Proud of you for doing this, despite the weather. If I have to choose a visual moment that your Dutcification is truly visible, this would be the one. Darn the weather, let's go! I am glad that you really enjoyed the experience...❤
Point to note these dolmen look enticing to climb upon and many children and tourists do. Keep in mind it's equivalent to climbing, playing and dancing on the tombs of others. It's just as disrespectful as taking selfies at memorial places of the war. That said, the dolmen of old and the burial mounds of pre history are quite fascinating, they're found in nature parks so there's plenty of other things to take in if dolmen aren't interesting enough.
It's kind of popular now, but it didn't use to be. I think the first recorded history of someone doing this was about 2000 years ago. Just one guy, though. His buddies wrote about it.
I did this a few times a long time ago, in similar weather. What I most remember is that it was tough, often knee-deep in the mud, a couple of sections we had to swim and mostly completely exhausted at the end of the day. Definitely worth it!
I am going to participate the half marathon of the island Texel. That event actually starts at the city Den Helder when you get on board. All the runners gather in the place where the cars normally are. Once the boat gets to the shore of Texel the captain pushes the horn and we all start our round. That is something special. Btw they also have a 5 or 10 km run. Thanks for the great video again. Love it!
We walked from Holwert to Ameland. a brutal walk trough mud and water. nothing chill about that. Can't remember when i ever was so exhausted from a walk. luckily we could go back with the ferry. Great to have done it but never again!
I must have done almost the same walk, can't remember the starting point exactly but it was north of Friesland to Ameland, then back by ferry. Although I don't remember it as being particularly tough, I will say that it's not something I would repeat. Mud and seawater everywhere! However the sense of achievement and wonder is fantastic - you basically walked across the bottom of the sea to a distant island, how cool is that?!
You guys are allways so positive... that i think is your succes here on RUclips. Even if it is raining with fierce winds, and in company of strangers doing strange things you don't even know wether it's for fun or for excercise or for initiation purposeses ... you allways keep smiling and are happy with all the crazy challenges, Big up for you two 👍... RESPECT.
What to do in NL. Well... Walk the "Pieterpad". Its a path through almost the entire country, and many people do a summer of it, and see how far they get. It's a walking route through from de Pietersberg in the south to Pieterburen in the north. I have never done the route myself, but I lived along a point where one of the paths came onto our main road, and there were no shops in our little town so many people rang our doorbell, inquiring where they would find food and lodgings. Usually the answer was; right here with us, as there's nothing in this town. You'll need to walk nine more miles for the nearest hotel! So, we usually ended up with another eater or two. Only large groups we'd refuse and we''d point to the nearest busstop. (like 500 meters away.) Or, when it was really really late they could set up a tent in our garden. It was a lot of fun living there and meeting all the people who walked the Pieterpad. I walked with one pair of people for the next thirty miles of the road, and decided the next day I would never do that again. Au. 😁 But you guys are fit, so it should not be a problem and you don't have to do the entire path either, just pick a section you'd like. www.pieterpad.nl/
Awesome.. hope you enjoyed. As frisian schoolkids, these trips were mandatory. On fieldtrips to the islannds we used to collect our dinner during wadlooptochten. Great memories
@@buncharted Well we spend a week or so at Vlieland or Terschelling. We had fieldtrips in nature ( great and beautifull spots on the islands) But the actual wadlopen was in the daytime ( it was a safetything since we were in a large group of highschoolkids.. kinda hard to control ;).
So awesome that you went and did this, I recommended this a couple of months ago, along with a bunch of other stuff, both local and for Europe. Another very Dutch experience is a cycling tour (they offer e-bikes if you're worried about making the distance) as you get to see the country in a different way than you would in the train or in a car.
Hey Michelle and Alex, great to see an unique experience. It is really only in the Waddenzee that you can do this! So if I understood correctly you went on a ship - wad- ship trip. I went a million year ago on a ship to coast adventure. That's a Morning adventure of about 5 hours (well it was at that time ;-) ) And you were required to wear high tied shoes to avoid the mud sucking off your shoes.. As when you approach the last 100 meters before the mainland coast you have to cross a stretch with knee deep dark fat mud (slib).!! The route is from wet beach to just over the knee deep water to cross. So there is a bit of variation. I loved it!
Can't remember if you might have done it already... but The caves in/around Valkenburg are fun! More natural on normal days, and during christmas, they're big cave markets! Ive always found it a super fun experience and love going there.
Pro-tip: if you're going to do a more advanced wadlooptocht, buy yourself some high ankle allstars kind of shoes. Especially if you walk from the mainland to one of the islands, you start right of the Waddenzeedijk, in the blubber. Shoes that are tight and ankle height will stay on your feet. You wouldn't be the first to lose their shoes in the flats and marshes of the Waddenzee ...
