October 11: Katwijk Beach

After 7 weeks of living just 6 km away from the North Sea without having actually seen it, I decided it was time to experience the beach! I had a free Saturday afternoon so I drug my housemate Toby away from his studies and we glanced at a map and jumped on our bikes. There’s a nice little bike route that guided our way (thank goodness because we only had the vague idea that we needed to head North) and took us along the canals, fields of sheep, and through town. On the way, we saw a couple driving horses from their carriage – Toby thought they might have been Gypsies.

We stopped at a grocery store along the way for picnic food – bagels and lox, chips and salsa, baked goods, and grapes to give the illusion of a healthy meal – and continued on our way. We did find the beach and I finally saw what the infamous Dutch dikes that I’ve been hearing about in class look like. Much of the country is actually below sea level. In fact, 60% of the population lives at or below sea level. So along the North Sea, they built up the coastline to keep the sea from ruining the cities. There was a large hill that resembled the grassy sand dunes of west Michigan along with an overflow dam in case of a particularly strong storm.

It wasn’t a typical beach day, but the weather was nice, the sun was out, and in the evening a light jacket was warm enough so by Dutch standards, it was a gorgeous day. As we picnicked, we watched a wedding party take pictures and horses walk up and down the coastline. After the picnic, it was time to frolick! We wandered barefoot along the beach, waded through the cold water to a sandbar, watched a fisherman at work, posed in front of the sun and left cartoon drawings in the sand. The trip took a bit longer than the anticipated 2 hour study break, but was well worth it. I only wish we could have stayed the last hour until sunset. But now that I know how close it is and how easy it is to get there – just about 20 – 30 minutes by bike – I plan to return when I have a free day, even if it means I’m all bundled up in my winter clothes. I’m only here for the cold season, so I have to take advantage of it warm weather or not!