We packed up our stuff, rode to the station, and caught a train for Meppel (most trains in the Netherlands run every half-hour). We got off the train, figured out which way to go with only a moderate amount of stress, and headed out. Much of the riding was on bike paths along (or even between) canals, like this one.
The most interesting place along the way was the village of Giethoorn. The old part of this village has no roads, just walking/biking paths and canals. Lots of bridges, of course, and all high enough that boats can get under them.
The comparisons to Venice are inevitable, though Giethoorn is on a much smaller scale. It does attract a lot of tourists, though.
We stayed the night with a couple of women in the town of Blokzijl. Blokzijl used to be a major port on the Zuider Zee, which seems weird because if you look at a map it's way inland. The explanation is that the land between Blokzijl and the former Zuider Zee (now the IJsselmeer) didn't used to be there - the Dutch created it by draining parts of the IJsselmeer. So the old line "buy land, they aren't making any more of it" does not necessarily apply here!
The most interesting place along the way was the village of Giethoorn. The old part of this village has no roads, just walking/biking paths and canals. Lots of bridges, of course, and all high enough that boats can get under them.
We stayed the night with a couple of women in the town of Blokzijl. Blokzijl used to be a major port on the Zuider Zee, which seems weird because if you look at a map it's way inland. The explanation is that the land between Blokzijl and the former Zuider Zee (now the IJsselmeer) didn't used to be there - the Dutch created it by draining parts of the IJsselmeer. So the old line "buy land, they aren't making any more of it" does not necessarily apply here!
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