I used to be a shipsmate in the summer for a number of years on these "platbodems". Had a group of Americans on board for 2 weeks - which is really nice because in 2 weeks you can really travel places on the IJsselmeer and Waddenzee. Let me remind you that this was in a period that mobile phones, internet etc. had yet to become common goods. Every day we left port, they would immediatly start to ask "when will we arrive at the next port" where they could dissolve into the tourist crowd. Considering wind, currents etc. it was alway an approximation that could be way of. Them not having any clue of this and not willing to learn, we would end up responding to them "That would be 15.16" when leaving port at 9 o'clock. They would easily accept that answer and showed up on deck around that time to usually be disappointed (again) not having a habour in sight. In all other ways - great people, but slowing down was not their parté.
Cool, that is a truly Dutch experience, nowhere else to be found (I guess). Good to see you enjoyed it for what it is, a relaxing moment in the middle of nature.
Wadlopen is a lot of fun indeed, as a born an raised Friesian, that was a frequent❤ school trip to have. If the tide is low enough ypu can also walk to the island entirely without the boat. You might also like sea-fishing, there's a big boat 🚢 leaving from the Holwert port, offering day trips of sea fishing. Mostly for mackrel. Absolutely fun thing to do ❤
Wadlopen isn't my favourite but there is one place I would desperately would like to visit: Rottumeroog, Rottumerplaat. The smallest of the Dutch islands part of the Waddenzee. Though I think Simmondszand would've been the smallest, just I think that disappeared during a series of storms in the 2010's. As for my longest wait to see something: Madagascar and a troup of a specific lemurs. 2 days up, 4 days waiting, half a day observing, 2 days back. Worth it though.
If you like the Dutch wadden islands. It’s also worth it to go to Borkum, a German wadden island. The boat leaves from the Eems haven in the north east of Groningen province. My favorite holidays were cycling trips with my wife. Packing everything we needed with us on the bikes and cycle from the Netherlands trough Germany to Denmark and back from campsite to campsite. Life gets incredibly simple and relaxing when you’re cycling and camping.
I went to pick oysters last year in Zeeland and it was so much fun (and we had an amazing dinner that night). I'm sure you'd love to do that too. There are several places where you can do that, but Yerseke is a famous one. You have to make sure it's the right tide etc. but there are some websites with useful information and tips for good spots. Wadlopen is still on my bucket list, would love to do that some time. And it's been way too long ago since I was on one of the islands.
I did it also, when in worked en lived in the City Groningen, went to Pieterburen wadlopen Groningen. Not very wet, only the beginning,but it was funny to it one time. Long time ago..
I did wadlopen too just over 20 years ago, from the mainland to Ameland, that was one of the coolest things I've done living in NL. Another nice one - but it seems to have discontinued? - was a night walk of ~25km from Leiden to Den Haag through the beautiful dune landscape. It started at midnight and finished around 5.30-6 in the morning, with a few breaks for food & entertainment. It was called Nacht van Juigalpa to commemorate a nightly evacuation in Nicaragua where the people had to walk to safety for 26 km.
Guided biking tour in the Margaten caves in Limburg was pretty cool. Esp with the surprise at the end. You can also do walking tours ofcourse. A lot of history there, which the guides do a good job of telling you about.
Great video, This is typical Dutch and also part of the enesco erfgoed. You are inburgering just fine! My off the path trip was to the Scottish Higlands with a back pack, and we just started walking. Beware of the midges, and we just took a non excistig path near Kyle of Lochalsh and later on the Island of Skye
Awesome 👍😎. Next? - cycle across the Afsluitdijk and take the ferry to Texel for a long weekend or midweek. I would like to recommend Theatre De toegift for dinner and theatre for when you are more fluent in Dutch. - The mussels caught in de Waddenzee are brought to Zeeland to mature before the land on your plate. Go visit the Dutch waterworks in Zeeland that protect the inhabitants from the sea. Created after the 1953 flooding disaster. The last part was the Maeslant kering near Hoek van Holland, just a tube ride away. Following that see how most was modelled at scale in the Waterloopbos bos in de Noordoostpolder. Tom Scott has a nice short video on Waterloopbos. You will find scale models of a lot of waterworks in the world. Go cycling across the Hoge Veluwe National park from Hoenderloo to Schaarsbergen. Or better, skip the cycling and walk the horse tracks. Better chance to spot wildlife including wolves. (scary) or worse encounter me.
The part "Wadden" in the name of that stretch of shallow sea references the Dutch verb "waden" (to wade). English "mud flat" is also a nice description. The point is that crossing the Wadden Sea, e.g. from mainland shore to one of the islands, will in part be done by wading and can have your feet sink into the soil/sea bottom constantly for longer periods of time. Between the raised flats (sand banks in Dutch), you will wade. It's so shallow that you will not have to swim. In spring, when the sea still is wintery cold, this cools your leg tissue and having to pull your feet out of the mud with every step when wading may stress your tendons' connective tissue as well as joints' capsule tissue. The moral: you really have to be physically fit to want to do this. And I've spoken with people who needed a lot of time tie recover from such overload.
