May 20:

Ray had said he was interested in how the Dutch closed off part of the North Sea which had previously been called the Zeuderzee and how they created new land. To help him see, we decided to head for Enkhuizen at the west end of the causeway. Kees had taken us here previously and its a charming little fishing town that has some old houses.

We drove up the east side of the Ilsemeer and came across the causeway (20 minutes). Its amazing how much time and effort the Dutch have put into taming the sea and claiming more land.

After checking in at the tourist office and being told to use the train station parking lot which was unlimited and free, we found a small coffee shop. We struck up a conversation with the owner after asking him how to pronounce Enkhuizen. He was born in the town and gave us two pronunciations: one for the natives and one for everyone else. His second wife, from Kenya, was working behind the counter. Since his first marriage didn't work out, he decided to go to a warm place during the winter and one thing led to another. His wife was a runner when she was younger and her sister will be running for Bahrain in the Olympics in Brazil. Interesting guy.


Just past the tourist office and train station we walk past this cute building and the church.

We walked along the seawall and followed its curve past the outside museum. 







The museum showed the progression of different styles of houses - from wood to brick and sturdy roofs.

We came across these poles and wondered what they may have been used for. They look like there are steps for someone to climb but, why? Maybe Kees can tell us.

Along the way, we came upon these baby goats.















You always have to have at least one church and interesting and very Dutch houses.




For lunch, we found a fish restaurant and started with a herring appetizer.

Deb and Ray gave the raw herring a try and were able to finish with Linda and I having a few bites

Then we had a serving of kibbling with fries. Everyone was satisfied.

Then, we went looking for chocolate to complete our lunch and found this.




We came out of the shop with some really good gourmet chocolate truffles. Almost all of them were eaten as we walked down the street. Excellent.

Here's a store selling the little beginner bikes for kids we often see on the street and their parents running to keep up.

Then we needed to get back to the house to serve nachos, as promised, to Duco and Noor.

The kids showed up first and starting eating, Peter and Liesbeth followed a short time later. Both kids' English is continuing to improve and we had a sporadic conversation with them. They really like nachos. 

Talking to the parents, both lawyers, we learned that they did not need to take a bar exam. To be a lawyer in Holland, you attend school, than start at a firm with a mentor. After three years, if the mentor thinks you're qualified, you get your license. 

It was a good ending to a lovely day.