The day started off with an early breakfast at the hostel, and then we were off for an hour and a half bus ride to the Zuiderzee. Translated to English, Zuiderzee means “southern sea.” Once we got there, we had to take a boat ride to the village where the Zuiderzeemuseum is. We got to spend the whole day here, take in the sights, learn about the Zuiderzee, and get a bite to eat.
Along the coast lied a flourishing village that relied heavily on fishing in the Zuiderzee and North Sea. The Zuiderzee was salt water, and full of great fish; however, because of the sea level, the town was destroyed by floods multiple times. To solve this problem, the Dutch constructed a dike that cut off the North Sea from the Zuiderzee. The dike caused there to be no more tides and the body of water became fresh water. This crippled the village because they couldn’t fish as efficiently anymore, but the dike was crucial to keep The Netherlands dry. The village was beautiful, and it was amazing how they were able to preserve it so well. Unlike Zaanse Schans, which contained shops and tourist spots, the Zuiderzeemuseum was kept to look exactly how the village looked during the 13th century. We got to see inside many buildings, including wood shops, blacksmith shops, boat repair shops, and where they cook the fish.
Something I found interesting at this museum was the information on how the Dutch filter the water in The Netherlands. First, they pump the water to their water plants. It’s fresh water, but not good enough to drink yet. They then remove the larger particles from the water, and use various techniques, such as a UV filter to remove more unwanted substances. Next, the water goes to the the dunes through a long pipeline, where the water flows flows into the channels of the infiltration area. Millions of liters of water sink through through the dense sand layers, and the bacteria and viruses die off. The water gets cleaner bit by bit, and after four weeks the water is clean enough. The water gets pumped back to the water plant and then travels to the residents through large and small water pipes. They can just turn on the tap and enjoy fresh drinking water.
With our free time, we finished the day off with a trip to Markthal in Rotterdam. It’s a really cool looking building with all types of shops and restaurants inside. It contained foods from all different cultures, so it was hard to make a decision. I ended up deciding on a Halal place and got a chicken burrito that was delicious. It reminded me of Primanti Bros because they put fries in the burrito.