I think I was 5, so it probablly was 1985. We were on vacation on Texel, staying at my mother's aunt's farm house. After visiting Oudeschild (we had some schol at the harbor), we went onto the Waddenzee flats at low tide. My rubber boots kept getting stuck in the mud. It was like i was wearing suction cups, and I kept 'losing' my boots in the mud.
ruclips.net/video/AP69vaI8Bg8/видео.html At this point in the video, you can see the island of Griend in the distance, a small uninhabited island (no permanent residents, only researchers from time to time) at which I stayed for two months 12 years ago.
Visit Gerendal in Limburg in May June. Great hiking place and you can visit the wild orchid garden too. Don’t forget castle Sjaloen with botanic garden opposite the Gerendal. Valkenburg is near too and you can visit the underground cave systems. Don’t forget to eat vlaai.
when seeing you guys eat mussels at the end I can't wait for the next one :) I never did wadlopen but it is still on my list. My exciting adventure was at Hellfire pass in Thailand. It is a museum and below they have parts of the birma railroad you go down walk about 500 meters and you go back up... but you can also walk about 5 km which is going up and down because the railroad bridges were demolished I passed the guides and just walked on.. I come to the end (which is near the border with Myamar and is closed off) I thought how do I get back to my guide and group so in the end I found a person on a motorbike which I could by using my hands made clear I had to get back. But alone in that jungle walking that route was great.
De Ideaal looks like a maatkast, might be wrong. Those ships were originally designed to fit along the routes in the inland channels with regards to both depth and width. And that Unesco world heritage status that was referred to has been in the news lately, apparently the proposed gas field utilisation is enough of a concern that it might get withdrawn. Wadlopen is one of those things I still want to do one day, maybe in a year or two assuming the muscles and tendons in the legs are cooperating fully again and at full strength.
My brother and I used to sail a Drascombe Lugger around the Wad. Beaching at Posthuiswad, then walk to the Posthuis for pancakes, walk back, sail on. Magical.
Wanted to give you both a hundred thumps up... YT won't do thatr. But seeing you do this, I never ever did it. And I lived almost 25 years near the Waddenzee. We now live near Rotterdam, but who knows...
How about schaatsen? or ice skating in English. It's not something thats only typically Dutch, but it is a part of our culture you could say. Especially natural ice instead of an artificial ice track, but you'll have to be lucky for the ponds, canals and rivers don't freeze up as often as they used to like back in the 80's 90's
You should consider to visit Giethoorn and rent a small boat (sloep), but thanks for sharing your experience for wadlopen, as a dutch myself i never was abel to to it myself yet😂
In stead of taking a 'sloep' you better take a fluisterboot (whisper boat). Oh and don't do this midsummer. It will be crazy busy with boats full of peaople from all over the world bumping into each other.
A thing I still want to do is to take a boat tour in de Biesbosch. They have these almost silent electric boats that allow you to get really close to the birds and animals living there. Maybe you should try it since it is basicly around the corner from Dordrecht. I think the best time would be end spring / early summer though.
Around there they found a vulcano, deep in the ground.... Not active anymore 😊. Frisian sûkerbôle (suikerbrood) is the best, but hey I am Frisian. 😂 You where in the province with the second official anguage of the Netherlands: frisian. Maybe you can try the Frisian traditions: fierljeppen, skûtsjesilen, iceskating in the winter on the lakes. Drink beerenburg, or visit the old towns of Fryslân.
Also popular in the german sea. When you go to north Friesland at the Halligen Islands you might want to visit the remnants of the sunken city or town of Rungholt. It was washed away in a huge storm in the late medieval times together with some of the land there. The today Halligen are just the left overs of that storm. They produced salt from the peatbog there that was full of salt from the ocean water. That time they payed lots of taxes to denmark. A rich town.
A unique and interesting experience huh? I had a little think and I remembred a visit to Hermanus in South Africa. You can watch whales from the shore and they come really close. I saw a mother and calf and looked into momma whales eye while her baby stayed close. It was magical.
about 'unique' experiences: I've once done a guided bike tour through Bangkok. It was sooooo much fun. You get to see parts of the city you'd never find on your own. Highly recommended. Totally opposite to wadlopen 😀
As for something completely different: next go to the Veluwe in Gelderland. Specifically a zandverstuiving, say Kootwijkerzand. Kind of a mini desert. Don't go when it is 30C though as in protected spots temperature can really rise much higher. While at Kootwijkerzand, drop by the ''Cathedral of the Veluwe'', a former radio station for contact with the Dutch East Indies. Then go to Arnhem and stand on the edge of the Veluwe, look out over the river Lower Rhine below you and remember our most famous poem, Denkend aan Holland by Hendrik Marsman. Or the much less wellknown poem Hyperboreëers by F.M. Philippi.
If you would like to do something touristik but not too popular, try Giethoorn or national park De Hoge Veluwe with its museum. Heusden would be off path and interesting, but only if you find someone there to tell you the history of that town.
