Hashing in Den Bosch...

On May 23, Jimmy and I took a 1.5-hour train journey to the town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (meaning the forest of the duke), otherwise known as Den Bosch to hash with Brabant H3. We’d never been there before, so were excited about hashing in new territory and exploring on our own afterwards. This rainbow bench welcomed us into the city with its message: There is room for everyone here.

As we walked along the Dommel River, the design of this building caught my eye as it featured a restaurant at the water’s edge with a simple park built above. 

The hash started at Bastion Maria, once part of a former fortification. In 2008, a relocated section of the 15th century city wall was moved to the site to rebuild the bastion, which would have once been an iconic site at the edge of the city.

The 10K runner’s trail was excellent! We wound through lots of small roads and alleys through the city, crossing over an intriguing maze of small canals called the Binnendieze that can only be accessed by official historical boat tours. 

Then we followed the Dommel along a series of dirt paths and wooden boardwalks...

…eventually crossing via De Moerasdraak Pontje (The Swamp Dragon Ferry), which was powered by turning a crank. 

We then ran through a nature reserve before crossing back into the city walls.

One of the city’s most famous inhabitants was artist Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516). Here are three sculptures from The Garden of Earthly Delights, his most famous painting, in honor of the 500th anniversary of his death.

It is clear that the artist had likely never seen a real giraffe, but he still got his point across. 

Apparently this nun transformed into a pig was to point out the hypocrisy of the clergy, which would have been a strong statement to make in what is even today a predominantly Catholic city.