A Trip to Afsluitdjik

Aweh, guys!

So, we have been a little lax on the sightseeing aspect of a new country due to being mad broke and still settling down. Hubby declared that this weekend he was going to take me “north of the wall” to one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century. Sounded great to me as I was itching to see more of the Netherlands.

We decided to go get some breakfast in the form of frikandelbroodjes from Albert Heijn before heading out on to the road. Hubby told me not to eat them yet as he knew the perfect spot. Soon enough we pulled over at Visplaats De Zwaan which is a recreational lake. Since it was early there was no activity out on water which gave us a peaceful start and a gorgeous view… what a great spot to have breakfast.

Soon we were out on the road again, and I don’t mean to sound crass or anything but some of the road signs and building structures are very, ahem, open to interpretation.

Valar Morghulis

About an hour and twenty minutes later we had arrived. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect and it basically looked like a giant stretch of highway with ocean on either side. We pulled over and Hubby told me that we were at Afsluitdijk which separated the sea creating a freshwater lake to prevent flooding.

Valar Dohaeris

We got out of the car and walked up to the museum building/restaurant. It was pretty crowded due to a tour group, so we climbed the stairs to the lookout point and captured some wonderful photos.

This was built in the period between 1927 to 1932 and it’s pretty mindboggling what they were able to accomplish back then without the technology we have today. There was also a sign which outlined all the manpower and machine power to make the build possible.

Once we were done, we took a walk up the footpath to the statue of the man who made it all possible, Cornelis Lely. Certainly, a dignified looking fellow.

While it is no Taj Mahal, it certainly has its own beauty and is definitely worth a visit if you are looking for a more unconventional day trip while out in the Netherlands.