You did it! Really proud of you guys 👍🏻😉. Maybe you can visit themepark Archeon in the city Alphen aan den Rijn. Archeon contains 43 reconstructions of buildings, farms and huts that once stood in the Netherlands and that have been reconstructed according to archaeological excavations. Our Archaeo-interpreters live in these houses and thus show life from prehistory, Roman times and the Middle Ages. In original clothing they tell beautiful stories from history. Discover and experience this journey through time! And its close by to Dordrecht too.
Or other sites along the old Roman Limes along the old Rhine, from Katwijk to Utrecht. De Meern has a great archaeological exhibit about a trading vessel they found and it's built like a Roman Castellum. Leiden has Matilo and all alond the Old Rhine you can find Limes traces (the Lower Rhine Limes is now also a Unesco Heritage site.
I might have a fun, and somewhat interesting suggestion in the upcoming spirit of Halloween: Try visiting the "Heksenwaag" in Oudewater. It's a very lovely little town, but they also have a museum there on how people were persecuted as witches in medieval times, and I don't know if they still do this, but you can also get yourself tested for being a witch or not, and get a certificate if you are not a witch.
Of course you now have to do a true mudflat hike. But when in Friesland you must visit the Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker. The oldest still-functioning planetarium in the world, dating back to 1781. And no doubt you have read 'Hans Brinker or the silver skates' by Mary Mapes Dodge. But you should find out the true story and also visit the place where he lived (Kleine Haarlemmersluis in Spaarndam).
Wadlopen. Hard to think of anything more Dutch than that ! Depending on how good your Dutch is... look up Freek de Jonge 'het wad' (warning lots of Dutch wordplays)
Maybe go to a football (soccer) game. Have you guys ever been to a football game in Europe? Even if you don't like the sport. The experience of being in the crowd and hearing and feeling the golf of raw energy and noise from 50.000 people when the home team scores a goal is something you probably have never experienced before. Especially when it's a big game or a derby. I suggest going to a game of Feijenoord since you lived in Rotterdam and De Kuip is the best football stadium. But FC Dordrecht is worth a visit as well. Totally different experience though. De "Schapenkoppen" play in a tiny stadium in the (professional) league below the highest league in our country and is a bit of a cult club in the sporting sense. Have fun!
Er was ooit een treintype met als bijnaam "wadloper" die vrijwel alleen in Friesland en Groningen reden. maar die zijn er inmiddels al lang niet meer. Allemaal verkocht aan het buitenland. Meer specifiek aan Polen, Roemenië, Tsjechië en Argentinië. Wikipedia artikel: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadloper_(spoorwegmaterieel)
For future when/if you have kids, go back. There are cool kid excursions where kids and crew will catch lots of fun animals to show and learn the kids. I did this 30 years ago as a kid, remember it still. Really unique day for a kid, something different than an aquarium or zoo.
You were lucky that the soil was firm enough to walk on and not let you sink in once in a while. It looks like the shoes you were wearing were not suited for that, and you might have lost one or both. I saw that happen during my wadlopen trip. We got advised to wear shoes or boots that could not easily come off because the sand can suck them right off your feet. I enjoyed it too and the only thing I disliked was the smell in some areas.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Proud of you for doing this, despite the weather. If I have to choose a visual moment that your Dutcification is truly visible, this would be the one. Darn the weather, let's go! I am glad that you really enjoyed the experience...❤
I recommend the Hunebedden in Drenthe, basically remnants of old burial places, very interesting to learn the history behind those
Indeed, built with huge stones, brought here by ice in the ice age.
Point to note these dolmen look enticing to climb upon and many children and tourists do. Keep in mind it's equivalent to climbing, playing and dancing on the tombs of others. It's just as disrespectful as taking selfies at memorial places of the war.
That said, the dolmen of old and the burial mounds of pre history are quite fascinating, they're found in nature parks so there's plenty of other things to take in if dolmen aren't interesting enough.
Not interesting. Just a bunch of stones
It's kind of popular now, but it didn't use to be. I think the first recorded history of someone doing this was about 2000 years ago. Just one guy, though. His buddies wrote about it.
I love that you 2 do so much stuff in the Netherlands, it's really fun to watch
So nice to see your enthusiasm about Dutch culture and a great video like always
I remember doing this as a little kid, I thought the idea walking on the bottom on the "ocean" was magical
I did this a few times a long time ago, in similar weather. What I most remember is that it was tough, often knee-deep in the mud, a couple of sections we had to swim and mostly completely exhausted at the end of the day.
Definitely worth it!
I would recommend the 5 borrow bike tour in New York City, 40 miles bike ride and it is so well organized
Good to see the variation in your activities. It is good to go “off the beaten path”. ❤❤❤
I am going to participate the half marathon of the island Texel.
That event actually starts at the city Den Helder when you get on board.
All the runners gather in the place where the cars normally are. Once the boat gets to the shore of Texel the captain pushes the horn and we all start our round. That is something special. Btw they also have a 5 or 10 km run.
Thanks for the great video again. Love it!
We walked from Holwert to Ameland. a brutal walk trough mud and water. nothing chill about that. Can't remember when i ever was so exhausted from a walk. luckily we could go back with the ferry. Great to have done it but never again!
