More sheep

On the dike at the Dutch coast in Groningen.

While the moms didn't seem to be bothered by humans passing by, the little lambs followed our movements closely..

I'm linking to Saturday's Critters. Happy weekend!

View from the dike..

..near the village of Petten, along the Dutch North Sea coast.

Dike and Dollard

Our hike yesterday went partly along the Dollard, a bay in the Wadden Sea which forms the border between the (northern part of the) Netherlands and Germany. Most of it dries at low tide, which was obviously the case when we were there.

Lots of sheep on the dike and at some points we had to zigzag between their droppings ;)

I'm linking to All Seasons.

Afsluitdijk monument café

Next to the Afsluitdijk monument -see also my previous 2 posts- is a tiny café/restaurant annex souvenir shop. Inside are basic wooden tables and chairs, and wherever you look there are (black and white) photographs, newspaper clippings, old postcards etc. They all tell and inform about the history of the Afsluitdijk.
Open every day of the year, it's a popular place to stop and it is often crowded inside. It's a café with character though and I hope they will keep it just as it is.

Inside the Afsluitdijk monument

Following up on yesterday´s post these are 2 more photos from the Afsluitdijk monument, taken when we went down the stairs again.

The viewing tower was built in 1933 and was designed by Dutch modernist architect Willem Dudok (1884-1974).

At the Afsluitdijk monument

 On our way to Den Helder, from where the ferry departs to the island of Texel, we stopped for coffee at the Afsluitdijk. The Afsluitdijk (lit: 'Closure Dike') is a major causeway running between the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, with a length of 32 km (20 mi). The dike protects the mainland from the North Sea and is a fundamental part of the Zuiderzee Works.
On the spot where the dike was closed in 1932 is a monument in the form of a view tower. Next to it is a small restaurant.

This is the view from the tower, with the IJssel Lake on the left and the Wadden Sea on the right. A footbridge connects the parking spots on both sides of the dike. It was a Friday morning and as you can see there was not much traffic at that moment!

The Hand of Oterdum

Last Sunday I told you about the history of the small village of Oterdum and its cemetery on the dike near Delfzijl, in the north east of the province of Groningen. This monument, also at the cemetery, marks the exact location of where the church once was.
The `Hand of Oterdum´ was created by M. Meesters. After the original hand, made of bronze, was stolen in 2011 a new hand of synthetic material was made to replace it.

Oterdum cemetery

Oterdum was a small village once in the north east of the province of Groningen, halfway the towns of Delfzijl and Termunten. 200 people lived here near the dike. Then in the 1970s all farms, houses, as well as the church and cemetery (only the grave stones, the bodies were left) had to move for a new higher dike that would protect the rest of the province against the sea. Oterdum was no more.

Years later the grave stones, all dating from the 19th century, were re-placed at their original spot at the new dike. Some of the bigger grave stones have beautiful drawings and remember of the old times in a small fisherman's village.
We were passing here today and I'm glad we stopped to have a closer look. It's a remarkable place.

Statue of Lely

Cornelis Lely (1854-1929) was a Dutch civil engineer and statesman. He oversaw the passage of an act of parliament authorizing the construction of the Zuiderzee works. This huge project turned the Zuiderzee into a lake. A statue of Lely was placed halfway the Afsluitdijk. (see also yesterday's post).
And how about the dark sky! It started raining soon after I took this photo..

The Afsluitdijk

This is a view of the Afsluitdijk (in English: Enclosure Dam), a major road connection constructed between 1927 and 1933, running from the province of North Holland to Friesland over a length of 32 km (20 mi). It is a fundamental part of the larger Zuiderzee works, damming off the Zuiderzee, a salt water inlet of the North Sea, and turning it into the fresh water lake of the IJsselmeer.
Nowadays, halfway the dam there is a monument, a statue of the Dutch civil engineer Cornelis Lely (you can see it in the distance on the right side, I will show you a more detailed picture of the statue tomorrow), and a restaurant. This photo was taken standing on the footbridge that connects the parking spots on both sides of the A7 motorway.

behind the dike

This long cycle path leads you from the village of Schiermonnikoog to the ferry that will bring you back to Lauwersoog, on the mainland. On the other side of the dike is the Waddensea. On foot it's a good choice to walk on the grass on top of the dike, with a view on both the island as well as the Waddensea.

The picture is from Sunday a week ago..

Texel dike

Going up the dike at the east side of the island Texel, near the village of Oosterend. Unlike the west side with beaches and the North Sea, this side has a long dike to protect the island against the water of the Waddenzee.

On top of the dike, with the Waddenzee on our left..

..and this is the view onto the island seen from the dike. It is one of the more quiet places of Texel, surrounded by nature area's.

view from the dike

Komend vanaf de boot is dit het zicht vanaf de dijk op het dorp Schiermonnikoog.

Coming from the ferry and standing on the dike, this is the view on the village of Schiermonnikoog.