We had a somewhat difficult night in Blokzijl - no idea why; I don't think there was anything wrong with the place or the room. But we had a nice breakfast, brought up to our room. While we were getting ready to leave, it started to rain. It had pretty much stopped when we left, but just after we got out of town, it started again. It wasn't heavy, but it was a shower, not a drizzle. After about 7 km I was feeling pretty unhappy despite the nice rain jacket, and regretting not bringing rain pants. It started to let up as we came to a national park visitor center near Sint-Jannsklooster, and we decided to stop there. We had a nice chat with the people there, and, since the rain had let up, took a short walk along a boardwalk.
The area there used to be full of peat. People dug up this peat and used it for fuel. Water collected in the pits left by digging the peat. Over the centuries, the wet pits grew until there was very little land left, just where the villages were. Then, sometime in the 1700s, a big storm came through and the villages were wiped out. Now there are a bunch of lakes that are gradually filling up with vegetation - a great habitat for birds.
We packed up to leave, and it started raining again. So we stuck around for a half-hour video and ate our lunch. By that time it was thinking about being sunny, so off we went.
On the way, we came upon this rather unusual picnic table. We weren't sure what it's supposed to be about, but we found out later (stay tuned).
Kampen is another one of those towns that was a major port before they took away the water. For old-town buffs, it is paradise. Lots of interesting old buildings, including three of the old town gates, like this one:
We stayed with a very nice retired woman in a house facing the IJssel river. She served us the usual sumptuous Dutch breakfast of bread, cold meat, cheese, jam, and boiled egg.
The area there used to be full of peat. People dug up this peat and used it for fuel. Water collected in the pits left by digging the peat. Over the centuries, the wet pits grew until there was very little land left, just where the villages were. Then, sometime in the 1700s, a big storm came through and the villages were wiped out. Now there are a bunch of lakes that are gradually filling up with vegetation - a great habitat for birds.
We packed up to leave, and it started raining again. So we stuck around for a half-hour video and ate our lunch. By that time it was thinking about being sunny, so off we went.
On the way, we came upon this rather unusual picnic table. We weren't sure what it's supposed to be about, but we found out later (stay tuned).
Kampen is another one of those towns that was a major port before they took away the water. For old-town buffs, it is paradise. Lots of interesting old buildings, including three of the old town gates, like this one:
We stayed with a very nice retired woman in a house facing the IJssel river. She served us the usual sumptuous Dutch breakfast of bread, cold meat, cheese, jam, and boiled egg.
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