I must have done almost the same walk, can't remember the starting point exactly but it was north of Friesland to Ameland, then back by ferry. Although I don't remember it as being particularly tough, I will say that it's not something I would repeat. Mud and seawater everywhere! However the sense of achievement and wonder is fantastic - you basically walked across the bottom of the sea to a distant island, how cool is that?!
@@MarcelVolker Very cool! Where else would you have thought about something like that?
You two . . . are just . . . Amazing!! Thank you for this video!
You guys are allways so positive... that i think is your succes here on RUclips. Even if it is raining with fierce winds, and in company of strangers doing strange things you don't even know wether it's for fun or for excercise or for initiation purposeses ... you allways keep smiling and are happy with all the crazy challenges, Big up for you two 👍... RESPECT.
What to do in NL. Well... Walk the "Pieterpad". Its a path through almost the entire country, and many people do a summer of it, and see how far they get. It's a walking route through from de Pietersberg in the south to Pieterburen in the north. I have never done the route myself, but I lived along a point where one of the paths came onto our main road, and there were no shops in our little town so many people rang our doorbell, inquiring where they would find food and lodgings. Usually the answer was; right here with us, as there's nothing in this town. You'll need to walk nine more miles for the nearest hotel! So, we usually ended up with another eater or two. Only large groups we'd refuse and we''d point to the nearest busstop. (like 500 meters away.)
Or, when it was really really late they could set up a tent in our garden. It was a lot of fun living there and meeting all the people who walked the Pieterpad. I walked with one pair of people for the next thirty miles of the road, and decided the next day I would never do that again. Au. 😁 But you guys are fit, so it should not be a problem and you don't have to do the entire path either, just pick a section you'd like. www.pieterpad.nl/
I want to recommend your videos to a lot of people who have not been the places you are showing us. Keep up the spirit and good work ❤
Awesome.. hope you enjoyed. As frisian schoolkids, these trips were mandatory. On fieldtrips to the islannds we used to collect our dinner during wadlooptochten. Great memories
was it just for the day or did you overnight?
@@buncharted Well we spend a week or so at Vlieland or Terschelling. We had fieldtrips in nature ( great and beautifull spots on the islands) But the actual wadlopen was in the daytime ( it was a safetything since we were in a large group of highschoolkids.. kinda hard to control ;).
So awesome that you went and did this, I recommended this a couple of months ago, along with a bunch of other stuff, both local and for Europe.
Another very Dutch experience is a cycling tour (they offer e-bikes if you're worried about making the distance) as you get to see the country in a different way than you would in the train or in a car.
I was going to say the same thing. My first visit to NL was on a canal boat / bike tour. Amazing time.
@Yvolve Which video did you make your other recommendations on, please?
@@KESipples On the "6 months in the Netherlands" video.
Hey Michelle and Alex, great to see an unique experience. It is really only in the Waddenzee that you can do this! So if I understood correctly you went on a ship - wad- ship trip. I went a million year ago on a ship to coast adventure. That's a Morning adventure of about 5 hours (well it was at that time ;-) ) And you were required to wear high tied shoes to avoid the mud sucking off your shoes.. As when you approach the last 100 meters before the mainland coast you have to cross a stretch with knee deep dark fat mud (slib).!! The route is from wet beach to just over the knee deep water to cross. So there is a bit of variation. I loved it!
Can't remember if you might have done it already... but The caves in/around Valkenburg are fun! More natural on normal days, and during christmas, they're big cave markets! Ive always found it a super fun experience and love going there.
Pro-tip: if you're going to do a more advanced wadlooptocht, buy yourself some high ankle allstars kind of shoes. Especially if you walk from the mainland to one of the islands, you start right of the Waddenzeedijk, in the blubber. Shoes that are tight and ankle height will stay on your feet. You wouldn't be the first to lose their shoes in the flats and marshes of the Waddenzee ...
4:44 : judging by the catering this excursion is the one to choose. It looks 1st class, esp. the Fryske Sûkerbôle.
I did it once years ago, its a special experience for sure
You did it! wow!
I used to be a shipsmate in the summer for a number of years on these "platbodems". Had a group of Americans on board for 2 weeks - which is really nice because in 2 weeks you can really travel places on the IJsselmeer and Waddenzee. Let me remind you that this was in a period that mobile phones, internet etc. had yet to become common goods. Every day we left port, they would immediatly start to ask "when will we arrive at the next port" where they could dissolve into the tourist crowd. Considering wind, currents etc. it was alway an approximation that could be way of. Them not having any clue of this and not willing to learn, we would end up responding to them "That would be 15.16" when leaving port at 9 o'clock. They would easily accept that answer and showed up on deck around that time to usually be disappointed (again) not having a habour in sight. In all other ways - great people, but slowing down was not their parté.
Cool, that is a truly Dutch experience, nowhere else to be found (I guess). Good to see you enjoyed it for what it is, a relaxing moment in the middle of nature.
