Again I missed a special occasion, one that I would have LOVED to see. Last weekend Holland wasn’t entirely Dutch anymore: in the center of Deventer the 19th century of Charles Dickens came alive!
If you had the patience to wait for 60 minutes – like all the other 100.000 visitors – you would be witness to a spectacle in this picturesque district where more than 900 figures from the famous books of Dickens revived. Ebenezer Scrooge, Oliver Twist, Marley and Mr. Pickwick, they were all there. Vagabonds were begging, thieves were stealing.
You could smell the punch, puffed potatoes and roasted chestnuts. Wealthy ladies and gentlemen with top hats paraded in the streets. Christmas Carol Singers went from door to door. The Bergkwartier with its marvelous historical buildings and houses was a live painting, with Christmas trees and thousands of beckoning lights.
Not only in the streets, but also behind the windows, in the houses and in the little shops and galleries the romantic time of Dickens came back to life. The whole center of the city was dressed in Christmas spirit, as were the churches. There was a market with 200 stands on the main square, while choirs, orchestra and vocal ensembles enhanced the Christmas spirit with their singing and music.
The Dickens Festival is held in Deventer every December… and next year I’ll be there!
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