrain right of the tree is not a strange looking dike but heavily fortified actually. The Germans build many bunkers in this area during the second world war as a part of the Atlantic defence system against an invasion by the allied forces. Many of the bunkers are still there but they have gotten different purposes now.

However there are many more and much older fortresses in the area around Amsterdam. They are part of the so called 'Hollandse Waterlinie', a defence system build up and thought to be used against foreign invasion troops during the 18th and 19th century. The idea was to innundate the polders in case of attack so the agressors could not reach Amsterdam. I can't remember though it has ever been used.