Wadlopen is a lot of fun indeed, as a born an raised Friesian, that was a frequent❤ school trip to have. If the tide is low enough ypu can also walk to the island entirely without the boat. You might also like sea-fishing, there's a big boat 🚢 leaving from the Holwert port, offering day trips of sea fishing. Mostly for mackrel. Absolutely fun thing to do ❤
wow, I've never done this from a boat. Looks amazing
I love wadlopen.😊llve this vlog😊😊
Wadlopen isn't my favourite but there is one place I would desperately would like to visit: Rottumeroog, Rottumerplaat. The smallest of the Dutch islands part of the Waddenzee. Though I think Simmondszand would've been the smallest, just I think that disappeared during a series of storms in the 2010's.
As for my longest wait to see something: Madagascar and a troup of a specific lemurs. 2 days up, 4 days waiting, half a day observing, 2 days back. Worth it though.
If you like the Dutch wadden islands. It’s also worth it to go to Borkum, a German wadden island. The boat leaves from the Eems haven in the north east of Groningen province.
My favorite holidays were cycling trips with my wife. Packing everything we needed with us on the bikes and cycle from the Netherlands trough Germany to Denmark and back from campsite to campsite. Life gets incredibly simple and relaxing when you’re cycling and camping.
So cool that you two did this trip and that you liked the experience.
I've enjoyed this video so much. You are awesome!!
Very cool!
I went to pick oysters last year in Zeeland and it was so much fun (and we had an amazing dinner that night). I'm sure you'd love to do that too. There are several places where you can do that, but Yerseke is a famous one. You have to make sure it's the right tide etc. but there are some websites with useful information and tips for good spots.
Wadlopen is still on my bucket list, would love to do that some time. And it's been way too long ago since I was on one of the islands.
Zo leuk, en inspirerend! Dank jullie wel voor de super leuke video’s!
I did it also, when in worked en lived in the City Groningen, went to Pieterburen wadlopen Groningen. Not very wet, only the beginning,but it was funny to it one time. Long time ago..
Fabuleux
I did wadlopen once, liked it very much, so good you tried it! Great video! 👍👍
I did wadlopen too just over 20 years ago, from the mainland to Ameland, that was one of the coolest things I've done living in NL. Another nice one - but it seems to have discontinued? - was a night walk of ~25km from Leiden to Den Haag through the beautiful dune landscape. It started at midnight and finished around 5.30-6 in the morning, with a few breaks for food & entertainment. It was called Nacht van Juigalpa to commemorate a nightly evacuation in Nicaragua where the people had to walk to safety for 26 km.
Guided biking tour in the Margaten caves in Limburg was pretty cool. Esp with the surprise at the end. You can also do walking tours ofcourse. A lot of history there, which the guides do a good job of telling you about.
You know, I’ve never done that. This was very interesting and I’m going to add it to my list.
Great video, This is typical Dutch and also part of the enesco erfgoed. You are inburgering just fine! My off the path trip was to the Scottish Higlands with a back pack, and we just started walking. Beware of the midges, and we just took a non excistig path near Kyle of Lochalsh and later on the Island of Skye
Great video!!!
How cool of you, especially with that bad weather! ❤️Hil on a hill….
Awesome 👍😎. Next?
- cycle across the Afsluitdijk and take the ferry to Texel for a long weekend or midweek. I would like to recommend Theatre De toegift for dinner and theatre for when you are more fluent in Dutch.
- The mussels caught in de Waddenzee are brought to Zeeland to mature before the land on your plate. Go visit the Dutch waterworks in Zeeland that protect the inhabitants from the sea. Created after the 1953 flooding disaster. The last part was the Maeslant kering near Hoek van Holland, just a tube ride away. Following that see how most was modelled at scale in the Waterloopbos bos in de Noordoostpolder. Tom Scott has a nice short video on Waterloopbos. You will find scale models of a lot of waterworks in the world.
Go cycling across the Hoge Veluwe National park from Hoenderloo to Schaarsbergen. Or better, skip the cycling and walk the horse tracks. Better chance to spot wildlife including wolves. (scary) or worse encounter me.
Excellent episode! Best thing of the wad: no HEMA to pop in for snacks and food for the lunch.
That was a great experience.
The part "Wadden" in the name of that stretch of shallow sea references the Dutch verb "waden" (to wade). English "mud flat" is also a nice description. The point is that crossing the Wadden Sea, e.g. from mainland shore to one of the islands, will in part be done by wading and can have your feet sink into the soil/sea bottom constantly for longer periods of time. Between the raised flats (sand banks in Dutch), you will wade. It's so shallow that you will not have to swim.
In spring, when the sea still is wintery cold, this cools your leg tissue and having to pull your feet out of the mud with every step when wading may stress your tendons' connective tissue as well as joints' capsule tissue. The moral: you really have to be physically fit to want to do this. And I've spoken with people who needed a lot of time tie recover from such overload.
