Kalenberg

Just a pretty picture along the waterway in "Kalenberg"

One more "riet" story

This is how the "riet" bundles are transported to the ware house where it is resorted and re-bundled. It is sorted by tall, and shorter reeds. The installers need shorter reeds as they near the top of the roof, that is why it is sorted by taller, and shorter reeds. also it is bundled in bundles of aprox. 35 cm diameter so it is easier to handle. The bundles have to be tossed up on the roof so they can not be to big (heavy)
We learned all about this on one of our biking tours around the area and saw a reed farmer busy in the field. We were told that the product grows naturally. They don't have to seed,fertilize or do anything else to it. It is harvested each year. It grows on a bog which floats on top of the water. This bog gets thicker each year. When it gets to thick the reed quality becomes less, and after several years they have to bring in backho, and slice some of this bog off.
Very interesting indeed!

Riet (reeds) harvest

The "riet" (reed) fields around the lakes and "polders" have been harvested in winter, and are sorted bundled and shipped to be used for "thatched roofs". Thatched roofs are still a preferred way of roof covering, however it is very expensive and clay tile which is more economical is used as a substitute.

Blokzijl

Not only Amsterdam has "stepped gables"
These buildings are from the early 1600 era.

Blokzijl lock

The lock keeper in "Blokzijl"

Arriving in Blokzijl

One of our first stops "Blokzijl"

Charting a new course

Time to chart a new course!!

We are returning to "Le rêve" and hope to see more of the "Low country" I had heard of the "staande mast route", and did some investigating.

This is a route that takes one right through Holland from top to bottom, . It takes you from Delfzijl to Lemmer on the IJsselmeer, and into Amsterdam. From there it goes through the Haarlemmermeer polder ( one of the oldest polders) towards Zeeland. It takes one through some of the places like Amstelveen, Aalsmeer, Leimuiden, Alphen a/d Rijn, Gouda, Krimpen a/d IJssel, Papendrecht, Dordrecht, en finally Willemstad. From Amsterdam to Willemstad (and possibly beyond into Zeeland) is the area where we will be concentrating on. The last part of this portion of the trip goes through the "Dordtsche Kil" a small waterway leading from the "Oude Maas" to the "Hollandsche Diep"
This name "kil" ( a small creek like waterway ) is where we kept running into when we transited N.Y. when we did the American great circle route. Catskill, Westkill, Peekskill, fishkill plattekill etc. are all names that are named after Dordtsche kil, or more precisely the"kil" part of this name.

We are looking forward to exploring this part of Holland and hope to make an interesting blog for you to follow. By the second week of April we should be doing some "blogging" so, stay tuned.