Capture of Brielle

The Low Countries (or what is now the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of France and Germany) were under Spanish occupation in the 16th century. They rose against Spain in the Eighty Years War and on 1st April 1572, the capture of Brielle (or Den Briel) by the Sea Beggars (Watergeuzen) was a historic turning point. People started to support William of Orange against the Spanish Duke Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, starting a chain of events leading to the establishment of the Dutch Republic.

A friend from my specialisation comes from Brielle, which celebrates its status as the first liberated city from the Spanish every year on April 1.

Lunch at Ilona's place

Restricted area for those in costume only

Watergeuzen or Sea Beggars enter the undefended city

ChalkNight on 31 March is the time for kids to vandalise in the style of the Watergeuzen perhaps, but fines apply!

Quite the medieval style to hang laundry?

The Spanish defending Brielle

The aristocratic elite, haha.

Celebratory procession

Captured Spanish men!

My favourite costumes to spot were the nuns and monks

'Hanging' the Spanish leader. Rather morbid, in my opinion.

Games and flea markets

The 'original' city entrance

Brown skin.

I baby sit for the most adorable little French boy who just turned five last week. He couldn't tell me when his birthday is, preferring to point out that he had two parties - one at home and one at school. I offered him an Easter chocolate egg from Albert Heijn, and he took the blue and yellow one (because blue is the colour for boys), leaving me to eat the purple and pink one.

He looked at my hands and said,

Your skin is brown but your hands are beige. C'est marrant! (That's funny!)

I explained to him that everyone's palms and soles are paler than the rest of their skin, and that he is all beige because he's light skinned.

But it was just something funny to remark, and soon he jumped up to wipe his blackboard clean so we could play school.