I think I was 5, so it probablly was 1985. We were on vacation on Texel, staying at my mother's aunt's farm house. After visiting Oudeschild (we had some schol at the harbor), we went onto the Waddenzee flats at low tide. My rubber boots kept getting stuck in the mud. It was like i was wearing suction cups, and I kept 'losing' my boots in the mud.
ruclips.net/video/AP69vaI8Bg8/видео.html At this point in the video, you can see the island of Griend in the distance, a small uninhabited island (no permanent residents, only researchers from time to time) at which I stayed for two months 12 years ago.
In texel you mist go with de garnalen vissers its fun.
Visit Gerendal in Limburg in May June. Great hiking place and you can visit the wild orchid garden too. Don’t forget castle Sjaloen with botanic garden opposite the Gerendal. Valkenburg is near too and you can visit the underground cave systems. Don’t forget to eat vlaai.
Nice VID, it's funny to see all standing on the water .. or so it looks like 🙂
Great video!! Strange country The Netherlands...
Great! Next time go mudwalking to one of the islands!
Dont mind the weather; it builds character 👍👊
At one point in time, you could walk to “England” . Wooly mammoth bones are still found in the North Sea.
when seeing you guys eat mussels at the end I can't wait for the next one :) I never did wadlopen but it is still on my list.
My exciting adventure was at Hellfire pass in Thailand. It is a museum and below they have parts of the birma railroad you go down walk about 500 meters and you go back up... but you can also walk about 5 km which is going up and down because the railroad bridges were demolished I passed the guides and just walked on.. I come to the end (which is near the border with Myamar and is closed off) I thought how do I get back to my guide and group so in the end I found a person on a motorbike which I could by using my hands made clear I had to get back. But alone in that jungle walking that route was great.
that sounds amazing - and slightly terrifying 😅
De Ideaal looks like a maatkast, might be wrong. Those ships were originally designed to fit along the routes in the inland channels with regards to both depth and width.
And that Unesco world heritage status that was referred to has been in the news lately, apparently the proposed gas field utilisation is enough of a concern that it might get withdrawn.
Wadlopen is one of those things I still want to do one day, maybe in a year or two assuming the muscles and tendons in the legs are cooperating fully again and at full strength.
My brother and I used to sail a Drascombe Lugger around the Wad. Beaching at Posthuiswad, then walk to the Posthuis for pancakes, walk back, sail on. Magical.
that's awesome!
Wanted to give you both a hundred thumps up... YT won't do thatr. But seeing you do this, I never ever did it. And I lived almost 25 years near the Waddenzee. We now live near Rotterdam, but who knows...
We did this with school was pretty dope
well, in germany the most famous trip for wadlopen or Wattwandern, is between Föhr and Amrum (2 islands). I guess that is much cheaper ^^
How about schaatsen? or ice skating in English. It's not something thats only typically Dutch, but it is a part of our culture you could say. Especially natural ice instead of an artificial ice track, but you'll have to be lucky for the ponds, canals and rivers don't freeze up as often as they used to like back in the 80's 90's
nice pronunciation of goedemorgen
You should consider to visit Giethoorn and rent a small boat (sloep), but thanks for sharing your experience for wadlopen, as a dutch myself i never was abel to to it myself yet😂
In stead of taking a 'sloep' you better take a fluisterboot (whisper boat). Oh and don't do this midsummer. It will be crazy busy with boats full of peaople from all over the world bumping into each other.
A thing I still want to do is to take a boat tour in de Biesbosch. They have these almost silent electric boats that allow you to get really close to the birds and animals living there. Maybe you should try it since it is basicly around the corner from Dordrecht. I think the best time would be end spring / early summer though.
that sounds fun - we will have to check it out!
Around there they found a vulcano, deep in the ground.... Not active anymore 😊.
Frisian sûkerbôle (suikerbrood) is the best, but hey I am Frisian. 😂
You where in the province with the second official anguage of the Netherlands: frisian. Maybe you can try the Frisian traditions: fierljeppen, skûtsjesilen, iceskating in the winter on the lakes. Drink beerenburg, or visit the old towns of Fryslân.
Next time you go to Pieterburen and walk over the Waddenzee from Pieterburen to Schiermonnikoog. A daytrip and return by boat.
Also popular in the german sea. When you go to north Friesland at the Halligen Islands you might want to visit the remnants of the sunken city or town of Rungholt. It was washed away in a huge storm in the late medieval times together with some of the land there. The today Halligen are just the left overs of that storm. They produced salt from the peatbog there that was full of salt from the ocean water. That time they payed lots of taxes to denmark. A rich town.
A unique and interesting experience huh? I had a little think and I remembred a visit to Hermanus in South Africa. You can watch whales from the shore and they come really close. I saw a mother and calf and looked into momma whales eye while her baby stayed close. It was magical.
wow! that sounds amazing 🐋
about 'unique' experiences: I've once done a guided bike tour through Bangkok. It was sooooo much fun. You get to see parts of the city you'd never find on your own. Highly recommended. Totally opposite to wadlopen 😀
that does sound like a lot of fun!
Cave walking near Maastricht (Sint Pietersberg) and in adjacent Belgium (Luik/Ardennes)
How about Saeftinghe?
