> I wonder if there is a way to get the best of both worlds? [...]

I believe so.

Furthermore high-level languages with syntax-highlighting (think Haskell, Python, Elm, etc.) in state-of-the-art text editors are in a better position than the "free-canvas" node-edge editors to provide the base for such a widely used language.

Blockly goes into the right direction, but has a childish touch and I do not think the keywords should have a background with padding.

Blockly (and all the similar visual programming languages) are so awful! They're basically writing, but much harder.

"set", "repeat", "do"? What?

I think the advantage is that they make syntax errors impossible and are more discoverable, because the available blocks can be seen in the sidebar. Of course once you have mastered a language, it is more efficient to write text, but for a beginner it can make the entry less daunting.