Breda Mural 08 -- 'The Black Death'

Near this mural is the St. Joost ('Yowst' and NOT 'Yoost') Chapel.  'Joost' can be considered short for 'Joseph' but this has never been a strict rule.  Anyway, St. 'Yowst' is supposedly the patron saint of all victims of the plague, a.k.a. the Black Death.  The fact that his chapel is nearby was part of the inspiration for this mural.  The other part is the fact that this was painted facing the Mols (Paid) Parking Area, which used to be the burial ground for above-mentioned victims.  The location was outside the ancient city walls, so it was the perfect place to bury the plague dead.  Later on, when the walls went down, it became a suitable place to bury the poor, the homeless, unknown soldiers, suicide victims, and the like.  Actually, the mural has no title, but I thought I'd provide it for easy memory.  And now, suddenly, I'm thinking of Richard III...

A very, very sunny day but without the heat of last May and June.  In short, perfect cycling weather.  AW didn't come along this time, but that was okay.  There is so much history here and I have found it an unexpected pleasure to learn some of it through the murals that can be found all over the city.  After shooting this one, I crossed the Keizerstraat to the Municipal Archives building and discovered that, while the archives are still there (closed on Mondays and Fridays, so I will visit another time), the rest of the building has been transformed into a very, very chic hotel.  It's being operated by another hotel, an older one, a little more towards the centre.  While I don't have to book a room, I think I would like to try the restaurant one of these (birth)days.

Kitchen duties, laundry and ironing, and vacuuming and dusting upstairs (did downstairs yesterday), plus some gaming in-between, because I'll be crossing two borders tomorrow, departing at 04.00 to avoid Antwerp traffic, and staying overnight somewhere.  It'll be an interesting trip, history-wise, and I look forward very much to the drive.  A quick shower and bed now and I'll be back online tomorrow evening.

Thankful for a good car, a cheap B&B, and a fab and flexible itinerary.
Thankful also for another insight for myself today -- that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I came from there, and no need to deny it, but grateful that I live here now.  AW put it perfectly -- 'If you hadn't come from there, with all you'd gone through, we might never have met.'
Me to AW:  'I'm so glad you're having a much happier second half of your life now.'
AW to me:  'I can say the same about you.'