Today was our tenth day in the Netherlands. We had a private transfer to Delta Works, a park near one of the Netherland’s flood control barriers. We first watched a movie displaying how the barriers were built, and then got a tour around the exhibit, explaining the barriers even farther. It’s a long and thorough process because they had to design something that prevented floods, and keep the environment safe at the same time. So, they’re solution was to create barriers that can be lowered during disasters, and raised when there is no danger. This further leads to sustainability in the Netherlands, and prevents the environmental issues we saw in the Zuiderzee. The issue we saw there was that the dike completely separated the North Sea from the Zuiderzee, causing destruction to the environment. The salt water became fresh water, killing life in the Southern Sea. The flood barriers serve another very important purpose, roads on top of barriers connecting the islands. Before these roads, the islands were unconnected and a boat had to be taken to them. We then went through the Delta Experience, which was my second favorite part of the day, behind the water slide. The Delta Experience was a simulation of what it would like to be in a house during the flood of 1953. Artificial vibrations, wind, sound, and lighting were used to mimic the disaster. This experience really helped me understand the real strength of the floods because I never grasped how dangerous they actually were.

After a nice lunch in the park’s cafe, we were able to explore the park on our own because there was so much to see. For example, I didn’t expect there to be a water park, aquarium, and fake whale to walk through. We saw sea lions, seals, and all kinds of fish at the aquarium. Then, I went down the water slide two times even though everyone else going down the slide was 10 years old. I grabbed a milkshake after, and then it was time to catch a boat that took us a short distance out on the North Sea. The boat ride was relaxing and informative, as we learned more about the flood barriers. Something worth noting is that engineers are currently working on ways to raise the flood barriers because rising sea levels are becoming a threat to the current height of the barriers.

I thought it was really cool that we got to see Delta Works shortly after seeing the Watersnoodmuseum to see the different technologies, compare them, and see what type of flaws they may have.