Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Water, Water, Everywhere

Knowing that my aunt and uncle were good planners and having too much to plan myself for all the other cities I was visiting, I trusted that their suggestions on places to go would be interesting and enjoyable.   We hit the road early the next morning ready to explore a few small towns recommended in their Michelin guidebook before crossing the northern dike and reaching Amsterdam that night.  After only a few days I was used to traveling by car again and enjoyed the freedom it allowed us.

We first stopped in the small town of Giethoorn where we decided to rent a small, ten horse-powered boat which we used to "cruise" around the canals for an hour. I absolutely loved the houses with their thatched roofs and well-manicured lawns and gardens.  Every one was worthy of a picture since they were all so happily situated on the waterfront and well maintained.

Near the end of our hour, Uncle Tim passed the boat's control over to me (even though I had never driven that kind of boat/motor before), which wasn't a problem as long as I was going forward.  However when we saw a new thatched roof being put on, we decided a few seconds too late that we had enough time left in our hour to take a few minutes to watch some of the process.  When I had to back up and steer into what amounted to the house's alley (driveway?), I was undone by the motor's tiller, having to twist and push it in the right combination to get the boat where it needed to go.  Let's just say that I'll stick to sailboats where the wind is your motor or to motorboats with a steering wheel.

The other two towns we stopped in, Sloten and Sneek, were fun to explore, but didn't provide exciting stories to share.  I did see my first real windmill (and then a bunch more as we moved farther into the Netherlands) and a cool watergate and its drawbridge.


The last leg of our journey was across the 19 mile long Afsluitdijk (Closing Dike) that keeps the North Sea from flooding the Netherlands.  The dike is one part of the North Sea Protection Works, which is one of the wonders of the modern world.  I have to admit, while I probably didn't appreciate the engineering feat as much as I should have, I got a kick out of being that close to the North Sea!

Me and the North Sea!

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