Ameland for mom's day

My fellow student in the lab, Lowrens, took me and Shanti and Deva to Ameland, an island off the north shore of the Netherlands. His family owns a mobile home there that had room for the four of us and Lowren's girlfriend. We rented bikes and stayed the night and did lots of fun things while we were there.

It all started with a car ride through the country side where I saw more big cows. We arrived at the north shore and took a ferry across to the island. The ferry ride was about 40 minutes because we had to take an indirect route across that followed the deeper waters. But I didn't mind because this ferry was more like a cruise boat with a restaurant inside.

The most prominent thing at the island is the lighthouse, a classice one with red and white stripes. Deva and I were the only ones that braved climbing up all those stairs (like, 20 stories!) to get to the top and see the beautiful view of the entire island! It was absolutely amazing. There is also a sort of museum inside the lighthouse to break up the long hike up the stairs. One of the most interesting facts I learned was that each island in the area had their own lighthouse and each lighthouse has their own blinking light pattern so that boaters can distinguish them.

We also rode our bikes along the dykes, another famous feature of not just the island but of the whole Dutch culture. After all, most of the Netherlands is actually under sea level so in order to have access to the land, the Dutch pumped all the water out using some mysterious skills and build super impressive dykes around the waterline to keep the water out and the land dry. When you see the dykes in person, it feels like being on another planet! We also witness a tour group going mudwalking, which involves walking in the mud along the shore when the tide is low. It actually looks really dangerous and I think it is because you need a guide if you are to mudwalk and you want to come back alive.

Another famous feature of Ameland is their liquor, called Nobeltje. You can see in the picture the store that sells this liquor. It tastes really sweet (kind of like ice wine) and it is very, very alcoholic. And Ameland is the only place that makes it and sells it. I actually had to buy 5 litres of the stuff to bring back to people in the lab that were requesting it. I guess Nobeltje can also be addictive, too!

My favourite part of the island was the beach. It was too cold to go swimming but not too cold to walk barefoot in the sand. And that is just what we did! What a wonderful feeling to have soft, wet sand in between your toes! The beach was not very busy and it was hidden behind a bunch of sand dunes so it was actually quite peaceful, just like a postcard! Making drawings in the sand made me feel like a little kid.

I certainly hope to make it back to the Dutch islands one day. If you ever visit, I really suggest that you go see them. Absolutely amazing.