Lunteren

Lunteren is the town where my mum grew up and spent the main part of her childhood. She used to play in the beautiful forest ("bos" in Dutch) and the town is still very cute and very Dutch. The main street ("Dorpstraat") has little shops and is crowded with bikes, mums with prams and lots of children. The forest areas are still in tact and have long lanes and tall trees. On the corner of "Boslaan" and "van den Hamlaan" my mum used to play on a set of rocks and stones- this was her own little area. It's still there and the whole area is quite peaceful. The two storey semi-detached cottage where mum used to live has been tastefully renovated and looks in fine condition. The little Weaver's house across the road has become a little run-down - it's thatched roof and hedged garden are looking a bit neglected. Annerose and I played in that garden when we were kids on a family holiday in 1973, so there is obviously some nostalgia attached to today's visit.
The outskirts of the village have been extended with some new housing and there is a modern freeway about 3km from town, however the green belt surrounds and preserves Lunteren and is has kept it's charm. Of course the beautiful forest is still the highlight of this area.