As for something completely different: next go to the Veluwe in Gelderland. Specifically a zandverstuiving, say Kootwijkerzand. Kind of a mini desert. Don't go when it is 30C though as in protected spots temperature can really rise much higher.
While at Kootwijkerzand, drop by the ''Cathedral of the Veluwe'', a former radio station for contact with the Dutch East Indies.
Then go to Arnhem and stand on the edge of the Veluwe, look out over the river Lower Rhine below you and remember our most famous poem, Denkend aan Holland by Hendrik Marsman. Or the much less wellknown poem Hyperboreëers by F.M. Philippi.
If you would like to do something touristik but not too popular, try Giethoorn or national park De Hoge Veluwe with its museum. Heusden would be off path and interesting, but only if you find someone there to tell you the history of that town.
You did it! Really proud of you guys 👍🏻😉. Maybe you can visit themepark Archeon in the city Alphen aan den Rijn. Archeon contains 43 reconstructions of buildings, farms and huts that once stood in the Netherlands and that have been reconstructed according to archaeological excavations. Our Archaeo-interpreters live in these houses and thus show life from prehistory, Roman times and the Middle Ages. In original clothing they tell beautiful stories from history. Discover and experience this journey through time! And its close by to Dordrecht too.
Or other sites along the old Roman Limes along the old Rhine, from Katwijk to Utrecht. De Meern has a great archaeological exhibit about a trading vessel they found and it's built like a Roman Castellum. Leiden has Matilo and all alond the Old Rhine you can find Limes traces (the Lower Rhine Limes is now also a Unesco Heritage site.
I might have a fun, and somewhat interesting suggestion in the upcoming spirit of Halloween: Try visiting the "Heksenwaag" in Oudewater. It's a very lovely little town, but they also have a museum there on how people were persecuted as witches in medieval times, and I don't know if they still do this, but you can also get yourself tested for being a witch or not, and get a certificate if you are not a witch.
Nice relaxing activity. Not when you do the "real" thing ;o). Nice teaser in the end as well.
did you get to walk through mud? That's sooo much fun. AFAIK that's only along the coasts
Of course you now have to do a true mudflat hike.
But when in Friesland you must visit the Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker. The oldest still-functioning planetarium in the world, dating back to 1781.
And no doubt you have read 'Hans Brinker or the silver skates' by Mary Mapes Dodge. But you should find out the true story and also visit the place where he lived (Kleine Haarlemmersluis in Spaarndam).
there was a civilization in the nord sea thousands of years ago !
Wadlopen. Hard to think of anything more Dutch than that ! Depending on how good your Dutch is... look up Freek de Jonge 'het wad' (warning lots of Dutch wordplays)
Ah... Dutch Summer 😎
Imagine being a crab just chilling in the water and suddenly you are flying like superman
Maybe go to a football (soccer) game. Have you guys ever been to a football game in Europe? Even if you don't like the sport.
The experience of being in the crowd and hearing and feeling the golf of raw energy and noise from 50.000 people when the home team scores a goal is something you probably have never experienced before. Especially when it's a big game or a derby. I suggest going to a game of Feijenoord since you lived in Rotterdam and De Kuip is the best football stadium. But FC Dordrecht is worth a visit as well. Totally different experience though. De "Schapenkoppen" play in a tiny stadium in the (professional) league below the highest league in our country and is a bit of a cult club in the sporting sense. Have fun!
7:00 looks like a still from 'Interstellar'.
Also go for klootschieten in the east of the netherlands Twente i mean
I haven´t done that myself and I live here since 1996 haha
Ideaal weather 😂
hahahah
Er was ooit een treintype met als bijnaam "wadloper" die vrijwel alleen in Friesland en Groningen reden. maar die zijn er inmiddels al lang niet meer. Allemaal verkocht aan het buitenland. Meer specifiek aan Polen, Roemenië, Tsjechië en Argentinië. Wikipedia artikel: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadloper_(spoorwegmaterieel)
For future when/if you have kids, go back. There are cool kid excursions where kids and crew will catch lots of fun animals to show and learn the kids. I did this 30 years ago as a kid, remember it still. Really unique day for a kid, something different than an aquarium or zoo.
Wadlopen this way by boat means you don’t have to cross the muddy coastline first by foot before reaching the sand😊
Do you have plans too visit the Nijmeegse vierdaagse??
it's on our list! we might attend in 2024 - we'll see :)
Wadlopen you can do everyday , its just hight and low tide
Giethoorn on a quiet day
Fyi, you can also do wadlopen at night. 👌🏻
oooooh that sounds fun!
Any advanced wadlopen ...take your wellies and proper clothing. But well done. Beautiful the wadden. ❤
You were lucky that the soil was firm enough to walk on and not let you sink in once in a while. It looks like the shoes you were wearing were not suited for that, and you might have lost one or both. I saw that happen during my wadlopen trip. We got advised to wear shoes or boots that could not easily come off because the sand can suck them right off your feet. I enjoyed it too and the only thing I disliked was the smell in some areas.
hi, try cycling in Twente (east NL)